Hi everyone! I wanted to get this posted two days ago but, every time I sat down to write, something else came up and I kept getting interrupted and interrupted until I finally managed to sit down and finish the chapter today. LOL! Hope it doesn't sound as discombobulated as my brain felt while I was trying to write it out! Next up, a new chapter for Mr Mxyzptlk, which has also been in awkward stop-and-go progress this week. Thanks so much for reading, and for your awesome reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
Chapter Four
"Ishta! Ishta will you slow down!" Kahlestra called over the rising wind. "My legs aren't as long as yours!"
The Orion girl stopped short and closed her eyes, letting the dry desert gusts pelt her face and arms with coarse sand.
"Where are we going, anyway?" the young Klingon said. "Or, did you even plan that far ahead when you ran out of my mother's lab like that?"
"Will you stop saying 'we'!" Ishta spun on the younger girl, her messy jet-black braid whipping behind her. "I didn't invite you. Go back to your homework before they notice you're gone!"
"Not without you," Kahlestra said with her most stubborn glare. "Kahless, this sand really hurts. The wind's getting worse fast."
"That's fine with me. I want it to hurt," Ishta grunted. "More wind means no footprints, and no one will be dumb enough to follow me." She glared down at Kahlestra. "Except you."
"I'm not the one being dumb, Ishta!" Kahlestra retorted, already having to shout even though they were only a few feet apart. "You know Data wouldn't want you out here alone. He'd say—"
"I don't care what he'd say!" Ishta snapped. "He's not here. And I'm not going anywhere with that damn Fed social worker. You heard what that Betazoid shrink was saying back there."
"I don't want you to leave either," Kahlestra admitted. "But Counselor Troi's been working really hard to help you. Don't you want to stay in the Federation?"
"I don't care!" Ishta shrieked at the top of her lungs, turning her face toward the sky. "I don't care what happens! I'm not leaving here without Data."
"Ishta—"
"No!" she shouted. "I heard those Fed scientists talking. I heard Commander Riker and Captain Picard. None of them believe he's dead! They think he got sucked up into that stupid Stairway somehow, but after that big ground quake wrecked the tunnels they're all too scared to go find him! I'm not!"
She reached in the pocket of her jumper dress and pulled out a little data chip in a clear, protective case that she held in front of Kahlestra's face.
"What's that?" Kahlestra asked, shielding her eyes against the whirling wind and sand.
"The Vulcan found it. Down in the cavern when they couldn't find Data and that shape-changing intruder who caused all this mess. They said it's full of codes – the sounds we need to get that stupid Stairway working again!"
"You stole that?"
"You don't have to come," the Orion taunted, gripping the little data chip and shoving it back into her pocket. "If you're too much of a coward to—"
"I'm not a coward!" Kahlestra shouted. "But, I'm not stupid either. And this is stupid, Ishta! Data wouldn't want you to get yourself killed!"
"I told you, I don't care!" Ishta screamed. "Data may be brave and smart and know everything about school shit and starships, but he's a dreamer, Kay. A damn idiot dreamer, and dreamers don't last! They don't make it - I know, I've seen it again and again. That's why he needs me!"
Kahlestra squinted at the taller girl. The swirling wind was whipping her hair, blowing her long bangs over her flushed, green face, but there was a hitch in her voice, a silvery sheen to her deep blue eyes that she couldn't hide. She blinked hard and turned away, pretending to wipe sand from her face, but Kahlestra could see the tear tracks through the dust.
"Kahless…" the Klingon muttered, and she sighed. "Look… This wind is really getting bad. It'll probably pass by pretty quick, but it's no good standing here getting our skin ripped off by all this sand! Let's wait it out with the horses, OK? Then, when the storm's over, I'll go to the Stairway with you. Maybe we'll find something the grown-ups didn't see."
"And that damn social worker?" Ishta demanded. "And the lawyer advocate whatever she's bringing with her?"
Kahlestra smirked.
"They can't take you if they can't find you. And I know plenty of places to hide. Come on!" she said, raising her arm to shield her eyes as she and Ishta raced for the stable – neither of them able to hear or see the lurching figure following them through the sandy haze…
The instant he got off bridge duty, Lt. Commander Michael Applewood dashed for the closest turbolift, on his way to Sickbay, where the captain had sent their 'impossible' guest for a thorough examination.
"Headed down to see your android friend, Commander?" the captain said.
Applewood paused at the sliding doors and turned to face her.
"Yes, sir," he said.
Captain Jhilli Zh'shrythaa stood and regarded her chief operations officer with a grim expression, her delicate blue antennae twitching over her feathery white hair. For a moment, Applewood held his breath, wondering if she would forbid the visit. Then, her antennae relaxed, and he felt his breathing start up again.
"All right, Mike," she said. "But, remember what we discussed. Until we know more, I don't want this android learning any more about our present time than he already has."
"I understand, Captain," Applewood assured her as he continued into the 'lift, adding "Thank you," just as the doors slid closed.
"Doc Nathan," Applewood said as he walked into the CMO's office. "How did it go with Commander Data? Did the tests come out all right?
Dr. Nathan Birnbaum greeted the commander with a smile, but Applewood saw a shadow of concern in the old man's crinkled eyes.
"Your android friend is marvelous, Commander," the doctor told him. "That's just what he is – nothing short of a marvel! In fact, that's a good part of the trouble. The way those incredible programs can so closely mimic human systems...affect his physiognomy…"
"What do you mean?"
"It's to do with how he says he traveled here, to this time," the doctor explained. "On the one hand, our scans do seem to confirm the android's story – that he arrived here by passing through a quantum tunnel. But, the physical effects of such travel…without any proper shielding or prior processing of his molecular structure and brain patterns to fit in with our time period…" He shrugged and shook his head. "Well, that's something I can't really help him with. He'll just have to wait out the symptoms I'm afraid, and even then his subatomic particles may never resonate at the same frequency as ours. Unless we find a way to send him back to his own time frame, he'll always be slightly out of tune with our reality."
"Out of tune?" Applewood repeated and furrowed his brow. "Symptoms? Look, Doc, is Data all right or not? Can I see him?"
"Hm? Oh, of course, Commander. Of course," the old man said, taking Applewood's arm as he led him to one of several small, private rooms just off the main infirmary. "Your friend is in here. I'm sure he'll be mighty glad to see you."
Applewood frowned thoughtfully, but brightened up his expression when he saw Data sitting on the medical cot surrounded by holotablets and floating screens, all covered with rapidly scrolling information. A surreal sensation washed over him, and he shivered just a little.
"Hey, Data," he said, walking into the room. "Whoa… You know, seeing you here, on that cot… It's kinda like déjà vu, but in reverse."
"I acknowledge the irony," Data said and laughed. Pulling a pair of listening devices from his ears, he jumped up to greet the slightly taller man with a broad, proud smile. "Hello, Mikey! Or, should I say Commander Applewood?"
"It's Mikey to you, Data," the man said warmly, running his gaze over the android's face, his amber eyes, his dark hair. Data seemed rather pale, the lines around his eyes and mouth a little deeper than he remembered, but he didn't notice anything particularly concerning. "How are you feeling?"
"Troubled," the android admitted, sitting back down on the cluttered cot. "Displaced. Anxious. Frustrated. Frightened, of course. But mostly, I am feeling desperately curious. About you. About this future world in which I've so unexpectedly found myself."
He gestured to the dozens of holographic screens and windows floating around his bed. Applewood noticed, with some curiosity of his own, that much of the information displayed there seemed to be about ancient and classical Klingon literature, music, artwork, and poetry.
"I have been taking advantage of my time in this room to catch up on some personal research," Data explained. "Unfortunately, I have had to confine my searches to...older documents. It seems your captain has taken the precaution of blocking my access to records dated after my…disappearance."
"You'd do the same if the situation were reversed," Applewood said. "Knowledge of the future can be a dangerous thing."
"Indeed," Data said, aiming a wry smirk at his guest and the futuristic technology all around them. Applewood snorted a little.
"Yeah, well, you know what I mean," he said.
"Of course," Data said. "And, you need not worry about me taking advantage of my android nature to 'hack' the system, as it were. I gave my word that I would behave myself. Still, it is enormously frustrating to find one's curiosity blocked in this fashion. Can I presume the doctor has 'filled you in' on my...situation?"
"Just hints," Applewood said, grabbing a stool and scooting closer to the bed. "It's so strange to see you like this, Data, after all this time. You really do look just like I remember you. Though…maybe not quite as tall…"
Data smiled.
"My height has not altered since the day of my initial activation," he said. "But, you have changed quite a bit. I can barely express how pleased I am to see you so well." He took the man's hand and gave it a warm squeeze, his lips twitching upward as he made quick note of the ring he wore, and several other telling details. Looking in to Mikey's eyes, he asked, "Are you happy, my friend?"
Applewood chuckled and returned the squeeze before letting go and leaning back on the stool. "I suppose I am," he said. "I've had a pretty good career so far…and more." He sighed. "I wish I could tell you everything that's happened, Data. There's so much I'd love to show you…so many people I want you to meet! People I know are dying to meet you…"
"But, you have your orders," Data acknowledged. "For now, I am to be kept 'in the dark' regarding future events until a way can be found to return me to my own time. Meanwhile…"
"Meanwhile, here we are," Applewood said. "We're the same rank now, you and me. Though, I think I might actually be older than you were when we met. Quite a bit older. What were you then, thirty-four? Thirty-five?"
"How old are you?" Data asked.
"Uh uh. No clues," Applewood said, and the android snorted.
"I do not see the harm in letting me at least know what year I've come to," he grumbled. "We once had a visit from a time traveler back on the Enterprise-D, and he— Ooh, agghaa…" Data gasped and doubled over on the cot. "Oh, not again…"
"Data? What is it? Oh god, Data, are you OK?" Applewood exclaimed. "Doctor!"
"No…no, it is passing," Data gasped, his ragged breathing starting to slow. "And I am certain your Doc Nathan has set the ship's computer to track every subatomic fluctuation rippling through my molecules."
The android looked up, and Applewood was stunned to see several stands of gray shining in his dark hair. Gray he knew hadn't been there just moments before. The android's face looked different too…slightly older, rounder…
"Quantum fluctuations…" Applewood realized. "Oh, no… Data…"
"It is as the doctor said," Data told him. "I am out of synch with your reality. Apparently, I will continue to age in waves, like this, until my quantum resonance pattern aligns with that of this time…at which point, I will appear to be the same physical age I would have been had I not hopped forward through that quantum tunnel, and instead lived through the past thirty-odd years."
"That'll put you somewhere in your late sixties," Applewood said, doing some quick math in his head.
"It is my own fault," Data said with some humor. "When I upgraded to this new skin, I neglected to deactivate my aging program. Still, it will be a curious experience. To know what it is to age… To see myself as an older man…" He smiled. "Is that not a fundamental facet of the human condition?"
"Can you deactivate the program now?" Applewood asked. "Stop this effect before it goes any further?"
"No. It would be like trying to halt the ripples in a pond," Data said, rather poetically. "To prevent these symptoms, I would have had to deactivate my aging program before I entered the Stairway. And, even then, there would have been some physical effects. My systems are not completely immune to the passage of time, after all."
"What if we were to find a way to send you back in time?" Applewood asked. "Would the effects reverse themselves?"
"I would hope so," Data said. "But, it would depend on the manner of my return. It was my exposure to the unshielded forces within the quantum tunnel that affected me in this way. It is likely that, to reverse the effects, I would have to return the same way I came."
Commander Applewood narrowed his eyes.
"We're a pretty long way from Nineveh IV," he said. "And, I don't just mean physically. A lot has happened that you don't know about."
"I am intensely aware of that," Data said. "It is a primary reason for my frustration! That, and my confinement in this small space. As my name indicates, my function is to gather and interpret information. It is difficult enough finding myself so far displaced from my own time…from all that I…" He shook his head and closed his eyes, as if swallowing back a sudden pain. Straightening up, he said, "I do not like being 'left out of the loop' like this. Denied access to the answers I seek. In addition…"
He pursed his lips and flicked his amber eyes toward the door, as if concerned about being overheard. Leaning forward he said, "Mikey."
"Yes, Data?"
"I have been withholding some information of my own," the android confessed.
Applewood frowned. "Data—"
"Only because I worried that what I have to say might make me appear less credible to your captain," Data hurried to explain. "Admittedly, we have had only brief contact. But, from what I have observed, she seems a rather…stern…individual. Not exactly given to leaps of imagination."
Applewood rubbed his chin, smirking behind his hand.
"Maybe she can be a little…let's say 'inflexible' at times," he admitted. "But, she's a brilliant strategist, Data. One of the sharpest tacticians I've ever come across. That's meant a lot to us."
Data filed that comment away with a thoughtful nod.
"And you, Mikey?" he asked. "Would you trust that the story I have to tell is true? No matter how outlandish it may sound to you?"
"More outlandish than your sudden appearance on this ship? More outlandish than what's happening to you?" Applewood smiled dryly and shook his head. "Data, you appeared on the bridge this morning looking like a man in your early thirties. Before my eyes, I've seen you age about ten years. And, if Doc Nathan's tests are right, by tonight you'll probably look about seventy. Whatever you have to tell me, how could it possibly be stranger or more impossible to believe than that?"
"You make a very good point," Data said, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Very well, I shall tell you."
He moved closer and leaned forward, lowering his voice to a near whisper.
"I believe my arrival here was not an accident," he said, his amber eyes wide and earnest. "I encountered a being while inside that quantum tunnel. A transdimensional entity, possibly a descendent of the Preserver species. It directed me to the portal that led me here. To this time. This ship. To you, Mikey."
"Directed you…how?" Applewood asked, squinting his eyes.
"There were no words. Not as we understand them," Data said. "Only impressions. Impressions I found I could translate. When I told the entity I wished to return to my own place in time, it surrounded me like…like a pulsing membrane. I felt myself moving, climbing the Stairway under its direction. I regained control only after I found myself here. On your bridge."
Applewood lifted his eyebrows and drew in a long breath.
"The entity you describe…it didn't come here with you, did it? That is, you're not still—"
"No, no, the entity is gone," Data assured him. "Every scan and diagnostic has confirmed my systems are functioning within normal parameters, even given the…discomfiting…quantum fluctuations that have afflicted me since I came to your time. But, Mikey," he said. "That being knew what I was asking. It knew where and when I belonged, yet it chose to send me here."
"Any idea why?" Applewood asked.
Data regarded him, his expression somber.
"It is my function to gather and interpret information," he said. "The entity reminded me of that in the moment before I felt its influence fade from my mind. There is something here that it wants me to know. Something I must find out and bring with me once I have discovered a way to return home, to my time. I understand your captain's reluctance to allow me access to 'future knowledge.' But if I—"
A yellow light began flashing in the corner of the holographic wall panel beside the android's medical cot. Before either of them could do much more than blink, a voice burst from Applewood's commlink. A voice Data recognized as that of the ship's first officer, Commander Lennie Hugo.
"Commander Applewood, report to the bridge."
"Acknowledged," Applewood said and stood, looking rather torn.
"Go," Data told him. "We can talk later, once whatever crisis has arisen has been resolved."
Applewood nodded and turned to go, only to stop short when Data said, "Please give my best regards to your wife, Keleea Dod. And to your children, Sean and Lidzi."
"How the hell—!" he exclaimed, spinning on the android. "I thought you promised you wouldn't hack—"
"I did not break my word," Data said, looking rather smug as he sat back on the medicot. "It was a matter of simple observation. Well…perhaps not that simple."
"Data…" Applewood advanced on him.
"Your ring," the android explained. "It is inscribed with your wife's name. The names of your children appear to have been added later. Do you wish me to tell you more of what I've learned about you and your colleagues so far?"
Applewood narrowed his eyes.
"OK, Data, you've made your point," he said, and shook his head. "I'll talk to the captain about letting you out of here. But computer access is another story. I—"
"I am willing to take things 'one step at a time'," Data said. "And I do not wish to keep you during a yellow alert situation. But, if you could please inform your captain that I would like meet with her? I believe we have a great deal to discuss."
"I'll do it, Data," Applewood said. "And I'll be back, I promise. As soon as I can. I don't want you going through these quantum fluctuations on your own."
"Your concern is most appreciated, my friend," Data said, his amber eyes warm. "Thank you."
Applewood gave the android's hand a firm squeeze, then turned and strode out of the room, practically jogging as he made his way back to the bridge.
To Be Continued...
References include - TNG: We'll Always Have Paris; A Matter of Time; Inheritance (mentions Data's aging program); Elementary Dear Data; Ship in a Bottle; TOS: All Our Yesterdays. Nathan Birnbaum is George Burns's real name, and a sort of peripheral reference to the humpback whales George and Gracie from the original crew's time traveling adventure in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Also, when I was trying to imagine what the doctor might look like, for whatever reason (maybe the whales) I kept getting a picture of George Burns in my mind, so I just went with it. LOL! :)
Your comments and reviews are always welcome! Thank you! :D
