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"Right! I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? To find out what
happening we need literally to get to the bottom of this. That's where
we will find the answer."
"And if there is no answer?" asked Data.
"Oh, there's always an answer, Mr. Data. It may not al ways be one
that we want to hear, or that we understand. But there is always an
answer."
"Has there ever been an answer that you didn't under stand, Q?" asked
Picard.
I gave it a moment's thought, and then shrugged. "There's a first time
for everything, I suppose."
"Let us hope this isn't it," Picard said.
"Indeed."
And with that we stepped boldly toward the crevice.
It was big. Grand Canyon big! And I wanted to observe it before
plunging in. Was it steaming hot or freezing cold? I tried to get
some sort of sensation from it, but nothing was forthcoming.
"So... how do we get down?" asked Picard. And then, because he'd
never been much good at waiting around for others to plot strategies,
he answered his own question. "It would seem climbing is the only
option. Unless you can simply.., materialize us down there." "That,
in fact, is my intention," I told him.
Relocation was the easiest trick I knew. It was no more difficult than
moving mountains... So, with an admittedly nonessential flourish, I
caused us to disappear in a burst of light. Our next stop: the bottom
of the abyss. Imagine my surprise when we reappeared and found
ourselves right back where we started. I spun in place, so quickly did
I look around, that I nearly tripped over my own feet. "Say what--?" I
managed to get out, which certainly wasn't the brightest utterance I'd
ever made.
"It would appear we have not moved," Data said.
"Thank you! Thank you for that brilliant evaluation, Data," I shot
back. "Are there any other pithy comments you'd care to make?"
"What happened, Q?"
"I don't know what happened, Picard. All I know is that we should be
down there, but instead we're still up here."
"Did something negate your power?"
"No. No." I was vamping. "It was as if we were reflected somehow.
Bounced back."
"Something is capable of defying your abilities?"
I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you say it louder, Data? why don't you
walk around with a billboard and make a big fat announcement?"
"Calm down, Q. I know it's a bitter pill to swallow, but Data was just
asking a question."
"One question too many! And while we're at it, let's get
something straight. I'm still Q. An infinity of options minus one is
still an infinity of options."
There was a sudden flash, and three pairs of antigravity boots
materialized on our feet. I smiled smugly and walked straight toward
the crevice. "You see, Picard?" I said. "We shall float down, as
gently and as noiselessly as hair follicles deserting your scalp."
I walked confidently over the edge, hovered there for a moment, the
gravity boots working as expected... and then my stomach shot up into
my mouth as I started to plummet.
The only thing that prevented my plunging straight into the void was
the fact that I reached out and snagged an outcropping as I fell. I
held on with all my strength, trying to use the toes of the boots to
push myself back up. No good. My fingers slipped.
I was clutching nothing except air. But in the instant before I
started to fall, Data's golden hand grabbed my wrist and held me there.
The strain on my shoulder felt tremendous. I thought my arm was going
to rip right out of its socket. What was odd, of course, was that I
was unaccustomed to feeling anything resembling pain, and why in the
world I would experience such a sensation now, while dangling over the
crevice, was a mystery to me.
"Your powers don't seem to function within the proximity of the
crevice," Picard said.
"Oh, gee, Picard, you think so?" Masking my sarcasm had never been one
of my strengths.
"So," said Picard, wisely not reacting to my annoyance, "do you have
any other ideas."
"None spring readily to mind," I admitted, "but I'm working on it!"
"So noted," said Picard, as if everything that was occur ring was
going to be entered into his insufferable captain's log.
"I believe I can be of service in this matter," Data said. He walked
straight to the edge of the abyss and looked down, contemplating it for
a moment. Then he crouched and swung his legs over the drop, turned,
and caught the edge with his fingers, all in one smooth motion.
"What are you doing?" asked Picard.
We heard the sound of chiseling. "Creating handholds, sir."
Indeed he was. We approached the edge and looked down to see. The
bottom was not visible; for all we knew, we would descend and descend
until our strength gave out, at which point we would fall and keep on
falling forever. Then again, it was clear that nothing was going to be
accomplished without some degree of risk. And Data was endeavoring to
reduce at least one element of that risk. With the strength of his
android arms and legs, he was punching and kicking holes in the rock
face beneath us, which we could easily use as a means of descent. He
moved like a monkey: a super strong gold-skinned monkey. Data
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