The Complication

Promise Me

Tasha sat down stiffly. Out of habit she went to fold her hands on the table. Upon seeing them, she quickly put them in her lap. They were red and swollen, bleeding and burnt from where she had made contact with the Entity.

"I will escort you to Sickbay," Data said as he stood.

"I'll go after our debrief," Tasha replied.

"That is not acceptable," Data stated.

"Well, it's gonna have to be," Tasha snapped.

She wasn't mad at Data. Truthfully, she wasn't mad at Riker either. He hadn't known when he'd ordered her to the meeting, and it had been clear in his face that he felt terrible for popping off at her moments earlier.

But she also knew she had been the last person to see the Captain and may have vital information to aid in finding him.

"Lieutenant, we can continue this after your wounds have been attended to," Riker stated.

"I'm fine, Sir," Tasha replied professionally.

She explained to the other officers that two security personnel and the Assistant Transporter Chief had been unconscious when she arrived. She walked the team through her observations during her encounter.

"It was like he was in there, fighting for control of his own body," Tasha explained.

"And these burns?" Geordi asked. "Worf and Doctor Crusher didn't experience this."

"I think it was a defence mechanism. It was as if he could adapt once he realised I wasn't just going to let him walk out of there. Every time I tried to detain him, they grew more intensive," she said.

"Do we have the location yet on where he beamed to?" Riker asked.

"We're not sure yet. There was damage to the console. They're working on it now," Tasha explained.

"What kind of damage?" Geordi asked. "I'd like to get down there help if that's alright with you, Commander Riker?"

Riker nodded to Geordi.

"An explosion," Tasha informed them.

"Were you on top of the console?" Worf said with a hint of a smile.

Many of the crew hadn't ever picked up on Worf's sense of humour. It was something Tasha had grown to appreciate, especially when things got bad.

"You could say that," Tasha replied dryly.

"Data, can you adjust our scanners to try and locate the Captain's energy signature?" Riker asked.

"I will need to make several adjustments and amplify the signal in order to compensate for the extra energy given off by the cloud, but I believe so, Sir," Data nodded as he began to punch in instructions into his PADD to rework the main Bridge scanners.

Tasha sat back in her chair. Everything hurt, but at least the chair felt nice.

"Do you sense anything Counsellor?" Riker asked as he turned to Deanna.

She shook her head.

"No, I'm not picking up anything," she said sadly.

Tasha closed her eyes. She knew she needed to get to Sickbay, but she wanted to rest her eyes for a moment.

"Lieutenant Yar," Data said sharply.

Tasha's eyes snapped open.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Wha 'sa question?" she asked lazily.

Data had been monitoring her since she had entered the room. He could tell her that her pupils were dilated, and she seemed to be struggling to maintain focus. He was no doctor, but he felt confident in his assessment that she had sustained a head injury that would require medical treatment.