Chapter Five
The image on the viewscreen was terrifying. The area of dissolution had been a hazy circular area in the distance. It had now become a huge, blazing, ball of fire. And it was getting bigger. Rapidly.
Commander Riker yelled over the red alert klaxon, "Ensign, get us out of here." The image tilted off the screen. He called out, "Reverse image." The fireball came back on the screen, but it was no longer growing. Soon, it began to visibly shrink.
People began pouring out of the turbolifts. One of the first was Captain Picard. He glanced at the screen and said, "Cancel red alert. Ensign, bring us to full stop. Number One, report."
Riker said, "Commander."
Data turned from the ops station which he had assumed immediately upon arriving on the bridge. "Ensign Merrill has executed a 180 degree turn and boosted at warp six. We are now twelve times our original distance from the phenomena. It has now ceased to expand. I am currently running a program to obtain further information."
The captain said, "Thank you, Mr. Data. Well done, Ensign Merrill."
The pale red-haired young man at con visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Sir."
The Doctor's voice rose from the rear of the bridge. "Captain." The captain turned. All four Doctors were at the rear of the bridge. Three of them were facing work stations and working rapidly. The man he thought of as the seventh Doctor was standing facing him at the science station. "We have some information. We're putting it through to Mr. Data's station now. Briefly, a white dwarf/red giant binary and its analog in the other universe have exploded. Each was just beyond the periphery of the zone and the detritus has englobed the dissolution area. We can only assume the phenomena itself is responsible for the destruction of both stellar masses. We can find no organized remains of either star. We are attempting to determine what this infusion of energy will mean to our attempts to reverse the dissolution, but we have no hard data as yet."
The captain started to thank him, but the small man had already turned back to the science station and begun working. He turned back around and saw Data working so rapidly his hands were a blur. The young ensign at con was watching Data in open-mouthed awe. The captain permitted himself a small smile and noticed a slightly larger one on his First Officer. They took their customary positions and prepared themselves to wait.
The annunciator on the ready room door beeped and the captain looked up from his desk. "Come." The small Doctor entered carrying his ubiquitous umbrella. The captain had noticed he used it almost as a tool. "Or," he thought, "a walking stick." Either way, it seemed almost an extension of his personality.
"Good morning, Doctor. Please sit down. I was about to have a cup of tea. Won't you join me?"
"Yes, I'd be delighted."
"Tea service. Earl Grey. Hot. Two cups." He removed the tea from the food dispenser, joined the Doctor on the settee, and poured for them.
The Doctor lifted his cup and said, "Captain, you are truly a civilized man."
They enjoyed their tea in silence for a few moments, then the captain said, "Now, Doctor, what did you want to see me about?"
"We believe we should begin to creep back up to our previous position. Our fireball has become a red ball and gives every indication it is being absorbed from the inside. Captain, we still need the information Commander LaForge and my other persona were going to obtain in their shuttlecraft excursion. As soon as we determine the present size of the phenomena and its current rate of expansion, we need to be in position for them to depart."
The captain considered briefly, then tapped his communicator. "Number One."
Riker's voice replied, "Yes, Captain?"
"Take us back to our previous position. Half impulse." The captain looked at the Doctor. "Anything else?"
The Doctor smiled. "Yes. Some good did come of our excitement last night. We now know the zone does not absorb all matter at the same speed. We also know its electrical potential at the surface. Until this happened, we didn't even know it had a surface. My other selves are now working with their respective teams to integrate this new data. Captain, we may be much closer to a solution, but we may also have much less time to implement it."
Beverly Crusher was standing outside the isolation cubicle. Sara Parker had just settled her three children down for a nap and Mike was reading them a story. She was amazed at the foresight of the Doctor. When he had set the system up and said all connections with outside systems would have to be severed, she'd thought of air, food, water and even toiletries. But it had been the Doctor who had arrived with books, games, toys and the strange furry animal. She could just imagine what seventy-two hours with children ages two, three and five, would have been like for the Parkers without his gifts. She heard a soft rustle behind her and turned around, expecting to see 'her' Doctor. Instead, it was the Doctor in the brightly colored coat. She started to ask him what he wanted but stopped, totally arrested by the look on his face.
He was watching the children and his expression was the softest, gentlest looking, she had ever seen on any male, of any species. She watched him watching them, unwilling to break the spell by word or action. Deanna entered the area, but stopped to also stand watching the Doctor. Beverly looked from the Doctor to Deanna. She suddenly realized there were tears running down her friend's face. She almost started toward her, then realized the expression on Deanna's face was one of near rapture. What could the Doctor be feeling that could affect her so strongly? Not for the first time, but perhaps with more intensity than ever before, Beverly wished she had even a little of Deanna's Betazoid empathy.
The Doctor gave a visible start. He turned toward Beverly. "Ah, Doctor, I see your charges are thriving. May I see your screening results? Gwen has built a telepathic amplifier before and we thought we might begin on the layout while we're waiting for more information. I was looking for my counterpart when I came in here."
Deanna walked forward and said, "You just missed him. He must have walked out of the lab and out of sickbay at just about the time you walked in here."
"Well, I'm sorry I missed him, but I'm not sorry I came in here. No help for it, you'll just have to show me the equipment and tests. Well, don't just stand there. It's this way isn't it." The Doctor breezed by her and headed for the door. "Well, come on." He shook his head and said, "Girls." in such a disgusted tone that both Beverly and Deanna laughed as they found themselves racing to catch up.
Data and Gwen were in his quarters finishing the work the Doctor had shunted to them. The additional information gathered on the zone was now processed and integrated into their previous work. Gwen had pulled up an equipment inventory and listed those pieces she knew would be useful in creating a telepathic amplifier. The door beeped. Data called out, "Enter." as he completed his last formula. He looked up to see the tall Doctor coming toward him. "Doctor, I am surprised to see you here. The other Doctor left here a short time ago to meet with you in sickbay."
The Doctor smiled. "It's not really surprising, Data. We're the same person. Sometimes we're bound to have the same idea. He walked over to Gwen's station and said, "Ah, just what I needed. May I?" Gwen nodded and he reached past her to call up the specifications on several pieces of equipment she had listed.
Data noticed Gwen look at the Doctor very closely. Then she pursed her lips and gave her head a small shake. He began to understand why human males sometimes made the one word comment "Women." in such exasperated tones.
He decided, although he understood the differences in the human male and female physiologies, there were differences in their thought processes that transcended biology. Not on an intellectual level or in their capacities for accomplishment in any field, but in motivation and viewpoint. Women were somehow more complex. He thought of Tasha Yar and wished their friendship had been given more time to grow. He realized the thought was futile, but he cherished it for that very reason.
The Doctor lo
oked up and said, "Data, may I use your main station? I believe I'm going to be inputting information from sickbay shortly and if I'm on-line here, we may be able to get this roughed in quite quickly."
Data indicated his main work station and said, "Of course, sir."
The Doctor seated himself at the station and began working. "Come on, come on. Ah, there he is. I wonder what took him so long. It must have been the children." He then looked up at Data and Gwen. "Well, come on, I can't do everything. Even if there are four of me."
Data looked down at his screen and found a schematic beginning to take shape. Suddenly it started to grow at twice its former speed. Data realized that both Doctors were now working together and he might not be able to keep up. He was surprised to realize he was experiencing his equivalent to excitement at the challenge. As he began to formulate the power equations and put them through to Gwen, he understood that, although the Doctors had said they were the same person, their differences in appearance and personality had kept him thinking of them as different people. It was only here, in the realm of intellectual creativity, that the Doctor showed, beyond doubt, that all his 'personas' were but facets of one unique individual being.
The red ball had become a pale pink globe. The Enterprise was nearing the position she had been in before 'beating a hasty retreat'. The Doctors had predicted the final absorption of stellar material and energy within the hour. They would be able to calculate its size and rate of expansion within minutes after that. They would also know how much less time they had to complete their attempt to halt the merger than their original seventy-two hour estimate. Geordi and the Doctor were preparing the shuttlecraft and readying their equipment.
Shuttlecraft five looked a bit strange. It had a short snout and an array of specialized antennae that looked like cat whiskers. On the back was one large antenna that stuck out at a sixty degree angle. The Doctor had commented it reminded him of his dog. Geordi had asked what kind of dog and he'd replied, "Computer." It had been several minutes before Geordi realized the Enterprise computer was still on standby awaiting the rest of the Doctor's instruction.
"Well Geordi," the Doctor said, backing out of the shuttle, "it's ready. Now all we can do is wait."
Geordi looked at the man he'd worked with so closely the last day and a half. He realized, one way or the other, their association would soon end. He was going to miss him. He also knew his gnawing curiosity, about those tantalizing bits and pieces of equipment the Doctor produced from his TARDIS, was never going to be satisfied. He saw his new friend was standing perfectly still with his eyes closed, in what Geordi thought of as his 'conference mode'.
The Doctor opened his eyes. "The rate of expansion is up seventeen percent. We have twenty-two hours and forty-two minutes." He paused. "There's one more piece of information." Geordi could tell by the way the he was looking at him it wasn't good news. "Our mist is now at, what my other self terms, 'a roiling boil', and our protuberances have more the characteristics of solar flares. One of your friends on the bridge has relayed the message, "Tell Geordi to watch his ass."
"Riker." thought Geordi. He looked at the Doctor's amused grin and said, "OK, Doc," knowing he hated it, "let's move out." He called, "Open shuttle bay doors." as he climbed in, pleased with the disgusted look on the Doctor's face.
Data was closely monitoring the shuttlecraft from the main station in his quarters. Geordi and the Doctor would soon begin a two orbit flight around the globe shaped zone of dissolution. They expected the mission to take about three hours, but preliminary data would start trickling through in about forty minutes.
The Doctor in sickbay had called to say all tests on ship's personnel were complete and, as soon as the shuttle mission was done, they'd know which three would wear the odd looking headpieces Data's team had built. The fourth would be worn by one of the Doctors. Presumably, the one in sickbay. All four units of the telepathic amplifier were laying on biobeds there, waiting for occupants.
The Doctor and Gwen were taking turns pacing Data's quarters. The only difference Data could see was the Doctor covered the distance in four quick strides, making between two and four passes, and Gwen took about seven steps, usually going down and back once. The pattern seemed to be changing. The Doctor had skipped a turn and was standing, 'staring off into the distance', tapping his fingers together in front of him. Suddenly Gwen stopped and said, "Ahg, I can't stand this. I'm just getting wound up tighter and tighter. Come on." She grabbed the Doctor's hand and headed for the door. Data was surprised. Evidently, so was the Doctor. She had nearly pulled him 'off his feet'. Data wondered what the diminutive lieutenant was up to. He said, "Women." sure he had said it in the appropriate place, with just the right inflection.
Geordi and the Doctor climbed out of the shuttlecraft. They'd had one particularly close call when a 'flare' had shot out almost directly beneath them. Geordi unclipped the small gold circuit from his VISOR and handed it to the Doctor. His vision returned to 'normal'. He walked around the shuttle and gave a low whistle. He called out, "Hey, Doctor, look at this." and tapped his communicator. "Lt. Barclay." Lt. Barclay responded from where he had been monitoring the mission at the engineering station on the bridge. The Doctor rounded the shuttle and looked up. "Reg, you know that lovely two meter bonded porcelain and carbon 60 antenna you built for me? I'm sorry, but it seems to have gotten about three centimeters shorter." There was a short pause. "Commander, that was too close."
"Yeah, tell Commander Riker I was watching my ass." Geordi and the Doctor looked at each other. The portion of the antenna outside the shuttle had only protruded four centimeters beyond the shuttle's rearmost edge.
Riker accompanied the Doctor to Ten Forward. He'd called what he termed "a conference in proximity." Two of the other three Doctors were already there. The only one not present was the one working with Data.
A crew from engineering was taking all the testing equipment out of the shuttle. Soon, every trained mind on the Enterprise would be working to interpret the data it provided, but this was one of those nerve-racking times when everything went on 'hold'.
It was early and the only person in Ten Forward, besides the Doctors, was Guinan. Riker was leaning on the bar talking to her when the last Doctor walked in. Riker glanced at him, then looked back again. He said, "Uh, oh."
He looked at Guinan and saw she was smiling. She said, "Lt. Rondell." Riker looked back at the Doctor in the brightly-colored coat. He'd never seen him move at anything less than a brisk walk. Now he was almost strolling. He wore a bemused, almost dazed, look on his face. He watched him cross the room and join the others.
All three Doctors were looking at their sixth persona. He sat down, then looked at them and said, "Her name is actually Guinevere."
The fifth Doctor looked from the sixth to the seventh, his mouth half open in surprise. The seventh said, "Now you know why I remember being here so clearly. Humans can be so surprising."
The fourth grinned. "Quite my favorite species."
"Now, said the seventh Doctor, "We have about nineteen hours left. Let's get to work." The Doctors all closed their eyes. All but the sixth Doctor. He was still gazing bemusedly at the table top. He looked up, saw the others, and closed his eyes.
Riker looked at Guinan. If anything, her smile was wider than before. He said, "Him I understand, but I'm not sure about Lt. Rondell and she's human."
Guinan said, "Quite my favorite species."
Riker felt as if he'd missed something, but he wasn't sure what.