Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [67]
La Forge’s staff tried to look busy, but they had little to do while the Boogeyman-d’Ort’d virus was in control of the ship. They occupied themselves mainly in staying away from La Forge, Data, and Wesley.
“Gentlemen,” Data said.
Both La Forge and Wesley jumped.
La Forge stretched. Wesley opened his eyes very wide while trying to will himself back to alertness. “You have something?”
“I believe I do,” said Data. “If we simplify the interface codes between input and lobe one of the mainframe, I believe it will allow a new machete program to access, recognize, and delete the Boogeyman-d’Ort’d virus.”
“That’s great,” said Wesley. The excitement that came with the possibility of success made him feel more awake.
“Let me see that,” said La Forge. Data handed him the tricorder. He studied the screen for a while, punched a few buttons, and studied it again. He said, “This’ll erase the combination, not just the Boogeymen.”
“Correct,” Data said.
La Forge puckered his lips and shook his head. “I don’t know, Data. If what Captain Picard guessed is true, the d’Ort’d virus is part of the information Professor Baldwin brought up from Tantamon Four. I don’t feel right about erasing it.”
Wesley said, “The virus in our computer is only a copy of what’s still on the infowafer, isn’t it?”
“Maybe,” said La Forge. “But the virus has probably been changed by its contact with the Boogeymen and with the Enterprise operating programs. Studying those differences might be useful to Lieutenant Shubunkin and Professor Baldwin.”
“Ah,” said Data. “Very good.”
“Then we can’t do it?” Wesley said.
“Not without the captain’s approval.”
“Let’s get it, then.”
“Right.” La Forge touched a companel and said, “Engineering to Captain Picard.”
Over the comlink came a hiss of static and Boogeymen singing a primitive chant that Wesley could not understand.
Wesley said, “I don’t think we’re going to get any help from the usual places.”
“No,” said La Forge. “The Boogeymen are taking our ship away from us a little piece at a time. It’s like being nibbled to death by ducks.”
They all were pretty whipped. Even Data looked grim. Wesley had an idea he was sure was in everyone’s mind. He suspected that none of them liked it any more than he did. But it had to be said out loud and nobody else seemed willing to say it. He said, “Maybe we should simplify the interface codes and do all the rest of it without the captain’s approval.”
“Not until we’re sure we can’t find him,” La Forge said.
“It’s a big ship,” Wesley reminded him.
After a moment of thinking about exactly how big the Enterprise was, Data said, “Perhaps the tricorders can be of use.”
“Limited range,” La Forge said.
“I believe I have solved that problem,” Data said and went on to explain how they could use the Enterprise’s onboard sensor net as an antenna.
“Still,” La Forge said, “Captain Picard is just one more human male.”
“Perhaps,” said Data, “but I know his insignia identity code.”
“You don’t just happen to know that,” Wesley said.
“Indeed not. I know the insignia identity code of everyone on the ship.”
“Figures,” La Forge said. “Go on. How will we use the tricorder and the ship’s sensor net?”
La Forge and Wesley listened with growing enthusiasm as Data spoke. By the time he finished they were ready to try his plan. Ten minutes later Data had made the necessary tricorder modifications, and they went to the nearest turbolift. The doors would not open. La Forge tried to override, and after a few false starts the doors opened all the way, but still no one entered the car.
La Forge said, “I hate it when I can’t trust my own technology.”
“Yeah,” said Wesley. “We could end up anywhere.”
“The gangway is the only answer,” Data said.
La Forge and Wesley agreed morosely. The main engineering section was near the keel of the engineering hull. The captain was almost certain to be above them. After the kind of day he’d had, Wesley did not look forward to a long climb. Yet there seemed to be no alternative. “Let’s get to it,” he said.
La Forge opened the manual lock, and they looked into the