Captain's log, star date 44502.7.
Early completion of our mission at Harrakis V
has allowed me to grant extra personal time for the crew.
This has been a relief,
since our recent tight scheduling has curtailed the leisure activities
that are a normal part of life aboard the Enterprise.
Our journey past the Ngame Nebula should be uneventful
and am personally using the time to fulfil a promise to a colleague.
Dixon Hill around?
He's occupied at the present moment.
Tell him Gloria is here.
Can't do that. He doesn't want to be disturbed.
Tell him it's Gloria from... Cleveland.
It doesn't matter if you're from the moon, hon'.
Mr. Hill is incommuni... incommunica... ca...
..cado.
That's it. Sorry, hon'.
Look, hon', just tell him Gloria's here.
Look, when the boss doesn't want to be disturbed,
he doesn't want to be disturbed. Don't take it personal, like.
I have an appointment with Mr. Hill at...
..two o'clock.
It's 2:10.
So, I had a little trouble getting into the dress!
It took me a little while to figure out exactly what to do with these.
Sorry, Dicks, there's a... lady here to see you.
- Says her name is... - Gloria.
- From Cleveland.
From Cleveland. OK.
He never heard of you.
- He's never heard of me? - That's right!
Oh, wait. I don't think you understand.
This was all set up in advance. I'm Gloria from Cleveland,
and I was supposed to be on holodeck four at two
and you don't know what I'm talking about, do you?
Not to worry.
Hey! You can't go in there!
Get inside! Close the door!
Who's the doll?
She's a... the doll's my cousin.
Yeah! Gloria. From Cleveland.
I'm sorry about this, Gu... Gloria. I didn't mean you to get involved.
She knows nothing about this, Johnny.
What does that mean?
- Oh, I see! - Yeah, right!
Do I look like a jamoke? You ain't nobody's cousin on no visit.
- What do you know about my money? - Your money?
- The money he stole! - You stole his money?
Don't listen to him, Gloria. He's lying.
Johnny! Johnny!
Talk to me, Johnny. I'm a great listener.
I'm through with talking, sweetheart. I'm gonna get some action, or else.
And this is what you do for fun!
It's a mystery! Who is this man?
Who killed him? Where's the money he was he talking about?
It's... It's a mystery. Now we have to go search for clues.
- Ah! And that's fun? - That's fun!
A '48 Packard with white walls. Damn! I didn't get the licence plate.
Captain Picard? Sorry, there's no Captain Picard here.
Try down at the docks. Ships come in and out every day.
It's alright, Madeline, I'll take it in here.
- Yes, what is it? - Captain, Lt Commander Data here.
Excuse the unusual interruption, but in the circumstances
I thought communicating through the holodeck program less obtrusive.
I appreciate your concern, Data. What can I do for you?
Long-range sensors detect a T-tauri star in a pocket of the Ngame cloud.
That's not unusual.
No, sir, but the star's single planet
falls in the M-class range. It is capable of supporting life.
- That is unusual. - Highly, sir.
Thank you. Procedure requires we investigate.
Recall the bridge crew and set a course.
Aye, sir.
I'm... I'm sorry, Gloria,
but there is a 24th-century mystery I have to investigate.
You are very welcome to carry on, if you like.
No. I've had... enough fun for today.
Entering the T-tauri system now, Captain.
Sensors show an energy fluctuation in our path. Source unknown.
Still picking up energy distortions, but fading.
- It seems to be gone. - A wormhole.
Very likely. Extremely unstable wormholes have been mapped
near 39 T-tauri systems in the last 100 years alone, sir.
I suggest we move to a safer location. It could reappear.
Agreed. Take us on a course...
Captain!
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission... to explore strange new worlds...
..to seek out new life and new civilizations...
..to boldly go where no one has gone before.
- Captain. - Data.
Careful, Captain.
The stun effect from the wormhole was relatively severe.
Apparently so. How long were we unconscious?
Approximately 30 seconds.
I have scanned the ship and detected no serious crew injuries.
- You were not affected? - No, sir.
My positronic system is immune to the effect.
This is the third wormhole I have passed through with Starfleet.
- First, aboard the USS Trieste... - Thank you, Mr. Data.
Where the hell are we?
.54 parsecs from our last position. Almost a day's travel in 30 seconds!
Sir, I should realign the ship's clock
with Star base 410's signal to adjust for the time distortion.
- Proceed. - This is Crusher in sickbay.
- Go ahead, Doctor? - I have reports of minor injuries.
- What's happened? - We just jumped through a wormhole.
Apparently we were all unconscious for 30 seconds.
Is everybody alright?
- There's little or no damage here. - Acknowledged. Crusher out.
Ship's status?
Reports coming in. Nothing serious so far.
La Forge here. Impulse engines and warp drive appear unaffected.
Shields and weapons systems are fully functional.
Counsellor, are you alright?
I think so. I'm feeling a bit unfocused.
It'll pass.
Well, not too bad, all things considered.
We're lucky we're not across the galaxy in the middle of next week!
That was never actually a possibility.
The wormhole's size and short period would make this a local phenomenon.
There's still the anomalous M-class planet. Do we go back?
The unpredictability of the wormhole makes investigation hazardous.
A probe launched from here would be better.
Make it so.
Nothing broken, but those ligaments have been twisted pretty severely.
What on earth were you doing when you fell?
Hanging a plant for Keiko, a running project to give me a green thumb.
How is it working?
Everything I touch seems to turn brown and wither away.
Alyssa, would you get me...? Never mind, I'll get it. Don't go away.
This isn't possible!
- Alyssa? - Yes, Doctor?
Did you see anyone near the lab today?
No, I didn't.
You didn't adjust the environments on the incubators?
I'd never touch your experiments unless you asked me to.
Of course not. I'm sorry. Thank you.
Probe approaching the T-tauri system.
Readings, Data?
Coming in now, sir. The probe is within visual range of the planet.
On screen.
Sensors indicate a hydrogen-helium composition
- with a frozen helium core. - Wait a minute.
Sensors indicated a class-M planet before we went through the wormhole.
It is possible they were affected by interference from the wormhole.
It is clearly not a class-M planet.
Run a diagnostic to make sure the wormhole didn't damage the sensors.
Aye, sir.
- Ensign, take us back on a course... - Captain.
Problem?
It's strange a malfunctioning sensor gave such a specific misreading.
A time-space disturbance would cause more confusion than that.
The sensors may have picked up the after-image of a planet
on the other side of the wormhole.
We could survey nearby stars for such a planet. It would take six days.
No, we don't have time. We've encountered a minor mystery,
one that has been solved to my satisfaction.
Unless you object, Ensign McKnight should steer a course for Evadne IV.
No objection.
- Ensign. - Aye, sir.
Come.
I have something of a minor mystery on my hands.
A minor mystery. That seems to be a recurring phrase these days.
Diomedian scarlet moss!
I didn't know you were an ethno botanist.
It's a hobby.
You've got a good crop here. As I recall, it's not easy to cultivate.
That's just it.
I started these spores
right before we were knocked unconscious by the wormhole.
You said we were out for 30 seconds?
Correct.
Then why do these show a full day's growth?
Perhaps you've got a fast-growth strain here.
Each incubator was set with spores from completely different sources
in the Diomedian system.
I have more in the lab.
Perhaps something extraordinary happened to one of them,
but not to all of them.
Doctor, we were not unconscious for a whole day.
Everything indicates we were out for 30 seconds,
the chronometer, the computer, everything.
Including Cmdr Data.
Jean-Luc, I'm telling you...
..this is over 24 hours of growth.
Captain's log, supplemental.
Cmdr Data continues to maintain we were unconscious for 30 seconds,
despite Dr Crusher's evidence to the contrary.
Captain, I have a hypothesis.
The 22nd-century physicist Pell Underhill conjectured
that a major disruption in time continuity
could be compensated for by trillions of counter-reactions.
That effect may have allowed Dr Crusher's moss
to arrive the other side of the wormhole with unanticipated growth.
- Underhill was talking about energy. - True.
Nevertheless, it is possible the phenomenon could occur in matter
at higher levels of organization, given the proper conditions.
Thank you, Data. An intriguing hypothesis.
Well, perhaps we've got a tempest in a test tube after all!
- Captain... - Data,
I promised Mr. Nelson you would assist with the sensor diagnostic.
You'll find him hard at work on deck 36.
As you wish, Captain.
You believe him?
I want a frank answer, Commander.
Not for a second.
- I'm amazed he even proposed it. - What are you suggesting, Captain?
I'm not sure, Mr. Worf.
I have never known Data to tell a lie. And yet...
If we didn't go through the wormhole what happened to us during that day?
If we were out for a day, why didn't our beards grow?
Whatever it was, it seems Data didn't want to tell us.
It could be that whatever caused this situation also affected Data.
And it could be that he's telling the truth...
..and that this is all just a minor mystery.
We could always check the chronometer for evidence of tampering.
A transporter-trace analysis might also indicate
how much time has actually passed.
Doctor, Commander, make it so. Meanwhile we'll maintain our course.
If there is something wrong with Data,
we don't want him to be aware of our suspicions.
Gentlemen, how goes the battle?
Long-range and infrared sensors apparently suffered no ill effects.
We're checking heavy-particle detectors.
Great. I'll take over now, Data. The Captain wants you on the bridge.
See you later in ten-forward?
Nelson, I need your help with the computer.
- How's the elbow? - Much better, thanks.
- This isn't a house call, is it? - No, it's not.
Tell me, do you remember the last person to use the transporter
- before the wormhole? - Let me check.
Ensign Locklin, she's one of my technicians.
Tell her to report to sickbay immediately.
Electrolyte concentration?
12.5 deviation from previous.
Interesting! Check the cellular membranes.
I'll bet the inner turgid pressure is off
by almost the same amount.
- 11.3 deviation from the norm. - Terrific!
That's what I wanted to hear! Thank you, Ensign. That's all.
- Crusher to Captain Picard. - What is it, Doctor?
- I need to see you immediately. - I'm going to Engineering. Join me.
Physiologically, each of us is on a daily cycle.
Our cells have developed rhythms based on a 24-hour period.
- The internal clock. - Exactly.
And I can measure that effect at the molecular level.
I took a trace from the last person to use the transporter
and compared her cell functions at that time to what they are now.
If we were out for only 30 seconds, they should be nearly synchronous.
And were they?
No.
We were out for longer than 30 seconds, Captain.
A lot longer.
I've got some good news and some bad news.
We were right about the chronometer.
There's a security program to stop tampering. It was disabled
and a new programme fitted. Someone has reset the clock.
If that's the good news, what's the bad news?
Data and I are the only ones aboard this ship capable of doing it.
It is a mystery, Captain.
That is an understatement, Data.
Is it possible that someone or something
could have affected you without your knowing?
I am unable to answer that question, sir.
Would you consent to being examined by Commander La Forge?
As you wish.
Will you escort Cmdr Data to Engineering?
I know the way, sir.
Captain's log, supplemental.
It's clear everyone on the Enterprise has lost an entire day.
As the mystery of what occurred during those missing hours deepens,
so do my doubts about Cmdr Data.
We'll start with the higher functions before we get down to basics.
Alright.
This won't hurt a bit.
You forget my sensory inputs are not programmed to experience pain.
A figure of speech. Bedside manner. I'm trying to make you comfortable.
I am perfectly comfortable.
Pattern recognition, syntactic algorithms,
heuristic functions. All normal.
I notice, however,... that you appear a bit uncomfortable yourself.
It just seems like you're not being completely honest with us.
I'm your friend. If something's wrong, I want you to tell me.
Maybe I can help.
I cannot tell you anything beyond what I have already stated.
OK.
Excuse us, Counsellor?
- Captain, I finished examining Data. - And?
Nothing's wrong with the technology. He's in perfect condition.
I almost hoped you'd find a problem.
He still could be malfunctioning beyond my ability to detect it.
This mystery started when our sensors detected that planet, class-M or not.
Our sensors failed. Our probe says the planet could not support life.
Data launched that probe.
If he rigged it, could you prove it?
I could try.
What happened during that missing day? There must be some clues.
Try to think what we were doing before we blacked out, re-enact it...
Counsellor?
- Deanna, are you alright? - Just a moment.
- Yes, I'm fine. - What happened?
I suddenly became dizzy. I'd better go to my quarters.
- Perhaps sickbay would be better. - No, I'm alright.
- See the Counsellor to her quarters. - Aye, sir.
Thank you for coming with me, Mr. Worf.
You are certain you are well?
I just need some rest. Thanks.
Deanna!
Security! Override the lock on Counsellor Troi's quarters. Now!
- What's wrong? - The mirror!
I came in here, I looked into the mirror...
It wasn't me, Worf!
It wasn't me! It was my face but it wasn't me inside!
- Is she alright? - I feel fine... now.
Signs of stress, adrenaline by-products higher than baseline,
but that's normal after sudden fright. All brain functions are OK.
What happened, Deanna?
It wasn't what I saw, it was... more what I felt.
I looked into the mirror, and it seemed
a stranger was staring back at me from behind my own eyes...
- as if my face was a mask! - La Forge to Capt Picard.
- Go ahead. - I've found something.
I'm on my way.
Lt Worf!
- Doctor. - Can I help you?
Perhaps not.
Worf, you came in here for something.
A warrior does not complain about physical discomfort.
But the Captain said to report anything out of the ordinary.
Are you in pain?
How did this happen?
Do you recognize this planet, Data?
Yes, sir.
It is the planet our probe detected in the T-tauri system.
No, it's not.
Actually, it's Tethys III. I got this image from the ship's library.
Its geophysical figures have been altered, but it is Tethys III.
Strange, an obscure planet light years away is picked up by the probe.
Data,
did you take this image and program the probe to send it back to us?
- I cannot verify that hypothesis. - But you don't deny it.
No, sir.
Mr. La Forge, will you send another probe to the T-tauri system?
Yes, sir.
I'm sorry, Data.
Counsellor Troi has just had a very disturbing hallucination.
- Is she alright, sir? - For the moment.
Can you tell me if Deanna's incident is related in any way
to this missing time period?
No, sir, I cannot.
Data, you are the key to this mystery.
Why do you block any attempt to solve it? Why are you fighting me?
It is not by choice.
- What do you mean by that? - I cannot say.
Would you rather endanger Deanna, a friend,
than tell me what is going on?
Which would you place first,
the welfare of a single individual or that of the entire crew?
Are you saying that by not co-operating, you are protecting us?
I am not saying that. I merely state an alternative explanation.
Then, Mr. Data,
I'm going to ask you again...
..and I order you to directly answer me.
What really happened to us?
I cannot answer that.
What would you have me do, Data?
How would you handle this if our positions were reversed?
I am apparently guilty of falsifying the Enterprise's records,
of interfering with an investigation,
of disobeying a direct order from my commanding officer.
Your duty seems clear, sir.
Do you know what a court martial would mean?
Your career in Starfleet would be finished.
I realize that, sir.
Do you also realize you'll be stripped down
to your wires to find what the hell has gone wrong?
Yes, sir. I do.
This wrist has been broken. Broken and reset
and treated with one of our own bone fusion units.
- During the missing day? - That's the only possibility.
Are you suggesting he was conscious?
I'm suggesting maybe we all were.
I didn't repair a broken wrist while I was unconscious.
- And our memories of that day? - Blocked, possibly erased.
By whom?
There are very few individuals on board who could break my wrist.
Cmdr Data is one of them.
- I can't accept that explanation. - He has the speed and the strength.
Granted.
But I'm beginning to suspect Data is refusing to co-operate
because he believes he is acting in the interests of the Enterprise.
- La Forge to Captain Picard. - Go ahead, Geordi.
- Probe approaching the planet, sir. - Maybe now we'll get some answers.
- What do you have, Mr. La Forge? - Visuals available now.
M-class. Nickel-iron core, nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere.
The same planet our sensors picked up before the so-called wormhole.
Affirmative.
No indication of any space-time distortion whatsoever.
We should detect a residual effect even if the wormhole is inactive.
That's because there is no wormhole. There never was.
Sir?
It was a ruse, designed to throw us off the track.
Look at the clues. Dr Crusher's incubators,
the clock, the transporter trace. All indicate a missing day.
And Lt Worf's broken wrist seems to suggest that...
..we were awake and aware for that day,
possibly in a struggle for our lives.
The fact we're still alive suggests we might have won.
Not necessarily, Doctor. Data's behaviour suggests we didn't.
Why else would he sacrifice his career rather than tell the truth?
If we didn't win and didn't lose...
Then the only alternative would be a stalemate.
Maybe a compromise was reached that forced Data into this silence.
Maybe by uncovering this, we risk upsetting the stalemate.
- Maybe we should leave well alone. - I would live with the mystery,
but Data's role in this must be ascertained
or he can't be trusted with Starfleet duty.
Take us back to the scene of the crime. T-tauri system, warp two.
Within sensor range, Captain.
Drop to impulse. Worf, maximum shields. Ready all weapons.
Shields up. Photon torpedoes armed. Phasers standing by.
Captain, an energy field has appeared between us and the planet.
On screen.
Hold position. Let's see what it does.
The field has emitted an energy pulse. It's approaching.
Too slow for a photon torpedo.
It might be a probe.
Let's see what happens when it hits the shields.
Shields undamaged. The energy pulse has dispersed.
Counsellor Troi, what is it?
The plan has failed.
You have returned.
Your ship is again in our space.
I was unable to prevent it.
Nevertheless, you are here.
The Enterprise is not a threat.
Give me time. Our destruction would...
Data, Captain wanted me to bring you to the bridge.
- Counsellor! - One moment if you would.
Do nothing. It may yet be possible to salvage the situation.
Reporting as ordered, Captain.
Well, Data, as you can see we're back where it all started.
We must leave immediately, sir.
Why?
Any further delay would put us all at grave risk.
Why? What is the source of that risk?
- The energy field? - I cannot say.
Data, you sound as if you're stuck in a... feedback loop!
You certainly can say. You have free will, a choice.
- My silence is not by choice, sir. - Not by choice?
Are you somehow controlled by that force?
Did Geordi miss something?
His examination was exemplary.
Then why are you compelled to disobey my orders? How...?
During the missing day,...
..were you contacted by Starfleet?
Did they order you to conceal the truth from us?
I cannot answer that. We must leave, sir.
This ship isn't going anywhere. Not until I get an answer.
Now who gave you that order?
You did, sir.
I ordered you to lie?
Captain, the energy field is approaching.
Maintain shields at full.
No. We must vary shield shape and strength.
Maximum shields will speed the ship's takeover.
Contact imminent!
- Do as Data says, at once. - Aye, sir.
The field is shifting, trying to match our shields.
The field will penetrate our shields.
There is no way to counter Paxan technology.
We can delay their takeover, but cannot prevent it.
The Paxans? Who are they?
You have invaded our system.
- No! - Worf!
You will only harm Troi's body.
We are not invaders. We are explorers.
Your knowledge of us is unacceptable.
They are xenophobes, sir, isolationists.
They terraformed a protoplanet in this system
to better conceal their whereabouts.
The apparent wormhole is actually a trap to keep out invaders.
The energy field stuns everyone on board the invading vessel,
and places them in a biochemical stasis.
That's why our beards didn't grow.
The Paxans then remove the ship.
So the crew wakes up, think it was a wormhole and keep going.
- Precisely. - What went wrong this time?
My positronic brain is a technology unknown to the Paxans.
Our stun field did not affect him.
He remained conscious as we tried to take over the ship.
When I saw the crew was incapacitated,
I initiated emergency procedures.
Computer, engage emergency plan Z-Z-Alpha.
Automatic defence procedures initiated.
Energy-field strength increasing.
Warning, shield penetration 17 percent.
Computer, begin random fluctuation of shield frequency and modulation.
Executed.
With the ship temporarily protected, I revived the crew.
Computer, pump ADTH into the airflow system, five parts per million.
Acknowledged. Initiating compound release now.
Status, Data.
The energy field is attempting to match the shield frequency, sir.
Options, Mr. Worf?
I do not recommend weapons at this range.
Can we go to warp?
Negative. The field is also acting as a tractor beam.
Warning. Shields have been penetrated.
All systems are frozen.
The Paxans can manipulate energy structures on many levels.
They took control of Counsellor Troi's body to communicate with us.
Captain!
No, stop, everyone!
Who are you?
You are aware of our existence.
Our attempt to place you in biochemical stasis has failed.
We have no choice but to destroy this ship.
If you destroy this ship, others will come in search of us.
Knowledge of your civilization will be spread across half the galaxy.
No.
Allow us safe passage and I will protect your right to privacy
to the best of my ability. We will never tell of your existence.
There are over 1,000 life forms on this vessel.
How could you assure their silence?
This biochemical stasis,
does it suppress synaptic function?
It does.
Then you are capable of affecting memory.
Can you erase the short-term memory of everyone on this ship,
remove all knowledge of this event and allow us to proceed?
It would take time. One of your days.
He is immune to our influence.
Data, I'm going to give you a most unusual order.
I'm not sure you will be able to integrate it into your program.
As a Starfleet officer, I'm required to follow your orders.
Good, because our survival depends on it.
I am ordering you never to reveal what has happened here today,
not to Starfleet, not to myself even.
You will conceal your knowledge of the Paxans
for as long as you exist. Do you fully understand, Data?
Completely, sir.
- Satisfactory? - Agreed.
Good. Now our task is to eliminate from the ship's records
any information that might lead to knowledge of this incident.
Let's get to work.
We erased all evidence of our encounter with the Paxans.
I reset the computer's chronometer and again the crew were stunned,
their short-term memories erased. When they were revived a day later
the adjustments made it seem only 30 seconds had passed.
- And here we are. - Here we are again.
Your plan has failed. This ship must be destroyed.
No! Wait! The plan failed
because clues were left behind that suggested a mystery,
and to many humans a mystery is irresistible.
It must be solved. The doctor's incubator, Worf's wrist,
Troi's hallucinations. Little pieces of evidence suggesting more clues...
the clock, the transporter trace, Data's odd behaviour.
If we eliminate the clues and begin again...
- Again? - Yes.
Consider the first time a run-through,
a rehearsal to shake out the flaws.
The second time will succeed if we leave no clues.
You are a most unusual species,...
..worthy of a second chance. Proceed.
Welcome back, Counsellor.
Geordi, Data, reconfigure the computer records.
Number One, oversee the rest of the ship. And this time,
let's get it right.
What happened?
The effect from the wormhole was intense.
So it would seem.
Everyone but I was rendered unconscious.
My positronic system is immune.
- How long were we out? - 30 seconds, sir.
Position?
.54 parsecs from our previous position. Bearing 285 mark 147.
- It could be worse. - Yes, sir.
The wormhole was a local phenomenon.
Crusher to Bridge. What happened?
The Enterprise went through a wormhole.
It seems the entire crew was unconscious for about 30 seconds.
- Is anyone on the bridge hurt? - Apparently not.
- I'll check the other decks. Out. - Status reports?
- Shields and weapons unaffected. - No damage in Engineering.
Counsellor?
There's a feeling of disorientation on board, but nothing serious.
Very well.
There's still that anomalous class-M planet to investigate.
- Ensign, replot a course back to... - Sir, it is likely
the readings were a result of the wormhole's effect.
It was extremely unstable. I recommend against returning.
It might put the Enterprise at further risk.
- We could launch a probe. - That would be sufficient.
Make it so.
And put out a hazard advisory to Starfleet.
- Set a course for Evadne IV. - Aye, sir.
Engage.
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