One of the Living

Chapter 2: Yesterday's Child Adrift

Dr. Crusher was on her way to the Bridge when she met Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the corridor.

The Captain didn’t seem surprised to see her.

"Ah, Doctor," he greeted her. "I was just on my way to Ten-Forward. Would you care to join me?"

He paused, then added with a smile. "Unless you have urgent matters to attend."

Beverly laughed and shook her head. "Hardly. Though I wish I did. This has been the most monotonous stretch of time I can ever remember."

She fell into step with Picard as they turned a corner.

"It has been a bit too quite," he agreed.

They seemed to have little to say to each other. The turbo lift doors opened with a quiet hiss and two officers stepped inside.

When they reached their destination, they found that they were not the only ones who had decided to stave off boredom in Ten-Forward.

As the Captain maneuvered them through the throng of people, Beverly noticed that Data had a long line of people waiting to play chess with him.

Empty tables were scarce but they managed to find one in a semi-secluded alcove. Conversation seemed to be a struggle; she and Picard had often spent their abundant spare time in the Officer’s lounge or in the holodeck talking and now there was nothing new to discuss.

They ended up people watching, but Beverly tired of it quickly. Absently, she watched Guinan carry a tray of drinks over to a crowded table. She focused in on the pale blue fluid contained within tall, slim flutes. She blinked and they were gone but Guinan still held the tray as though they were there.

Beverly frowned and looked again. The glasses were back on the tray. She shook her head and closed her eyes, but the glasses continued to fluctuate.

"Jean-Luc." The Doctor’s voice disrupted his thoughts. Picard looked up at her.

"Jean-Luc," she repeated, shaking his arm. "Look at Guinan’s tray.

Picard turned in his chair and located Guinan. He saw her preparing to set down a tray of glasses, but found nothing unusual about it.

He was about to question the Doctor when he, too, saw the fluctuations. His face registered a look of mild surprise.

"You saw it, didn’t you?" Beverly prodded, leaning across the table. Her eyes shined with hope. Hope that they might have a mini-mystery on their hands.

Picard slowly turned back to her and nodded. "I believe so."

They exchanged perplexed looks. Beverly sat back and half-laughed.

"I’m so bored that I’ve got you seeing things, too."

"Perhaps," Picard answered inattentively. His mind was already going over possible explanations for the anomaly. He briefly stopped on the possibility that their old nemesis, Q, was back. It HAD been a long time since his last visit.

Beverly ran a hand through her fiery locks and sighed. She wondered if it were possible to get cabin fever on a ship like the Enterprise.

"It could be nothing more than trick of the mind." He offered her a half-smile of reassurance. "However, if it happens again we may need to look into the situation."

**************************************************

Alternate Universe: Year- Unknown

Q had yet to make his presence known to the girl he was trailing mainly because he wasn’t sure she was who he thought she was. Her obvious confusion at her surroundings was intriguing to him. She acted as though she had been suddenly dropped onto a ship full of strangers. The crewmembers that she passed gave her inquiring glances, but didn’t stop to question her.

Q also thought it strange that she didn’t appear to be aware of his presence despite the fact that he was practically on her heels.

She stopped unexpectedly and Q nearly barreled into her. Just as suddenly, she turned around. She jumped back from Q, clearly distressed.

"I-I’m sorry, Admiral," she stammered before gaining her composure. "I didn’t realize that you were behind me."

Q was disappointed that his presence garnered nothing more than apology. Though it had been a long time, surely she remembered him.

"That’s quite alright," he said distractedly as he studied her through narrowed eyes.

Her blonde hair, light on top dark on the bottom, was cropped short. Her gray eyes were widened in bewilderment. He tilted his head thoughtfully. Something wasn’t quite right, he determined, other than the fact that she standing before him-alive. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it…

Then it came to him. She was too young. Q frowned slightly as he recalled his early encounters with the Enterprise crew. It had been what- seven or eight years since he had first put the Enterprise crew on trial. He was positive that by now she should be somewhere in her early to late thirties. But this one could barely be older than twenty-one. His eyes caught on her rank pips. Ensign? That, he knew, was wrong. The Enterprise’s cheeky former Security Chief was a lieutenant.

"What’s your name, Ensign?" he asked gruffly.

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Natasha Yar, sir." Her response seemed automated.

That’s her, Q thought, rather out. She should remember me.

"On the wrong ship, aren’t you, Ensign?"

Her eyes widened a little more.

"How did you know, sir?"

Q softened his stern expression slightly. "You should be on the Enterprise, shouldn’t you?" he countered ignoring her question.

The ensign was baffled. "The Enterprise, sir? She’s still several years from completion."

Q tucked that piece of information away for later review.

"Where then, should you be?"

"On an Away Team mission. We were on our way to rescue some of our crew whose shuttlecraft had crashed on an inhabited planet, sir. What looked like a large hole in the sky appeared suddenly, then I slid down a hill," she voice caught on the statement, embarrassment colored her words. "And ended up here."

Q’s eyes darkened as he began to piece together the information he had collected thus far. The "hole in the sky" she described signaled that the unraveling had begun in her universe. What Q didn’t know was why Tasha was the only one affected by it.

************************************************

Deanna Troi stepped out of a holodeck and started to walk down a corridor, not quite sure where she was going. She had found herself often wandering through halls of the Enterprise recently. Meandering in the corridors had lost its appeal and Deanna stopped at the computer panel.

"Computer," she said resting her palm on the panel. "what’s the location of Dr. Crusher?"

"Dr. Crusher is…" The voice cut off and didn’t finish its statement.

Deanna looked up, then at the panel. She stepped back from it. There was nothing there.

She put her hands on her hips and gave the wall a puzzled look.

"Deanna."

The Counselor barely registered that someone had called her name.

"Deanna?"

She turned slowly with the same look on her face. Commander William Riker put his hand on her shoulder.

"What’s wrong?"

"Isn’t there supposed to be a computer panel here?" She pointed to bare wall.

Riker looked to where she pointing. "Yes…" he answered slowly. "Or at least I think its there."

Deanna shook her head. "Maybe I’m wrong," she said slipping her arm through his. "I suppose I can find Beverly on my own."

Riker couldn’t resist a final glance at the wall. He stopped walking.

"Deanna?"

The Counselor sensed his uncertainty. "Yes?"

"Is that the panel in question?"

Deanna couldn’t believe it. The computer board was right where it was supposed to be. They turned to look at each other in bafflement.

"No," she said firmly, "You are not going crazy. There is something going on."

Riker frowned. "Perhaps we should inform the Captain."

************************************************

“What happened, Admiral?” Tasha asked in reference to their sudden transfer to an empty cargo bay. She tried to remain respectful and keep the suspicion out of her voice. She had no idea what to think of this rather peculiar Starfleet Admiral.

Q studied her a moment, then broke into a smile. “Oh, come on now, Tasha. Surely you’ve not forgotten your dear old friend!”

He waited for her to drop the charade. She didn’t.

She shook her head sending her bangs into her face. “Admiral, I-”

“Stop calling me that,” Q snapped, miffed that someone might have actually had the nerve to forget him.

Tasha stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“Stop calling me admiral,” he huffed folding his arms across his chest. “We both know I’m not even apart of Starfleet, mercifully.”

“Then who are you?”

Q snapped his fingers and his Starfleet uniform instantly changed to civilian dress- very expensive civilian dress.

When Tasha realized that she no longer had to kowtow to him, she became bolder, though still thoroughly mystified by her current predicament.

“I don’t know who you are, but if you have something to do with my being here-”

“Marvelous!” Q cut her off with a clap of his hands. “There’s the Tasha I know! I knew it was you.”

Tasha clenched her hands into fists, a spark of defiance in her eyes. Her guard was up, but she was also curious.

“How do you know me?”

“We’ve met on a few occasions.” Q’s voice trailed off. “How old are you, Tasha?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Twenty-one. Why?”

Q raised an eyebrow.

“Whose your captain?”

“Captain Michael Gordon. Why?”

“Stop asking why after everything. I’ll tell you why when I’m ready.” Q leveled his gaze with hers.

“Have you ever been to Vagra II?"

“Where?”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Q sniffed. “ And don’t glare at me like that. I have nothing to do with your being here.”

It was Tasha’s turn to cross her arms. “Then why are you here?” she challenged.

“I’m here-” He stopped. “Listen, even if you really don’t remember, you’d better hold your tongue; you don’t realize who you’re dealing with. I’ll tell you everything if and when I choose.”

Tasha pressed her lips into a thin line and remain silent.

“That’s better,” Q turned from her slightly. After a moment he asked, “ What year is it?”

Tasha frowned, not understanding his question. “2358.” She bit back asking why.

Q didn’t respond. He had zeroed in on a computer panel and was on his way to it.

He touched the board. “Computer what year is it?”

The computer crackled to life. “The year is 2373.”

Q looked at Tasha, who was disturbed by the computer's answer.

With a semi-smirk and his gaze still locked with Tasha’s, he asked,

“Computer, what is the current assignment of Natasha Yar?”

“Lt. Natasha Yar is deceased.”

Tasha’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“Computer,” Q said again. “Location and cause of death.”

“Location of death: Varga III. Cause of death was reported as injuries from head trauma caused by an unknown life form.”

Q sauntered back over to the speechless Ensign.

“Ensign, you’ve fallen into the wrong the timeline. I’m here to help you.”

He received no argument from her.

“Don’t look so lost,” he said more harshly than he had intended. He was feeling something akin to sympathy for her and he didn’t like it.

“Anyway you can’t stay here without causing in problems in this universe.”

He added with much unhappiness. “So you’ll have to come with me for now.”

Suddenly, the cargo bay was flooded with an intense light. When it faded Q found himself standing once again in white arena before the Tribunal.