When All Q Breaks Loose

Chapter Eighteen: No Reason

Deanna Troi winced as she resettled her arm in the sling. The day's events had brought an interesting element into play. And they'd learned more about their hosts because of it. She gave a grim smile of amusement, feeling Q's emotions washing over her. He hadn't been happy to be placed in the same room as Worf. Data had opted to relinquish his bed, but decided to stay in the same room. He didn't need sleep, which was just as well, given the circumstances.

"We seem to find ourselves in a rather unusual set of circumstances," Picard mused as he paced the bedroom. They'd chosen his room to meet up in, instead of using any of the others. It was closer and slightly larger.

Q pouted from his perch on the mattress. "I don't see any reason to feel amused or smug about it," he grumped. "Why is it you're the only one of the males who gets a room to himself? It's not fair."

Worf gave him an admonishing look, moving as if to restrain him before settling back against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. "You should remain quiet until spoken to," he reminded. It wasn't worth the effort to do anything to the sulky man at the moment.

"Perhaps we should consider what Counselor Troi has told us from her encounter with Hiro and his robotic companion," Data spoke up, referring to their aborted discussion from earlier. "The incident does seem on par with recent events. Not to mention that all are within the realm of plausibility when placed inside the theory GoGo presented earlier."

Deanna couldn't help but agree with Data. She brushed some hair from her face with her free hand. "I tend to agree. The only other possible explanation is one I don't care to entertain."

Picard perked up at that, pausing in his turn about the room. "Please explain," he requested.

The counselor crossed one leg over the other as she sat on the only chair in the room. "Earlier, Hiro suggested the possibility of Ley Lines. I know there isn't any scientific evidence to support that. At least not in our universe, which is why I didn't bring it up earlier."

"You would be wrong there," Q pointed out, though he was still inclined to be sulky. "What you don't know about the working universe could fill volumes. For example, these so called Ley Lines might just be another name for the natural conduits of energy that lie below the Earth's surface. Some areas might be more densely concentrated with them than others, which would explain why some areas have more unusual events than others."

Picard glanced over at Data. "Is that even possible?" He knew that their Earth had energy conduits of a sort, but the proposed theory seemed to hint at them being something much more influential than just gravitational fields meant to keep the planet together.

Data searched his data banks, his expression going momentarily blank as he accessed all the requested information. "Using Q's definition, I believe so. Many planets appear to have a natural course of energy-like conduits that run throughout their planetary environment. It is entirely possible that such is the case here as well. If so, any rampant energy might be attracted to those conduits, making it easier for us to at least predict where they may next occur."

The captain nodded his understanding. "Sounds reasonable. Do you think you can find a way to discover where these so called Ley Lines are located?"

Again, Data tilted his head to one side in an almost mechanical manner. "I believe so. It would require that I be able to access the computers inside this building or some other location. But I believe I should be able to find the necessary information to locate them."

"Make it so," Picard instructed as he straightened his shirt before realizing the late hour. "Just not right at this moment. I'm sure our hosts are still keeping an eye on us. Perhaps it would be best to request they give you access to their computers, garner their trust. Tomorrow, perhaps."