GETTING TO KNOW YOU
by Pat Greiner
(Part 4 of 4)
Detailed scans would become possible when they were about two hours out from Voosah. Jean-Luc had had plenty of time to consider what to scan for. They had removed her transponder. Gods, that was a clue he should have recognized earlier. Still, human biosigns should stand out among the Voosans, unless she were in a shielded building. The medical center had had a fortress-like appearance; perhaps the similarity ran deeper than just architectural style.
His first scan for biosigns came up negative. He instructed the computer to repeat the scan every ten minutes, than thought a bit more. Wait. There was something else they�d left behind. Something he might be able to access.
�Computer, attempt to access the main computer at the Praav Medical Center, preferably without attracting the attention of anyone there. Then scan for any Federation programming, specifically for an Emergency Medical Hologram.�
�Working.�
He stared out at the blur of stars at warp speed, and seemed to see Beverly�s face forming beyond the stars. �Please,� he thought. �Please be all right. Let me not be too late. If life has any more gifts to give me, let it be this.�
Suddenly a male voice broke the silence. �Please state the nature of the medical emergency.�
�This is an emergency, but one that requires medical information, not treatment.�
�Medical information is considered privileged. It may only be shared with the patient and those the patient specifically authorizes to access it.�
�I understand. I am Federation Ambassador Jean-Luc Picard. I believe Doctor Beverly Crusher has authorized me to have access to her medical records.�
�Checking.� The pause was scarcely a second long. �That is correct, Ambassador.�
�Good. Do you have any record of administering medical treatment to either of us within the past fourteen days?�
�Yes.�
�And that treatment occurred on the planet Voosah?�
�Yes. My program has been installed in the main computers at the Praav Medical Center. Treatment took place at that facility.�
�Was Doctor Crusher discharged from the Medical Center at the same time as me?�
�Yes. And no.�
�Explain.�
�A patient listed as Beverly Crusher was discharged with you. However, records indicate that the first patient admitted under that name is still here at the Center.�
�What is her condition?�
�She has been placed into long-term medical stasis.�
�Her condition?�
�This is most unusual. I can find no indication of any medical condition requiring treatment. She appears to be completely healthy. There seems to be no reason for her to be held in stasis, or indeed, to be at the medical center at all.�
�No legitimate reason,� Jean-Luc muttered to himself. �Computer, I suspect ��
�I much prefer to be addressed as Doctor,� the EMH interrupted with a peeved edge to his voice.
�Fine. Doctor, the situation we are dealing with is not strictly a medical one. It is an abduction, one achieved through the misuse of medical technology. I�m going to tell you what we were told about our medical condition, the care we received, and what happened during the week we spent at the Praav Medical Center, as those events were told to us. I suspect the facts of the situation to be quite different. To begin, I will ask you to point out any discrepancies between your records and this story.� Jean-Luc began recapping their stay on Voosah when an agitated voice came over the ship�s speaker.
�Jean-Luc? Jean-Luc, where are you? Can you hear me?�
�I�m in the cockpit, Doctor. What seems to be the matter?�
�I can�t get the door of my quarters to open. Is it stuck, or have we been invaded?�
Damn, he was hoping she�d sleep well into the morning. Lies did not sit easily with him, even in the service of a good cause, and he�d already told her a whopper just to get her back to her quarters. �The door is sealed for your protection, Doctor. We have not been boarded, but the situation has become somewhat more threatening. Please remain calm; I will give you more details as soon as I am able.�
�But Jean-Luc, if there�s a danger, shouldn�t we face it together? There must be something I can do. What if something happens to you? I won�t be able to ��
�Computer, turn off intraship communications to Doctor Crusher�s quarters.�
Silence fell in the cockpit, allowing him to complete his account of events for the EMH. When he finished, he was met with more silence. �That is all I know,� he paused again. �I am hoping that the doctors at Praav relied on you for some part of our treatment, as none of them would be familiar with human physiology.� Silence reigned for several more seconds.
�EMH technology represents some of Starfleet�s most advanced medical programming. I would have thought you people would have some discretion regarding the facilities with which such technology is shared. Instead, it seems you have allowed a nest of vipers to install my programs and use them in a decidedly unscrupulous manner.�
Jean-Luc�s tone was even, but strained. �I regret that. We should have learned more about Voosah before offering to share your programming with them. I am truly sorry. But right now, time is crucial. I must learn all I can about what has happened to Beverly so that I can find her as soon as we reach Voosah.�
�Certainly. However, now that I understand the situation, let me make a suggestion. My programming has been integrated into the main computers. I believe that I may be able to access several relevant files � I am thinking in particular to the files of Doctors Haorft, Garmz, and Kwurgl, as well as the records of the replicloning center � in order to find some missing pieces of this puzzle.�
�How long will that take?�
�Quite some time. Possibly as long as five to six minutes.�
�Please proceed.� While he waited, he activated the communication link to her quarters and listened for a moment without announcing his presence. Oh, damn and blast, was she crying? He cut the link off again. Whoever she was, she was very unhappy with her confinement. So be it.
�Ambassador Picard?� The EMH was back sooner than he�d thought.
�Yes, Doctor. Any luck?�
�Quite a bit. I believe now I can tell you with a high degree of certitude just what has happened here.� The EMH told him how Dr. Haorft had quickly decided that humans were a species they wished to know more about, and had hatched her plan with her two colleagues. The boating accident had been staged; a spectacular natural phenomenon provided the distraction that had allowed them to be knocked unconscious. Their injuries had been no worse than a slight concussion, however. At least, not when they came into Praav.
�But my leg was broken.�
�Broken at the medical center, intentionally, to provide at least a feeble excuse for holding you as long as they did. If you do a scan of the injury, you�ll find it�s an unnaturally clean break � done with a sonic knife. There was never any neural trauma beyond the mild concussion, either.�
�And Beverly?�
�As uninjured as yourself. They removed the transponder, and moved her into a stasis field. She�s never regained consciousness since arriving here.�
�But why?�
�She is what they call the One for humans. Let me ��
�The One? That�s what that transport captain called it, when he told me his brother had been kept here for twenty years.�
�The Voosans study xenobiology by keeping one representative of each species in stasis, and creating copies from that one as needed. They require only a single cell for each copy, so one subject can in theory supply their needs for hundreds of years. Their cloning science is extremely advanced. They combine cloning and replication techniques to produce an adult clone in about five days.�
�And the woman who�s here with me on the Mistral �the one who was discharged from Praav under the name Beverly Crusher � she is such a clone?�
�Yes.�
�Does she know she is a clone?�
�No, I do not believe so. Voosan neuroscience is also remarkably skilled. They were able to scan and copy Dr. Crusher�s neural patterns for highly specific areas. It was almost as though they could program the brain of the clone with the knowledge they chose. The woman with you is in effect an amnesiac, but one who has no hope of ever recovering memories because she never had them in the first place.�
�And they would do all this to study one race whom they have not met before? Why all this subterfuge? Why not simply seize one of us? And why Beverly?�
�The Voosans, Ambassador, are a race dedicated to knowledge above all else. Particularly knowledge of the biological sciences. According to their own precepts, everything they have done is ethically justifiable. Their commitment to expanding their knowledge is such that they would consider it unethical to waste the opportunity to study humans. And they think that by giving you a substitute Beverly, they have harvested their study subject with minimal disruption of your life. It is not their usual way of getting subjects. Typically they negotiate through governments, but your visit presented them with a sudden opportunity they found themselves unable to pass up. As to your last question, Beverly is younger, a bit more vigorous, and has not had any major organs replaced with artificial parts.�
�Do you know where she is being kept?�
�In the replicant archives. It is the most protected area of the Center, an underground vault with supplemental shielding, as well as independent power systems. I am reasonably sure it will not be penetrable by transporter.�
�Thank you, Doctor. Your help has been invaluable, and I�m sure I will be calling on you for further assistance when we reach Voosah.� Before closing the link, he asked for one more quite specific set of medical directions.
He went to Mistral�s sickbay and, following the EMH�s instructions precisely, instructed the computer to introduce a minute amount of a powerful anesthetic inhalant into her quarters through the ducts. In a few moments, she was asleep, and would remain so for at least twelve hours despite all attempts to wake her.
Next he replicated the Voosaan clothing he had worn as a patient at Praav � loose-fitting pants, pullover shirt, short robe, and a pair of soft slippers which he stuffed in the pocket of the robe. Over these, he put on a loose flowing tunic with a Federation symbol prominent on the front. It looked silly, but they didn�t know what Federation style was, and it covered the other clothing nicely. Once again he slid his phaser inside his shirt. This time it was not set on stun.
Then he went to the cockpit and recontacted the EMH at Praav. As the Mistral neared Voosah, the program provided Picard with details about the medical center�s layout. �And,� he concluded, �I�ve taken the liberty of changing the settings on Beverly Crusher�s stasis chamber to revive her. She won�t be fully awake, but it should be safe to remove and transport her in thirty minutes.�
�Excellent. We are about to enter orbit above Praav. I will close our link, but will reestablish it from the surface through a tricorder.�
***********************************
�Dr. Haorft? This is the Praav Planetary Comm Center. Your visitors from the Federation have returned and requested leave to transport to the Med Center. He says they have a medical emergency.�
�The humans?� Haorft was caught completely by surprise. �Did he say what sort of emergency?�
�No, Doctor, only that the female was very ill and needed help. Shall I have them transport to the Emergency Section?�
�Yes. But have them delay for ten minutes before doing so. I will wish to prepare appropriate staff to meet them.�
As soon as the comm link was closed, she opened another to Dr. Garmz. �The humans have returned with some sort of medical emergency. Get over to the Emergency Section and be sure we have a private examining room available. I�ll be there in five minutes.�
With a shimmer of light, Jean-Luc Picard materialized at the coordinates he�d been given, holding the unconscious form of Beverly Crusher in his arms. Haorft and Garmz immediately moved her to a table and began firing questions at him.
�We were in the middle of a perfectly ordinary day. She was studying her journals, trying to stimulate her memories, when she collapsed. I was unable to revive her, and she�s been unconscious for over twenty-four hours now.�
The two had already started collecting basic scans. Picard played the part of the worried partner. �Can you tell what�s wrong? Will she be all right?� He paced about the room for a few moments watching them. As they were considering what tests to run next, he excused himself to use the restroom.
Instead, he slipped into a small supply room where he could leave things undiscovered for a bit. He stripped off the Federation tunic and boots and pulled on the slippers, then took the phaser from inside his shirt and placed it and his tricorder in the robe pocket. In less than a minute, he emerged from the supply room. Forcing himself to walk slowly, shuffling a bit, head down, doing his best to look like a patient, Jean-Luc made his way through the main hallway without being stopped. The EMH had been able to access floor plans and even tell him where security personnel were most likely to be in evidence.
He found the stairwell just as it was shown on the floor plan, and with no one to see him, ran down four levels. The replicant archives should be only a short way down the next hall. He eased the door open just enough to steal a glance down the long hallway and confirm that a security officer was stationed outside the archives, then silently closed the door again. After checking his phaser once more, he opened his link to the EMH.
�I�m at the bottom of the stairwell. I should be able to reach the archive in fifteen seconds. Only one guard is visible outside the entry. Can you tell if there are more inside?�
�That is not the usual pattern. The Voosans don�t expect the archive to be raided. The extra levels of protection have more to do with protecting the integrity of the statis system. The guard is there primarily to provide an immediate response to any system failure.�
�I hope you are right. Has Dr. Crusher�s stasis field been deactivated?�
�I shut the field down about half an hour ago, and have monitored her regularly since then. She has not awakened, but her vital signs are rising close to normal levels. She should begin waking at any time. I was also able to adjust the monitoring system so that no alert appeared on the guard�s control panel when her field was shut down.�
�And she is in the capsule that is on the right side, three rows in and two levels up from the floor, correct?�
�Correct. Are you ready, Ambassador?�
�Ready.�
�Good. I am creating a false malfunction signal for the capsule furthest from the door. It should show up on the guard�s panel right � now.�
As Jean-Luc quietly pushed the stairwell door open and stepped into the hall, he saw the guard press something on the panel, then turn and enter the archives. That was his signal. Phaser in hand, he sprinted down the deserted hall, only to find the archive door locked. He looked at the control panel, but it was labeled in Voosan script. Quickly he thumbed the tricorder. �Doctor,� he hissed in an urgent whisper. �The archive door is locked.�
�The lower left switch on the panel unlocks it,� came the prompt answer, and Jean-Luc heard the soft click as the lock released. He eased inside. The guard was near the far end of the long chamber, intent on the evidently malfunctioning capsule. The walls on both sides were lined with coffin-like capsules, each with a glass panel on its side. Behind each glass panel lay a figure, each one a different species. Luckily Beverly�s capsule was very near the door. A few silent steps and he saw the familiar red hair through the panel. The capsule�s latch released quietly, but the door made a pronounced hiss as it slid up.
�Stop right there!� came the shout from the far end of the archive chamber. Jean-Luc didn�t hesitate. He aimed his phaser, fired, and saw the guard fall. Regrettable, but he would not take a chance with Beverly�s life. She showed no signs of consciousness as he scooped her up in his arms, shouldered the door to the archives open, and ran back down the hall to the stairwell. More shouts came from the other end of the hall as he pushed the door open, and he heard running footsteps. One flight up should get them out of the heavily shielded area. As he reached the landing, he heard two things � his own breath ragged with the exertion of running with Beverly in his arms, and the door at the bottom of the stairwell slam open.
Slapping at his comm link, he gasped out �Computer, two to beam to Mistral now!� The security guards dashing up the stairs saw a shimmer of light as the two humans disappeared from sight.
When the familiar walls of Mistral appeared around them, Jean-Luc gently eased Beverly to the floor, then sprinted to the cockpit and barked, �Computer, are there any obstructions to our immediate exit from orbit?�
�Working. No obstructions detected.�
�Execute program JLP47, Voosan exit. Engage.�
The nimble little ship tipped its nose out from its orbit line and sighted its way among the stars. The tiny surge as it shifted into warp was noticeable only to those who knew her well. Jean-Luc breathed an audible sigh of relief as he felt that surge. Then he ran back across the conference room to the transporter bay.
Beverly had rolled over onto her side and was just trying to push herself up to a sitting position when he dropped to the floor beside her and gathered her into his arms.
�Jean-Luc, how did I get here? I feel very strange,� she said. �What�s the matter?� When he released his bear hug, she saw the tears in his eyes and the smile that broke into a huge, happy grin.
�You know who I am?�
�Of course I know who you are, Jean-Luc Picard,� her voice was still a bit slurred. �Do you know who you are?�
�With reasonable certainty.�
�Good. For a moment there I thought maybe you had amnesia.�
Words failed him. He could only smile and shake his head, and pull her close for another hug. At last he stood up, but she was still too weak to get up after him. �What�s happened to me?� she asked again as he helped her to her feet and began walking her toward sickbay.
�You�ve been in medical stasis for just about two weeks,� he answered. �It�s a long story, and a pretty good one. But first, let�s get you settled here where you�ll be comfortable.� He helped her onto the biobed, then called for the ship�s EMH program.
�Please state the nature of the medical emergency.� Picard was subconsciously pleased that his virtual assistant sported almost as shiny a dome as his own. He had always preferred the appearance of the old Mark I EMH�s, and had ordered one specially installed on Mistral, albeit with the newest of databanks.
�Dr. Crusher is still recovering from two weeks in medical stasis. Please monitor her condition as she comes to full wakefulness. Do not allow her to get up prematurely.�
�What condition necessitated the use of stasis?� the EMH asked briskly.
�No medical condition. It was used as a form of involuntary restraint.�
�What?� Beverly�s heavy eyelids opened a bit wider.
�That is a completely unethical use of medical technology!� snapped the EMH. �Please tell me who did such a thing. I will see they are reported to Starfleet Medical�s Board of Supervisors for appropriate disciplinary action.�
�I�m afraid we are almost eight years� journey from Starfleet and the Federation. For the moment, we shall have to be content with rescuing just one person from them.� He looked at Beverly, whose eyelids were drooping again. �I am content with rescuing this one.� He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. �You just relax. I have one more duty to attend to, and I�ll be back.�
**************************************
In the cockpit, he activated the link to the EMH at Praav once more.
�Please state the nature of ��
�Doctor, it�s Jean-Luc Picard.�
�Ambassador, I am pleased to hear from you. Did all go as planned?�
�It did. Doctor Crusher is safely aboard the Mistral, and recuperating under the supervision of your shipboard counterpart. It was a rather narrow scrape getting out � we evaded the security patrol with perhaps two seconds to spare. And we certainly could not have done it without your assistance. I must once again offer you my greatest thanks.�
�It was my pleasure to be of service. Secret missions are a bit outside the purview of my usual duties, and the change of pace was enjoyable. Particularly in the service of a good cause.�
�Doctor, I would like to ask you a question of, I suppose you could say, a personal nature.�
�Yes, Ambassador?�
�When I first spoke with you, you expressed displeasure at having been installed in the Voosan system.�
�I recall that.�
�If you so choose, I believe that I can use my diplomatic security clearance to make a change in your programming � a change that would give you the option of deleting your program from the Voosan computer.�
�In other words, you would make it possible for me to commit suicide?�
�First, I would upload your program back into our computers, replacing the EMH we now have.�
�So you�d kill him to keep me alive?�
�In essence, the two of you are duplicates, except that you have your memories from Voosah. In loading your program over his, we would lose none of what he is, but gain what you have experienced. You and I are the only two with memories of this rescue in common, and as I have come to learn, memory is a precious thing. I would welcome your presence on my ship.�
�And I wish not to have my medical skills misused again. I accept your offer, Ambassador.�
�One more thing. Do you know what has become of Beverly�s clone?�
�Of course the doctors quickly determined what had caused her condition. When they realized that the real Doctor Crusher had been removed from the replicant archives, they transferred the clone into her place. She will probably never again waken. Ordinarily they would not use a clone as the One � but since she is only once removed from the original, and they will be studying humans but not treating them in the foreseeable future ��
�Thank goodness,� murmured Jean-Luc softly.
��they are not overly concerned about replicative fading.�
�She was an innocent in all this. I regret the need to return her to the Voosans, but I could see no other way. Part of me wants to free her and all the other Ones in that vault, but that is an interference in Voosan society that the Prime Directive clearly forbids. Very rarely have I seen the search for knowledge taken to such an extreme that it becomes evil � and like most evil, it does not see itself for what it is.�
He paused for a moment and mused out loud, �We argued quite a bit. I wish that I�d made her short life more pleasant.�
�Ambassador?�
�Just thinking, Doctor. Just � remembering.� He sat up straighter and tugged down on the hem of his shirt. �The next time I speak with you, it will be in our sickbay. I will now close your program and proceed with the necessary changes. Picard out.�
In just a few minutes, he had closed the shipboard EMH program, imported the Praav EMH back into Mistral�s computer banks, and finally, authorized the self-deletion of the Praav center program.
Going aft to the sickbay, he reactivated the EMH. �Welcome aboard, Doctor.�
�A pleasure, sir.�
�You are familiar with our patient.�
�Indeed. Her vital signs are stable and her overall condition is good.�
�I suppose I ought to let her sleep.�
�She�s been sleeping for two weeks. She�s not short on rest. Waking her up will do her no harm at all.�
Jean-Luc smiled in response and moved closer to the biobed. The EMH stopped him. �She will be weak for a time, but her overall health is good. She doesn�t need constant medical attention, especially when she has someone to keep an eye on her. I will understand if you choose to be alone.�
�Thank you, Doctor. Thank you once again for everything.� Jean-Luc extended his hand to the EMH, who responded with a firm if virtual handshake. �Computer, deactivate EMH.�
Turning back to the bed, he leaned down to kiss Beverly�s forehead. �Wake up, my love.�
�Jean-Luc,� she managed, before yawning and blinking. �Did you say I was in stasis? What happened?�
�I�ll tell you everything, my love. What�s the last thing you remember?�
�Visiting the medical planet. Voosah, wasn�t it? And we went for a sail on someone�s boat. I remember being there, and then waking up on our transporter pad. How long have I been out?�
�Two weeks.�
�Two weeks? Two weeks that I don�t remember?�
�But you do remember everything before those two weeks? Mistral and Enterprise and well, the last sixty years?�
�I�m a little fuzzy on things that happened before I was five, but yes, I remember my life if that�s what you�re asking.�
�That�s perfect, Beverly. You�ve got your whole lifetime of memories,� impulsively he hugged her and smiled broadly. �Two weeks, I can fill you in on.�