Boogeymen - Mel Gilden [73]
“The forest for the trees,” Dr. Crusher said. “You were looking for a complicated solution.”
“What is absolutely brilliant?” Picard said as he and the others walked onto the holodeck.
“Captain,” Ensign Perry said and stood up.
“We didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Dr. Crusher said.
Riker said, “We’re on our way to deck ten to try out the various solutions La Forge and his team have come up with.”
“None of them seem perfect,” La Forge said.
Baldwin said, “Counselor Troi has a good idea.”
With a little encouragement from Picard, Troi explained her proposal. Picard and Riker nodded. La Forge, Data, and Wesley seemed to be struck dumb with amazement. Troi tried hard not to show how pleased she was, but a satisfied smile broke through her composure.
Data, the first to recover, said, “It is quite elegant.”
“It’ll work,” La Forge said.
“Pretty good,” Wesley admitted, obviously unhappy about something.
Dr. Crusher said, “Give yourself a break, Wesley.”
“Yeah.” Wesley finally smiled, too.
La Forge said, “How would you like a job down in Engineering, Counselor?”
Troi looked embarrassed and Picard said, “I assure you, Mr. La Forge, Counselor Troi is much too valuable to me up on the bridge. Pilgrim, how does the search-and-replace idea seem to you?”
“We will fight the Boogeymen this way.”
“That sounds like agreement to me,” Riker said. “I suggest we stop congratulating ourselves and get to work.”
“Indeed,” said Picard. “Shall we all adjourn to deck ten?”
Picard was happy to get back into the stairwell where it was cool. His people streamed out behind him as they mounted the stairs, a little optimism in the air for a change. He was on a landing, ready to climb the final staircase to deck ten when the emergency Klaxon began to whoop.
“Red alert, red alert,” a Boogeyman cried. “All lifeboats away!”
As the sound of lifeboats being ejected into space pounded through the walls, Picard shouted, “Mr. La Forge!”
La Forge was already at an access box punching in codes while Data and Wesley looked over his shoulder. They were still at it when a Boogeyman cried, “All airlocks, arm explosive bolts. Prepare for emergency jettison! All isolating hatches open! Five minutes by my mark!”
“Override, Mr. La Forge,” Riker shouted.
La Forge turned to him and said, “Override impossible, sir. The Boogeymen have hatch and airlock control routed in such a way that we can’t override without shutting down the warp engines’ antimatter containment fields.”
“We’re doomed either way,” Wesley said.
Worf nodded. “It is a good day to die.”
“Mark!” said the Boogeyman and immediately began the five-minute countdown. Another Boogeyman cried, “We win! We win!”
Chapter Sixteen
“COME ON,” said Picard as he bounded up the stairs. He could not pull the hatch open. “Jammed,” he said.
Worf and Data tried together to open it, and at last, with a creak and a groan from the hatch, they succeeded.
The Klaxon continued, and the Boogeyman announced calmly, “Four minutes twenty seconds and counting.”
Picard set his fingertips against the blue panel outside the computer core control center. It seemed to take forever before the computer, using the voice of a Boogeyman, said, “Ensign Jean-Luc Picard is not cleared for this area.”
Everybody but Picard, Data, and Wesley was astonished by this.
“Mr. Crusher,” Picard said, trying to keep calm. Wesley stepped forward and set his fingertips against the ID panel. “Captain Wesley Crusher is identified,” the Boogeyman said.
“Open control center,” Wesley said.
“Three minutes fifty seconds,” a Boogeyman said and laughed.
“Clearance confirmed,” another Boogeyman said, and the doors slid open. The security field went down with a snap.
Everyone gathered inside. La Forge studied the schematic of Enterprise’s computer system and said, “What a mess.”
“Mr. Data?” Riker said.
Data stood poised next to the proper port, cable in hand. He said, “Given the constraints under which we are working, I think it best for me to input Counselor Troi’s changes directly.”
Dr. Crusher