"You asked for me, Commander?"

Riker smiled at Elle. "Yes I did. How would you like a mission?"

Elle gasped. "Really! Yes! What is it?"

"Co-pilot," Riker said. "We're taking hytritium to Beta Agni II but to get it onboard we need to use shuttles. Data will be piloting the shuttle back and forth but it does call for a co-pilot. Should you choose to accept this mission..."

She grinned at the old movie reference.

"...Data would be pleased to enjoy your company on the shuttle," Riker finished. "What do you think?"

"I accept," Elle said formally.

"Cool. Here's your briefing, and go talk to Data."

-/\-

As far as first missions went, this was a soft introduction to the glories of co-piloting. Basically Elle had one job: watch the hytritium monitors. It was silently acknowledged that Data was perfectly capable of doing everything by himself, but he was also an excellent candidate to oversee Elle's first official mission with the Enterprise-D.

Data was the epitome of patience and poise as he let Elle call the signs between the shuttlepod Pike and the Enterprise. "Last load," he said.

"Okay." Elle tapped on the comm. "Loading is complete. We are proceeding with departure. Enterprise shuttlebay two, prepare for docking, level one precautions for incoming material remain in effect."

"Acknowledged," Shuttlebay 2 replied.

Elle checked the console, balanced the energy shields around the hytritium, and made sure the engines were on standby.

Behind her, the woman who was overseeing the cargo bay on the merchant ship side of things handed Data a PADD. "If you'll just acknowledge the receipt of this last load, Commander," she said.

Data took the PADD. A second later, he dropped to the deck like a bag of rocks.

"Data!" Elle climbed out of her co-pilot seat and knelt next to him. "Data! What happened!" She looked up at the woman and frowned. "Hey, wait a second, you're-"

The woman stabbed Elle in the neck with a hypo, and Elle dropped to the deck.

-/\-

"Elle, Elle wake up."

"Hnngh." Elle blinked awake to Data's cold fingers on her pulse and his concerned face peer down at her. "Wh-" She struggled to a seated position and the room spun. "Whhooa."

Data helped her sit up, an arm around her. "Careful. I believe you were given a high dose of sedative."

She gave a long, slow blink, trying to clear the fluffy moss from her brain. "Uhh, yeah... yeah, hey, that woman hypo-ed me!" She glanced around. "Where are we? This looks like an art gallery."

"We are on a ship at warp, but our communicators have been removed," Data said gravely.

Elle rubbed at her forehead. "This sounds familiar, wait, wait, I recognize that woman, um..." She groaned. "Whatever she got me with, uhh."

"Do not over-exert yourself," Data warned. "Remain calm."

"I am calm," Elle replied. "I'm too drugged to not be calm." She resisted the urge to close her eyes. "I kinda just wanna sleep..."

The door to the room slid open.

Data stood up, shielding Elle with his body.

Two people entered. The woman from before, and-

"Artie!" Elle realized. "Artifact-hoarder in any universe."

"No," Data said. "This is Kivas Fajo, the merchant. You did not see him before."

Elle blinked. Right. Fajo. Not Artie Nielsen from Warehouse 13. Still a hoarder though.

"What are we doing here?" Data demanded. "Kidnapping is a serious felony in the Federation."

Fajo and what's-her-name ignored him. "Wondrous. The detail. The balance. Was I not right, Varria? What a remarkable piece of work."

"Don't ignore him," Elle said, looking around Data's side. "Why are we here?"

"You, are a happy accident, Miss Wilcott," Fajo said. "Your companion here, is what I came for. You two are here for my enjoyment and my appreciation."

"You can't do that," Elle said. "We're people, you can't just keep us."

"Come now, Miss Wilcott. You will be catered to, fawned over, cared for as you never have been before. Your every wish will be fulfilled."

Elle frowned. "Okay. I wish to leave."

"Almost every wish," he amended.

Data spoke up. "This is unacceptable, sir. We have no desire to remain here. Elle has family and I have Star Fleet duties. You cannot keep us."

Fajo smiled at Varria. "It's so single minded, isn't it?"

"Very persistent," she said indulgently.

"But it's very polite, which is a very nice touch."

"He's not an it," Elle snapped. "He's a person."

Fajo waved a hand. "Doesn't matter. I decline to allow you to go."

Data scowled.

"Ooh, a macro-expression," Fajo said.

Data glanced at Elle with a 'get-ready' look.

She gave him a look that hopefully conveyed the idea of 'I-can't-feel-my-feet-but-sure-let's-do-it.'

"If you will not allow us to go, then I am forced to attempt to escape."

Fajo stepped back and let Data try and open the door. It didn't work. "It's keyed to galvanic skin responses and DNA patterns. Sorry."

"Then you will have to open it for me," Data decided, and approached Fajo. A green forcefield stopped him and threw him back.

Elle flinched as Data hit the ground. "Data!"

Fajo grimaced in sympathy. "Oh. Really, I wouldn't do that again if I were you. This is a proximity-actuated field. It impedes positron flow. It's very bad for the brainpaths in the long term. And I certainly wouldn't expose Miss Wilcott to it. Very bad for developing frontal lobes."

Elle aborted her run for the door and sagged back into the cushion. She still felt like a mountain of vaguely human-shaped cotton fluff.

Data retreated to stand next to Elle. "I fail to understand the value you place on our presence."

Fajo gestured expansively. "Well, just look around the room. There are items her gathered from half the galaxy. Right here. This is the very first Basotile ever created. It's very, very ancient. Hundreds of years old. It's priceless." He rambled on about some vases, an actual baseball trading card, a little creature with huge blue eyes called a Lapling.

"I thought they were extinct," Data said.

"Extinct? Good. That is what is generally believed. She is the last surviving member of her species. They're very defenseless creatures, really. Everything that you see in the room here, everything. One of its kind. Unique. All original. Just as you are."

Data contemplated this for a split second. "If I am unique, then Elle is just another human. You can let her go. She has nothing of value to offer you."

Fajo smiled. "That's what you think. But I know what she really is." He wandered over to Elle, smiled down at her benevolently. "You are from the past, aren't you? Yes. The only surviving person from the twenty-first century. You've time-traveled twice. Do you know how rare that is?"

"Not as rare as you think," Elle replied.

"Ah yes, but not all time travelers can tell the future, can they?" Fajo crooned, patting her head. "Yes, I've heard some very interesting rumors about you."

She shoved his hand away. "Don't touch me."

"What's my future?" Fajo asked. "Can you tell me?"

She glared at him.

"Hmm. Perhaps after the sedative has worn off. It was rather a strong one." He patted her on the head again, avoided her swat of annoyance, and stepped back to gesture Data to another chair. "That is your place of honour. Sit, sit. Sit! You think perhaps it might be uncomfortable? But then again, you don't give a thought to comfort, do you." He grinned. "Elle of course will stay with you. You can keep her company, and, well, she can insure your good behavior." He beamed at them. "You are the crown jewel of my collection. You're a treasure beyond comparison. Honestly, you should be flattered."

"I am not," Data said flatly. "Most intelligent lifeforms find involuntary confinement offensive and inequitable. Moreover, you have violated Federation law."

"I know, I know. What I've done is evil, selfish, immoral, unprincipled, illegal. Well, I've learned to live with it." Fajo shrugged.

"I must emphasize, Mr. Fajo, that I consider this a hostile act," Data said sternly.

"You'll get used to it." Fajo and Varria exited the room.

Data immediately tried the door again. It still resisted his efforts. He looked around. "Elle, go back to sleep, try and get your body clear of the sedative. I will test the room and see if there is any avenue of escape."

Elle gave him a thumbs-up and immediately fell back asleep.

-/\-

She woke up to the sound of voices. It was Varria, holding a bundle of clothing. "Kivas wishes you to wear these sets of clothes, and for you to sit in your chair."

Data did not accept the bundle of clothes. "Mister Fajo is deluding himself if he believes he can keep us here. The Enterprise is certain to find us."

"They're not even looking for you two. They think you blew up with the shuttle."

Elle stayed quiet and played possum.

"They will scan the debris and discover we were not aboard."

Varria snorted. "They'll find exactly what they thought they'd find. Traces of your component elements and remains of a human body. We put them aboard the shuttle in just the right proportions."

"You killed someone?"

"Of course. Can't have them looking for our new fortune-teller."

Data scowled. "Clearly, Mister Fajo has no moral difficulty with my imprisonment here."

"Mister Fajo has no moral difficulties at all." Varria smiled. "Wear the clothes. Take care of your little friend. I'll bring her some food in a bit." She thrust the clothes into Data's hands. "And listen. Kivas finds a way to get what he wants from his people. His rewards for loyalty are lavish. His punishments for disloyalty are equally lavish. You won't find anyone here on this ship to help you escape. Face it, android. He has you." She closed the door.

Elle sat up. "Data?"

"Elle." He dropped the clothes on the chair and came over to her. "How do you feel?"

"A lot more clear-headed," Elle admitted. "I think I'm good now." She stood up, stretched, re-tied her ponytail. "What do we do?"

"This entire room is secured," Data said. "We cannot escape except through the door. And Fajo's crew is loyal to him." He hesitated. "It is possible that the Enterprise believes us to be dead. We may not receive any outside help."

Elle lowered her voice to barely a whisper. She knew Data could pick it up, and hopefully Fajo's security systems wouldn't. "This is an episode," she whispered. She forced down the feeling of tears. "Data, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize the episode, I should've recognized it, I'm sorry I got you stuck in this place."

"You do not need to apologize," Data replied kindly. "You did not know the context of the episode until you recognized Fajo. How could you warn against what you did not know?"

That made Elle feel a little bit better. "It was just supposed to be you," she continued, sotto voce. "But Spock has to know I'm not dead because of our mental link, and Geordi knows something's wrong with the shuttle explosion. We just have to wait."

"I do not feel comfortable waiting," Data murmured, at the quietest edge of humanoid hearing. "He is an immoral individual and he will ask you for classified information."

Elle contemplated this, and her stomach sank. She did not want to be tortured for information. "What do we do?"

"We must find a way to escape."

"Okay. But, Data listen, if the Enterprise doesn't come in time..."

That was all she said before the door opened and Varria came in with a tray of food. "You haven't changed yet." She held up the food. "You won't get food if you don't change."

Elle looked at Data.

He nodded.

Elle sighed and picked up the clothes. They were rich, fine materials, silk and Rigellian muslin in jewel-toned colors. "Where can I change?"

Varria set the tray down. "Right here."

"There's no bathroom or something?" Elle asked.

Varria lifted an eyebrow. "We're all girls here."

"There are cameras," Elle said flatly. "And I need to use the restroom anyway."

"Fine." Varria pulled a weapon out of her pocket. "This is a taser. If you try anything I will use it. You've already been knocked out once, don't think I won't do it again."

Elle nodded.

Varria led her one door down to a bathroom.

It had a nice setup, worthy of a rare artifact collector. Elle changed into the flowing tunics (impractical for anything but sitting and standing, her inner-Worf grumbled in her head), and used the toilet facilities. She stepped back out to the hallway.

"Shoes," Varria said.

"You didn't give me shoes."

"Exactly. Take them off."

"Ughhh." Elle pulled off her boots. "Fine."

Varria took Elle's old clothes and shoved her back into the gallery room with Data. She closed the door on them.

"Where are your boots?" Data asked.

"She took them," Elle grumbled. "And those were my nice mission boots, too." Her grey Star Fleet issue moisture-wicking socks looked bizarre, poking out from the bottom of her wide-legged pants. "Ugh. At least the clothes are nice." She poked at Data. "You better change too, or he's gonna dissolve your uniform."

"Or worse," Data muttered darkly. "If you would turn around?"

Elle turned around and went to go poke at the tray of food. "You think any of this is drugged?" she asked. It looked like standard fare, some meat, veggies, a pile of rice?

The lapling cooed and chirred at her from its cage.

"He would have threatened us with it if we had not complied," Data said. "I believe you may safely eat. I will watch you for adverse symptoms."

"Cool." Elle ate, and Data fed the little creature. "Cute little guy," Elle observed.

"It is a she," Data said.

Elle offered her closed hand for inspection. The lapling sniffed her curiously and jumped onto Elle's arm with a happy coo. "Oh, hello," Elle said, hastily bringing the lapling closer before she fell off. "You're friendly."

Fajo entered the room. "Oh, good, you've changed. And you're making friends! I'm glad."

Elle put the lapling back in its cage and stepped behind Data.

Fajo circled around to see her face to face. "Miss Wilcott, Elle, can I call you Elle?"

"No," she said.

"Elle." He smiled at her. "Don't be obstinate. I won't harm you. Just tell me. What's my future? I've been dying to know."

Elle squinted at him. "I don't know your future."

"You're lying. I can see it in your face." He stepped closer. "Tell me."

From behind him, Data gave her a look.

Elle decided to play along. "You will die as you have lived," she said. "Alone, unloved, and eaten by greed."

Fajo clapped his hands in delight. "Ooh, that's good. Very good. How old will I be?"

"Old enough to have regrets," Elle said darkly.

Fajo patted her on the head. "You really ought to have been selling tickets before this! You were wasted on a Federation ship, simply wasted. All that special talent, hidden away. Oh, Toff is going to be so jealous." He turned to Data. "And you?"

"I cannot tell the future," Data replied.

"Oh I know," Fajo said. "But you have other uses." He stepped back and smiled at them. "Now, I have invited a guest to meet the two of you, and I expect you to be as entertaining with him as you have been with me. Brush up on your presentation skills, Elle. Think happy thoughts. I don't want to scare him." He gave her another patronizing smile and left the room.

Elle gritted her teeth. "I have never been inclined to violence, you know. Until now. If he touches me one more time I'm gonna snap his arm off."

"You will not," Data said firmly. "You will not expose yourself to the energy field as it could seriously injure you. That is an order."

Elle huffed. "Yes, sir."

The lapling imitated her huff of annoyance and chirped insistently until Elle opened the door to its cage. It climbed onto Data's shoulder.

Elle gestured to the empty room. "Now what? We just hang around?" She looked, really looked, at the art on the walls, and gaped. "Is that the Mona Lisa?"

"It cannot be. The original is on Earth."

"I hope so," Elle said, frowning. "Flint's gonna be so mad if his work ended up in this creep's hands."

"Who?" Data asked.

Elle waved a hand. "Never mind."

The Starry Night was on the opposite wall. "Oh, I'm stealing this," Elle decided.

"Stealing is a crime," Data said.

"Doesn't count if you've already been stolen," Elle said. "This is an outrage. In the words of Indiana Jones, these things belong in a museum!" She walked over to the next thing, an artifact, possibly a religious relic. "Except for this stuff. These belong back with their native people."

Data eyed it doubtfully. "This looks Iconian in nature. There are none left."

"Oh. In which case my previous outrage stands." Elle poked at the glass cloche over it. "Iconian? A weapon maybe? Could we use it?"

The door slid open and Elle stepped away from the artifact. Fajo and another person entered. "Data, Elle, say hello to my very good friend, Palor Toff."

Elle inclined her head in her best haughty-Vulcan impression.

"Ooh, an android," Toff said.

"The only sentient one in the whole Federation," Fajo boasted.

Toff inspected Data curiously and then turned to Elle. "And the girl? Your new pet?"

Fajo waved a hand. "Better. She can tell the future."

Toff's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

Toff stepped forward. "Go on then, girlie. Tell me my future."

Elle lifted her chin and stared at him imperiously. "You will build a second storehouse for the things you think you possess, and you will never have time to enjoy them."

Toff smiled. "So my collection grows that much? Excellent. Excellent." He patted her on the cheek and started to turn away.

"You will never enjoy them," Elle repeated, just to mess with his head, and added, "But your granddaughters will enjoy the fruits of your labors."

Toff stopped in his tracks and turned around again. "I don't have children."

Elle kept her gaze fixed on his. "Don't you?"

Fajo bustled forward. "Never mind your future, let's talk about the now. I've set up an excellent dinner..." He sent his guest with Varria out the door and pointed at Elle. "I told you to entertain. Although I suppose I was entertained." He chortled. "Maybe I should have you frighten all my competitors..." He left the room.

Data looked at Elle. "I believe you and the captain should branch out from reading the classics. Your choice of lies was rather morbid."

"It's a parable," Elle said. "From a certain point of view I was telling the truth."

"And the granddaughters?" Data asked.

Elle shrugged. "You think men like that don't have children dotted all over the place?"

"Fair point."

A/N: I've posted a new story called Decoherence: Another Point of View, where I will be putting codas and missing scenes from other characters' POV's. Chapter 3 of Another POV is Picard and co's reaction to the shuttle blowing up, if you guys want to read it.