Possession - J.M. Dillard [82]
“I am very sorry about this, Geordi,” Data said to the raging engineer, then, as carefully as possible, struck him on the chin. As La Forge collapsed in Data’s arms, the android swung his friend over his shoulder, then turned to address the other crew members he knew now were as infected as La Forge, yet under momentary control. “Return to your stations,” he said to them calmly, “and await further orders.”
And as calmly as if he always carried an unconscious friend over his shoulder through the halls of the huge ship, Data made his way to the turbolift. When he told the lift where to take him, he wondered if the orders the engineering crew awaited were from Captain Picard or from some other more malevolent authority.
“Commander Data!” Picard snapped into the intercom. “Report to sickbay at once!” No sooner did the last words leave him than the doors to sickbay opened and Data marched in—carrying the ship’s chief engineer.
“Damn,” Picard groaned, as Worf accompanied Data to the quarantine unit where they’d placed the unconscious doctor, “La Forge, too!”
“I am afraid so, sir. He sabotaged our attempts to construct diagnostic tools and capture devices, then attacked me as soon as you summoned me here.”
Worf quickly explained to the android what had transpired with the doctor.
“Well, at least we have two proven test cases right here,” Picard said, looking at his unconscious officers.
“I will be able to test them for the patterned memory loss after the shipwide shutdown,” Data confirmed.
“We need more than that,” Picard complained. “We need something that will tell us if one can be a carrier, or if one currently harbors the entities. From what we’ve seen here, the entities have become far better at masking their possession of the host.”
“I agree,” Data said, and told Picard about the reaction to Geordi’s violence from the engineering crew.
“Will you be able to manage the anesthesia of the ship, and the addition of the accelerator, Data?” Picard asked.
Data moved over to the console where Crusher had attempted to sabotage the programming. His long nimble fingers flew over the board faster than Picard could follow. Then, in his usual blithe way, he assured his captain, “Yes, sir. I will be able to manage this alone. The system is completely ready. May I suggest you make your announcement to the crew, then find a comfortable spot to recline.”
“An excellent idea, Data,” Picard agreed. “Make it so. Worf will assist you. Mr. Data, you literally have the conn.”
Chapter Nine
PICARD OPENED HIS EYES to an expanse of ceiling draped in the soft muted lighting of sickbay and drew in a breath. The deep soundless sleep had left him rested, and the anesthetic had passed cleanly through his system, leaving his mind clear to form its first waking thought:
The entities …
He pushed himself onto his elbows. A few meters away, Data stood with his back to him before Skel’s quarantine chamber, scanning the Vulcan with a tricorder; Worf stood beside the android, eyeing the readout. Behind the transparent walls, Skel sat in dignified repose upon his cot, awake and cognizant.
“Data?” Picard cleared his dry throat. “Lieutenant Worf?”
The android turned. “Good news, sir. The drugs appear to have been successful. The entire crew—and all passengers—have been unconscious for the past four hours, and I have discovered some extremely interesting readings.”
Picard sat up and slid his legs off the side of the cot. In the quarantine chamber next to Skel’s, both Beverly and Geordi were beginning to stir.
“Jean-Luc?” Beverly smoothed a palm over her forehead as she sat on her cot.
“What sort of interesting readings?” Picard demanded, just as Geordi called out:
“Yeah, Data … what’re we doing here?”
Data stepped toward the chamber shared by the doctor and engineer. “You have been invaded by entities that Skel apparently brought aboard the ship.” He then faced Picard and gestured at the tricorder. “According to my readouts, both Dr. Crusher and Geordi have aged—mentally and physically—twenty-eight hours rather than four; the accelerator