Chapter IX
The android examined the stranger's appearance, noting that it was somewhat archaic and yet had an air of faint dispossession to him. His attire was worn and ragged, as if he had traveled in it for ages before they had come here. The game he had been engrossed in was summarily tossed to one side and Data noted that each of the cards held beings and places he had never seen before, yet each of them seemed to be looking at this mysterious entity with the same sense of dread. The stranger himself did not look overwhelmingly evil, but the android felt certain from the word Q had just spoken that 0 would be nothing but trouble. What past could these two super-beings have? It also seemed that Captain Picard was quite surprised to see the orange and silver haired man… had the Captain also encountered him previously? There was something about 0 that seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Is that my brain malfunctioning? My memory should be perfect, Data reasoned. Or was there something more to this 0 he didn't fully understand?
The stranger's azure eyes stared at him whimsically and then after what amounted to about two microseconds, 0 spoke. "You seem surprised to see me, Q. After all of the time since our last journey together… have you forgotten about me? Because I haven't done the same in regard to you," the man said and this time Data did detect a hint of malice in his voice. "You're- you're not the 0 of this time," Q said, trying hard to sound unfazed by this being. But there is definitely a hint of fear in him, the android thought, What does it take to make a being like Q worry? He recalled on the journey he and Picard had made with Q that the super-being was definitely concerned about the welfare of his family. But this was different.
It was a shocked, unfathomable dread that Data couldn't even begin to describe. "That's right, I am not. Oh, he is here all right; out gallivanting with old friends and becoming me… so that I can be here, you see? But enough about that. I want to know more about you, Q," 0 stated. "Q, we need to get out of here," Picard said in concern. "Dad… I can't feel anything else… I've lost communication with the Continuum," Quaid said. "I've spent some time gathering up my strength, Q. Oh yes, I'm not the crazed fool you met on the edge of this pitiful galaxy some time ago. I realized in my cage that I had to find a way to make you pay for all the things which you did to me. And that would take an extraordinary amount of patience," 0 commented. "What game is it this time, 0?" Q asked and stood in front of his son. Is he concerned for the younger Q's welfare? What is 0 intent on doing? Data wondered. "There is only one game for you and for me now, Q. You know what that is. And there is only one rule; I win," the being replied. "Are you going to kill me, then?" Q asked in disbelief. 0 laughed heartily and almost fell off of the granite boulder. He shook his head and stared at them for a moment before returning to Q and his son. "Kill you? Me? I don't need to. It'd be a waste of my fun, you see. No, Q; I have no intention of murdering you," 0 said with a chuckle.
He then gazed at Quaid and explained, "I intend to make you suffer… and then watch as all those around you do the same. And then as the multi-verse itself is drawn into oblivion, you will see everything you know come to an end. And then we'll be alone, Q… for all of eternity… enjoying one another's company." "You've forgotten about something," Q pointed out. 0 looked intrigued and asked, "Is that so? I'd love to hear it." "You cannot depart from this place or you will upset the delicate balance which has led to your sanity… so therefore, you're stuck and we're not," Q commented. "This is my domain now, Q. You have no authority here," 0 growled. "But… if you don't let us go, how will we ever be able to play the game?" Quaid countered. The malevolent being gazed at the young Q and smiled wickedly before stating, "Your son is right, Q. If I want you to suffer, there is no point in having you sit on the sidelines. You should be in the midst of everything as you experience the downfall of the known universes." "Then, we have an agreement?" Q asked. "I will be watching, Q… and playing my hand as well," 0 warned. "I'll be sure to remember that," Q commented.
In a flash, they were back onboard the Enterprise and Data used the next .68 seconds to clear his thoughts before asking, "Captain… am I correct that we have run into 0 before?" "Yes, during our attempt to break through the galactic barrier several years ago," Picard paused and asked, "Do you not remember?" "That must be 0's doing…" Q said as he shook his head and explained, "I think he knows that Data is important and didn't want the android to be aware of that… so he stripped his memory of that voyage." "I see," the Captain said with a nod. "How in the world did we manage to get back here?" Quaid asked. "Once again, 0 allowed us to. We could've been his prey for all eternity, but apparently he is in a… playful mood, if you will," Q explained. "How exactly do we fight him, Q? If I recall correctly last time, you and the Calamarain had to join forces just to banish him once more," Picard remarked. "I highly doubt that they'll be willing to listen to reason again, Jean-Luc. They still have a death wish hanging over my head and I don't need any more problems than I have already," Q commented.
"I suppose it is safe to assume that 0, or at least his past self; let loose the two exiles," Quaid remarked. "We need to return to the Continuum and sort this out… perhaps if I explain things to Q and Q…" his father began. "You saw how they reacted when I brought up The End. How do you suppose they'll feel when they find out they've got five malicious super-beings roaming across the known galaxy?" Quaid countered. "Five?" Data asked in confusion. "I need time to think, Quaid," Q explained. "I have an idea," his son chimed in. "I should check to make certain everything on the Enterprise is functioning properly," Picard decided. "I will show the Captain and his pet calculator our enemies' past and the future of what is going to happen whilst you consider our next move… I'll be back in a nanosecond," Quaid explained. His son disappeared in a golden flash of light and Q remarked, "Don't worry about your companions, Jean-Luc. I will take good care of them by filling in for you." "Now listen here, Q; we haven't time for another history lesson," Picard began, but it was too late. Both he and the Captain were taken from the bridge to the mysterious limbo they had been in earlier and Quaid explained, "I needed to make sure that 0 was gone before we went any further." "You decided to do that on your own? That wasn't very smart…" Picard pointed out.
"Save it, Captain… we have a lot to discuss and very little time to do it in. What I am about to divulge to you is information even my father doesn't know; so let's just say I'm breaking a few temporal rules… nothing major, right? If we're going to discover how to defeat 0 and his cohorts, all three of us need to know more about them," Quaid explained. "But you are a Q and therefore already know everything," Data pointed out. The dark-haired youth glared at the android for a moment and then explained, "Perhaps I need to be reminded?" In a brilliant flash of light, they were transported again and they stood on a deserted moon and Data wondered if any life had ever lived here. "For the sake of clarity, everything you see will be from your viewpoint and not from the perspective of the Q. I suppose I don't have to say that since Dad has taken you on these journeys before, but I just needed to make certain you didn't ask any useless questions." "That's very thoughtful," Picard said, although the android knew he didn't mean it. Quaid pointed towards the empty horizon and explained, "Well, we have all the time that there is left… so let's get going."