Stuck Trek

Where Is The Captain?

I looked around, the lights were blinking that red glow that warned the ship that we were on red alert. Then I noticed something, the plot was changed because of me. Captain Picard was somewhere else, and maybe in a different setting that was maybe not the one that was intended for that.

Then I started to think.

What if my being here was the cause of the entire show? What if this was the first season? I can't believe that. No. What if the show was already on track but I made a change and everything about the show never happened and was rewritten? What if....my life was never real?

"Can you track him with his badge?" I asked Geordi, who was bending over a console, examining where we were in space and how the ship was doing. I'd hate it if Q destroyed the Enterprise. To think about it, I already have changed a lot of things.

"His signal is not there, even vitals aren't showing up. Usually they just show heart rate, but the Captain's, like all the other captains, is modified to keep track of the whole body," said Geordi. "In other words, no."

Data cocked his head to the side and his hands went whizzing about all over the controls. "I'm picking up a slight signal, audio only."

A scratchy sound came over the room, and we heard Captain Picard's voice coming in slightly. "Q...not normal...hurt...let go...trial...passed...sort of...coming back...not good...help...need the..." The voice cut out.

"Do you have a lock on him transport chief?" said Commander Riker, nearly punching himself in the chest as he hit his com-badge.

"Yes, I believe he's okay to beam on," said O'Brien. His voice sounded tired, but equally worried.

"Beam him on then!" said Commander Riker, heading to the Turbolift. "Ensign you're with me."

I rose from my seat without a second thought. The doors to the Turbolift almost closed, but I managed to squeeze my body in the tiny gap. A sick feeling writhed in my stomach, threatening to spill my breakfast.

As soon as the doors parted, Commander Riker darted out the door with a speed that I struggled to keep up with. By the time we got to the transport room, O'Brien was in the process of transporting Captain Picard. We waited, breathless for him to show up.

Then Q took the place of Captain Picard's and stood there with a smirk on his face. I started to cry. What if Picard was dead because of me? 

Q's smirk quickly vanished when he saw my tear stained cheeks. "Why are you crying?" he said in a mocking and monotonous tone. I turned away from him and bent down, crying harder. Q shook his head. "Jean-Luc is-."

"Don't you dare call him that Q," I said as Commander Riker opened his mouth. "You are not his friend. He doesn't even know you! You evil, vile, wretched-."

My mouth started to droop. A beam started to form on the pad next to Q. A body lay sideways and looked like it was in pain, or dead.

"I swear, this had nothing to do with me, he tried to trick the test..." said Q, shrugging off his comment like it was no big deal.

But what we saw in front of us was a huge deal.