DR. RAMBO

The red alert klaxons had been going off for at least fifteen minutes now. Beverly Crusher was still not completely certain what was going on, but she knew they were in serious trouble. She'd heard the intruder announcement, but it was abruptly cut off before any further information could be transmitted.

Taking a peek down the corridor, the doctor saw it was clear and made for the turbolift at the end. She had to find out what was happening on the bridge. Communications with that part of the ship didn't seem to be functioning right now; she'd tried to hail the captain but got no response. Phaser in hand and eyes scanning for any movement, Dr. Crusher moved swiftly. She never saw the alien limb that darted out to trip her from the second corridor she passed. The doctor fell to the deck with a resounding crash. Having excelled in combat training, however, allowed Beverly to keep her wits even as she tumbled forward and the phaser flew out of her hand. Rolling quickly so that she could assume a defensive crouch, the CMO swore silently as she saw her phaser now two meters away and the ugliest creature she'd ever seen coming towards her.

'What the hell is THAT,' she thought before readying herself to withstand the alien assault. The thing did not seem to have a weapon so she would need to rely on Starfleet training as well as Worf's Mok Ba'hara classes.

The creature was a meter and a half tall with sharp fang-like incisors, a bulging forehead, small white tufts of hair sparsely covering its rather bulbous head, beady little black eyes that darted frantically about and the longest fingers Dr. Crusher had ever seen. They were at least twice the length of her own elegant digits. The alien's were tipped with rather sharp looking talons that could probably do some damage if she let them close enough to her skin.

The CMO's brain was functioning in several capacities at this point. She wondered how the hell this thing got on board the Enterprise, what it could possibly have been doing on the Starbase they'd just left (since that was the only place it could have come from), where was the captain, and how the hell she was going to find him as well as get away from this being without injury to herself.

The thoughts took fleeting seconds as the combatants sized each other up. Suddenly, the creature lunged for Dr. Crusher trying to sink its claws into her flesh. It managed to tear a large rent in her uniform, but only lightly grazed her upper arm underneath. She quickly grabbed the being's wrist, twisted it up and around before twirling the alien so his back was to her. The doctor wrapped her other arm around what she hoped was its throat but apparently missed. Beverly felt the fangs sink into her forearm and quickly wrenched it away from the alien's mouth. Backing off a few steps, she set herself up for another assault.

Dr. Crusher had spied her phaser just behind her when she turned and now backed towards it keeping her attention fully focused on the advancing attacker. The creature leapt at her once more, snarling grotesquely in some foreign language, and the doctor immediately lashed out with the best move Worf had ever taught her. Kicking the thing squarely in the face it fell back to the deck, giving the CMO time to retrieve her phaser and blast the thing into oblivion. She didn't care about the Prime Directive at this particular moment. It was her or it and she had no intention of leaving it to regain consciousness later. Vaporizing it was the best idea since she had no way of knowing if she'd killed it otherwise.

Racing to the turbolift, the doctor gained entrance and called for the deck below the bridge. She wasn't going to be a sitting target for whatever might be waiting there and would climb up instead, taking a route that would bring her out in the Observation Lounge.

Dr. Crusher stopped the lift for a few moments to bind her wounded arm by ripping off a section of her lab coat. She was glad now that she'd remembered to put it on and the tricorder was still in the coat's pocket. That might help when she got to the Observation Lounge hatchway. It could tell her if there were lifeforms in the room above and whether or not they were human. At least she hoped like hell she'd be able to tell if anyone were inside before entering herself and touched her tricorder in the lab coat pocket for reassurance.

Beverly desperately wished she knew where Jean Luc, Will, Data and Deanna were right now, but was still unable to raise any of them with her communicator. Perhaps they had all been on the bridge when this started. The doctor couldn't remember who had the Beta shift today, but knew it wasn't the captain. He had probably still been in his ready room though. The man was constantly in his ready room these days. Ever since they'd left Ba'ku he had spent more and more time sequestered in his private domain apparently dreaming of Anij. Dr. Crusher ground her teeth at this thought then pushed the vision of her best friend and his new lover out of her mind. Not the time now. First she had to figure out what was going on, find a way to get rid of these creatures and save the ship.

Once the lift brought her to the deck below the bridge, Dr. Crusher leaned her head out marginally and saw there was nothing in the corridor in front of her. Just to be safe, she scanned the area she could not see with her tricorder and was not too surprised when it picked up an alien lifeform about ten meters to the left in the bisecting corridor.

Moving stealthily to the corner of the intersection, the doctor raised her phaser to waist level, braced her back against the bulkhead and took a deep, silent breath. Combat tactics kicked into her head and she allowed her body to slide down the wall then cautiously peered around the corner for a brief second. Finding her target, Dr. Crusher rose once more then moved quickly around the corner, firing as she went. The creature was hit squarely in the chest and melted into non-existence immediately.

'Good,' she thought, 'One less thing I have to fight.' The CMO suddenly noticed the warning signals coming from the computer that someone had fired a phaser on an unauthorized setting. She smirked at this, knowing full well it was her vaporizing of the first creature that had started it. Of course, it was hard to hear the computer's voice over the red alert bells, which is why she'd just noticed.

'So court martial me,' she thought, then moved on to her objective.

Reaching the Jeffries tube containing the ladder to the Observation Lounge, Dr. Crusher holstered her phaser, then opened the hatch. Taking a quick look inside, she discovered it was alien free and moved inside, carefully closing the hatch behind her and locking it. No need to have on of those things following her!

It took several minutes to climb to the next deck, but once at the hatch, the CMO pulled out her tricorder and accessed the program that would tell her what was beyond the piece of decking over her head. Scanning for anything that wasn't human, the doctor saw that there were two in the room.

"Damn!" Beverly didn't know WHERE in the room they were so could not risk opening the hatch. She scanned again to see if she could figure out who amongst her crewmates was in the chamber as well and found there were four Enterprise personnel. One was definitely Deanna Troi, her Betazoid readings were unmistakable to the doctor. One was undeniably Data, no biological creature had readings like that. There were also two humans and Beverly hoped one was Riker. She couldn't tell for sure, but was reasonably certain of the first officer's presence. That meant the aliens had some sort of weapons trained on her colleagues. The humans were obviously not unconscious, however, so she tried to think of a way to let them know she was there without causing the creatures to find out. The doctor braced herself against the wall to contemplate this issue for a few moments.

INSTALLMENT II:

Dr. Crusher's first thought was that she needed to adjust the setting on her phaser. No need to vaporize Will and the others, well, not YET anyway. Riker was, after all, the first officer and Jean Luc might get a bit perturbed if he had to replace the man. Actually Beverly liked the first officer quite a bit, but had been really annoyed with him lately. He just couldn't stop telling the doctor it was her own fault the captain had turned to a 300 year old woman for love and affection. Irritating mother hen!

The CMO stopped that line of thinking, this was serious. Changing the setting to the highest level of stun she thought any of the officers could take, Beverly considered her options. She could simply open the hatch and fire blindly hoping to hit the two aliens but that would only be a last resort.

'Think, Crusher, think! There HAS to be a way to find out where those two little weasely things ARE!' The doctor's brain was pushing hard to find a solution when she suddenly felt a rather abrupt push against her mind.

'Bev?' It was Deanna. Ever since the mission to Ba'ku, the counselor had been able to feel Beverly's emotional signature more strongly and easily. Dr. Crusher had also been able, on one or two truly intense occasions, to 'hear' Deanna's voice in her head. She had the solution now.

'Deanna!' The doctor sent her thought out to her friend with as much focus and concentration as she could muster.

'Beverly! Where are you?' The counselor thought back immediately.

'I'm right below the Observation Lounge. I know there are two of those little rats guarding you but I need to know where they are, what kind of weapons they have and if it's feasible for me to try to rescue you.' The doctor decided it was best to get the most important questions and information out of the way just in case there was any kind of interruption.

'Don't come up yet!!!' Deanna's voice fairly screamed inside the CMO's head.

'They're right over the hatch!!!' The counselor was panicking a bit, but Beverly assured her she had no intention of making a move until Deanna told her it was okay.

'I won't. Calm down! Where's Will? And is Data all right? They didn't deactivate him did they?' Dr. Crusher would need the android's assistance if she was to pull this off.

'No, he's fine. So is Will. We haven't been harmed. Do you have any weapons?' The counselor 'sounded' a bit hysterical which didn't really surprise Beverly much. Deanna always tended to panic first thing then calm down seconds later once she'd controlled herself.

'Yes, I have a phaser and I've vaporized two of them already. You need to let Data and Will know that I'm here, but not alert the aliens. Do you think that's possible?' Dr. Crusher concentrated all her considerable brain power on getting her messages to the counselor without mishap.

'Yes, but it might take a few minutes. Wait for my signal to come through the hatch and be prepared to fire. Don't worry about us, we'll take cover. Just blast these bastards!' Deanna's tone was now vehement and vengeful, something the doctor wasn't used to hearing.

'Where's Jean Luc?' Beverly couldn't help asking the question.

'They have him in his ready room. I don't know what they've done to him, Beverly. They won't let us talk to him.'

'Do you think any of the other aliens will come into the Lounge?' Dr. Crusher did NOT want surprises when she was trying to pull herself up through the hatch.

'No, they communicate with each other telepathically, but are not able to access our neural pathways.' The counselor informed her friend of the information then became silent, telling the doctor to wait while she informed her companions that the CMO was near and ready to liberate them.

'Don't forget, I need to know what kind of weapons they have,' Beverly reminded her friend before settling her mind to wait for the counselor's answers. She felt Deanna mentally nod then concentrate on informing Riker and Data that the doctor was close.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Commander Riker glared at his captives, but did not make a move against them. He'd tried that previously and been knocked unconscious with a phaser blast for his troubles. The first officer had been out for an hour and now had a splitting headache thanks to being stunned. He and Data waited, not speaking, for any opening in which they could take out the aliens and resume control of their ship.

Will had 'spoken' with Deanna mentally after being forcibly shown that actual talking would not be allowed. Apparently these aliens spoke to each other telepathically but could not access the officers' thoughts since they did not reprimand the counselor when she spoke to him with her mind.

Riker was mildly aware that Deanna was 'speaking' to someone else at the moment but could not fathom who it might be. Will just hoped that it wasn't the creatures holding them captive.

'Will,' her voice said in his mind.

'What is it, Imzadi? Who are you talking to?'

'It's Beverly. She's just below the hatch to this room. She has a phaser and will wait for my signal to come in, but we need to create a diversion to get the aliens to move off the hatch and distract them while she climbs up.' Deanna poured the images into his brain and waited for an answer.

'Beverly? What the hell? How did she get there?' Riker was not thinking clearly yet. The phaser hit still made him a bit punchy.

'COMMANDER!' Deanna reprimanded him for the frivolous question then continued to explain, 'That doesn't matter right now. You need to figure out a way to let Data and Lt. Dellia know that she's there. I'll try to figure out a diversion for the aliens.'

'Sorry, you're right,' Riker thought apologetically then concentrated on how to tell Data and the chief of security that the CMO was ready to storm the Observation Lounge if they could distract these creatures long enough.

Will rose from his seat at the conference table, ostensibly to stretch his legs, then clasped the android on the shoulder while quickly pointing his finger to the hatch. Data was fast enough to catch the gesture, process its possible meanings and come up with the conclusion that one of their fellow crewmembers must be waiting beneath it. The second officer assumed after that deduction that the four of them would need to create a diversion. Data then nodded discretely to Counselor Troi, realizing that she had to be the source of the information in the first place. Deanna returned his subtle indication with one of her own. They would simply have to hope Lt. Dellia reacted appropriately. There was no way to convey the information to him without consequences from the aliens.

Riker's move away from his seat was immediately noticed by the creatures holding them at phaser-point and a loud reprimand followed. Will didn't understand it since their communicators, and thus the universal translators, had been disabled. The first officer resumed his seat after making sure Data understood his minute gesture.

Deanna confirmed his belief that their fellow officer comprehended Riker's meaning. They waited a few more minutes until the aliens relaxed once more while the counselor conveyed her planned diversion to her Imzadi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beverly waited patiently, or at least as patiently as she could, not knowing what the hell was going on in the room above her head. She HATED waiting like this. What were those aliens doing? Could Deanna let Riker know of her presence without alerting the creatures? Probably, the two were empathically linked because of their emotional bond. The more important question was if she could convey the doctor's location to Data and the other crew member without the invaders becoming aware as well. Beverly just hoped whatever distraction the counselor came up with was good enough to render the two creatures holding them powerless. Dr. Crusher had an uncontrollable urge to just blast the hell out of both those things in the Observation Lounge. It was all she could do to sit tight and wait for Deanna's signal.

Even though it seemed like hours, the indication to move came from the counselor came quite rapidly.

'NOW Beverly!' was all the doctor 'heard' and she moved instantly at the summons.

Having already unlocked the hatch, Dr. Crusher had been sitting with her forearm braced to push it back. Once she heard Deanna's order to move, the CMO heaved the doorway up with every ounce of strength she possessed. It crashed backwards as Beverly moved quickly to assume a defensive position inside the lounge.

Pulling herself out of the Jeffries tube and rolling to a crouch, the doctor quickly scanned for the aliens and fired a bit wildly with her first shot. She was still moving as the red beam sailed through the air. Unfortunately it caught Riker in the shoulder, but her second shot found its intended mark.

One creature fell to the deck as the other fired at the doctor's unexpected form. That shot caught Lt. Dellia in the stomach and he flew backwards to bounce off the bulkhead. Dr. Crusher trained her phaser towards the second alien but was bowled over by its lunging form before she could render it unconscious. She grappled with the thing trying to gain the advantage. Rolling together on the floor, the doctor felt the creature's claws dig into her back before she delivered a blow to the back of its neck. This maneuver did not stop the assault, however, so Beverly rolled once more. Having the beast underneath her would give her added leverage. Her phaser had been knocked away with the first lunge but the doctor saw that Deanna picked it up quickly and held it on the creature her friend was fighting. The counselor held her fire, not wanting to hit Dr. Crusher inadvertently.

Beverly kneed the thing in what she supposed was its groin but this did not seem to do much damage. The creature tried to bite her arm and the doctor pulled it away before the fangs made contact. Following through with that motion she brought her clasped hands back to its face in a devastating blow that jerked the alien's head quickly to the other side it had been facing previously. Not allowing the thing to regain its senses, she put one knee forcefully to its chest then wrapped her hands around the throat of the being. Pressing with all her strength, the doctor did not hear the words that came out of her mouth.

"Die you bastard!" Dr. Crusher would have been appalled had she heard. She would have been further astonished if she'd seen Deanna's look of triumph and encouragement.

The creature finally stopped struggling, although the CMO did not release the pressure until Data pulled her off the inanimate body.

"It is dead, Doctor," the android stated calmly as he stood Beverly on her feet.

Dr. Crusher was breathing heavily more from the adrenaline rush than overexertion. She nodded to her android friend, then quickly moved to retrieve her phaser from the counselor. After that she examined Will and Lt. Dellia to make sure they'd live. The officers were fine and would probably be conscious in another thirty minutes with the help of a stimulant from the ever-present hypospray in her pocket. The CMO wasn't sure they could wait that long, but she had to get more information before making any further moves. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Beverly paced the room while firing questions at her colleagues.

"What the hell happened? How did these things get on the ship?"

"I believe they transported aboard while we were docked at Starbase 234," Data answered calmly. He'd obviously turned off his emotion chip.

"How?" Dr. Crusher couldn't begin to figure that one out.

"Apparently they have perfected an undetectable means of transporting which was not discovered until the intruder alert sounded forty-five minutes ago."

"What the hell do they want? The ship? Us? What?" Beverly needed details before she could devise a plan to defeat these creatures.

"I am not entirely certain, Doctor, but I believe their goal is to make the captain surrender the ship to them. They are holding him in the ready room and we have not been allowed to speak with him since they took over the bridge," Data answered.

"Who ARE they anyway?" Beverly couldn't begin to think where they'd come from, how they had gone undetected on the Starbase, or why the Enterprise had not been told about the race if they were a known entity to the Starbase staff.

"I do not know, Doctor," was Data's uncharacteristic reply.

"All right," Dr. Crusher answered, "We have to figure out how to get the ship back under our control and rescue the captain. What kind of defenses have they set up? Do they have access to the weapons? Are they all over the ship or just strategically placed? Do we know how many of them are on board?" She couldn't control the rapid fire questions, but knew the android could answer them all no matter how fast she asked.

"I believe they have our phasers to defend themselves. I do not think they have discovered the weapons lockers, however, as I have only seen them armed with hand phasers so far. I must assume that these were taken from our own security personnel. They have locked out communications but do not have access to the central computer. I encrypted that before they could gain control of it. I believe they are trying to force Captain Picard to override that encryption and give them full control of the ship. We have not altered our trajectory since the aliens took over. I believe there are some fifty of them on board placed in key positions on the ship. The intruder alert indicated that number before it was disabled. They have been unsuccessful in their attempts to shut down the red alert." Data answered the doctor's questions succinctly then remained silent waiting for further queries or requests for analysis.

Beverly contemplated his replies and what they should do next.

"All right. How many are on the bridge and do you think the five of us could take them out?" Dr. Crusher looked at the android intently hoping he would say yes. Otherwise, they were reduced to roaming the ship and removing the aliens at random.

"There were five on the bridge when we were brought here. I do not know if more have arrived since then, but I would surmise that the five creatures are sufficient since they cannot change the ship's course yet. There are at least two more aliens in the captain's ready room."

'Okay,' Beverly thought, 'Five against five. Well, when Riker and Dellia wake up anyway.'

"Data," the doctor said, "What do you think would be the best way to retake the bridge? I don't want to lose any of US in the process. We need an advantage."

"Weapons," the android answered quickly, "Only three of the aliens on the bridge were armed. If we all had phasers, we would be able to retake the bridge with a minimum risk to ourselves. If I had access to the central computer, it would make the task easier."

"Right," Beverly said, "We have three phasers, but we'll need at least two more although I'd be happier with something a bit more powerful. Where's the nearest weapons locker, Data?"

"Deck four, section 37," the android answered quickly.

"Great, that's not too far away. If you and I go get the heavy artillery, Deanna, Dellia, and Will could wait here then we'll take back the bridge. Once that's accomplished we'll see about Jean Luc." Beverly was determined to take her ship back if it was the last conscious act she performed. Getting the captain was even more important but the bridge had to be resumed first before they could get to him.

The counselor added her input to the discussion then gave each officer a determined, supportive look and nod before Beverly and Data climbed into the hatch. Dr. Crusher left one phaser with the counselor and had the android adjust their communicators so they could at least talk to each other without the aliens hearing once he gained access to the main computer. Data could manipulate the frequencies so they could speak to each other and lock out the creatures.

Deanna closed the hatch behind her two friends then waited for her Imzadi and the security chief to wake.

INSTALLMENT III

Lt. Dellia gained consciousness quite a bit sooner than the first officer. Apparently the previous phaser shot to Riker caused him to be less responsive to the stimulant. Dr. Crusher had left the hypospray with the counselor but she was reluctant to use a stronger dose on her Imzadi, not wanting to cause him more pain. Deanna proceeded to fill in the security chief on the situation.

Felix Dellia shook his head. The CMO had been a thorn in his side since he took this assignment. Much as he relished being security chief on the flagship of Starfleet, the man's patience had been sorely tested by Dr. Crusher on several occasions. The woman simply did NOT follow standard security procedures and NOW she was trying to play Superwoman! What next? The lieutenant did not voice any of these thoughts to the counselor knowing she was a close friend to his nemesis. He would simply have to take the situation in hand and bring about the return of the ship to Captain Picard's command by himself.

Felix Dellia was a product of his society; male dominated and male run. He knew that females of most species were quite intelligent and could serve in various capacities with great distinction. Security was NOT, however, one of those capacities as far as the lieutenant was concerned. Beverly Crusher was taking over HIS job! He had to rectify this error in judgment on the doctor's part and soon.

Taking the phaser from Deanna's hand, the security chief asked about Riker's condition before bending over the prone and still forms of the aliens. He wanted to make sure they were actually dead.

Deanna just shook her head. She knew about Lt. Dellia's prejudices and had tried continually since his posting to the Enterprise to disabuse him of them. Stories about Tasha Yar, Beverly's commanding the ship to the defeat of the Borg, the counselor's own command of the ship during the disaster crisis, and various other tales did nothing to counteract years of cultural beliefs, however. The counselor had finally given up. Maybe Beverly would be able to change the lieutenant's mind! It was the only hope Deanna had left.

As the security chief checked on the creatures' status, Will began to come around. Deanna rushed to his side and cradled his head in her lap. No one had tried to move him so he was still lying on the deck. The man was far too large for anyone to lift except Data and the android had been too busy to do any such thing.

"What....what the hell happened?" Riker wasn't completely out of his phaser-induced stupor yet.

Suddenly Deanna felt a push against her mind. It was the same thing she'd felt every time the aliens communicated with each other telepathically and one was near. They couldn't 'talk' to her, but she could feel when they were 'speaking' with each other. Apparently these aliens did not 'feel' each other's presence mentally unless they tried to contact each other. It was the only explanation Deanna could find to the other aliens not feeling their compatriots' deaths. It was similar to the Borg telepathy from what Picard had told her and the numerous seminars she'd attended on the subject since. The counselor quickly deduced that the creatures on the bridge were trying to access their comrades in the Observation Lounge and would soon realize that the two aliens were no longer communicative.

Slapping Riker's face lightly a few times, Deanna tried to bring him around as quickly as possible. They had to get out of here and NOW!

"Wake up, Will!"

"What is it," Lt. Dellia asked suddenly aware of the urgency in the counselor's voice.

"The other aliens are trying to communicate with these two. We have to get out of here." Deanna was still trying to get Will to respond coherently but was having trouble. She'd completely forgotten about the hypospray on the conference table and simply slapped him a bit more forcefully until he was conscious enough to understand that they had to leave.

"Down the hatch, Lieutenant!" The counselor nodded towards the opening then pushed Riker to his knees. The man was very groggy but responded enough that she didn't have to smack him again.

"Come ON, Will! Get into the hatch, NOW!" Deanna pushed him along, cringing at the sound of the aliens trying to bypass the lock on the conference room door. The push against her mind was stronger now, they were apparently frantic to contact their mates. The creatures were trying to force the door open and the counselor was VERY glad Beverly suggested locking it before she left.

Riker managed to get to the hatch then fell head first down the ladder. Somehow he succeeded in not killing himself on the way down, but lay in a heap at the bottom of the tube. Deanna carefully closed and locked the hatch after she entered the tube then hastily climbed down to see about her Imzadi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beverly and Data made their way down to Deck 4, section 37. Dr. Crusher's injured arm was throbbing painfully, but she disregarded it and concentrated on getting them safely to their destination. They had not encountered anymore aliens along the way, but that just made the CMO more nervous. She'd succeeded in killing four of them so far which left another forty-six on the ship. Beverly desperately wanted to know where the other thirty-nine were. She did NOT want to find out by chance! If Data could get the central computer to work for them and not the aliens, there was a chance.

Weapons, however, were the first order of business. Reaching the locker, Data opened it quickly and noticed a distinct shine to the doctor's eyes as she viewed the splendid array of ordinance available. The android was rather astonished at the obvious lust in the CMO's eyes for the biggest weapon she could possibly carry. When Beverly grabbed the huge phaser rifle, Data asked if she was sure she could handle it.

"Of COURSE I can handle it," the doctor scoffed. It was heavy, but not too heavy for her to carry easily enough. She wanted fire power and this thing could blast a hole through two Klingons and a Naussican all at once! Just having it in her hands made Beverly feel better. It was a beautiful piece of equipment and she ached to use it on those hideous things that had taken over her ship!

The only problem was that the doctor's injury now fairly screamed for attention. The added weight of the phaser rifle made her wince slightly. Not enough to relinquish the weapon, but still, the wound would need to be fixed and soon.

"Data, we need to get to sickbay. I have to fix this before we can go any further. They wouldn't have guards posted there would they?" Beverly hoped like hell he would agree with her assessment and waited for the android's answer.

"I cannot see what strategic advantage there would be in posting guards in the medical facility, Doctor," Data replied, then relocked the cabinet after choosing his own arsenal of weapons. The second officer took several hand phasers, one of the biggest phaser rifles and a few explosive devises to assist them in their quest. The bag with these items was slung over his shoulder and across his chest so there would be no possibilities of it being lost in any mishap. Although the android's emotion chip was shut off, he still had a fierce need to see the Enterprise returned to its rightful crew and did not hesitate to acknowledge the doctor's ambitions.

"Do you wish to take the turbolift to deck 8 or climb down, Doctor?"

"I think the turbolift would be fastest and if they aren't guarding sickbay, which we'll hope they're not, then they probably won't even be on that deck at all. Sickbay takes up most of deck 8 anyway. The rest of the space is just labs and research facilities." Dr. Crusher knew Data was already aware of this fact, but wanted to voice the information just in case he had anything to add.

"As you wish, Doctor," the android answered succinctly then moved to the turbolift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deanna managed to get Will conscious before they cautiously opened the door to the Jeffries tube. No aliens was a VERY good sign, but the counselor wasn't exactly sure where they should go next. If the creatures found the hatch in the Observation Lounge floor, the three officers would be done for. They had to get away from this spot and soon. Once Riker was coherent enough to move, Lt. Dellia led them out of the tube.

"We should head for Engineering," the security chief offered.

"Why," Deanna said quickly, "They'll be guarding that heavily. It's strategic. We won't be able to get past them with just one phaser. We have to go somewhere they probably won't be." Troi couldn't believe this guy thought they could just storm main engineering with herself, him, a groggy Riker and one phaser! How the hell did this guy ever get to be security chief?

Dellia looked as if he were going to protest her insinuating he was not efficient or good at his job when the first officer finally spoke.

"Ten Forward," Will croaked.

"What? Why Ten Forward? What would be the point of going there?" Dellia thought this one of the stupidest ideas he'd ever heard, but couched it in terms of a question instead of SAYING he thought it ridiculous.

"They won't be guarding Ten Forward and we can access the databanks there. Guinan will also have some input that might be useful." Riker wasn't first officer of Starfleet's flagship for NOTHING. He knew when to get help and he needed it now.

"Guinan?! What could a BARTENDER possibly have to offer that would help?" Dellia had only met the hostess once or twice and she seemed far too mundane and mild to offer ANY assistance at this point.

Riker gave him his best 'commander's' glare and simply clutched Deanna's shoulder as he lurched forward. They'd have to climb down a few decks and Will did not want to do it in the same way he'd traversed the last one. He was hoping he could use the ladder next time. Moving off at as brisk a pace as he could muster, the commander took the phaser from Lt. Dellia and kept his arm securely around the counselor. Will wasn't quite steady enough yet to try walking on his own and it helped to have her guide him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Crusher and Data made their way steadily to sickbay once they'd exited the turbolift. She'd scanned for lifeforms before allowing the doors of the lift to open and had been gratified to find none. No humans, no aliens. That did not, however, make her careless while walking down the corridor towards their destination. She'd been attacked once by a leg darting out where it was not expected and that mishap would not be repeated. Each bisecting corridor was scanned then visually reconnoitered before passing it.

The pair made it to sickbay without encountering any aliens. The CMO was vastly relieved when she was greeted by her head nurse. Lt. Ogawa actually embraced her boss after they entered. Alyssa quickly grabbed a tricorder and began scanning Dr. Crusher's injured arm. The faithful nurse was the only occupant of sickbay besides the two patients that were unconscious and had been since this afternoon after an accident with a holodeck program. The two patients would be fine tomorrow but would be no help to the CMO now.

Beverly grabbed a protoplaster and healed her injury, but the pain did not subside nor would the wound remain closed. Apparently their was some foreign chemical in the bite that was transmitted through the alien's teeth. She took another scan then had Alyssa take a sample of the red tissue before applying every known antibiotic treatment in her vast medical array. None seemed to help much, but the throbbing lessened a bit. Dr. Crusher re-bound the wound then strode to her office. Data was accessing the main computer from there and she wanted to make sure Deanna, Will and Dellia were still safe.

As she made her way to the office, the sickbay doors flew open to reveal two of the aliens who immediately raced towards her. Beverly called to Data quickly then braced for the impact. She cursed herself for leaving the phaser rifle on the biobed then moved her thoughts to how she could disable both of these things long enough to get it and blow them into oblivion.

The first creature tried to dive for her, but she side stepped the lunge and whacked it on the back of the head with her elbow as it passed. Although this gesture sent it tumbling to the floor along with its own momentum, the doctor did not want to give it a chance to regain its feet. She leapt at the falling form, but the creature rolled before she could get there. Regaining her own stance the two adversaries eyed each other viciously. Dr. Crusher was vaguely aware that Data was grappling with the other one so she did not worry about being attacked by a second alien just yet. Beverly had every faith that her android friend would overcome the intruder quickly and come to her aid if necessary.

Never taking her gaze off the beast before her, the doctor waited for it to make the first move. Defensive maneuvers were usually better than offensive when dealing with an unknown adversary. It finally made a move, reaching out to slash her with its claws, but she grabbed its wrist, pulling the thing closer and landed a rather heavy punch to its jaw with her right fist. The doctor quickly stepped behind the thing to strangle it, but the alien turned rapidly not allowing her to get any kind of hold. It lunged for her with its mouth open. She knew it wanted nothing more than to bite a large piece of her flesh away and the CMO eased herself out of range.

Taking the initiative now, Beverly feinted to the left then swung around and kicked the creature upside the head as it fell for her trick. The alien crashed to the deck and Dr. Crusher made the most of the opportunity. Falling on the thing, the CMO then knelt quickly allowing the ship's gravity and her own body weight to carry her knee onto its throat forcefully. The crunching noise as it died was rather satisfying.

Beverly was a bit stunned at the vehement feelings of triumph she felt with the alien's death and the fact that she'd caused it. The smirk on her face could not be controlled, however. She was glad it was dead and VERY glad she'd killed it.

Data once again pulled her off the dead creature's body but said nothing.

Breathing heavily again, Dr. Crusher told Alyssa to secure the doors any way she could then grabbed her phaser rifle and strode to her office.

Data had indeed accessed the main computer and modulated the communicator frequencies to allow them to speak with the counselor, first officer and security chief.

Hitting her comm badge the doctor hailed her friends.

"Crusher to Troi."

"Troi here, Beverly, go ahead."

"Where are you?"

"We're on our way to Ten Forward. Will figures they won't have guards posted there and Guinan might have some insight on how to defeat them quickly." Deanna didn't waste breath with anything but a succinct answer.

'Trust Will to think of Ten Forward,' Beverly thought. The first officer spent an inordinate amount of time in the lounge, usually picking up stray women. It disgusted Dr. Crusher that Riker couldn't keep his hormones under control, but she knew that wasn't the reason this time.

"Right, we'll meet you there." Beverly nodded to Data and the two exited sickbay with a determined step.

Taking no chances this time, the CMO and second officer used Jeffries tubes to access deck ten. Once there they faced another alien but phasered it into alien hell before it even knew what hit it.

Steadily making their way to Ten Forward, the doctor heaved a sigh of relief when the wood paneled doors came into view. Unfortunately, the creatures had discovered this haven of Enterprise crewmembers and were taking up positions to enter as well.

Data and Beverly ran to the nearest intersection and slammed their backs against the bulkhead out of sight of the aliens. They would have to work quickly, but needed a defensive position to fall back on. Dr. Crusher spied the door to the small observation lounge just five meters from their position but in the same corridor as the aliens. If they could get that door open quickly they would have a place to shoot from while staying out of the creatures' firing range.

Silently pointing out her discovery to her comrade, the doctor braced herself to move, but Data indicated he would take the risk since his android body could withstand far more punishment than Beverly's. She nodded then positioned herself closer to the corridor as he leapt into firing range. Covering Data with a few well-placed blasts from the phaser rifle, Dr. Crusher saw the android gain access to the lounge, then waited for him to motion her to do the same. The CMO decided her best bet was to crouch low and make as small a target as possible. Data had been hit once, but apparently the creatures hadn't figure out yet how to change the settings on the hand phasers since Data remained standing.

Firing two rounds from her rifle before attempting to rush forward, the doctor made her way quickly to the haven Data had already gained. Unfortunately she took a nasty shot to her left leg just as the rest of her body fell into the lounge. It wasn't a major burn, but it would be painful until she could heal it properly. Beverly winced as the second officer examined the injury, then nodded as he concurred with her assessment of its non-critical nature.

Now they just had to take out the three aliens standing in front of the Ten Forward doors.

INSTALLMENT IV

After exchanging rounds with the aliens a few times, Data suggested he simply walk towards their position while blasting away. Beverly shook her head at this offer knowing he could be taken down if he sustained enough stuns from the hand phasers. The creatures weren't stupid. Even though they hadn't figured out how to change the settings on the weapons, they were still taking defensive positions in the corridor that curved around in front of Ten Forward. Trying to hit them was not having as much success as the CMO wished.

Beverly would have liked nothing more than to stride out of the small lounge, phaser rifle blazing a path of destruction through the aliens along the way. Unfortunately this wouldn't work and she'd probably be killed in the process so the doctor abandoned her Klingon attitude for now and tried to figure out a better strategy.

Just as Data was about to put his previous plan into action, they heard the aliens calling. The universal translators still weren't working so the two officers did not understand what the creatures were saying, but the android stuck his head out to get a visual clue.

Data ducked back into the lounge and simply stated, "They have Captain Picard in front of them as their hostage."

"NO!" Beverly could not stop the exclamation before it escaped.

"Dammit! What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Dr. Crusher couldn't keep firing if Jean Luc were being used as a shield.

'Where ARE Deanna, Riker and that useless security chief,' she thought vainly. The trio had to already be inside Ten Forward or Dr. Crusher and Data would have seen them by now. She just wished there was some way of....

"Crusher to Troi."

"I'm here, Beverly. What's going on?"

"They're using Jean Luc as a shield. We're stuck in the small observation lounge down the corridor and they're blocking the entrance to Ten Forward. Could you take them out from behind without hitting the captain?"

"Maybe, hold on." Deanna held a note of hope in her voice, but Beverly wasn't going to take that at face value just yet. This was dicey enough without getting her own hopes up. Cautiously moving her head out of the lounge door quickly, Dr. Crusher saw the captain then pulled back inside her refuge.

'He looks dazed,' she thought, 'Like he's been drugged.'

The aliens weren't actually HOLDING the captain in place. None of the creatures were touching him. Jean Luc was just standing there in front of them and apparently willingly acting as their shield. The CMO also noticed that one of the three beings was facing the doors of Ten Forward, ready for an assault from behind.

Although she and Data could stun the captain, thus removing the aliens 'shield' she did not want to do that unless it was a last resort.

"Beverly," Deanna said.

"I see, Deanna," the doctor replied before the counselor could even explain. If Riker or Troi opened the bar's doors, they'd be blasted instantly. Granted it would only be a stun, but Will probably couldn't take much more of that right now.

The CMO swore once more then looked at her companion with a defeated expression. They couldn't just blast away with the captain passively standing in front of their targets. What good would it do besides wound him? The goal was to rescue Jean Luc not cause further harm.

"We must surrender, Doctor," Data stated before Beverly had to say it herself.

"Not without some sort of insurance policy, we don't!" Dr. Crusher wasn't about to go into this blind and lame.

"I'll take a phaser in each pocket and we'll hope they don't search me," Beverly stated, then had Data walk out first, his hands in the air.

The aliens held their weapons on the two captives as they walked closer. Dr. Crusher's medical expertise took over as she eyed her captain and the bizarre, catatonic state he seemed to be in. How did they render him this insensible? Beverly's arm began to throb again while she held it up as they traversed the corridor towards the creatures. The sensation was now traveling up her shoulder and neck and there was a slight buzzing in her ears. The doctor shook her head slightly trying to get it to stop, but the gesture didn't work.

When Beverly and Data were within a few feet of the aliens, one of the creatures reached for her. She couldn't tell if the look on its face was one of anger, triumph, disgust, or pleasure. Dr. Crusher had no way of knowing what they were thinking, she simply went along with whatever they seemed to want her to do until other scenarios came to light.

The intruders shoved their new captives into Ten Forward and held the rest of the occupants at bay with the hand phasers until the doors closed behind them. They ushered all the Starfleet personnel into one corner then set up two sentries to guard them as the third creature was now joined by three more of his comrades. The four aliens were having quite a discussion amongst themselves and were gesturing not only at Picard who was standing passively next to them without moving, but at the group of crew members as well.

Dr. Crusher shook her head again. The sensations were getting stronger, the buzzing louder and her arm was beginning to 'hum.' It was the oddest feeling and her attention was distracted by what was happening to her body before she looked up into the snarling face of one of the aliens.

Beverly hadn't noticed its approach and now drew back a bit. What the hell could this thing want now? The buzzing was now beginning to form itself into words. Words Dr. Crusher could understand.

'.....kill them. We should just kill them ALL,' the guttural, angry voice in her head said.

The CMO looked quickly at Deanna wondering what the hell was going on. She'd never heard ANYTHING like this from the counselor in her mind. Suddenly, Beverly noticed another creature coming towards her and stared at it as the voices continued their dialogue.

'No! They may be useful later. We will need them to control the ship. The captain cannot do it alone. Kill the flame head if you wish, that one has been much trouble. It was the one who killed the others.' This voice was slightly different, but no less offensive to the doctor's 'ears.'

Beverly was slowly beginning to realize that there was now some sort of telepathic link between herself and the creatures. How this happened she could not remotely fathom. Maybe it had something to do with whatever chemical was keeping her wound open and painful. Could that be it? She scanned Picard to see if she could detect any such injury on him. Nothing was visible, but that certainly didn't mean anything. Her view of Jean Luc was blocked by one of the other aliens.

Without preamble, Dr. Crusher felt her upper arm enclosed in the rather strong grip of the thing closest to her. It growled in her face as it lifted her from the chair. Beverly balked at this and pulled her arm out of its grasp quickly, peripherally seeing Riker stand to apparently protest.

The alien growled again and Dr. Crusher distinctly heard it call for assistance from its comrades. Two more creatures turned toward it and began to make their way to her location. Beverly had no intention of being offed by these little rats and took action to make sure nothing of the sort would occur.

Pulling her arm quickly across her chest, the doctor brought if forcibly back so that her elbow would contact the side of the nearest creature's head. The blow knocked the beast to the floor. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only adversary in the room. The other two were now upon her and one grabbed the doctor from behind, clamping it's arms around hers so that she could not strike either of them. Its face was pressed into her back and she could feel it trying to bite her. As the second alien came towards her from the front, Beverly leaned all her weight back on the creature holding her arms, pushed off the deck with both feet and brought them into contact with the second being's chest. It flew backwards as Dr. Crusher fell on her captor. She rolled instinctively then moved to a crouch in order to forestall any further attacks. Taking one of the phasers from her pocket the doctor blasted the alien now in front of her, turned, stunned the one she'd just kicked off its feet, then blazed away against the rest of the little toads.

The only thing stopping her was the fact that Captain Picard strode slowly in front of his CMO effectively blocking her ability to target the invaders. Moving out of his path, Dr. Crusher resumed her assault, but was once again stopped by the Jean Luc's positioning himself in front of her then trying to take the weapon from her hands.

"No," Beverly screamed at him, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The captain did not answer. He simply wrenched the phaser out of her hand and gave it to the nearest creature. Dr. Crusher heard the alien thank her friend for disarming the 'flame head,' and that's when she snapped.

Beverly backhanded Picard with every ounce of strength she could muster before Data pulled her off him.

"You BASTARD!!!! How COULD you???" Dr. Crusher was incensed even after the android wrapped his arms around her body effectively pinning her arms. Beverly tried her earlier move and it worked as well on the captain as it had on the alien. He went flying backwards as both her feet made contact with his chest. She instantly regretted the move, but did not express this feeling so that Data would release her. She was pissed off. No doubt about it. What the hell had happened to Jean Luc??

INSTALLMENT V

Once the android calmed his friend down to the point he felt reasonably sure she would not injure the captain further, Data let go, but followed the CMO to Jean Luc's side.

Beverly examined him closely and whispered a rather lame apology which was not acknowledged. The captain was basically catatonic and apparently would only respond to telepathic commands from the aliens. Dr. Crusher could hear these commands quite clearly in her own head. The creatures had not tried to subdue or kill her again yet. She obviously scared the hell out of them so they sicced Picard on her instead.

Once Beverly discovered the bite wound in the captain's neck, she understood. The chemical compounds in the aliens' saliva apparently conveyed their telepathic abilities to whomever they bit. For some reason she could not yet comprehend, the creatures had managed to subdue Picard enough that he was no longer in control of his actions. It was basically the same as when he'd been assimilated by the Borg, but without the implants.

Dr. Crusher decided to use her new found psychic abilities and contacted the creatures mentally.

'What have you done to him?' Her 'voice' was quite demanding and she saw the aliens flinch as her question reached them.

'That is not your concern. You will die for the harm you have caused our comrades.'

'Like HELL I will!' Beverly wasn't going to put up with this. She'd managed to render three more of these things unconscious and she'd get to the rest soon enough, but they needed the main computer to help them. Dr. Crusher also wanted her phaser rifle back!

'Kill that one,' Dr. Crusher heard the creatures instruct Picard. The captain immediately leapt to his feet, grabbed Beverly's upper arms and tried to throw her across the room. She reacted instinctively, kneeing Jean Luc in an extremely sensitive spot before Data took over. The android stepped in front of his now released comrade and effectively subdued the captain by pinning him to the nearest bulkhead with an arm across his throat. It was necessary, but the pressure exerted on Picard's neck was not enough to injure him. The captain struggled until he was apparently told to stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Crusher was told to seat herself once more. Although they had Picard remove the phaser from her hand, the creatures did not take it from him, nor did they make any attempt to come close enough to Beverly to search her.

She sat once more and began a mental conversation with Deanna, finding it rather easy to exclude the aliens from this discourse. Huddling close to the table so she could speak with Riker, Troi and Dellia, Beverly began to whisper her plan.

"We need to get Data behind the bar. I have one more phaser left, but we'll have to use it strategically. I can hear what they're saying in my head and talk to them as well, but I'd rather not do that if I can avoid it." Dr. Crusher had listened to enough of the aliens' conversation to know they wanted the ship for themselves but did not have the knowledge to run it. They would have to inject their chemicals into each crewmember they wished to assist them. The doctor figured she could render Picard harmless if she 'spoke' to his mind forcefully enough and approximated the creatures' distasteful 'vocal' patterns. Conveying this information to her fellow officers, Beverly waited for suggestions. Although she'd taken out three of the creatures there were more coming into Ten Forward all the time. They needed to act quickly if the officers were to regain control of the ship.

"Doctor," Data said while barely moving his lips, having returned to the table after Picard stopped resisting, "If you could instruct the captain, he could manipulate the computer behind the bar to render all hand phasers inactive. We still outnumber the creatures four to one and could easily overcome them physically."

"True, but what then? Where are the rest of them? I have to believe they have main engineering covered."

"We can reroute the ship's controls to Ten Forward until we retake the bridge. Once the phasers are useless, we would not have a difficult time removing the remaining aliens from command."

"He's right," Riker interjected as if anyone thought Data could have been wrong. Beverly gave him a rather snide, 'thanks for the tip' look then turned back to the android.

"Will we be able to find out where all the creatures are from here? I didn't think it was possible to control the ship from Ten Forward." Dr. Crusher was rather astonished by this fact especially since she made it a point to keep up on all the command capabilities of the vessel.

"Yes, that should not be a problem. Will you be able to convince Captain Picard to act for us instead of the aliens?" Data knew this plan wouldn't work without that element. If the captain wouldn't give them control without alerting the creatures, they would need to come up with a different scheme.

"I don't know. I don't know if he'll respond to me or not." Beverly didn't want to commit to this procedure just yet.

"Isn't there any other way?" The doctor wished she could just blow them all away and be done.

"I can help you, Beverly," Deanna said softly. The counselor could not speak directly with the aliens mentally, but she could with the doctor. The Betazoid could guide her friend through whatever obstacles there might be. At least Deanna hoped so.

"This is ridiculous," Dellia interjected. "You have no idea if the captain will respond to your commands. It could just make matters worse." The security chief's anger was apparent to everyone.

"Do you have a BETTER suggestion, Lieutenant?" The CMO was tired of this man. If he wasn't going to help solve the problem he should just shut up.

"Yes, I suggest we simply overpower them, take the phasers and then clear the rest of the ship."

"Oh, that's brilliant! And what happens when you get stunned again? They have enough weapons to render us all senseless if they wanted to. Don't be an idiot, Dellia! Your male prerogative isn't being overstepped just to annoy you. The only way right now is to see if the captain will respond to MY commands instead of theirs." Dr. Crusher put the lieutenant in his place before any more of this nonsense could continue.

Dr. Crusher suddenly winced as the aliens shouted in her head.

'NO SPEAKING!!!' The command was followed by three of the things coming towards them. All the officers stood and prepared themselves for battle. Maybe their plan would be rendered useless by a huge brawl right now.

Data stepped in front of Dr. Crusher not allowing the aliens to touch her while Beverly began her mental conversation with Jean Luc as she also primed herself for another battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Picard stood passively to the side, not moving unless ordered to do so by the aliens. There was a slight bruise forming on his cheek from the blow Beverly had delivered. The man did not seem to even notice. He'd simply waited for the next order.

'Jean Luc,' the doctor tentatively tried to communicate with her captain.

'No, Beverly,' Deanna's voice rang in her head, 'You have to be forceful and distinct. Don't ask him, TELL him.' The counselor delivered her advice then concentrated on repelling the alien coming towards her. Worf's Mok Ba'hara classes were coming in quite handy for several people today.

Dr. Crusher stayed behind Data, Riker and Dellia as they bore the brunt of the alien assault. Apparently the creatures were throwing everything they had into this one. Why they didn't just blast the officers with the hand phasers, Beverly had no real idea. Although the creatures were firing, not all of them were armed and the little weasels still hadn't figured out how to change the settings. The Enterprise crew were scrambling to take cover behind overturned tables while she concentrated on instructing Jean Luc before she had to wade into the physical fray.

'CAPTAIN!' Her 'voice' was fairly shrieking now, but had an unmistakable command tone to it, 'Go to the computer terminal behind the bar.' Dr. Crusher waited to see if he would acquiesce to this demand before continuing.

When Jean Luc began to move slowly towards the bar, the CMO breathed a small sigh of relief before punching one of the aliens who had managed to get past Riker's bulk. It had almost gotten its claws into her arm. Before she knew what happened, the doctor felt a pair of arms grab her once more from behind. This time she used the simple method of bending one knee and kicking back with all her might. Limbs were limbs and when you broke one, it hurt. This hurt a lot. The creature screamed when her foot made contact with its leg and Beverly heard a gratifying crunch/snap for her efforts. She strode quickly across the room after being released from its grasp, barely managing to avoid the phaser blast that caught Riker striding along behind her. He fell to the deck, once again unconscious.

Dr. Crusher had to be able to see what Jean Luc was doing. Removing the last phaser from her pocket as she moved, the doctor blasted one creature rushing towards her while she continued her instructions to the captain.

'Access the main computer,' she told Jean Luc, then blew another alien to the deck. She'd upped the intensity on THIS phaser so she could make sure the little beasts wouldn't rise after feeling the beam.

'Done,' Beverly heard Jean Luc reply calmly.

'Very good, Captain. Now, instruct the computer to render all hand phasers.....' she paused to get in two more shots before the weapon became useless.

'Inactive,' Beverly finished just after taking out two more of the creatures.

'Done.'

Dr. Crusher discarded the now useless weapon and landed a well-placed kick to the side of another creature's head. She'd lost count of how many they'd rendered senseless, dead or unconscious by now. It didn't matter. They had to take their ship back. Data had cleared a path to her and there were only two trembling aliens left standing after the altercation. Dr. Crusher smiled at the scattered bodies of their adversaries.

Turning to Data, she indicated that the captain had performed his part splendidly and the android took over the terminal from there. Dr. Crusher informed her comrades that she was taking Jean Luc to sickbay and to call her if they needed any further assistance in ridding the ship of the little rats.

Data accessed the information he needed to locate each of the remaining creatures then took a security detail to the bridge. The twenty or so remaining intruders were quickly rounded up, placed in the brig and left behind the forcefield to contemplate the error of their ways.

William T. Riker lay on the floor of Ten Forward, Deanna Troi holding his head in her lap once more until the antigrav cart from sickbay arrived. The counselor shook her head at the mishaps her Imzadi had encountered this day. He couldn't seem to stay out of the way of any stray phaser beam. Poor man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Crusher took her newest patient to sickbay, telling him along the way what had happened and how she would probably be able to fix him. Beverly certainly hoped this was true and hoped he heard her. The doctor's arm was still throbbing but the alien voices had ceased their dialogue. Apparently the telepathy, at least with HER, worked only when the little weasels were in close proximity to their victims.

The CMO examined her new patient more closely and found that the captain had not one, but THREE deep alien bites on his neck. Scanning Jean Luc quickly, then herself, Dr. Crusher found that he had at least four times more of the chemical in his system that she did.

After running various tests on the substance, the CMO found that it inhibited the conscious mind's ability to assert its own will. The subconscious mind lay dormant as well and simply responded to the outside commands given by whomever happened to be telepathically connected with the catatonic individual in question.

The more chemical in the system, the longer the being could be controlled by the aliens mentally. Dr. Crusher found that after a certain amount of the substance was absorbed by any given victim, the creatures had control. How LONG they governed the unfortunate recipient depended on how much of the chemical was introduced into that person's body. Jean Luc Picard had quite a bit.

Beverly calculated, from the amount of time it took her to feel no further affects from the bite on her arm, that the captain would be out of commission for at least another day, possibly two. The doctor wasn't sure if the captain would remember any of what happened while he was 'under.' Since she had not absorbed as much of the substance and was completely in control of her faculties throughout, the CMO had no idea if his memory would retain any of this.

Dr. Crusher took the captain to his quarters, sedated him, then went back to her research. Beverly checked on Jean Luc periodically throughout the next day and a half until he was back to his usual stiff, rigidly controlled self.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jean Luc Picard was apparently annoyed. Probably because the CMO had confined him to his quarters and relieved him of duty. The man paced his cabin until said officer arrived.

"Doctor," he said immediately after she entered, "Is it really necessary for me to remain in my quarters. At least if you're going to relieve me of duty, let me go SOMEWHERE, even if it's only the holodeck."

"All right, Jean Luc," Dr. Crusher replied. She was rather astonished that the captain would actually STAY in his quarters just because she'd told him to. Beverly hid the smile with a rather abrupt cough.

"You may go to the holodeck if you wish. Or Ten Forward. Just NO duty." The CMO eyed her patient intently until he nodded acquiescence.

"Would you care to join me Beverly? I understand you were injured as well. Perhaps some time off wouldn't be such a bad idea." The captain was gracious in his offer.

"Thank you, no, Jean Luc," Dr. Crusher replied. "I have a lunch date and I'm late already." With that answer, the doctor turned and left her captain to his own devices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The CMO sat in her office, after lunch with Counselor Troi and a still recovering Will Riker, shaking her head and trying not to laugh. The first officer still didn't look too well. He was a bit slow to respond to questions and it apparently hurt whenever the man turned his head too fast. Dr. Selar had taken care of the commander's injuries, but healing took time no matter how good the medical technology.

Lt. Dellia was back at his post, but obviously still irritated about the reprimand he'd received from Lt. Commander Data. The security chief was further miffed by the fact that Dr. Crusher's strategy had actually worked and the ship had been returned to its rightful crew.

Beverly smiled, thankful that the ship was back to normal, well almost. As soon as she cleared Jean Luc for duty, the Enterprise E would be running like clockwork.

Dr. Crusher was startled out of her amused reverie when her comm badge chirped.

"Picard to Crusher."

"Crusher here, Captain," she answered.

"Beverly," Jean Luc replied, "Would you care to have dinner with me this evening?"

The CMO smirked, then answered, "Um, sure."

"Are you certain," the captain asked.

"Yes, of course, Jean Luc," Beverly replied, trying not to let the smile on her face show in her voice, "What time?"

"1930 hours?"

"Okay, where?" Dr. Crusher wasn't going to ASSUME anything.

"My quarters, if that's all right with you," the captain replied after a brief pause.

"Fine, I'll be there," Beverly answered, severed the transmission, then chuckled. The man just took it for granted that she'd KNOW he meant his quarters. Well Dr. Beverly Crusher was NOT going to allow Jean Luc Picard to assume ANYTHING anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ringing the door chime precisely at 1930 hours, Dr. Crusher was not surprised when it took her host a few minutes to answer. Beverly was habitually ten minutes late to dinner, breakfast, lunch, staff meetings. It was a little control device she subconsciously used on Jean Luc to see how far she could go before he would say anything. Tonight, however, the doctor decided it might be interesting to surprise her host by being on time.

Jean Luc opened the door abruptly, apparently not expecting his guest quite so soon. The captain didn't look as if he were quite ready.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said almost sincerely, but successfully hiding her smirk, "Am I early, Jean Luc?"

"No, no," he answered quickly, hastily calling for the door to his bedchamber to close.

"You're right on time. Please," he said, gesturing towards the sofa, "Sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

"Thank you, yes," Beverly answered, knowing this would throw him as well. Her usual reply was to decline an aperitif. She never drank before they had dinner.

"Ah, oh, all right," the captain answered, stumbling over his words in surprise.

"What would you like," he asked, obviously unable to come up with anything himself.

"You decide," she replied mischievously.

Jean Luc fumbled around for a few minutes then decided on a rather fine sherry he remembered lying in the back of his private liquor cabinet. Pouring two glasses, the captain took them to the coffee table then sat opposite his guest before trying to start a coherent conversation.

"So," he said tentatively, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered, still hiding the grin she felt trying to escape. "And you?"

"Fine," Jean Luc answered. "A little groggy at times, but not much today."

"That's to be expected," the doctor replied.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes until the captain decided it was time for dinner. He stood, walked to the replicator and ordered their meal.

Beverly took her seat at the table, grinning slightly at his obvious nervousness. She was rather amused by the sight of Jean Luc Picard at a loss for words.

"No headaches?" Dr. Crusher decided to start the conversation easily, then move on from there.

"No, not really," he answered, shaking his head.

"Good."

Beverly waited. She knew Jean Luc wouldn't be able to stand the tension much longer.

"Beverly," he said softly after several long minutes of silence.

"Yes, Jean Luc?" Her voice dripped innocence.

He rose from the seat, and walked to hers. Taking the hand he offered, Beverly rose and followed him to the sofa. They sat, she waited.

"Beverly," he said again. She smiled warmly at him wondering what he was going to say.

"I...," Jean Luc hesitated, then continued, "I've been told you were rather remarkable during this whole crisis."

"I had help. I certainly didn't do it alone. Deanna, Data," she paused, "Will. They were just as involved as I was." Dr. Crusher was not going to take ALL the credit. She did have assistance in retaking the ship and fully acknowledged this fact.

"Yes, but....I don't think we'd be sitting here now if you hadn't done what you did." The captain rubbed his jaw where she'd struck him earlier then turned to look at his companion.

"I'm really sorry about that, Jean Luc. I reacted. You were...well, I didn't have much choice. Does it still hurt?"

"Not much. I'm fine and I know you were only doing what you felt necessary. I think I can be persuaded to forgive you." He smiled mischievously at her and winked.

"Oh, thank you, Captain. I'm most grateful," Beverly replied with a playful smirk. She was just happy to see him back to his normal self.

"Mmm, well, since you saved the ship, I won't put you on report for assaulting the captain," he offered, smiling more wickedly at her this time.

"In that case I won't tell Starfleet you were completely out of control!" Dr. Crusher would not be outdone.

"Thank you, Doctor." Jean Luc looked down momentarily, then cautiously took the doctor's hand in his own again.

"I'm very grateful you intervened. I have to apologize for my behavior prior to that little...episode. I know I've been rather withdrawn lately. I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why WERE you so withdrawn," Beverly asked wondering how he would answer that question.

"Because, well, quite frankly because I was trying to decide what to do about us." He hadn't looked up during this statement and did not see the shocked look on the doctor's face.

"What? What do you mean?" Beverly was so stunned by his answer she simply blurted out exactly what she was thinking.

"I mean, Beverly, that I have been trying to decide if you might forgive my relationship with Anij enough to allow us to get closer. I know you've always told me you were happy with our being just friends, but I know my being with Anij also hurt you. That was never my intention. I...I didn't think it would matter to you."

"Why would you think that? Jean Luc, I want you to be happy. If Anij makes you happy, then I won't stand in the way. You have certainly given me ample opportunity to accept your offer to explore our feelings. I can't tell you it wasn't....painful to watch, but I also won't try to stop you if she is who you really want." Beverly wanted him to be clear on this subject. If he wanted Anij, she wouldn't stand in his way no matter how much it hurt.

"She isn't who I want, Beverly. Don't you see? I've...You're the only one I've EVER wanted. I simply turned to her because I didn't think you would allow me to get closer to you. I don't want to push you, but I need to know, MUST know, how you really feel." He looked at her and waited, an apprehensive, yet somewhat hopeful expression on his face.

"Why now," Beverly asked not understanding the urgency he seemed to feel.

"Because, I don't want to live alone any longer. All my life has been geared towards my career. One of the things Anij taught me was that work is not the only thing that's worthwhile, it isn't the only thing that matters. My career won't make up for the fact that I am a very lonely person. I have pushed people away all my life. One of those people has been the person I love most in this world." He paused a moment. "You. I know that's part of the reason you won't allow us to become more than just friends. I've put up barriers that kept even you away when I needed you the most. I don't want to shut you out, Beverly. I want to share my life with you. I want you to share yours with me."

Beverly was a bit stunned by this announcement. She had no idea he'd been contemplating such a move when she fully believed the man to be pining away for Anij. It took her several minutes to compose an answer in her head.

"Jean Luc, I...I had no idea you felt this way. Well, not recently anyway," she said shaking her head slightly. "I...I don't know what to say." Her blue eyes rose to meet the hazel ones practically begging her to say this was what she wanted as well.

"You don't have to say anything right now. I'm in no hurry. I want you to know that I will be here, ready, and waiting whenever you feel comfortable with the thought of us. I love you, Beverly. I have always loved you and that will never change. I will be more than happy to tell you that until the day I die. I hope you feel the same, but I will be patient." He hadn't made any move towards her, simply sat with his hands holding hers, gently caressing her fingers.

"Jean Luc, I don't know," she answered quietly, "This is, well, it's all a bit sudden for me. I'm a little astonished to tell you the truth." Beverly paused. She wanted to be as honest as he had been with her, but it was difficult to make herself say the words.

"I know I've made decisions about us that have hurt you," she said softly. "You're turning to Anij hurt me. I don't want us to cause each other pain, but I'm not sure I can do this yet." She looked at him, studying his face to see his reaction.

"Perhaps we should try something else then," he said, the small shadow of a grin playing on his lips.

"Like what?" Beverly was skeptical, but didn't move away.

"Like your forgiving me for being so foolish and letting me show you how much I really do love you. And I, in turn, will forgive any decision you have made in the past that caused me pain." His hands came up to her arms slowly.

Beverly twitched nervously as he touched her. She wasn't quite ready to allow this to happen. The memory of seeing him with Anij was still throwing barriers up. She looked down before answering.

"I don't know," she murmured.

"Please, Beverly. Give us a chance. I promise I will never LOOK at another woman if you tear down those walls and let me in." Jean Luc was putting his best diplomatic skills behind this plea.

"Maybe," Beverly heard her voice say softly, "But..."

"Tell me. Tell me what you're thinking. I don't want to make assumptions. That always gets both of us into trouble." He smiled sincerely at her to let her know he was simply being honest.

"I just...I'm not sure this is a good idea. I do love you, Jean Luc. This just frightens me. Us. I'm not sure it's such a good idea." Beverly tried to explain but wasn't sure he understood.

"This," he replied softly, placing his hands on either side of her face, "Is a GREAT idea. It's the best idea I've ever had and it will get even better if you let it."

Beverly leaned forward, allowing her hands to move from his wrists to his shoulders before looking at him once more. She was still very tense, but his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer until she relaxed against him.

His lips brushed hers in a tender kiss that made her almost melt completely. Once the kiss ended, he leaned back to look at her.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"No," she whispered then allowed her hands to roam a bit more freely. "Maybe...."

"Shhh," he answered before leaning in for another kiss. This one deepened slowly until her arms went around his neck.

"I love you, Beverly. I will always love you. No matter what happens, no matter where we go or what we do, I will always love you." Jean Luc's eyes never left hers as he made this statement.

The captain proceeded to show his CMO how very sincere his words were. She finally accepted them and the two did not come up for air until the following morning.

The END!