Chapter XIX
From the safety of the far side of the bridge, Will watched as the invader was joined by another entity; one which looked similar to the first but was in a far better condition. Deanna raised her hands to her head, attempting to blot out whatever she was sensing as the two maniacal figures approached one another. "You are me, free I see. I want, I'll have, I get! Make it happen! Now!" the decrepit super-being intoned. "The game has yet to be played. We cannot rush or it shall be spoiled," the second version of 0 proclaimed. At once, a flurry of tentacles crossed the distance between the two creatures as they attempted to overpower one another. It was unclear to Riker which would prove ultimately victorious and he wondered if his ship could survive their confrontation. His first officer was moving in his direction, but he waved her off since there was no need to antagonize these invaders any further. He then noted that another familiar figure had materialized and he gaped as Data called out, "You cannot destroy one another without sealing your fate. If more divisions were possible, do you think there would have been any need of your allies?" The twin combatants seemed to absorb his words and the one on the far side of the bridge called out, "Become my servant and aid in this conquest, then I shall grant you unlimited power!" To his surprise, the artificial man stepped forward, but his questions were immediately answered when Data said, "You do not have that strength, even now. In fact, thanks to the Q; you lack even the ability you once possessed."
The unkempt 0 looked confused, but his counterpart snarled in rage and bellowed, "Those meddlesome fools! Don't they know who I am! Well, I think it's about time for them to learn their lesson!" Reaching over to his duplicate, the second entity seemed to merge with his copy and Will had to shield his eyes as the room was filled with light. "What have you done?" his wife screamed, doubled over in pain. The android did not answer, but he suspected that was because he knew they would never hear him over the incredible noise that suddenly erupted. His body felt as though every molecule was vibrating and Riker wondered precisely what was going on. From somewhere in the distance, he heard 0 call out, "Ten billion systems all in a row… knock one down and watch them go…" Before he could determine what was going on, an incredible weight settled on him and he found it nearly impossible to breathe. But the sensation did not last and he found himself sitting in his captain's chair with Deanna at his side looking confused. Directly between them was 0, crumpled on the floor; clutching his chest in pain. Directly behind the malevolent entity was the one person Will would have normally loathed to encounter; but in this situation he was willing to make an exception. "Had enough?" Q inquired. "I have not yet begun to fight!" 0 countered, rising to his full height. His human visage seemed to fade, revealing a horrifying creature beneath as he drew near to his adversary and wreathed him in his cloying grasp. Q seemed unperturbed, even yawning as his foe struggled to corral him. "Madness… mad is bad and you'll be sad!" 0 howled, throwing a hail of energy beams at his adversary. However, it seemed as though none of them hit and at last the malevolent entity sank to the deck again; drained of power.
"Looks like we're not going to see The End today after all," Q commented dryly. "Stop me! Never, you'll see! As long as long and far as far, I'll outlive the final star! You cannot stop what must be, I'm the one who'll get free!" 0 promised. "Please, spare me the doggerel. At least now we know how you work, which is more than I can say for Them. Your crowd of lethal lackeys will be rounded up and corralled for good this time, where no enterprising explorers can happen upon them. And as for you… let's see how you like being the only creature in the entire universe," Q proclaimed. "No! Never again, say I!" the malicious super-being swore, even as he seemed to shrink. Riker watched with a strange fascination as the intruder appeared to vanish into nonexistence, leaving only Q on the bridge. "Where did he go?" he wondered. "Now, that would be telling… besides, you don't really want to find him again; do you?" their old antagonist replied. Will glanced at his wife, recalling the imminent arrival of their child. No, he definitely wished to avoid another encounter like the one they'd just went thru. "What happens next?" Vale wondered. "Suffice it to say that the Continuum will do what it can to clean up the mess which has been made, although I suspect they shall debate these events until The End. At least it will give them something to talk about for once… I'm sorry to say there is nothing I can do for your Mister Thanes. 0's power has eliminated him completely," Q told them. "And the Enterprise?" Riker asked.
"At this moment, I suspect that Mister Data is reviving the crew with the aid of my son. If there is nothing more, I should return you to your mission. I'm afraid you still have an important task to perform," Q noted, then vanished in a flash of light. At the same time, the ship which had been just off their bow vanished and the stars shifted. "Report," he directed. "We're back on course for Mars, just like before we got that distress signal. And the engineering reports that all our systems have been repaired," Christine told him. "I guess that this time, Q kept his end of the bargain," his wife noted. Will nodded, allowing his mind to return to the task which had been interrupted by the events which had overwhelmed them. Directly ahead was the heart of the Federation and a meeting which could determine the fate of his vessel along with many other things. "Sir, there's a ship approaching us… I believe it is Romulan," Vale reported, sounding surprised. "Hail them," Riker commanded, wondering if this craft had been swept her by the recent tumult. In a matter of minutes, he was looking at the face of a Romulan Commander; one of those who supported the Praetor as he recalled. The current political situation in the Empire was something he still had trouble dealing with, since the territory they controlled was effectively split in two by a breakaway faction who followed the woman that had aided them in the battle which had taken Data's life. Distantly, he wondered whether Q would allow the android to remain with his friends once his work was done. "I am Captain William T. Riker of the Starship Titan. Can you explain your presence on this side of the Neutral Zone?" he demanded.
"Our petty differences are not an issue at this time. Have you received our dispatch to the Vulcan Science Academy?" the Romulan Captain inquired. Will frowned, wondering if the incident with 0 and his followers had caused them to miss the transmission. "I'm afraid not… is there any way we can be of service?" Riker wondered. "Perhaps you can confirm our fears, Captain. Then you can decide your course for yourself," the Romulan proclaimed, then the viewscreen returned to normal. "We're receiving a set of coordinates," his first officer reported, then projected the image onto the panel at the front of the bridge. It showed a diagram of space, including Romulus itself. One star was highlighted and the display shifted there, bringing up a series of figures along with it. "I'm no astrophysicist… what does this mean?" Deanna wondered. "The Romulan ship is hailing us again," Christine reported. He signaled her to restore the transmission and this time the other Captain seemed to be gazing at him intently as he asked, "You have looked over our information?" "Yes, but we haven't had time to figure out what it means," Riker answered. "Our scientists are also puzzled, but we've just received a reply from the Vulcan Science Academy. If something is not done, sometime soon that star is going to explode," the Romulan reported. His wife gasp and even he had to admit that the news was catastrophic. Vale called up the map again, displaying the likely results if the detonation was not prevented somehow.
In a matter of moments, most of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants were rendered uninhabitable for life. "We'll make certain that the Federation finds a solution to this," he promised, signaling his first officer to end the conversation. Sitting back down, Will could only wonder whether they'd been save from one calamity just to find themselves in the path of another.