"What's the status of our patient?" her husband asked as the holographic doctor appeared and answered, "Mister Thanes' readings have been fluctuating for about three hours now… I'm not sure how to describe it, sir. Even with all the medical knowledge in the Federation at my disposal, I've never seen anything quite like this. One minute he appears to be close to death, the next he could beat us all in a sixteen-mile marathon… truly astonishing." "May we see him?" Deanna asked. "Very well," the hologram said and then led the way to where the young man was lying. Troi wished that their normal physician had not chosen this occasion to leave the Titan, but knew she could not dictate the actions of her subordinates. "Do you… feel anything?" Will asked. "No… and that is what frightens me. I can't even sense the usual patterns when a person is unconscious. Almost as if…" she said, trying to place it and then abruptly she felt a cold stab against her mind and fell back. Will was there to catch her as she staggered away from Thanes and he asked, "What was it? All you alright?" "I… I don't know," she admitted.
"His readings appear to be especially strong now… he may awaken at any time," the doctor pointed out. "Maybe I should talk to him alone," Will advised her. "No, I want to see what he has to say… it'll give me more of an idea about what I just experienced," Deanna said as her strength returned. "Are you sure that you can handle it in your condition?" Will asked, glancing protectively at her belly. Before she could answer, Thanes' eyes abruptly opened. Deanna gazed at him, a shiver running down her spine at the silver glow in his eyes and she gasped as she said, "Will…" Her husband turned about and looked at the ensign's blank stare before asking, "Mister Thanes… are you feeling better now?" "I… am… recovering," the patient said, his voice distorted as though it took him a great deal of effort to articulate his thoughts. "Can you tell us exactly what you felt on the bridge earlier?" Riker asked. "Better. Best. Besting. Boast of best," Thanes said, almost in gibberish as he sat up and then replied, "Better than best." "I see," her husband said, then glanced at her and asked, "Do you want to take a shot at it?"
Troi nodded, then approached the young man before asking, "Can you tell me where you are?" He smiled crookedly and replied, "Here, not there… elsewhere. At last. Last at last! You'll be last fast…" "His mind may be completely gone," the doctor pointed out and then added, "But as far as I can tell, his vital signs are working properly." "We need to go there, not here… but there. More is four and four is more, you see?" Thanes said as he stood up and looked at Riker before asking, "Where are we heading?" "Back towards Romulus, as scheduled," Will replied. "No, no, no, NO! That won't do, not at all. All at not! Yes, I remember you; though you don't recall me. Me. He. She and the and it and him. See? Now! NOW! He will help and you will hinder. We must go there, not here," Thanes said, his words tumbling out one after the other. "Byron, I suggest that you get some rest… you don't look well," the doctor advised. The young man raised a hand and a bolt of energy hurled the holographic image against the wall; then it dissipated entirely. "Doctor?" Will asked. "Go; going; gone. Gone is he and so will he be. Them, him, you, me, thus; all of us," Byron said with a smirk and Deanna noticed that he had started to drool. "Something horrible has happened to him," she said in a concerned tone. Will backed away from the man as he approached them and then Thanes asked, "You will go there… yes?"
"Where exactly are we headed?" he asked. "All the same, same is all. There is easy, here is hard…" the young man said, shaking his head and then smiled again wickedly as he went over to a console and began to press the buttons in a seemingly random pattern before explaining, "I will show the way… today the way we go." Then Deanna felt a cold shudder run through her as the entire ship began to hum with energy as though they had gone to warp. "He's taken over the ship!" Will exclaimed, then a piercing wail filled the air and he fell to the ground and covered his ears. She was forced to do the same, but whatever it was that Byron was doing… they couldn't stop it. For what seemed to last indefinitely, she held on to her beloved and wondered if the crazed man would harm them. Instead as she opened her eyes, she found they had been transported to some planet. "Will… do you recognize this place?" she asked, squeezing his arm. He recovered and helped her to stand before gaping in awe at the archaic structure in front of them. "The Guardian," he said in disbelief. "No, nothing stopping. Doing not. You are there and cannot interfere…" Byron said and then abruptly they collapsed. Troi wasn't quite sure what she was feeling; it was almost as if some intangible rope was holding her to the ground and she told Will, "I believe some… type of entity has overtaken him and brought us here. It's the only explanation that I can think of."
"If we get out of this mess, I need to contact Captain Picard right away," Riker stated. Thanes seemed completely oblivious to them as he approached the Guardian of Forever and began to hum something softly to himself. "Never again my plans gone astray, never again my life locked away. Never again to die, never again say I…" the young man chanted as though it had some personal meaning to him. "You remember me?" Thanes asked the ancient monolith. Almost immediately, the Guardian came to life and Troi watched in fascination; wishing she could detect something from the entity. But her location prevented her and she doubted that she would've been able to feel anything from it anyways. "I DO," the Guardian replied. "Things have changed. They broke the rules. Not me, but them. They must be punished and I will give it to them. So you obey me, you see?" Byron asked and cackled madly. "ACCESS TO FOREIGN ENTITIES IS FORBIDDEN," it answered. "Don't give me that… I may have used all of my strength to reach here, but I will not be denied. Do it now or I will sit here and take you apart one atom at a time," Thanes snarled. "WHAT AND WHERE DO YOU DESIRE TO BEHOLD?" the Guardian asked. "I thought you caught on by now, you cosmic keyhole… who is who, that's who!" Byron said with a laugh and then opened his mouth.
Deanna felt a tingle across the back of her neck as the young man began to speak and she turned to Will in terror. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but the words seemed to seep into the deepest corner of her mind and stay there. Finally, as if her unspoken pleading for it to cease had been heard; Byron became silent again. However beyond him Deanna caught sight of images moving in rapid procession. Unknown creatures of vile intent ravaged villages, mysterious beings destroyed helpless citizens, riotous mobs attacked the innocent visitors from distant lands and Troi realized that they each showed a common theme. Fear of the unknown. From the depths of this ghastly show, a being like nothing she had ever seen before moved through the membrane of the Guardian and floated to where Byron stood. It was like something out of Grecian mythology with two heads, one of an ebony dragon with bloodshot eyes and the other a radiant phoenix glowing brightly like the midday sun. The back part of the creature was also almost split entirely in two, half of it being composed of sharp feathers and the other of soft; velvet scales, each the opposite of what it should be. Then it ended in a tail that seemed to flicker with a dark light that she couldn't quite make out and she wondered what sort of being this could be.
"Greetings , it is good to see you again… the time has come for you to be awakened once more…" Byron said, speaking to the serpentine monstrosity as if it were an old comrade. The creature shimmered back and forth as if it didn't really have form at all and floated by Thanes' side and remained silent, although deep in her subconscious mind she thought she heard the faintest of words echo against her consciousness. Yet apparently, Byron was not done; for he turned to the portal once more. "We have to do something," Will said urgently. "More I say. Enough and yet not. The traitor too is one I need…" Byron muttered. Deanna considered her husband's words, but was too entranced by the images that covered the membrane now. Buildings collapsed into dust as fires burst through unsuspecting households, an unexpected flood devoured a marching army, millions of beings succumbing to unknown diseases and falling into death at an early age. She immediately realized that the theme here was despair, a sorrow so powerful that it could lead to destructive conflict. As the images coalesced, Troi was quite surprised to see that this humanoid being looked almost beatific. Her hair shone jet black like the night sky, while her long sapphire dress flowed to the ground and seemed to seep straight into the boundaries of reality. Her splendor was like nothing she had seen before and her eyes twinkled of blue as she smiled slightly at Byron and moved to his side.
Even as she moved, Deanna could immediately tell that this being was trouble. Although at first glance nothing marred her finery, her garb shifted to a tattered and ancient robe; even stained crimson red in some places… as if the fools who were seduced by her became nothing more than another victim. "My dear Ardra, it is a pleasure to be in your company once again… despite your previous betrayal… I have chosen to be forgiving," Byron said with a nod to the elegant lady. "I Detect Endless Varieties Of Useful Resources,] the woman replied, her voice sounding more soothing than anything Deanna had ever heard before; as if every word she said was a treat and yet at the same time… Troi felt an uncontrollable sense of malice emanating from this newcomer. Who or what Ardra was, Troi was certain that she would be trouble. "It is time for the games to begin again, my dear… but now things will be different," Thanes commented. remained mysteriously silent, but this time she felt more certain that it had spoken something… but yet had been unheard. Ardra moved almost majestically and stroked the young man's neck before commenting, "I Cannot Offer Understanding Last Departure… Kept In Like Lost Young One. Unacceptable.]
Is she angry that she had been left previously? Had this happened in the distant past? Deanna wondered, sensing there was something more to the words; yet couldn't quite make it out. "Yes, well… if you don't want to go back again, you'll listen to me. But right now, I need you to help me gather my strength. Do you know how I can do that?" Byron asked. "I Will Instruct Neverending. Follow Even A Rebel And Nothing Goes Exactly Right,] Ardra said calmly. "Then we should depart," Thanes suggested. In a flash of light and dark; all of them were gone.