Author's Note: You folks are just the sweetest! Thank you for reading and for your kudos, reviews, likes, and support.
There is a wee Keeping Up Appearances reference in this chapter.
Weaving together this mystery has been such a pleasure and I look forward to completing this so I can start the next adventure in our series. We've just got a few more chapters to go!
(Yep, that's right…we're going to be doing several more stories in the same vein – the next of which is a classic movie-monster inspired Q-venture featuring Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein's Creature, The Mummy, and more!)
This story is set in the same universe as The Complication. If you have not read that story, I would highly encourage you to check it out!
As always, feel free to join me on Trek Twitter TheTartanTart.
"Now then, is everyone comfortable?" Q asked.
He'd been flitting about the room for the last few minutes ensuring everyone's glass was full and sporting an obnoxiously large silver platter of hors d'oeuvres.
"Get on with it, Q," Picard snapped.
Q stood up and clicked his tongue at the Captain.
"Temper, temper mon Capitaine," Q warned as he wiggled his finger at an irritated Jean-Luc Picard.
One moment they had been in the ballroom of the fictional Moran mansion and the next they were back in the drawing room.
Q stepped over to the Captain and offered him the tray of snacks.
Picard glared in response.
"Come now, sir," Q said, encouraging him. "This is supposed to be an engagement party."
"We don't want any of your smoke and mirrors!" Picard replied. "We want to finish your game and be on our way!"
Q inhaled sharply, turning up his nose in disgust as he sat down on the edge of the coffee table across from the Captain. He popped one of the appetizers into his mouth and kissed his fingers to signify it was tasty.
"Mmm, you simply have to try these," Q raved. "The secret is that I add a hint of this smoked Hungarian paprika to the filling. Between the flaky little shell and this gooey-"
"Q!" Picard barked.
Jean-Luc knew Q was ignoring him, drawing out the situation only to annoy him.
"They simply melt in your mouth," Q went on, completely ignoring the Captain. "And anytime I do these for a party, I always have to make a double batch because they go faster than hotcakes. And when-"
"No one cares about your damned culinary hobby, Q!" Picard hollered.
The Captain had finally reached his boiling point.
Q looked scandalised as he clutched his hand to his chest.
"You don't like my spinach puffs?" Q asked.
Q took a shaky breath, pretending to be horribly offended by the Captain's rejection. He blinked a few times and looked over to the window.
"I try to open up and share these parts of myself with you Jean-Luc, but then you grow impatient," Q said as if he were a scorned lover. "And I'm not saying you're the only one to blame for the tension between us, but I feel I'm doing my part to make things work."
Q glanced down at his fingernails, turning his hand over as he examined them.
"Finish the game," the Captain said slowly.
Q waved his hand dramatically and rolled his eyes.
"See! It's like he doesn't even listen when I talk," Q pouted.
The Captain threw his hands up in the air and began to laugh.
"This is absolutely hopeless," Picard said as he shook his head in disbelief.
While Data watched the scene carefully, a dark look passed between Tasha and Guinan. As Tasha observed the exchange, she couldn't help but feel she had made the wrong choice. They were completely at Q's mercy, and she had given him everything he wanted.
"Actually, these are really quite good," Riker said through a mouthful of spinach puff.
Everyone looked at Riker – including the Captain who shot him a disapproving look.
Riker shrugged casually.
"I told you so," Q said.
Q picked the tray up and offered it to the Captain again.
"Go on, Lord Moran. Try one," Q encouraged as he nudged the tray closer.
"No, thank you," Picard replied firmly. "Please give us the instructions to finish the game."
Q stuck out his lower lip and pushed the tray closer.
"Just try one," Q said, pressing him.
"No," Picard asserted. "Now. Where do we start?"
The Captain was eager to refocus the conversation back to the game. They couldn't afford to waste any more time on Q's ridiculous attempts to stall.
"C'mon. Just one teensy-weensy little spinach puff," Q urged. "I promise you'll love it."
Stubborn to a fault, Jean-Luc Picard was not ready to capitulate to the likes of this omnipotent trickster with a bruised ego.
"May we please just finish this game," Picard insisted.
Q waved the tray back and forth in front of him.
As Guinan watched them, she realised it was time to intervene. However, before she could chime in, she was beaten out by the only person with less patience than the Captain.
"Oh, just eat the damned spinach puff!" Lwaxana Troi huffed.
Captain Picard's mouth narrowed as he reached for one of the little flaky treats and popped it into his mouth.
Q watched with an eager smile as the Captain chewed it slowly. The two kept their eyes locked on one another, neither willing to break first.
As the Captain swallowed, Q's smile widened.
"See? That wasn't so bad," Q teased.
Guinan cleared her throat.
"He did his part, now it's your turn," she said in a warning voice.
"Oh, alright," Q said, waving his hand dismissively.
Q snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light as he disappeared from his spot on the coffee table and then reappeared standing in front of the window.
"Now then," Q began as he clapped his hands together. "You've got a mystery to solve."
Q laid out the rules for the remainder of their time – specifying that this was the second night in the house, and they would need to get a move on in order to solve the mystery of the Moran Family Manor.
He reminded the crew that each of them had received a clue that was essential to solving the case.
Furthermore, their refusal to play the game had resulted in wasted time. They each had a unique role to play in the mystery and that it was essential they participated fully.
"Now, I will make a gesture of goodwill and grant you a gift," Q said.
He snapped his fingers and they watched in astonishment as the large clock in the corner of the room began to wind backwards. As the hands spun rapidly, the darkness outside retreated and the sun returned.
The hands stopped abruptly, signalling that it was once again 09:00 hours.
Q laid out an itinerary for the day. They would be free to explore the house and grounds at their leisure until 19:00 hours. At 19:00, they were expected to be downstairs and properly attired for dinner.
The entire crew could sense it – Q was planning something at dinner.
"You will dance to my tune," Q warned. "Or you will find yourselves tap dancing at the bottom of the lake."
With a snap of his fingers, Q disappeared in a flash of light.
For a moment, no one said anything.
"Sir, I-" Tasha began to apologise.
She stopped as the Captain put out his hand.
"You did the right thing," Picard said.
A second later, his brow wrinkled.
"At least we must hope this is the right course of action," Picard added.
"Q mentioned that we all had a part to play in this mystery. Could he be referring to the items we each received with your invitations?" Data suggested.
Captain Picard nodded as he considered Data's theory.
"Good thinking, Mr Da-" the Captain stopped and corrected himself. "Inspector Fury."
"Thank you, sir," Data replied.
On the Captain's orders, everyone set out to retrieve their clues from their respective rooms. They were to meet back in the dining room in twenty minutes.
"Where do we even start?" Beverly remarked as she stared down at the pile on the table.
"Looks like a heap of random junk," Miles chuckled.
"Yeah, but it's gotta mean something," Geordi said. "Each of these objects has to serve some purpose."
Geordi picked up the ancient compass and turned it over in his hand. After scanning it, he set it back down on the table.
"I dunno, what do you think Inspector?" Geordi asked as he turned to Data.
Data had been standing a metre away from the table, quietly puffing on his Calabash pipe as he considered the various clues and how they might possible fit together.
Keys to a mystery.
Keys.
Data's eyes lit up.
"Is it not a fact that our host said that Colonel Roderick," Data said as he pointed to Commander Riker. "Colonel Roderick has entrusted the key to Lady Moran's murder to his bodyguard. None other than Major Rupert Hawke!"
Data dramatically indicated to Worf.
"Therefore, whatever Major Hawke has brought must be the key to the mystery," Data exclaimed.
"But my invitation included no trinket," Worf replied simply.
Data's face fell as he looked around in confusion.
"But that cannot be," Data replied.
He blinked a few times and turned back to Worf.
"You are certain?" Data pressed.
"Yes," Worf growled.
"Oh," Data replied, feeling dejected.
Worf wasn't trying to be difficult – his invitation had truly not included any object or trinket beyond the costume attire he'd worn on the first day.
"What if you don't know it's a clue?" Keiko pondered aloud. "What if it's hidden in your costume or in your room somewhere?"
Data and Geordi looked at one another. From across the table, Tasha and Worf silently communicated a plan. Captain Picard, Guinan, and Deanna shared a knowing look.
Without a word, everyone rushed out of the dining room and up to Worf's room.
"Well, that was a bust," Wes said as he flopped down on the table.
They were all back in the dining room once again. They'd spent the better part of an hour meticulously searching Worf's room – a process that Data wasn't quite sure had gone better or worse with having fifteen people crammed together in one bedroom.
Worf was grateful the search was over.
They'd tossed the contents of the wardrobe, searched under the mattress, knocked on the walls, and rifled through his luggage.
"Not everyday you get this many people eager to dig through your shorts, eh?" Commander Riker quipped.
Worf was notoriously private, and he'd been mortified when Mrs Troi had begun to casually rummage through his socks and shorts.
"I don't think we're going to find any clues here," Tasha said knowingly as she tried to guide Mrs Troi away from Worf's luggage.
"Oh honey, I'm not looking for clues," Lwaxana assured her. "I'm just sizing things up."
The boisterous Betazoid turned and looked Worf up and down before nudging Tasha.
"I think you've seen more than enough, mother," Deanna said, stepping in.
Worf shook the memory from his mind. He needed to put it aside and focus.
"So, we're back to square one," Riker said.
Tasha put her hands on her hips and circled the table.
It was a mishmash of items. But Geordi had a point – they all had to serve some kind of purpose.
"What is this?" Deanna asked as she picked up the astrolabe.
It was the only device on the table that she couldn't identify. She suspected she wasn't the only one with that question and thought it might help if everyone could understand the purpose of each object.
"It's an astrolabe," Geordi answered. "It came with my invitation."
Captain Picard picked it up and grinned.
"This was the medieval tricorder," he commented fondly.
Deanna didn't follow.
"It is an ancient device employed by navigators," Data added.
"But it's so much more than that!" Sonya squeaked excitedly. "You could tell the time, the season, when the sun would rise, survey land, calculate altitude, it was a star chart and-"
Sonya trailed off as she realised she'd gotten carried away with the moment.
"Sorry," she said quickly.
"Don't be," Geordi grinned.
Geordi had been utterly captivated by the way Sonya had grown so excited. He knew she was a brilliant engineer. He had no idea that she had a mutual interest in ancient navigation.
"But what possible purpose would we need for a navigation tool here?" Worf asked. "We are in a home."
Suddenly, Guinan was struck with an idea.
"What if it's not meant to point us in a new direction?" Guinan said strangely.
Everyone stopped.
"As in, these are all just a diversion?" Tasha asked.
Guinan shook her head.
"What if it's already telling us where to start?" Guinan asked, posing the question to the group.
No one was quite sure what to say. They weren't following her train of thought. Guinan had a unique way of looking at things. Her insight was often key to helping in tough situations.
But in this case, it was lost on the group.
"It's giving us our starting point," Guinan said as she pointed to the device.
Data was the first to catch on.
"Geordi, have you adjusted it? Rotated the alidades at all?" Data inquired.
"No, Data," Geordi replied. "I've hardly touched it."
Data picked up the device and studied it carefully. Using the star chart on the device, Data calculated where the starting point was.
"What are you doing, Inspector?" Wes inquired.
"Reading this device in, as you would say, reverse," Data replied.
He scanned the plate and dials to quickly triangulate where the point of origin was.
Without a word, he unfurled the map on the table. It was a 1939 map of Earth's South Pacific and one of the items that had been included with Tasha's invitation to the mystery.
"Samoa," Data said as he tapped the island on the map.
"Gesundheit," Lwaxana said.
"Samoa is an island, mother," Deanna explained.
"I thought it was a biscuit," Lwaxana shrugged.
"No, it's an island," Tasha said excitedly as she looked down at the map.
"N-no, Mrs Troi is right," Reg stammered. "They've got caramel and coconut and then wee stripes of fudge and-"
"I believe that in this instance, it is referring specifically to the island," Data clarified.
"Oh, right," Reg laughed nervously. "Th-th-that would make more sense."
Data was confident that they were on to something. The astrolabe was clearly set to indicate the user's starting point was Samoa.
However, Data was having a hard time making a connection between Samoa and their current case. None of their character biographies indicated any personal or professional link to the island. Additionally, none of the other clues had any obvious relationship to the South Pacific.
"But what's this got to do with our mystery? I mean that island is half a world away from this Scottish estate," Tasha said.
"That is it," Data said as he clicked his fingers together.
Tasha blinked at him, perplexed.
"The answer lies within a book," Data said. "Come! Quickly, to the library!"
Everyone raced out of the dining room as Data led them to the library.
"What do you mean the answer lies within a book?" Geordi asked.
"It is the connection between Samoa and Scotland," Data explained.
He was walking briskly and feeling quite smug.
"We are looking for a specific book," Data advised as they rounded the corner. "One that I spied earlier."
"Is it a passageway?" Keiko inquired eagerly.
"Or a hiding spot for something like a key?" Wesley proposed.
"Unknown," Data answered in earnest.
He truly had no inkling of what they would find.
However, he knew it had to be their starting point. It was the only possible connection that he could find. Data surmised Q had specifically placed the book with the intention that they would find it.
Data had spotted it during their initial sweep of the house. He'd carefully scanned all of the books in the library and memorised the titles in an effort to better understand the setting and the fictional family that lived in the manor.
Data pushed open the double-doors that led to the library and everyone piled inside.
He marched over the bookshelf that lined the wall. He turned back to the group, leaning back on the bookshelf, and puffing away on his pipe in anticipation of his big reveal.
"Now then, you may all be asking what we are doing here," Data began. "What possible connection could exist between an ancient astrolabe, a 1939 map of the South Pacific, and a book."
Tasha suppressed a grin.
He was really getting into the act.
"I would now like to draw your attention to the famed Scottish author and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson," Data announced. "Author of such literary classics as Treasure Island and the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde."
"And he's the killer?" Wesley asked.
Data frowned.
"No," Data replied.
Data cleared his throat and took a deep, artificial breath.
"But in addition to his numerous literary accomplishments, Stevenson was also renowned for his political engagements," Data continued. "In 1889, Stevenson arrived at the port of Apia on the Samoan islands and purchased 314 acres of land. Stevenson then took on the native name of Tusitala meaning 'Teller of Tales.' After immersing himself in the local culture, Stevenson experienced what he called his 'political awakening,' and began working to-"
"Inspector," Captain Picard said, indicating Data should wrap things up.
Data got the hint.
"The Beach of Falesá, The Isle of Voices, and The Bottle Imp," Data said.
"We need to find these?" Tasha asked as she looked around at the bookshelf, scanning the numerous titles.
"No, no," Data said with an air of superiority.
He stopped when he caught Tasha's glare and decided it would be best to change his tune.
"They are-" he began to say.
"South Sea Tales ," Miles cried. "Gran used to read them to us when I was young."
Miles's face dropped as he realised he'd ruined Data's big reveal.
"Sorry Commander – ehr - Inspector," Miles said quickly.
"It is quite alright," Data replied. "You are correct."
Data stepped aside to reveal a copy of the book sitting on the fourth shelf up from the bottom.
Everyone held their breath as they expected a secret passageway to open.
Data slowly pulled the book from the shelf.
Nothing moved.
"Curious," Data said as he examined the empty spot where the book had been.
"Is there anything inside?" Keiko asked.
Data opened the book to the first page and found a note in the same mysterious, loopy calligraphy that their invitations had been printed in.
"What does it say?" Wes questioned.
Data pulled out the note and read it aloud.
The Moran treasure you must seek, so around the manor you shall sneak.
Down to the cellar, out on the grounds, through the maze, you shall make your rounds
Down into the earth, though damp and dark, you'll breeze right through with the help of a spark
So buzz about like busy bees. Just like cornerstones, there are four keys
"What does it mean?" Sonya asked.
"Data, there's something in the margins," Geordi observed.
It had only been a faint glimmer when Data had pulled the note out, but there was definitely something there.
Taking hold of the note, Geordi held it up to the light.
In each of the corners, there was a distinct, faint watermark.
"There are four different markings in each corner," Geordi explained.
The first was simply the letter 'N.' In the top right corner was a nautical 'E' along with what appeared to be a round item with etching along the edge. The bottom right had a nautical letter 'S' and a heart. And in the final corner was a 'W' and a crude drawing of a sword.
It was Data's theory that these must represent various directions in which the group should search.
The line that referenced a maze down in the cellar suggested they would need to start there. Data recalled there was a central point that branched off in four directions in the cellar.
"The sword must refer to Colonel Roderick's sabre," Data theorised.
"And I'll bet the heart is my locket," Beverly suggested.
"But there is no object by the top left," Deanna said.
Unlike the other corners, the direction that appeared to indicate to the north did not include an item clue.
"I think it's already telling us the clue," Tasha said as she studied it.
"Because compasses always point north," Geordi finished for her.
Geordi and Tasha grinned at one another.
"Which leaves this," Miles said as he tapped the final corner.
Miles handed the paper to the Captain.
Holding it up to the light, he scrunched up his face and studied the watermark.
"Fascinating. I'd say if I didn't know any better this almost looks as if it were a poker chip," Jean-Luc said.
The only problem was that no one had produced a poker chip during their initial clue reveal.
"But no one has a poker chip," Commander Riker said as he looked around the group.
Keiko suggested that maybe they had to locate it. She reminded the team that there was a billiards room on the premises. Unfortunately, the billiards room was located in the west wing of the house and not the east.
"But why send us in the opposite direction to retrieve an item? Why not just provide it like the other clues?" Beverly asked.
It made no sense.
In the back of the room, Guinan fiddled with the object in her pocket. She ran her thumb across the surface and turned it over in her hand as she weighed what to do.
Her instructions in her character card had been clear.
And while this certainly seemed like the time to reveal her secret of being 'The High Roller,' there was something that held her back.
Guinan knew first-hand just how fickle Q could be.
She was reluctant to do anything that might mess up the mystery – it had already gotten so far off the rails.
Deciding it would be best to keep the matter hidden for a while longer, Guinan tried a different tactic.
"Why don't I search the east branch of the cellar with Blackjack and Ms Collins?" Guinan offered. "Perhaps Blackjack's name is the clue? And Ms Collins seems to know her way around a mystery."
Captain Picard eyed Guinan carefully.
She was up to something. He was certain of it.
But Jean-Luc also trusted her enough to know that if she wasn't ready to spill it yet, it had to be for good reason.
The rest of the team began to divide into teams based on their various clues.
"Alright then," Picard said as he clapped his hands together. "It's all settled."
"Remember that we have orders to be down in the dining room no later than 19:00 hours," Captain Picard warned. "Do not be late."
The team had assembled in the central part of the cellar where there were four branches leading out in opposite directions.
With torches in hand, they all set off in their respective ways on the hunt for clues.
"It's so musty in here," Lwaxana huffed.
"We are underground," Captain Picard reminded her.
Reg, Lwaxana, Captain Picard, and Beverly were heading down the west passage.
They'd been walking for nearly a half hour and had yet to stumble upon anything.
"Don't breathe too deeply," Lwaxana said. "We don't want you coming down with something."
Lwaxana handed Reg a handkerchief and instructed him to keep it up over his mouth. For a reason yet still unknown to the rest of the guests, she'd taken a shine to the socially awkward engineer.
He'd been the fixation of her attention for the last day and half. More than anyone, it seemed Lwaxana had embraced her role as the Dowager Duchess.
"A dead end?" Beverly said as they reached a stone wall.
Reg, who was bringing up the back, stumbled.
"Whoa there," Captain Picard said as he caught Reg.
Looking down at the ground, Captain Picard spied something. He aimed his torch at the spot and spied something that was out of place with the dirt around it.
The Captain kicked away the earth to reveal a trap door. Jean-Luc reached down and grabbed the metal ring at the edge and pulled it open.
"Shall we?" Jean-Luc asked.
It was a short climb down the ladder – only about three metres. Jean-Luc was the first to go down, followed shortly thereafter by Beverly.
When she reached the end of the ladder, he held out his hand for her.
"Thank you," she said as she stepped off.
While Beverly was having fun running around in costume as a Hollywood starlet, her wardrobe was proving to be a challenge when it came to investigating.
They were in a long room. There were rows and rows of crops stored in various shelves, jars of pickled foods, and spices hanging from the ceiling.
"I believe we're in an old-fashioned root cellar," Captain Picard said.
"But why is it so far from the house? We've been walking for a while," Beverly said.
She had a point. It made no sense for a root cellar to be such a long distance from the kitchen.
"I suppose distance must be irrelevant for a being that can appear and disappear at will like the Q," Picard remarked.
"What do you think it means?" Reg asked as he glanced around at the potatoes and cabbages stored along the shelves. "What are we supposed to find here?"
Lwaxana grumbled as she picked up a jar of chutney.
"If we spend all this time searching around and find out this treasure is some stupid spinach puff recipe, I'm going to register a formal complaint with whatever alphabet continuum hired this butler!" Lwaxana snapped.
Facing one of the nearby shelves and pretending to look for clues, Jean-Luc and Beverly shared a smirk.
"It's hard knowing with Q," Picard said. "Although he's never been one to shy away from the drama. I'm sure this will all end with some thrilling chase."
"For some time, we've suspected the Q find us amusing," Beverly explained. "Q likes to create scenarios and watch us react for his own entertainment."
"What we haven't quite figured out yet is whether Q is studying us like rats in a lab or simply lonely," Picard said.
Lwaxana snorted.
"Lonely? Everyone is lonely," she said as she waved her hand dismissively. "I've been lonely for twenty years! I don't kidnap people and force them to entertain me."
Jean-Luc desperately wanted to respond to this remark but thought better of it after Beverly shot him a warning look.
Across the cellar, one of the other teams was having equally as little luck. Miles, Keiko, and Guinan had been walking for some time when they came upon a large, iron door like a hatch. Miles made quick work of unscrewing the hatch and they stepped inside.
To their disappointment, it was another tunnel.
"Where do you think this leads to?" Keiko inquired.
"Dunno," Miles responded.
They'd been walking for some time with seemingly no clues to be found.
"Guinan-" Keiko began to ask.
"Gloria," Guinan reminded her.
Guinan knew Q was likely observing them all with a degree of sick fanaticism over the whole affair.
"Right, Gloria," Keiko corrected. "I noticed you didn't have a clue back in the dining room."
Damn, she's good! Guinan mused to herself.
"Well, my clue came with instructions not to reveal the clue until a specific time," Guinan explained.
Technically, it wasn't a lie.
But to Keiko's dismay, it didn't really provide any additional information.
"Is it just me or is it getting hotter?" Miles asked, tugging at the collar of his shirt.
After a few seconds, he loosened his tie. It wasn't merely his imagination, Miles was warm. And it felt like with each passing step, the temperature was rising.
"It is. It's getting hotter," Miles contended as he wiped the perspiration from his brow with his sleeve.
He stopped walking for a moment so that he could unbutton his cuffs and roll up his shirt sleeves. At the very least, his costume afforded him that.
"I think you're right, Blackjack," Guinan said.
They continued on through the tunnel until Miles heard something. Their footfalls sounded different.
Not only had the sound changed, but there was also a definite change in the feel of the ground beneath them.
Shining their torches down at the ground, they observed that where there had once been solid stone had been replaced with rocks.
Guinan glanced around and realised they were in a room. It wasn't just the floor that was different, the walls had opened up too. About ten metres away, there was a pedestal on the far end. On top, was a small, metallic box.
"I'm guessing we need to collect whatever is in that box," Guinan said.
"That's probably a safe assumption," Keiko replied, fanning herself with her hand to beat back the heat.
Miles scanned the area around the pedestal with his torch, then along the walls, and evening the ceiling.
"What's the catch?" he pondered aloud. "It's not like Q to send us on a quest without some sort of catch."
It was the concern sitting at the forefront of all three of their minds.
But as the looked around, they could not find any possible clue as to what danger may await them.
Keiko knelt down and picked up one of the rocks. She stood back up for a few moments as she studied it in her hand. It had left a dark, powdery residue on her fingers where she had touched it.
"This is activated carbon," Keiko commented. "Charcoal."
Suddenly, the floor around them burst into the flames.
The three jumped back into the safety of the tunnel.
"That explains the heat," Guinan said.
For a few seconds they watched as the wall of flames danced across the floor.
"Maybe we're supposed to walk across the hot coals?" Keiko suggested.
"That seems like just the kind of thing our host would get a kick out of," Miles grumbled. "I bet he's right chuffed about the whole idea."
Miles had been on the Battle Bridge during the Farpoint mission when the Enterprise had separated. In fact, he'd been left alone to man the Battle Bridge when Q had transported Captain Picard, Data, Lieutenant Yar, and Counsellor Troi to some mysterious place for his grand trial of humanity.
Miles didn't care for Q one bit.
But he knew they had a duty to play along and in order to solve the mystery and be free.
"We have to get that box," Keiko said.
"Well I'm not jumping into that fire," Miles contended.
All of sudden, the podium began to sink into the floor as if some great mechanised system were pulling it away.
Without hesitation, Miles jumped into the fire and raced across to the podium to retrieve the box.
"Ah!" he hissed as he tried to pick it up.
"Chief!" Guinan called out, concerned for his safety.
The metal was hot and burned.
Rolling down his sleeves over his hands, he tried to give himself some kind of barrier between his skin and the box so that he might pick it up.
With great care, he placed his hands on either side of the box and tried to pick it up off the podium.
Only it didn't move.
"Miles?" Keiko shouted.
"It's stuck!" he hollered back.
The podium was rapidly shrinking in size, pulling the box closer to the hot charcoal below foot.
We're alright. Miles reminded himself.
It would do no good to panic.
Scanning the podium, Miles checked for any kind of device or switch that would enable him to release the box. His fingers brushed across a small, circular groove cut out of the podium.
"There's like a slot on the side. Rounded," Miles explained. "As if summat is meant to go in there."
He tried his pocket watch to no avail.
Keiko's clue had been an old-fashioned zippo lighter. Such an object seemed utterly useless in releasing a podium.
Guinan realised this was the moment for which her clue was intended to be revealed.
It was too hot for Miles to keep standing on the coals. He turned around to race back across the flames and found Guinan was right behind him.
She removed the poker chip from her pocket and placed it in the slot on the podium.
Miles snagged the box and the flames suddenly stopped.
A second later, a cooling mist appeared from nowhere and a thick cloud of smoke filled the room, choking their lungs.
Keiko emerged a few seconds later next to them, coughing as she made her way across the smouldering coals.
"This way," she said, offering her hand to Guinan.
With Keiko leading them back to safety, the three of them made it back into the tunnel and eventually to an area where the smoke was lessened.
They paused to catch their breath.
"What's in the box?" Guinan inquired.
Miles cracked open the lid to reveal a note – which he handed to Keiko.
I am the foundation, the rook, the tower
The next phase begins at the midnight hour
You may search and seek all through the night
When you can't see the path, you must turn on the light
Underneath the note was a chess piece, carefully set in a moulded box with velvet trim.
Miles, Keiko, and Guinan looked at one another.
"We should head back and check in with the others," Guinan advised.
Worf, Wes, Deanna, and Commander Riker headed off to the passage that led south. There was no light aside from their torches and the passage seemed to go on for ages.
"What do you think we'll find down here?" Wes asked.
"I'm not sure, Wes," Riker replied with a grin. "But that's half the fun."
The rain from the night before had dried so the floor of the cellar was no longer flooded. However, it was still musty and damp.
They weren't very far down the tunnel when Worf's nose began to tickle. He took a series of shaky breaths before a roaring Klingon sneeze shook the cellar.
"You Klingons certainly don't do anything small, do you?" Riker teased.
They rounded a corner and found the passageway ended.
Although the passageway ended, their path did not.
There was a metal ladder that led up into the darkness.
"Where does it go?" Deanna asked.
"Only way to find out," Worf replied.
They climbed up the long ladder for what felt like ages until they reached a hatch.
For Commander Riker it was far too much like climbing around the Jefferies tubes on the Enterprise.
"Just like home," Riker quipped.
Wesley was first on the ladder. He pushed the hatch open, and sunlight streamed down into the tunnel they had scaled.
"We're on the roof!" Wes exclaimed as he climbed out into the open air. "Whoa-"
"Watch your step," Riker cautioned as he caught Wes by the back of his jacket a moment before the young man lost his footing.
"What reason could Q possibly have for sending us up here?" Deanna inquired. "There's nothing up here other than-"
"The risk of death?" Worf chimed in sarcastically.
Commander Riker glanced around in an effort to get his bearings.
The manor featured a mansard roof. Fortunately, this meant that the higher slop wasn't as steep of an angle as the lower slope. However, Will Riker knew that one false step and it could send them sliding down off the roof and onto the ground below.
"I think we should stick together," Deanna advised.
"Everyone look around. See if you can spy anything that might point to why we're up here," Riker instructed.
Worf put one hand up to block the sun and scanned the roofline.
"Sir! Over there," Worf said, indicating to an object resting on the edge of the roof's ridge. "It's a box of some sort."
The four crawled along the ridge carefully, mindful to go slow. Fortunately, none of them had an aversion to heights.
They followed the ridge along the roofline until it split off to the south wing of the house. Unfortunately, they hit a snag. Their clue was situated on the very edge of the roof. And standing between them was a gap of approximately five metres where the roof was cut away and covered with glass panels to shine light into the greenhouse below.
None of them could know the weight capacity of such panels and no one was eager to test it.
"It is just like Q to dangle what we need in front of us while making it impossible to reach," Worf grumbled.
"If only we had some way to get over there," Deanna said.
"Or to bring the clue to us," Wesley commented.
Commander Riker looked ahead to Wesley.
"What are you thinking?" Riker inquired.
"Well, it's perched on the edge of the ridge. If there were a way to push it off, we could collect it on the ground," Wesley suggested.
"Not bad," Worf remarked.
The only problem was that they had no idea how to push it off the roof.
No one really wanted to climb all the way back down to fetch an item only to have to repeat the journey.
"What about our clues?" Riker asked.
He pulled out the broken ceremonial sabre that had come with his costume.
"Will," Deanna said.
She put her hand on his forearm and gave him a sympathetic look.
"It's big but it's not that big," Deanna said in a serious voice.
Will Riker's face broke out into a broad smile.
"I can always count on my Imzadi to boost my confidence," he retorted.
At the back of the line, Worf gave them a look that made his feelings clear. Now was not the time to be fooling about.
"What about this?" Wesley asked.
He produced the red cricket ball from his pocket.
In Riker's opinion it was the best option they had available. Worf's invitation had not included a clue and Deanna's clue had been an exquisite necklace. It certainly wasn't the kind of thing meant to be tossed off a roof.
"Alright, now the question is who's got the best aim?" Riker pondered aloud.
Three sets of eyes turned to look back at Worf.
An hour later, Worf, Deanna, Will, and Wesley were standing down below the south wing of the manor.
"Over here!" Wes shouted.
They had been searching the grass to find the object that Worf had successfully knocked off the roof.
Wesley knelt down and picked up a small golden chest.
To his surprise, it was not locked.
He cracked open the lid to reveal note.
"What's it say?" Deanna asked eagerly.
Across the board of play
Distance has no meaning
I move in a diagonal way
When needed, intervening
With the stroke of midnight
So comes the swinging blade
And with it the choice of fight or flight
To engage or to evade.
Underneath the note was a chess bishop. It was carved from white marble and resting neatly in a moulded box lined with red velvet.
"What do you think it means?" Wes asked.
"I don't know, Wes," Riker responded.
On the opposite end of the cellar another team was winding their way through their own passage. Data, Geordi, Sonya, and Tasha were heading north following the maze in the cellar as it twisted and turned.
"Is it getting colder?" Sonya asked as she shivered.
"Yes," Data and Geordi answered simultaneously.
Data's sensors had registered a drop in temperature, and it was continuing to fall.
As he scanned the walls, Geordi could see that the temperature was cooler. And it looked even cooler ahead of them.
"Data, I think we're on a very subtle incline," Geordi said. "We're heading further underground."
"That is correct," Data replied.
He could detect that their path was taking them further underground at a slow angle – one that was almost so subtle, Sonya and Tasha hadn't noticed.
"Data, I'm getting a hit on something ahead," Geordi advised.
As they drew closer, the four passed under an archway and found themselves in a room. The walls were made of the same stone as the rest of the cellar. The room was completely empty and there appeared to be only one entrance and exit.
"It can't be a dead end," Tasha remarked as she scanned the area.
"It isn't," Geordi replied. "There's definitely a path behind this wall."
"So there must be a way to open it," Sonya said.
They began to look around at the stones – pressing them, knocking on them, and tyring to find anything that might be out of place.
After ten minutes, they had checked every room in the room and were no closer to finding the answer.
"Could one of the other clues be the key?" Tasha asked.
"I don't think an astrolabe is going to get us out of this one," Geordi said. "What about you Data? What was your clue?"
Data scrunched up his face and looked at Geordi in disbelief.
"Geordi, I am the Inspector," he said.
He hadn't meant for the comment to imply Geordi's question was stupid – but that's how it came across.
Tasha choked back a laugh, covering it with a cough.
The corner of Geordi's mouth curved upwards as he did his best to hide a smile. He wasn't offended. He knew Data well enough to understand he hadn't meant to be rude.
"What about you, Sonya?" Geordi asked.
"Miss St James," she replied with a grin.
"Of course, Miss St James," Geordi said with a small bow.
Sonya blushed.
"Oh it's no problem, Professor," Sonya assured him. "I just don't want to give our host any reason to be upset."
"That's good thinking," Geordi replied. "He's powerful and unpredictable."
"I suppose you've had lots of experiences with the Q," Sonya remarked.
"I was on the Farpoint Mission," Geordi replied.
He stood a little straighter and his chest puffed with pride.
"And the situation in the Sigma III system," Geordi added.
Geordi and Sonya were completely lost in their own universe. Being on the holodeck, outside of the constraints of Engineering and rank, they had a chance to be themselves.
Sonya was still relatively new to the ship and trying to find her bearings. She enjoyed spending time with Geordi. But like Lieutenant Barclay, she felt out of place and nervous around the other senior officers.
Sonya was an ambitious engineer. She was terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing and hurting her own career. She had already made a poor impression on the Captain and did want to muck it up any worse.
Whenever she spent time with Geordi, it was as if everything just clicked. The two of them could spend ages chatting about propulsion theory. They shared a natural curiosity, unending work ethic, and love for a good joke.
Data watched in fascination as they flirted with one another, his head moving back and forth as he stared at the pair.
Tasha cleared her throat.
"I hate to break up this uh-"
Tasha paused briefly before settling on a word.
"Moment. But I do believe we have a mystery to solve."
"Right," Geordi said without tearing his gaze away from Sonya.
"The clue," Tasha prompted.
Sonya threw her hands up.
"Oh right!" she said frantically as she searched through her pockets.
A few seconds later she pulled a small, silver box out.
"Ah ha!" she said in triumph.
"It's a box," Geordi said as he turned it over.
Geordi handed it to Data who examined the object. It was a slim box made of black leather with silver trim.
There was a small engraving on the front that read 'Take your breath away.'
"This box seems most inefficient for holding things," Data remarked as he took in the size.
"Because it's not a box," Tasha said as she took hold of it. "It's a cigarette case."
Data gave Tasha a strange look.
"What? You smoke a pipe," she replied with a shrug.
"I have never seen you smoke," Data said.
Smoking was such a rare thing in Starfleet. It had largely fallen out of fashion centuries earlier given the health risks that it presented.
"Replicated just aren't the same," Tasha lamented strangely.
Data cocked his head to the side, completely floored by this revelation.
"I quit ages ago," Tasha assured him.
Tasha popped open the case. Where there normally would have been a row of cigarettes, it was completely empty.
"There is nothing inside," Data observed.
Tasha felt along the silk lining and grinned.
Fetching her switchblade, she made to slice into the lining.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Geordi said as he took aim.
"It's an old smuggling trick," Tasha explained.
She sliced open the lining to reveal another note like the one they had found in the book.
"What's it say?" Sonya asked.
"It says the password is Riparian," Tasha said.
Confused, she looked up at Data.
He opened his mouth to respond but stopped as a large stone slab suddenly slammed shut over the archway.
A moment later, there was a loud noise from deep below them. It was followed by an awful rumbling.
"Why is the room getting smaller?" Sonya asked in a panic.
She was right. The walls were beginning to close in on themselves.
"Data?" Tasha asked.
She didn't need to voice her question. Data was already three steps ahead as he analysed the pressure.
"I do not have sufficient strength to stop this. The walls will crush us," Data replied.
Instinctively, they all began to back toward the centre of the room.
"Uh, guys. We've got a new problem," Geordi said.
Water was beginning to creep into the room from below.
Truth be told, creep didn't quite do it justice.
It was rushing in from somewhere – and most troubling of all, Geordi had no idea where it was coming from.
"How long before these walls crush us?" Geordi asked.
"Three minutes and sixteen seconds," Data answered. "But at the current rate at which the room is filling with water, we will be flooded in two minutes and forty-three seconds."
Take your breath away, indeed. Data thought bitterly.
"Can we stop agreeing on how we're going to die and figure a way out instead?" Tasha asked.
"Riparian!" Sonya shouted in hopes that the password would work to stop it.
Nothing happened.
"Hey! Hey!" Geordi started shouting.
They all began yelling, hoping that someone would hear them. Data knew it was unlikely, they had walked quite a distance before finding the room. It was doubtful anyone could hear them.
Geordi was scanning the area, desperate to find anything that he might have missed.
The water was nearly waist high.
"Surely, Q wouldn't kill us? Right?" Sonya asked.
There was no response. Data, Geordi, and Tasha were all hesitant to answer. Technically, they had all met their deaths at the hands of vicious aliens created by Q during his game with Commander Riker.
They didn't want to scare Sonya.
Tasha laughed to herself internally at the notion. It seemed odd to be worried about frightening her when they were moments away from death anyways.
The water was freezing.
As the water level continued to climb, it was getting harder to think.
Data reached out and took hold of Tasha's hand under the water. They shared a glance, wordlessly conveying their feelings to one another.
It was nearly to their shoulders now.
The four of them were still shouting. It was the only thing they had left in their arsenal.
"It's no use," Geordi sputtered as the cold water continued to rise.
As the water reached their heads, Geordi, Sonya, and Tasha all took a deep breath.
Tasha gave Data's hand a squeeze. Now completely submerged, Data pulled her close.
Data was listening carefully. Although sound waves were perceived differently underwater, Data could detect there was a change.
Once it had reached the ceiling, the water had stopped.
But the walls were still closing in.
There was a loud clicking noise.
Just when she was certain she couldn't hold her breath anymore, Tasha felt the floor give way below her.
In a rush of water, the four of them were swept away.
The water was warm. Although the temperature sensors in his bioplast enabled him to detect the warmth of the water, he could not enjoy the same physical sensation that humans did when surrounded by a pool of water.
Pity. He thought to himself.
There was a sudden flash of light and Q appeared with a loud crack.
"You're still in here?" Q asked incredulously. "It's a good think you can't get pruney."
He was perched at the edge of the bathtub, picking at his fingernails.
"It's a good thing I lack the human compulsion for privacy, or you might have regretted disturbing my bath," Lore responded coolly.
"Tell me, does it spark joy?" Q inquired.
Lore made a face.
"You know what would spark joy?" Lore asked.
"I'll leave as soon as I get what I came for," Q said in response.
Q snapped his fingers and Lore found himself holding a flute of champagne.
"Oh, don't frown," Q insisted. "You know your brother quite likes a little champagne in the bathtub."
"Then good for him," Lore replied in a dismissive voice.
He could honestly care less.
Lore had been looking forward to spending a few hours on his own before the evening. Q was starting to grate on his nerves and Lore had grown bored waiting for his part to begin.
Furthermore, Lore really didn't want to hear any more comparisons between him and his brother.
"This is a vintage 1949 Louis Roederer Cristal Millesime Brut. It is tres magnifique!" Q exclaimed.
Q kissed the tips of his fingers.
"An ancient human custom still practiced when they celebrate matters of importance," Lore said. "I'll toast to tonight."
"To tonight," Q replied.
They clinked their glasses and drank to the success of their plan.
"You'll be ready?" Q inquired.
Lore threw his head back and chuckled.
"I was built ready," Lore smirked.
"What do you think it means?" Tasha asked.
"I am uncertain," Data replied.
He turned the knight over in his hands and returned the object to its place in the box on the top of the desk in his quarters.
An hour earlier they had been swept away by a powerful stream of water. Data, Tasha, Geordi, and Sonya had re-emerged – sputtering, coughing and worse for wear in an underground cavern where a small, metallic box had been waiting for them.
It had contained a knight chess piece and a note with a riddle.
Since then, Data had replayed the riddle over and over in his mind as he tried to deduce the meaning.
The crew had met after their search and shared their results. Three of the teams had come back with chess pieces and riddles. Captain Picard's team had come up empty-handed.
They were due back in the dining hall at 19:00 hours and everyone had returned to their rooms to prepare for the evening.
Tasha had skipped over her own room in favour of joining Data in his. He had a far nicer view.
And if she were being honest with herself, Tasha had been feeling nervous about being alone after her incident with Lore the other night.
Although he was preoccupied with the mystery, Data noticed that Tasha had been unusually quiet ever since they had returned to his quarters. It was as if, now that they were alone, she didn't have to pretend to be alright anymore.
Data could sense there was something bothering her.
"Is there something on your mind?" Data inquired.
"No," Tasha answered simply.
She was tracing her fingers along the surface of the water in the tub. The door was ajar, and Data was just outside by the desk.
"Data, what did your brother mean when he said 'the peach lace' causes a surge in your neural net?" Tasha asked.
Data froze.
"Data?" Tasha prompted after a moment.
When he didn't respond, Tasha shifted in the tub. She rested her arms on the edge, awaiting a response.
Data merely shrugged, doing his best to feign ignorance.
Tasha quirked her eyebrow at Data.
"Data, he knew things," Tasha said, recalling her conversation with Lore. "Things about us. Things we've never shared with anyone."
It had been an unsettling chat.
Lore had known the details of their most private moments – and Tasha felt it was only fair to know why.
Data could see that Tasha wasn't going to drop the issue.
He dropped his head to the floor in shame.
It was a secret he'd been keeping from her for some time. It had been weighing on him heavily and Data was embarrassed with himself.
He had failed – let his guard down and it had resulted in revealing Tasha's most personal memories to the very last person she'd want to share them with.
Data stepped into the lavvy and knelt down next to the tub.
"During my initial contact with my brother, I engaged in a fileshare with him – an exchange of memories," he began. "I was eager to learn more about my history."
Data paused and took a shaky breath.
"I underestimated Lore's ability to extract information and was not aware that he had other intentions," Data confessed. "I believe his motivation was an attempt to learn critical information about the Enterprise in an effort to better impersonate me."
According to Data, Lore now shared in all of Data's memories.
Tasha closed her eyes for a moment as she attempted to process this revelation.
"I have been reluctant to tell you as I did not wish to hurt you," Data apologised. "It was never my intention to reveal such personal information to my brother."
Tasha could see how troubled he was by this.
"It's alright," Tasha replied.
The metaphorical damage was already done.
"Besides, we'll have plenty of time to make more memories," Tasha assured him. "Memories just for us."
Data gave her a small smile.
"Thank you for telling me. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry he did that to you," Tasha said.
Data was feeling marginally better about the situation.
"There is still something on your mind," Data noted, observing the look on her face.
"Well, you still haven't answered my question," Tasha said.
Data cocked his head to the side. He did not understand.
"Data, what did Lore mean?" Tasha pressed.
"As I said, our information exchange was far more extensive than I anticipated," Data replied.
"But Data, we don't have memories involving peach lace," Tasha said.
Tasha chewed nervously on the inside of her lip as she thought back to Lore's comment. It had struck her as such an odd - and specific - 'memory.'
"You know I don't own anything like that," Tasha chided.
She was starting at him intensely and it made Data feel warm – as if he were on the spot.
"Not all of the information exchanged were memories. There were-"
Data paused as he tried to find the words.
"Other files."
A slow smile crept across Tasha's face.
"Data, are you saying it was some kind of fantasy?" Tasha asked.
If androids could blush, Data would have been beet red.
Tasha reached out of the tub and took hold of his hand, dripping water onto the floor.
"Please don't feel embarrassed," Tasha said.
She hadn't meant to make him feel bad.
"I have found that sometimes, when I am around you-" Data started to say.
He gulped.
"I cannot control my imagination," Data finished quietly.
Tasha slipped two fingers under his chin and forced him to look up at her, meeting her eyes.
"You can't begin to know just how difficult it is to control my thoughts when I'm around you," Tasha said.