Part 3 (1/2)
A sense of detail and windows to boot, thought La Forge. Whoever built this place cared about the environment they lived in.
Suddenly, for a split second, he thought he saw a quick blip of energy run through the outer wall, near the floor. Just a blip on the edge of his vision and then it was gone. It was the kind of shadow image his VISOR occasionally picked up on the s.h.i.+p-a stray signal from some piece of equipment. In a place this big, that kind of thing was sure to happen.
Riker took a deep breath. ”The air is a little stale, but not bad. And the place looks clean. I was expecting several thousand years' worth of dust.”
Barclay spoke up immediately, ”Perhaps the airfiltration system continued to function after the inhabitants left.”
The first officer gazed directly at Barclay, and the lieutenant seemed to shrink. ”You think so, Mr. Barclay?” asked Riker.
”Ah, yes, sir, it's a possibility, sir,” Barclay replied.
Geordi could see heat rush to the lieutenant's face. Barclay was blus.h.i.+ng, probably sorry he'd opened his mouth in the first place. Riker, whether he noticed or not, headed mercifully for the exit-an archway much like the one they'd entered by.
”I'd say it was a good possibility, Lieutenant,” the first officer tossed back as he led the team out into the corridor. Barclay and his light source brought up the rear.
This corridor looked much like the place they had come from, smallish and comfortable. The ceiling was a couple of inches higher than Riker's head and wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The walls were again molded and gently curved into the distance. From the angle of the curve, Geordi guessed the corridor ran the entire outer edge of the station.
He took some tricorder readings. ”I'm picking up chambers and windows as well as hatches and airlocks all along the outer wall of the station,” he said. ”This place is laid out very efficiently.”
”Not the kind of thing you throw away,” Riker commented. ”Where could everybody have gone?”
”Commander,” Geordi said, ”if the station is really a large subs.p.a.ce field coil, it's possible that it could move the ma.s.s of the entire station. A major malfunction could have transported this place from light-years away.”
The first officer was interested. ”You're saying that the station may have left its masters behind?”
The engineer shrugged. ”This early in the game, anything is possible.”
Once again, Riker took the lead, heading down the corridor. ”Let's see if we can pry some of those secrets out of her.”
Geordi could see that Barclay was studying what seemed to be a small access tunnel, possibly a meter and a half high and just wide enough for one person. ”Anything interesting, Reg?”
”There's a lot of circuitry packed into here,” the lieutenant replied.
La Forge nodded. ”I'll give you a hand.”
Riker was already heading for the next archway, barely visible in the distance. ”I'm going to take a look around down there,” he said.
By the time Geordi reached Barclay, the lieutenant was already crouched in front of the tunnel, s.h.i.+ning his handlamp down its length.
”There's another chamber further on,” Barclay said, crawling into the opening.
Taking a quick reading on his tricorder, Geordi confirmed that the tunnel was as innocuous as it seemed. He ducked his head inside tentatively. After a moment, he crawled after the lieutenant. ”I'm right behind you, Reg.”
Barclay was taking the short, dark trip in stride. ”No fear of cramped, dark places?” Geordi called ahead.
”No, sir,” came the other man's reply. ”My cousins and I used to explore caves near our grandfather's house.” His voice echoed along the tunnel.
”I didn't figure you for a spelunker, Reg.” Geordi smiled at the image of a fearless Barclay making his way through dangerous caverns.
The lieutenant shrugged. ”The dark never bothered me, sir. And I'm not claustrophobic. I thought it was kind of exciting, unknown and mysterious. My grandfather thought the caves were a good test of character.” Barclay seemed to think carefully for a moment before he continued. ”He always maintained that there were two kinds of people.”
”Just two?” Geordi asked.
”Yes, sir,” Barclay replied. ”He said some people are made of steel and some are made of clay, some bend and some fall apart. Sooner or later, you find out what you are. And he thought caves were a good place to find out what you were made of.”
For a moment, Geordi was taken aback. This was not the Reginald Barclay he knew, shy and unsteady. The lieutenant was opening up about his personal life for the first time since they had met.
”Did he ever tell you what you were, Reg?”
Barclay stopped for a moment and turned in the tunnel to look at Geordi directly. He seemed to be considering the question. ”Yes, sir. He said I was an unsaturated hydrocarbon polymer resin.”
”But that's ... rubber?” Geordi replied, dumb-founded.
The other man nodded. ”That's right.”
”Your grandfather had a strange sense of humor,” La Forge remarked.
”Yes,” Barclay said, his face a mask. ”Funny, but I don't miss it,” he added with a nervous grin.
Well, well, Geordi thought. Old Barclay has a sense of humor. I didn't think he could surprise me anymore.
Suddenly, the lieutenant was up and out of the tunnel. Geordi followed closely, glad to give his knees a break. As Barclay swept the room with the handlamp, Geordi scanned it with his VISOR and took a quick reading with his tricorder.
This was definitely some type of control center. The room had no windows, but there was a great deal of circuitry running into the panel and monitor on the far wall. And the circuitry seemed remarkably intact, considering its age.
Geordi's observations were cut short when he heard a sound on his left. Seeing motion, he jumped-and then chided himself when he realized it was Commander Riker's familiar form standing in front of another access tunnel.
The exec nodded by way of a greeting as he dusted himself off. ”Fancy meeting you here.”
La Forge smiled. ”For a second there, I thought you were the landlord.”
Riker grinned. ”No. But let's hope that if they do come home, and find us here, they're in a good mood.”
Taking a few steps toward the entrance, Geordi leaned in to quietly address the first officer. ”Sir, it seems safe in here, and we don't have time for much more than a quick look around. I was thinking that maybe the captain would appreciate a chance to see this firsthand. And if it is Iconian ...”
Riker gave the suggestion a moment's sober consideration. ”Let's ask him.”
Not more than a second or two after the captain had materialized on the alien station, his communicator chirped.
”Picard here,” he responded.
As he had expected, it was Riker. The captain and the first officer had transported to and from the s.h.i.+p and station simultaneously.
”Just wanted to make sure you arrived safely, sir. I'll be on the bridge if you need me.”
”Thank you, Number One. Picard out.”
”What do you think, Captain?”
Picard turned and saw it was Geordi who'd asked the question.