Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [22]
By that time Wesley and the others were moving quickly, running around the large curve of the corridor. Wesley ran without looking back. He supposed Picard and Data were close behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, turned cold, and did what he thought was impossible—he ran faster. Two Boogeymen were chasing him. One was bald and wearing a red uniform. The other was a pale waxy yellow and wore a gold uniform. They were catching up. The bald one cried, “Mr. Crusher! Mr. Crusher!”
Wesley ran so fast he was certain he almost attained warp one. Then somebody grabbed him. He fought blindly, thrashing out and kicking and clawing, in his frenzy having forgotten everything he’d learned about martial arts.
“Mr. Crusher!”
It was Captain Picard’s voice. His real voice. Wesley opened his eyes and saw that the real Captain Picard held him by both shoulders.
“Captain! They’re after me. Boogeyman versions of you and Data.”
Data looked back along the corridor, and said, “The corridor is empty, Wesley.”
Wesley looked too, and when he saw that Data was right, he felt both relieved and cheated. He’d been ready for a fight, and now it seemed there was not to be one. He tried to make his heart stop banging quite so hard. He said, “How did you two get in front of me?”
“I wasn’t aware that we were until you ran into us,” Picard said.
“Evidently,” said Data, “the topology of this holodeck Enterprise follows different rules from those on the real ship.”
“Or anywhere else,” said Wesley. He commanded himself to get a grip. He’d made a mistake designing the Boogeymen the way he had, and now he had to live with it. The situation would not improve if he became hysterical.
Picard looked around as if he could see the anomalies on all sides. “I’d be very surprised if the holo-Enterprise follows any rules at all other than the ones the Boogeymen make up as they go along.”
Wesley shook his head. “They could have caught me, sir.”
Picard nodded and said, “I assume you designed them to be good game players.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then I suggest to you that, for whatever reason, they wish the game to continue.”
That was certainly an explanation, but it didn’t comfort Wesley. He’d had enough of this game already. And he’d learned a lesson about writing special programs for the holodeck.
Data said, “Perhaps the main computer core will give us more answers.”
“Yes,” said Picard. “And allow us to get through to the ship. Stay close, everyone.”
They continued down the corridor and stopped at the entrance to the main computer core. It had double security locks, and from the look of the twin red telltales, both locks were working. Crew members did not ordinarily enter the computer core control center, and those who did required a top security clearance.
Picard set his fingertips against a blue plate, and the computer said, “Ensign Jean-Luc Picard is not cleared for this area.”
Picard stepped back as if he’d been physically assaulted.
Data said, “Of course. The holodeck computer is still running Ensign Crusher’s program. As far as it is concerned, Wesley is the captain.”
Wesley was embarrassed by this, but Picard laughed and said, “Well then, perhaps Captain Crusher would be so kind as to put his fingers on the identity plate.”
Smiling with embarrassment, Wesley did as Picard had done. The computer said, “Captain Wesley Crusher is identified.”
“Open control center.”
The computer thought about that for a while. Confirmation of Wesley’s access to the control center should have taken nanoseconds, a time seemingly instantaneous by human clocks. “Maybe—” Wesley began.
The computer said, “Clearance confirmed,” and the heavy-duty double doors slid open. The security field sparked once—which was odd—and went off.
At Picard’s insistence, Wesley led them into a dim room so full of blinking lights that Wesley thought of the stars outside. Outside the holodeck. Outside the real Enterprise. Each light was an isolinear chip that was in use.
Four crouching dwarfs faced a thick column that ran from floor to ceiling and throbbed with