Trapped in the Past

Chapter 10: Semi-Normal Routine/Temporal Distortions

"Could this night get any duller than it already is?"

The nightshift on the bridge was always relatively quiet. Deanna had joined me on the bridge because she was experiencing her 'second wind'. She was wide awake and full of energy.

"Well I'm certainly enjoying this 'downtime' compared to what we experienced in the last four months. At least Laura is getting her sleep. But we both know that won't last long, she only seems to sleep every couple of hours. It's like she's already testing her limits, and she's not even out here in the world yet."

I put a hand on hers, a smile spread across my face, but there was worry there.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell the captain you were on the bridge without your shoes. Your ankles are swollen again. You should put your legs up on something."

Deanna glanced over at me and smiled.

'Already done Imzadi, brought the small Ottoman from the living area of our quarters.'

I chuckled for a moment and then the smile on my face faded as Lieutenant Selsnon behind me spoke up.

"Sir, I'm getting intruder alerts on decks 15, 7, 8, 36, 2, and 1 the bridge. They have temporal signatures to them sir."

The Borg came to mind and my guard was instantly up.

"Red alert!"

The space in front of me began to waver and suddenly, 50 soldiers in camo with guns came through. A smirking Doctor Sartos and Doctor Jacobson trailing behind them.

"Wasn't too hard to figure out that you Mr. Riker, Deanna and the good Doctor Howard came from the future. We just had to figure out the right temporal frequency to open up an aperture. So, this is the starship Enterprise?"

I planted myself in front of Deanna to block her view of the soldiers, even though I knew that their bullets could very well kill me. Swallowing, I tugged down on my uniform shirt. Holding my head high, I looked at the jet black haired man with the steely gray eyes.

"Commander William T. Riker of the Starship Enterprise. This is the 24th century and you are not supposed to be here."

The man with the jet-black hair and the steely gray eyes let out a humorless laugh and grabbed Deanna's arm. With her right, she wrapped it around my waist. I found the barrel of
a hand gun up against the back of my neck. I looked at her and projected a thought rather than saying it out loud.

'It's alright Imzadi, everything's going to be just fine.'

Deanna reluctantly let go of her grip from around my waist and stood up tall. She winced, I knew that her legs and feet were swollen from Edema. Security converged onto the bridge, phasers drawn, though it would prove little use against all these guns. Selsnon had already contacted the captain by the push of a button on the security console above my head. It was Doctor Sartos that began to speak up again before steely-eyed jet black hair man could.

"Deanna, you should be in bed, and off your feet."

We were lucky there were only human's on the bridge with the exceptions of Deanna and Data. Wallens, the soldier that had helped us so many times while we were in the past, getting us extra food and other things, stepped towards Data in fascination.

"What are you?"

Data pushed aside the Conn console and swiveled the chair towards him.

"I am an Android sir. An Artificial Life Form. Lieutenant Commander Data. All Pleasantries aside sir, I must ask that you put aside your fire arm. You are quite safe here."