Requiem - Michael Jan Friedman [89]
But before she could clear all the security protocols, the station seemed to jerk sideways beneath their feet, sending them sprawling into one of the bulkheads. Energy pulsed through the place with such intensity it made the deck shiver beneath the captain’s cheek.
Forcing his every sense to focus on the task at hand, he dragged himself up off the floor—and noticed the remote-control device lying not a meter away. Being closer to it than O’Connor, he scooped the unit up and tapped in the rest of its instructions.
Fortunately, the thing hadn’t been damaged when it struck the deck. The shuttle door hissed open.
“Get in!” cried Picard, barely able to hear himself over the dangerously increasing hum. And to underscore the need for urgency, he helped O’Connor up and guided her in the direction of the shuttle.
By then, Data was already slipping inside, with Geordi still slung over his shoulder. But Barclay wouldn’t enter until the captain and his fellow engineer had preceded him.
A chivalrous action, Picard noted—though right now, practicality was a lot more important than chivalry. As soon as O’Connor was safely inside the craft, he shoved Barclay in after her.
However, as the captain himself prepared to follow, the airlock and the corridor outside it were bathed in a surge of stark, white brilliance. Blinded by it, Picard lost sight of the shuttle entrance—and then lost his balance to boot.
Just as he imagined he was about to go careening again through space and time, he felt something grab the front of his tunic and jerk him forward. There was a sound of something heavy locking into place, and the roar of the station was suddenly gone.
As his vision cleared, the captain realized he was on the shuttle, with Reg Barclay kneeling over him. The thin man looked apologetic.
“Sorry, sir,” said Barclay. “But there wasn’t time to be … well, a little gentler.”
“Quite all right,” Picard assured him. Sitting up, he caught a glimpse of Data in the pilot’s seat. The android was manipulating the controls as only he could.
O’Connor, who was sitting next to Geordi amidships, glanced back at the captain. “We’re getting out of here,” she said.
Picard nodded. He could see through the shuttle’s observation port that they were accelerating, putting distance between themselves and the station.
Getting to his feet, the captain made his way forward to determine how his chief engineer was doing. He was pleased to see Geordi’s head rotate as he approached.
Picard bent over him and smiled. “How are you feeling, Mr. La Forge?”
Geordi shrugged. “I’ve felt better, sir.” A pause. “But I have to admit, I’ve also felt worse.” His head rolled again as he turned to face Barclay. “Your grandfather was wrong, Reg.”
The thin man’s brow creased. Obviously, he didn’t understand. “Wrong, sir?”
The commander chuckled. “You’re not rubber after all. Considering what you just pulled off, I’d say you’re made of some of the toughest stuff around.”
Barclay grinned. “I am?”
“You are,” Geordi affirmed.
Picard looked from one of them to the other. “Rubber?” he repeated.
The commander grunted. “A private joke, sir.”
The captain nodded. “I understand.” Patting Geordi on the shoulder, he got up again and deposited himself in the seat beside Data. The android had locked one of his monitors onto a view of the station as they left it behind.
The place was convulsing with one violent flash after the other. Then, as Picard watched, a piece of the station started to come away. And another. And finally, the whole structure erupted in a blossom-cloud of blue-white light. What’s more, the cloud hung there long after the station itself had been turned into debris.
Data turned to the captain. “It is a pity,” he observed. “There was still a great deal we might have learned from it.”
Picard frowned, intent on the spectacle. “No doubt,” he replied, sincerely. Or was it, perhaps, better this way?
There were some things best left unknown, he mused. And some places best left unvisited. He sighed and, sitting back in his chair, closed his eyes.
Before long, they’d rendezvous