Immortal Coil - Jeffrey Lang [101]
“Scan for life signs,” Picard snapped. “Transporter room: lock onto anything in that wreck. Make sure you scan for tripolymer structures.
But what about Rhea? Riker wondered. Was she tripolymer? Would she still read as a life sign? Dammit, but artificial life forms could sometimes make this job as complicated as time travel …
“Got them, Captain,” the transporter officer reported. “Data has his combadge. And a human life signature, probably Vaslovik. He’s wearing an e-suit that’s projecting some kind of force-field bubble. Probably what saved them.”
“Can you get a lock, Chief?” Ship’s shields made transport impossible. But a man-size force field was another matter.
“Locked on, sir.”
“Drop shields and energize. Send them to the bridge unless they’re injured.”
“Yessir. No sign of any ill effects on the human … Wait.” The transporter officer grunted, and Riker accessed the transporter system so he could see what was happening. Something was attempting to override the transporter beam. Riker dumped emergency power into it and the beam stabilized.
“What is it, Number One?” Picard muttered, trying to keep his voice low.
Riker never had the chance to answer.
Moments later, a figure wearing an environmental suit materialized on the bridge, and Picard immediately ordered the shields raised. After studying his surroundings through the smoked visor for several seconds, their visitor reached up and undid the helmet seals.
Emil Vaslovik blinked in what, to him, must have seemed like bright light, fixed his gaze on the center seat and said, “Captain, I had hoped we could meet someday … though under different circumstances. Where are—?”
Picard said only, “Look at the viewscreen, Professor.” Vaslovik slowly turned around and saw the Exo III ships. They were turning toward the Enterprise.
Data had barely felt the cold of space before the transporter beam swept them away. Vaslovik’s personal force field had protected them while the ship had disintegrated, but to stay alive he had been forced to contract the field as soon as they hit hard vacuum. When the transporter effect faded, the first thing he was aware of was that Rhea was standing next to him in what appeared to be a spacecraft control room. Then, he saw the ten, long, pale, utterly identical faces staring down at them. He remembered the creatures he’d fought in Vaslovik’s sanctuary on Galor IV, and the body Soong had found on the ice cliff of Exo III. The beings facing him now were indentical to those.
The only one of the ten who was in any way distinguishable was standing apart in the center of the chamber. He was, Data decided, the leader. And when he turned to face them, Data saw the hatred that shaped his face, but a hatred not for Data or Rhea, precisely, but directed inward. It was self-loathing Data saw there, commingled with anger.
“Intriguing,” Data said.
Speaking from the corner of her mouth, Rhea said, “Data, if we’re going to keep dating, we’re going to have to have a long conversation about what you consider ‘intriguing.’ “
Chapter Twenty-Four
“EVASIVE MANEUVERS!” PICARD ORDERED as the Enterprise took another hit. “Bridge to engineering. I need those countermeasures, Mr. La Forge.”
“Working on it, sir.”
“Work faster, Geordi. Picard out.”
“Captain,” Vaslovik said, dropping his helmet to the deck. “We have to rescue them! I demand that you—”
“You’re not in a position to demand anything right now, Professor,” Picard said. He sat back in his chair and turned his attention to the tactical data Riker was feeding him. “I have a battle to fight, so unless you can offer some information that will change its outcome, please be quiet.”
Vaslovik paused, stymied, unaccustomed to having orders issued to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, the turbolift doors opened. Picard watched Maddox and Barclay enter the bridge.
Vaslovik saw the pair enter and evidently decided to take advantage of the circumstances. “Bruce! Reginald! Thank goodness! Will you help me explain this situation to Captain