Author's Note: Thank you for your patience as we've worked to reach the end of this companion piece (we're getting close!)
Weaving together this mystery has been such a pleasure and I look forward to completing this so I can start the next companion piece.
I wanted to draw a comparison between Q and an important literary character. Without giving away too much, (to me) Q has always represented a part of Picard himself. Much like the Joker is an unexplored part of Batman and the Queen of Hearts forces Alice to confront the fear in herself, I see Q as being representative of an unexplored part of Picard.
Specifically, Picard's curiosity and desire to understand the universe.
The difference between the two is that Jean-Luc lives life with a personal set of rules that guide his moral compass.
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.
"You take this down there and I'll follow behind you in a minute with the biscuits," Lwaxana said as she put the finishing touches on the tray.
Reg had to admit that they had done quite a job. There were little finger sandwiches in all sorts of varieties. They'd trimmed the crusts and carefully adorned them with olives and pickles, wee cherry tomatoes, and hard-boiled egg.
Lwaxana lived to make food for others. She loved bustling about the kitchen, blending new flavours, and whipping up old time favourites.
Cooking had always been an activity she had enjoyed with her late husband, Ian Andrew. After his death, cooking and baking the same recipes with Deanna had been a way to honour his memory.
But after Deanna had left home, the joy of preparing food had gone with her.
It just wasn't the same cooking for one.
So Lwaxana had mostly allowed Mr Homm to see to their meals.
Being with Reg offered her chance to do that act of service again with someone, to find joy in it, and to do something for the others.
In her own small way, Lwaxana knew this was how she could contribute to the team.
"Hurry along and let them know the biscuits will be ready in a jiff," Lwaxana instructed.
Reg nodded and backed toward the door.
He was grateful the tray had two handles on either side so that he didn't have to be so nervous about balancing it.
The corridor was dark, but Reg paid no attention.
He was still riding the high of having done such a successful job in the kitchen.
Out of nowhere, Worf came bolting past him.
"Has anyone come this way?" Worf hollered.
"N-n-no," Reg answered.
Fortunately, he had managed to jump out of the way in time, dodging the worried Klingon. It hadn't been graceful, but Reg had somehow succeeded in keeping the tray upright.
There was only one single sarnie out of place where the top had popped off.
He relaxed and smiled as he readjusted the piece before resuming his course.
Barclay had no sooner gone two steps when Wesley Crusher came rushing around the corner. He ran smack into Reg and pushed the tray of meticulously prepared finger sandwiches against Reg's chest.
Reg grimaced as he felt the mayonnaise, pickled onions, and salmon spread smear.
That can't be good for the wool. Reg thought.
"Sorry!" Wes said as he ran past.
Barclay groaned and knelt down to pick up the food off the floor. He didn't want anyone to slip. He'd have to wash the tray and remake everything - but at the very least the busywork kept his mind occupied.
"Whoa!" Riker said as he slipped on piece of cucumber and went sliding into the opposite wall.
Reg sat back on his knees.
"Did Worf come this way?" Riker asked.
Reg blinked and turned his attention down the corridor.
"Mr Barclay?" Riker pressed.
Reg snapped his head back to Riker.
"Worf. Did he come this way?" Riker demanded.
"Y-yes," Reg nodded.
Riker unceremoniously scrambled to get up.
"What happened, sir?" Reg asked.
"No time!" Riker shouted before running off in the same direction.
Whatever it was, Reg was grateful he wasn't involved. Normally, he lived for a good holodeck thrill. But all this mystery and Q business had left Barclay wishing he had never been invited.
"What happened?" Lwaxana asked as she emerged from the kitchen.
Reg had no sooner gotten all of the remnants of food picked up when Data, Keiko, Miles, and Sonya burst through the corridor – trampling the last bits of the sandwiches and sending Lwaxana and her tray of fresh biscuits into the wall.
"Forgive me, Mrs Troi," Data said as they raced past.
Reg sat back on his knees and shook his head in disbelief.
"Why is it always me?" Reg asked.
"Well this is awkward," Q said with a disapproving frown.
"Bit of a mix up I suppose," Lore remarked.
He reached out and poked Tasha's unconscious body with his toe.
Q grumbled and put his hands on his hips.
"This was not the plan," Q muttered.
Lore chortled.
"It is now," he quipped.
Q looked outraged.
"What?" Lore shrugged. "It's not as if we can return one of them now."
Q's eyes narrowed.
"We had a plan. You promised to stick to it," Q reminded him.
"Well, there's no take-backsies in a kidnapping," Lore replied.
He flopped down on the sofa with a casual attitude as if the matter were settled.
Q enjoyed a good plot twist as much as the next omnipotent being – but only when he was the one pulling the strings. He didn't like surprises.
Not that Q was all that surprised by Lore's antics.
He had been anticipating this moment for some time.
They were both too used to being in charge. Conflict had brewed since the beginning of this strange partnership. It was only natural that things would come to this.
"We played a game of chess. I forced him to choose between sacrificing his knight or his queen," Lore explained.
"You shouldn't have grabbed La Forge," Q barked.
Lore rolled his eyes.
"You wanted a game. I just let him choose. Audience participation," Lore smirked.
He was proud of his cleverness in having tricked Data.
"You just wanted to toy with your brother. I had a plan," Q hissed. "Had being the operative word."
Lore ignored Q.
He moved to the edge of the sofa and slid off down to the floor. Grabbing Geordi's comatose body, he pulled him into an upright position.
"Now there's two of us," Lore said, imitating Geordi's voice as he moved Geordi's mouth with his fingers.
Lore threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Double the trouble. Double the fun," Lore went on.
Q was not amused.
"Oh come on. Admit it, you just wanted to toy with Picard," Lore said.
He waved his hand dismissively.
Lore could switch from being entertaining to snippy with the slightest provocation.
"If you don't like it, then just reset the clock. You're always blabbering on about your powers," Lore went on.
Q was furious that he hadn't immediately thought of that. He couldn't think clearly with a bruised ego.
"You can't talk to me like that," Q warned.
"I'll talk to you however I damn well please," Lore scoffed.
He kicked back and threw his legs up on the end of the sofa.
There was a muted noise as Lore made to pop off with another smart remark.
"What was that?" Q asked innocently.
Lore repeated the same phrase, but it was no clearer. He sat up, panicked, and felt his face. Lore tried to speak a third time, but his voice was muffled.
"What? What? I can't hear you," Q teased. "You'll need to speak up."
Only Lore couldn't.
Q had removed his mouth. Now the bottom half of Lore's face was nothing more than an eerily smooth canvas of bioplast.
"Are we feeling ready to listen now?" Q asked with mock sympathy.
Lore glared at Q.
"Are you trying to bend the note with your mind?" Beverly quipped.
For the last ninety minutes, Jean-Luc had stared intensely at the note that had accompanied their discovery.
Unlike the other poem clues, this one held no mystery.
And that struck Jean-Luc as a mystery in and of itself.
All powerful, I can move in any direction I please.
Curiouser and curiouser, you think me but a tease.
The only thing greater than my presence is my loss.
The question remains, are you willing to pay the cost?
All of the information on the note was common knowledge. The Queen was the most powerful piece on the board. It could move in any direction. And the loss of such a piece impacted the game.
The final line of the poem was obviously a reference to Q's oft-used reminder to Jean-Luc. Once again, he was rubbing it in his face that there were risks involved with travel and discovery.
Was this tomb such a risk? Payment for following the path laid before them?
"Maybe it's supposed to represent us being trapped in here?" Beverly proposed.
Jean-Luc was the Captain and his clue had been a queen card.
"Symbolic of taking me out of play?" Picard pondered.
His brow furrowed.
"Then why give it to us? We already know we're stuck," he said. "No, this is something else."
But what?
Jean-Luc slipped the note into the breast pocket of his suit and got up to study the door to the crypt once more. There appeared to be no lever or hidden chain that opened it.
Worst of all, it seemed this secret tunnel was the only way in or out.
There was no door that led to the island outside.
Pinching his fingers around the edge, Jean-Luc tried to shift the door that led to the tunnel.
It was no use.
"It won't budge," Picard grunted in frustration.
"I could have told you that an hour ago!" Beverly laughed.
Gritting his teeth, Jean-Luc gave it one final, mighty tug before stumbling backwards.
"Whoa there," Beverly said, catching him. "I think this is a sign you should stop for now."
Defeated, Jean-Luc sat back against the tomb in the middle.
"We'll just have to trust that the others will figure it out and come save us," Beverly said brightly.
Jean-Luc closed his eyes and smiled.
"What?" Beverly asked, curious.
Jean-Luc shook his head.
"Oh, come now! Riker and the others will solve this," Beverly encouraged.
"It's not that," Jean-Luc admitted.
He opened his eyes and turned to the side, glancing at Beverly.
"Do you remember when we were at the Academy and you, and I, Jack, Walter Keel, Marty, and Zweller," Jean-Luc sighed fondly as he recalled their old crowd of comrades. "We all snuck out during final's week to get a pint?"
"And got locked out of the dorm," Beverly recalled. "And you shimmied up the side of that building."
"And promptly fell on my arse," Picard chortled.
In those days, Starfleet Academy had been a much stricter environment. Times had been different then. It was the height of Klingon-Federation animosity.
A time of war.
And the Academy was tired of the unruly behaviour of cadets that thought they were the next hot thing.
To curb such conduct, finals week was considered an 'Academic Focus' period. Curfews were instituted and social activities were put on hold.
Beverly looped her arm through Jean-Luc's and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Sometimes it's hard to accept that Wes will be there in a few years," Beverly shared. "I'm not ready for that. Seems like only yesterday for us."
Yesterday and yet so long ago all at the same time. Jean-Luc thought.
"Data," Worf said.
Data continued marching down the corridor, unphased.
"Data," Worf repeated.
Data kept going with one goal in mind. He had already searched this particular wing of the house.
Twice.
But he wasn't going to stop.
"Data," Worf said again.
Data stopped as he felt Worf's hand on his bicep.
"I believe we must accept that they are not here," Worf said in a low voice.
He was displeased too - frustrated at the fact that two of their crew had disappeared from quite literally under their noses, angered at Q's presence and Lore's involvement, and exasperated by the helplessness of their situation.
"There must be a clue," Data protested. "Something I have missed. Instructions as to the next part of the mystery."
"Hey, Commander Riker wants to see all of us in the dining room," Sonya said as she poked her head around the corner.
Riker had suspected that Data would need to be ordered to stop.
As the only one left in the group that could give him an order, that task fell to Riker alone.
Data sat at the end of the table. Technically he was listening to Commander Riker.
But a large portion of his neural net was preoccupied. His mind raced, processing millions of theories, projections, and survival statistics.
At the same time, Data felt as if he were stuck.
He could calculate and recalculate the odds a dozen times, run through with complete accuracy the schematics of this fictional manor, retrace every step – but none of it got him any closer to finding Tasha and Geordi.
"We've searched the entire house, sir," Miles reported. "They aren't here."
He wasn't just speaking of Tasha and Geordi – Captain Picard and Beverly were missing too.
"Did either the Captain or Doctor Crusher tell anyone where they were going? Did they mention anything before they left?" Riker asked.
"Even the most trivial detail could be important," Deanna encouraged.
Reg shrugged.
He and Lwaxana had been the last two to speak with Beverly.
"We were talking about her upcoming p-p-production of M-Murder On the Nile," Reg stammered.
"Captain Picard didn't say anything before he left. He just had this look in his eye, like he'd remembered something important, turned, and walked out," Guinan recounted.
Keiko and Miles had combined their sleuth skills and combed over the root cellar again working on the theory that Captain Picard and Beverly had gone down there for a second look.
They had returned empty-handed.
It would be another few hours before sunrise and there wasn't much use in searching the grounds in the dark. They were far too vast.
A thorough search of the manor house had already taken them nearly three hours.
They'd turned out the closets, tossed the furniture, and searched through every nook and cranny.
The team had been forced to conclude that Q was keeping Tasha and Geordi in some sort of place that was outside the realm of their time and space – and that it was very possible Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher were being held there as well.
"Maybe they did something to anger Q?" Wesley said.
"We have seen the Q employ such tactics before," Deanna said, backing Wesley's theory.
A dark thought entered Data's mind.
The penalty box.
"Obviously, it must be our job to find them," Worf said.
"But then what's the next step?" Miles shrugged. "It's not as if we've been given clear instructions here."
There was a loud 'pop' and Q appeared at the end of the table.
"Only because you lack imagination," Q scoffed.
He gracefully got off the table and strolled around the edge as the team sat in silence.
Q stopped just behind Data and leaned in close against his ear.
"After all, where there is no imagination there is no horror," Q smirked.
Data's eyes went wide with realisation.
"Come," Data said as he rose from the table.
The rest of the crew glanced around at one another for a few seconds before scrambling up out of their chairs to race after Data.
Data flung open the doors to the library and stepped inside.
He scanned the shelves that lined the walls. They were full of dusty books – classical literature, geological records of the countryside, and literary favourites.
"Data?" Wesley asked.
"What are we looking for?" Guinan inquired.
She was happy to help – she just needed direction on where to start.
"A Study In Scarlet," Data answered. "First published in 1887, it marked the first appearance of the detective duo Sherlock Holmes and James Watson."
The team fanned out in search of the book.
"There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life," Q said as he appeared in the chair that sit in the corner.
He lounged back and began to idly twirl the globe next to him.
"Our duty is to unravel it, isolate it," Q went on. "Expose every inch of it."
Data turned to study Q's expression.
Was this the grand mystery? Data pondered.
Q grinned and shrugged, wordlessly playing it coy as he read Data's train of thought.
Before Data could ask a question aloud, Keiko located the book in question.
"Data! Over here!" she said.
Data cracked the antique spine and rapidly flipped through the pages in search of a clue.
"I do not understand," Data said as he looked up. "There is nothing here."
No note. No cleverly placed object. Nothing.
It was simply empty aside from the anticipated contents of the book.
"Nothing?" Q teased. "Come now, surely you know that books are the foundation of everything."
"Ooo! Ooo!" Keiko said as she waved her arms in excitement.
She fished into the pocket of her dress to retrieve the clue from her invitation package. Up until now, it had served no purpose.
But Q's emphasis of the word 'foundation' had reminded Keiko of the poem they had discovered with their chess piece.
"When you can't see the path, you must turn on the light," Keiko recited.
She flicked the old-fashioned zippo lighter.
Holding it up close to the bookshelf, she revealed there was something hidden behind the bookshelf.
The team began to toss aside the books, digging to reveal the hidden object.
Data reached inside and was grateful for his long arms as he felt around.
"Inspector?" Riker prompted.
His fingers closed around something. It was a small object, approximately twelve centimetres in height, and felt as if it were carved from stone.
Data pulled his arm out and opened his hand.
There in his palm was a chess piece.
A king.
"But what does it mean?" Sonya asked.
"Unknown," Data answered honestly.
"So far we've found a rook, a bishop, a knight, and now a king," Deanna said as she counted off the pieces they had discovered during their previous clue hunt.
"Ah!" Data said, reaching back into the slot.
His hand returned a moment later with a note.
Data unfolded the note and read the contents aloud for the group.
I am surrounded, protected, a king entombed.
From the edge of the board, I control the room.
Issuing orders, hiding in plain sight.
Without my other pieces, I can put up no fight.
Instinctively, Data turned to Q for an explanation.
"Well don't look at me!" Q said.
"What about another book?" Riker suggested.
"We've already checked. The Tomb of the Mummy, The Curse of the Tomb," Keiko rattled off.
"Pet Sematary," Wesley chimed in.
They had even checked the rest of the mystery novels, the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and any writer with a name of Tombs or Toombs.
The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon.
Data stood alone at the window, staring mindlessly out at the grounds of the estate.
Data felt like a pawn.
His movement was limited by the constraints of Q's game. It felt almost pointless as if each step was one move closer to annihilation.
And for what?
Data's gaze fell on the mausoleum in the centre of the lake.
They were no closer to solving the mystery of the Moran treasure – a secret that the fictional late Lady Moran had taken to her grave.
Grave.
Data's positronic matrix whizzed to life.
Crypt. Vault. Catacomb.
Tomb.
"We need a boat," Data said aloud.
Jean-Luc was trying desperately to hang onto a dream. For the first time in forever, he felt delighted as he slept next to a warm body.
He was roused from his sleep as a piece of falling debris landed on his face. It wasn't hard – just dust and rocks – but it was enough to pull Jean-Luc from a rather pleasant dream.
Squinting in the dark, he cringed as the uncomfortable sound of stone grating on stone penetrated the crypt.
Jean-Luc put his hand up to block the bright flash of light overhead.
"Sir?" Data asked, poking his head down in from the ceiling.
Jean-Luc scrambled to separate himself from the woman asleep on his shoulder.
He pushed himself away from Beverly and she fell to the side.
Jean-Luc cleared his throat and tugged at the collar of his suit.
"We were just, erm, exploring the uh, uh tomb and-" Jean-Luc said, fumbling for an excuse.
"Sir, are Lieutenants La Forge and Yar with you?" Data asked.
"No," Picard shook his head.
There was a brief flash of disappointment in Data's expression before he quickly masked it.
Data and Worf lowered a rope down through the hole in the ceiling. As it turned out, the only way in or out of the crypt was by moving a large stone that adorned the dome in the ceiling.
With help, they pulled Captain Picard and Beverly up and out.
"Mom!" Wes said, relieved as she emerged.
Worf pulled Beverly out.
A moment later, Data offered Captain Picard his hand.
Wes was holding the base of a ladder against the building and Commander Riker had manned the boat.
While it was a relief to have located the Captain and Doctor Crusher, Tasha and Geordi were still missing.
"A good night?" Riker asked.
"I certainly wish it had been," Picard said.
"The clue," Beverly prompted.
"Right!" Picard said.
He reached into his suit pocket and fished out the chess piece and note.
"We found these in the crypt," Picard explained.
"May I?" Data inquired.
Jean-Luc handed the items over. Data inspected the chess piece, read the poem, and then read it again.
Data frowned.
"That's what I thought too," Picard said, reading Data's expression.
As they traipsed back into the house, the team was feeling defeated.
"Captain!" Deanna said as they stepped into the dining room.
"I-I-I just put the kettle on," Reg offered.
While Q had been an attentive butler at the start of their mystery, he seemed increasingly consumed by something else.
"I'll play mother," Lwaxana offered.
She picked up the teapot and poured a fresh cuppa for the returning team.
"Any luck?" Sonya inquired.
"We located this," Data said as he set the chess piece down in the centre of the table.
"So a King and Queen, a bishop, a knight, a rook," Keiko rattled off with a frown. "Why give us only half the pieces?"
Data frowned.
He was at a loss when it came to theories.
"I have begun to suspect that this mystery is more about testing our responses than actually solving some riddle," Data announced.
Q's clue from A Study In Scarlet seemed to hint as much.
"So we're like rats in a maze?" Beverly asked.
"More like pawns," Miles grumbled.
"That is it," Data said suddenly.
He rose from the table.
"That is it," he repeated.
He was mumbling the phrase to himself as he made for the door.
"Notice the pattern," Data said as he pointed at the floor.
"Sixty-four tiles," Picard said with awe.
"And Q brought sixteen people onto this holodeck or wherever we are," Riker realised.
The First Officer's brow wrinkled as he surveyed the area.
"But this isn't a chessboard," Riker commented, shaking his head.
"No, I believe it is in there," Data said.
The rest of the team followed his line of sight to the hedge maze that stood in the distance.
The group was standing at the end of the corridor along the north end of the house, surveying the back side of the property.
Data had spotted this location during a previous search.
There was an English landscape garden. It was an homage to the great age of the English garden. Rolling green laws were dotted with sporadic, isolated groups of trees and the hallmarks of idyllic outdoor architecture.
A stone arch bridge allowed passage to a small neo-gothic folly designed to emulate the ruins of an ancient temple.
Across the lawn sat a low hanging willow tree. It's branches hovered just above the water of a still, black pond dotted with lilies.
There was an herb garden centrally located beyond the house. The path that led to it was outlined with intricately styled topiaries that resembled fountains.
A moon arch in the centre led to a seating area that reminded Jean-Luc of his mother's tea garden.
It was an artist's dream.
Data could see himself spending ages in such a garden. There was an abundance of sketching sites and plenty of inspiration.
But Data's attention was solely focused on one thing.
Towards the back of the garden stood an elaborate checkerboard floor with alternating black and white tiles – just like a chessboard.
It stood directly in front of the maze. The entrance of the hedge maze was flanked by two marble chess pieces on either side. There was one white rook and one black knight.
"I believe our answers lie in there," Data said.
Jean-Luc felt a sense of trepidation as he passed through the entrance to the maze under the lifeless eyes of the large marble Knight that guarded the entrance.
A reassuring hand on his forearm nearly made him jump.
He turned to see Deanna.
"It's not going to spring to life," she assured him.
As soon as they were inside, they were confronted with a plaque.
"We must run as fast as we can just to stay in place," Beverly read.
"Then down the rabbit hole we must go," Jean-Luc remarked.
"Rabbit hole?" Worf asked as he quirked an eyebrow at the Captain.
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Data explained. "An 1865 tale of literary nonsense. One of the best-known examples of Victorian literature in which a-"
"A children's story," Worf grumbled.
"Yes, a children's story. But also a tale of logic," Jean-Luc said.
"And curiosity," Riker chimed in.
Jean-Luc turned to his First Officer.
"A child's curiosity," Riker went on. "A story of growing up."
"And a cautionary tale about curiosity and where it may lead," Jean-Luc realised aloud.
He couldn't help but shake his head.
"Is that what Q thinks of us? Is that what this is all for? Are we nothing but curious children to Q?" Jean-Luc pondered aloud.
"Chasing the white rabbit that is exploration," Beverly said, finishing his thought.
This thought did little to ease Data's concerns about Geordi and Tasha.
If Q saw them as a representation of the literary character of Alice, things did not bode well for them in this maze.
On Alice's trip down the rabbit hole she encountered many characters – most of whom were unhelpful in her quest.
Data's face darkened.
"I think the real riddle now is whether Q views himself as a morally ambiguous guiding spirit like the Cheshire Cat," Data said. "Or the Queen."
There were paths that split to the left and right.
"Your orders Captain?" Riker inquired.
Jean-Luc set off with one team down the path that diverted to the east. Meanwhile, Data and Commander Riker took a team down the south-facing path of the hedge maze.
As they wove their way through the hedges, Data could help but feel an overwhelming sense of suffocation.
The hedges were over three metres tall, and they cast a dark shadow on the path below.
Miles grumbled as they turned down yet another dead end.
"All these twists and turns," he scoffed. "Makes me wonder if there's really a way out at all."
"You know these kinds of mazes weren't originally designed to confuse," Keiko explained. "They evolved from the knot gardens of Renaissance Europe."
"Well, knot garden is right," Riker said.
Data wiggled his eyebrows at the First Officer's comment.
"Data?" Deanna prompted.
She could sense that there was something occupying Data's thoughts.
"Forgive my distraction, Counsellor," Data said. "The comments regarding knots tripped a memory of the ancient legend of the Gordian knot."
Data paused as he tried to refocus his attention on the situation at hand.
"Oh! I know this," Deanna perked up.
She could recall the story from her Antiquities class at the Academy – though it had been a number of years.
"There was an ancient city-state. Phrygia," Deanna recounted. "And it was said that whoever was the next person to drive an ox cart into the city would become king."
Data nodded.
"And that was how Gordias, a peasant farmer, became king of the Phrygians," Data said.
"So, they tied the cart to a post with an impossible knot," Deanna went on.
"Several knots," Guinan said, joining the conversation.
She was certainly no stranger to the classics.
"And an oracle declared that whoever could unravel it would become the ruler of all of Asia," Deanna said.
"It is often considered a metaphor for an intractable problem," Data said. "And is one of the many apocryphal stories associated with Alexander the Great."
"If I recall the legend correctly, Alexander the Great solved the riddle by releasing the linchpin," Riker said.
"That's one story," Guinan said. "In another one, he uses his sword to cut through the knot."
"It seems we have found ourselves in such a knot," Miles lamented.
"A Gordian knot indeed," Data agreed.
"More like a Geordian knot," a familiar voice said.
The group turned to see Q casually leaning up against one of the hedges. He threw his head back and laughed at his own pun.
No one was amused.
"Where are they Q?" Riker demanded.
"Are they safe?" Data asked, desperate for information.
"For now," Q replied with a devious grin.
Data and Riker glanced at one another as they wordlessly decided on a course of action.
To everyone's surprise, it was Deanna that spoke next.
"Is that what this is? Some sort of unsolvable problem?" Deanna inquired. "Some sort of Kobayashi Maru?"
"You know Alexander realised it made no difference how the knot was loosened – only that it was," Guinan said as she stepped forward and locked eyes with Q.
"My dear, you of all people should recognise the knot itself isn't the point of the story," Q tutted.
Data had to admit that Q had a point.
Modern scholars had analysed and reanalysed the tale for centuries. There was much debate over the symbolism and meaning behind the legend.
The ox cart was symbolic of a journey, a voyage.
Much like our trek through the stars. Data realised.
"Well would you mind giving us a bloody clue just as to what the point of all this is?" Miles huffed.
"Miles," Keiko warned.
She grabbed his shoulder in an effort to calm him down.
"The Chief is right," Worf said suddenly. "We have been chasing after nothing for too long."
Q seemed unphased by their anger.
"You two need to stop and smell the roses," Q said.
He snapped his fingers and a long, beautiful vine came down from over the edge of the hedge. It twisted its way to the ground as a series of big, exquisite yellow roses grew and bloomed before their eyes.
"They're lovely," Keiko said in awe.
"And full of thorns," Worf warned as he eyed Q with suspicion.
Q turned and plucked one of the roses from the vine. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, relishing in the scent of a fresh rose as he buried his nose between the velvety petals.
"What a lovely thing a rose is," Q remarked.
He extended his arm and offered the flower to Guinan. When she refused, he shrugged and tucked it behind his ear.
"Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in flowers," Q said.
Data gasped softly. His golden eyes lit up as he recognised the phrase from a Holmes story – specifically The Adventure of the Naval Treaty.
"All other things, our powers, our desires are all really necessary for our existence in the first instance. But this rose is extra," Q recited.
He pulled the rose out from behind his ear and studied it closely.
"Its and its colour are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it," Q said with genuine admiration. "It is only goodness that gives extras."
He paused and looked up, locking eyes with Data.
"And so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers," Q concluded.
Without another word, Q vanished into thin air.
Riker looked at Data for an explanation.
"If you are hoping I can provide context as to the meaning of Q's appearance, I have none," Data said. "He quoted several lines from a Holmes story, The Adventure of the Naval Treaty. But I do not know why nor how it relates to the disappearance of Lieutenants La Forge and Yar."
With a resigned sigh, Riker ordered the group to resume its search.
They made their way back out into the path they had been on before and continued through the twists and turns of the tall shrubbery.
To everyone's dismay, they stumbled upon another fork.
"Should we split up?" Keiko suggested.
"We could cover twice as much ground," Miles added.
"No," Riker said, shaking his head.
With Geordi and Tasha already missing, he didn't want to risk anyone else wandering off, getting lost, or falling into one of Q's traps.
"We'll check here first. This way," Riker said as he led the team down the left path.
All of a sudden, Q's head popped out from the hedge wall.
"Not that way," Q said.
Worf whipped around just in time to see Q laugh before disappearing into the hedge.
He roared and lunged.
"Worf!" Miles shouted as he rushed in the Klingon's direction.
"Miles!" Keiko called, chasing after him.
Worf growled as he ripped into the hedge wall, slashing away at the thick branches until he cleared away enough to reach the path on the other side.
"Mr Worf!" Riker said.
Worf stopped and turned to face Commander Riker.
"Q was here," Worf said.
"Need I remind you what happened when Tasha upset Q?" Riker asked.
Worf's posture softened. He had no wish to exasperate their already desperate situation. But he was worried for his friends and frustrated by Q's taunts.
"Let's just head down the other path," Riker suggested.
"Come on," Miles said with a weak smile.
He clapped Worf's back in hopes of cheering him up. Miles knew just seriously Worf took his job. Two members of the team were missing.
The fact that Q was responsible didn't make Worf feel any less guilty.
Their safety was his responsibility and Worf felt like he had failed.
"I'm sure we'll figure this out," Keiko assured him.
As soon as Worf stepped forward, the wall of the hedge maze instantly regrew – blocking their path and cutting them off from the rest of the group.
Worf began to rip away at the branches, his fury increasing as the hedge regrew at a rate faster than he could tear through it.
To their horror, the hedge seemed to grow increasingly more difficult. There were new brambles and thorns.
"Worf! Worf stop!" Keiko urged.
His hands were cut up, marred from the prickly barbs that lined the walls of the maze.
Their side of the wall was quite different from the area they had just left.
It was darker.
Significantly darker.
On instinct, Miles shuddered.
"Come on," he said as he took hold of Keiko's hand. "The sooner we get through here the sooner we can help T and Geordi."
"Where did they go?" Riker demanded.
Data attempted to feel through the hedge as he called out for the missing members of the team.
"Keiko? Chief? Lieutenant Worf?" he shouted.
There was no answer.
Data pulled aside the hedge to reveal a stone wall.
"That wasn't there a minute ago," Riker said in anger and shock.
He glanced over to Deanna.
"I don't sense anything," Deanna shared.
"This is precisely what I was afraid of," Riker sighed.
Guinan put her hand on Commander Riker's shoulder. She could sense how nervous he was – even if he was trying to project confidence.
"This is all part of the game," Guinan said in her gentle tenor. "Remember, getting angry only plays right into his hand."
"He wants to see how we react," Data added.
"Maybe Worf was right. Maybe we should give him what he wants," Riker said with an air of disdain.
Of course, he didn't really mean that – and Deanna could sense it. He was just lashing out because he was frustrated.
Deanna made eye contact with Data.
"Let's keep moving," Guinan said as she took Data's arm.
She understood Deanna's request for a moment alone with Will. He just needed a little pep talk, some reassurance.
He would be right as rain in a moment and then they would catch up with Data and Guinan.
"Are we not worried about being separated?" Data said as they rounded the corner.
"Have I ever told you about the time I met Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?" Guinan asked.
As soon as they were alone, Deanna cupped Will's face.
"Will?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Riker assured her. "I just need to keep my focus on T and Geordi."
He took hold of Deanna's hands and kissed the tips of her fingers.
"Thank you, Imzadi," he said.
"It's okay to feel angry," Deanna said.
"Angry. Confused. Frustrated," Riker sighed.
"It's even okay to feel all of those things simultaneously," Deanna said with a smile.
"When this is all said and done, I'm going to be ready for a big lunch and a cosy nap," Riker said.
He looped his fingers through Deanna's and pulled her along the maze.
"Let's go find our friends," he said.
When they rounded the corner, they found Data and Guinan waiting for them.
"You see I was in Southsea for a few months, and he was living there," Guinan explained. "He was none too fond of my suggestion to incorporate a mysterious, well-travelled woman."
She gave Data a knowing look.
"So, I decided to write on my own stories," Guinan said.
"Sorry about that," Riker apologised.
Guinan waved him off.
"No need to apologise," she said.
"I just needed to blow off some steam," Riker confessed.
"Steam," Deanna said in a strange voice.
Data and Guinan turned around to follow her line of sight.
"Steam," Data said, surprised.
Indeed, above the line hedge there was steam rising from something.
"I'd say it's a safe guess that's where we're going," Riker said.
With their eyes on the sky, the four remaining members of the group continued on following the steam.
It was difficult following the direction of it at times as the hedge maze was filled with abrupt turns, dead ends, and more than a number of twists designed to trick the mind.
"Will, Will wait!" Deanna said.
She had to raise her voice to get his attention.
He had dragged her along by the arm as they raced through the maze toward the steam.
"Will! Stop!" Deanna insisted.
Riker immediately halted.
"What is it?" Riker asked.
Deanna motioned around them.
Will surveyed the immediate area. His heart sank.
They were alone.
"Data? Guinan?" he called out.
There was no response.
"H-how long?" Riker trailed off.
Deanna shrugged.
She estimated it had been at least ten minutes since she had last heard Data or Guinan. And in a maze like the one they were currently stuck in – that was nearly an eternity.
It was certainly enough time to get horribly lost.
They were standing at what appeared to be the edge of the maze.
"Surely we can't have found the way out," Deanna said.
"Something tells me this isn't the way out," Riker replied.
While the maze itself appeared to come to an end, they weren't on the grounds of the estate.
The checkerboard path beneath them continued into a dark forest. As far as they could see their only options were to continue into the thick blanket of trees or turn back into the maze.
Deanna looked between her two choices as she weighed the options. Neither was particularly appealing.
Will's expression suddenly changed.
He furrowed his brow and sniffed at the air.
"Do you smell that?" he asked.
Deanna blinked, utterly confused.
"Soup," Riker said.
Data was hyper aware that he and Guinan were separated from Deanna and Will. But he seemed unbothered by that fact.
"Shouldn't we go back and look for them?" Guinan asked. "Or wait for them to catch up?"
"There is no time," Data replied.
He was eager to find Geordi and Tasha as quickly as possible.
During their last encounter with Q, he had stated that the two missing crew members were safe 'for now.'
That 'for now' had Data on edge.
It had turned his already unsettled feeling into a burning sense of urgency.
"In any case, the four of us were all heading in the same direction. Following the steam, we will eventually be reunited," Data assured her.
They were almost to the source of the steam. Though the closer they drew, the more it appeared to be smoke rather than steam.
Data and Guinan rounded a corner and stopped.
"Who are you?" a familiar voice asked.