Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [72]
Worf taking point, they left for the stairwell, rolling with the deck like sailors on a water ship.
Holodeck three was hot, as was all of deck eleven. Professor Baldwin, Ensign Perry, Dr. Crusher, and Counselor Troi sat in the overstuffed chairs facing each other and sweating large dark spots into their clothes. They spoke in low, confidential tones, conserving energy, not wanting to exert themselves till exertion became necessary. Nearby stood Pilgrim, the holodeck persona of the d’Ort’d. He did not sweat, did not blink, did not move, did not show any interest in the discussion.
“It must be cooler somewhere else,” Dr. Crusher said.
“I’d hate to think this was the coolest place on the ship,” Ensign Perry said.
Troi was fanning herself with one hand. She said, “We can’t go anywhere else. The captain will look for us here.”
“Wouldn’t want to disappoint the captain,” Baldwin said.
“I have a feeling,” Dr. Crusher said, “you’ve already disappointed the captain.”
“How’s that?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
“Good old honorable Jean-Luc.”
After a long silence during which nothing moved but Troi’s hand and drops of sweat, Troi said, “Why don’t you tell us about it?” Baldwin gave no sign that he’d heard her. She added, “Just to help pass the time.”
No one else said anything so after a while Baldwin began to speak. He started with his washing out of Starfleet Academy, an event that he now seemed to find humorous, and then told them how he’d entered the University of Syrtis Major on Mars. He’d made a big name there as a hot-shot exologist who took chances that paid off. After that his career was one adventure after another, with rest periods during which he piled up more honors than any exologist who’d come before him. He became a romantic public figure as well as a scientist.
“And,” he said, “I picked up a few enemies. People who were upset that I wanted to work for museums instead of for them. Which brings me to how I disappointed your captain. Are you listening, Pilgrim?”
As usual, Pilgrim said nothing.
Baldwin said, “You all know about the Boogeyman-d’Ort’d virus?”
“I don’t,” Ensign Perry said.
“According to Captain Picard, it’s the computer program that’s responsible for the breakdown of the Enterprise.”
“We cannot stop the Boogeymen,” Pilgrim said, surprising everyone.
“You’re not alone,” Baldwin said. “Anyway, I brought the d’Ort’d program on board not only to study but to use as a tool that would remove my name from all Federation records.”
“Why?” said Troi.
“I assume you want to know why I would want to remove my name, not why I brought the program on board. Remember Commander Mont? He was not my only enemy. I wanted to disappear. Let my enemies chase one another for a change.”
“And?” said Dr. Crusher darkly.
“And somehow the d’Ort’d program got out of hand. Somehow the Boogeyman program hooked up with it and began to take over the ship.”
Dr. Crusher said, “You’re responsible for the condition of the ship?”
“You see,” said Baldwin. “Now I’ve gone and disappointed you, too.”
Ensign Perry had her face scrunched up in thought. Whatever she was thinking about, she was still working it through when she said, “So you used this d’Ort’d program to erase your name from Federation records?”
“Right.”
“And now you’d like to erase this Boogeyman program, but save the d’Ort’d program.”
“Right,” said Dr. Crusher. “But nobody can pry them apart.”
While Ensign Perry thought some more, Troi said, “I have an idea.”
Baldwin smiled. “I didn’t know you were a computer expert, too.”
“I’m not—but then, neither were you,” Troi pointed out.
“What is it, Deanna?” Dr. Crusher asked, somewhat impatiently.
“Well … why not replace the Professor Baldwin reference string, which Eric put in the d’Ort’d program, with the Boogeyman program? That way, instead of searching for and erasing Professor Baldwin, the d’Ort’d program will search for and erase the Boogeymen.”
Baldwin sat up straight, his eyes wide with astonishment. “That’s absolutely brilliant. Why didn’t one