Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [58]
Inside sickbay, Dr. Crusher was walking around normally. When she saw them, she came to the doorway and said, “Boogeymen?”
“Yes,” said Picard. “We can no longer make assumptions about the operation of the ship. Stay in sickbay unless you must make an emergency call, and pray that the Boogeymen leave you alone.”
“Yes, sir. Can I help you or Ensign Perry in any way?”
Ensign Perry swallowed and attempted a game smile. She said, “I’ll be fine.”
“We will all be fine,” Picard said with more conviction than he felt.
Picard and Perry continued their climb. When they were not far past sickbay the gravity tilted again, and threw them at the turbolift. The doors opened, and the two of them fetched up inside. The doors closed before they could get to their feet, and the car began to move.
“We win,” a Boogeyman said. “Shuttle bay two. Shuttle bay three.”
“Where are we going, sir?”
“Computer,” Picard called, “bridge.”
“The bridge is ours. We win!”
Picard smiled confidently into Perry’s terrified face, hoping it would give her comfort, but the truth was, he did not feel confident. Without the main core, functions that normally were automatic would take many crew-hours to monitor, calculate, and adjust. Just watching over life support would be a full-time job. Even Data would need many hours to calculate course and speed to the nearest starbase.
Picard thought of a useful analogy that was not encouraging. It was as if a human suddenly had to consciously, second by second, will every electrochemical reaction in his or her body or it would not happen. That person would certainly be dead in seconds. The situation aboard the Enterprise was not so dire as all that, but soon it would be and the Boogeymen would win in earnest.
The turbolift stopped, the door opened, and Picard was surprised to see they had actually come to the bridge. He leapt out and pulled Ensign Perry after him before the turbolift changed its mind and bore them away to some remote corner of the ship.
Worf was at his station, and Riker sat in the center seat, though at this point, command consisted of watching the disasters pile up. Ensign Winston-Smyth was at Ops. Conn was unmanned.
Picard sat Ensign Perry in Troi’s seat and told her she would be safer staying on the bridge than attempting to go somewhere else. She nodded and glumly watched Tantamon IV on the main viewer.
Riker had already moved to his own seat. Picard sat down and said, “Status.”
Riker said, “Minor damage reports are coming in from all over the ship. Evidently ship’s environment is now under the Boogeymen’s control.”
“Ensign Perry and I experienced that firsthand. Anything else?”
As if in answer, the ship shuddered, and Picard saw a photon torpedo fly across the main screen. A few seconds later it exploded, briefly washing out the picture with bright light.
“What in hell?” Picard said.
Worf said, “Our photon torpedoes and phasers are firing at random.”
“Target?” Picard said.
“None,” said Worf.
“I suppose we must be grateful for that,” Picard said. A phaser beam momentarily poked and fizzed into the darkness and then stopped abruptly. No one bothered to mention it. Picard said, “Is Baldwin in my ready room?”
“Yes, sir,” said Riker. “He said you wanted to see him.” He gave Picard a look that was full of meaning.
“Right enough. Keep me posted.” He walked to the ready room doors, and they opened for him. They remained open after he walked through. Well, at least he would not have to suffer that new door announcement.
The ready room was dim, as if it were ship’s night. The stars out the window behind his desk looked unnaturally bright, though Picard was fairly certain the Boogeymen had not yet been able to tinker with them. Baldwin stood by the window looking out. Without turning around he said, “I thought I’d be safe on your ship, Jean-Luc. Then Mont attempted to kill me, and now the ship itself seems itchy to try.”
Picard said, “Has anyone told you about the ship going into warp without using the engines?”
“They did. I didn’t believe it.”
“Believe it.”
Baldwin turned