. . . 2296 . . .Fort Madison . . .

. . . January 10th . . . 11:38 AM. . .

The Picard fellow came into my room. Or was it my room at all? I was scared, honestly. Scared of closing my eyes. Because when I did close my eyes all I saw was a terrifying beast that was like a dragon and a bird merged together. It was scary for the least. All too scary. Whenever I did close my eyes I felt so alone against the creature. It was like the creature still lurked but inside my head.

Maybe it did.

Maybe it didn't.

All I knew is that I am afraid of it.

My eyes were wide open.

I was unable to say a word due to the drugs I am on by the staff attempting to have me take a nap. They should just hang up their coats and let me just be afraid. Afraid of what could be real. I can still recall that flying ball fly through the window shattering the glass into pieces shortly this morning. It glowed orange scanning the room using a green light then faced my direction.

It replayed the image in my mind except it was real.

I remember letting out a terrified scream.

"Quarty," The Picard fellow said. "I know you are scared. But you have to sleep."

I moved my right hand's fingers.

It was some part of my brain that did not allow me to speak or do anything for that matter. That machine scanned me using a red light different from the orange. The machine had a metal like ding. The ding was so clear I can still hear it in my mind. The item flew out of my vision. It was after that I discovered I couldn't speak to convey my fear. What did the scan do?

That machine also left a hollow high pitch sound.

I can hear people,but most of all their thoughts.

He has to rest, The Picard fellow thought, or else it will kill him.

Kill me?

My face couldn't make the expression of a frown as I stared at him.

Hah, The Picard fellow thought, the other way around. What he said to me is . . .Now in his problem.

What did I say earlier?

I am so not going to die.

I have to push onward and prove a man wanting to stay away from what terrifies him can still live!

"Quarty," The Picard fellow said. "If you are in there, still, do something other than staring at me."

The high pitch sound grew louder and louder.

This was a test. A DAMN TEST to see how I fared with this distraction. Honestly? I am frightened, and scared. If I could close my eyes I would,Picard. But I just can't. I should be better not worse. The Picard fellow leaned forward reached his hand out to my face and put his hands accordingly alongside my face. The Picard fellow muttered a phrase. Soon enough, I could feel someone . . . Searching. Searching in my mind. God, he was invading my mind! Scoping around, to be precise. The door behind the Picard fellow was shut closed with a lock in place. Were they scared of a patient going mad and becoming a threat?

I am just so scared of closing my eyes.

Can't anyone see the look in my eyes?

All I could hear was a high pitch hollow sound radiating through. I had gone without sleep for hours. I thought I could keep it up. Keep up the game of staying away. It was a matter of time before the image dissipated. Suddenly I can feel a solitude. A clear and pristine solitude. I felt calm, relaxed, and entirely good. I felt very content. I felt a heavy weight on my eye lids. Then there was a flood of memories and emotions that were not entirely mine. How do I know?

I don't.

I,somehow, could feel my right hand reach to his face and take on the similar position. These emotions were heavy and rather understandable. I felt close and personal in this . . Mind Meld? My eyes closed into the darkness. I saw the memory of a rather younger Picard with white hair walking alongside a woman with red curly hair down a earthly beach. She held a small box in her hands with a sad expression. She was so young!

They came to a stop at the ocean side.

The Picard fellow had his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her shoulders were going up and down.

Was this . . . A death being honored?

B . . .Beverly . . . Howard.

Her name was Beverly.

Beverly opened the small box.

White like sand was carried out of the box into the air.

J. . . Jack. . . Jack Crusher.

The Picard fellow appeared to be sad watching the contents of the box fly off.

I know how he feels, I heard John-Luc thought.

I realized where I was and how this moment was part of John-Luc. This is the day he honored the wishes of his late friend Jack Crusher, Ex-Husband of Beverly Howard. I turned around feeling my heart race searching for him. How could I be hearing John-Luc on what seems to be a random beach scene where Jack's ashes are carried into the sky?

"John-Luc?" I shouted,looking at the sky. "Are you doing a mind meld?"

My scene changed from the beach to a injured version of John-Luc on the floor with a burned leg. A brown Vulcan with little hair and prosthetic legs grabbed John-Luc by the arm and started to take him out of harms way from the oncoming fire blasts. He was a red shirt! A red shirt to another Star Ship out there! That was . . . Tuvok? No. That wasn't. That was Taveek. Strange name for a male Vulcan who's name should start with a S. I scratched my head. What kind of event lead to that name? Tuvok must have done some illegal time traveling to influence that!

So uncalled for, Tuvok.

"You don't owe me, Pocirld." Taveek said, in a shelter with John-Luc.

"The hell I do!" John-Luc said.

The Mind-Meld must be penetrating the memories.

Taveek rolled an eye.

"I am just here to make sure the guy with a penchant to lose his officers doesn't die." Taveek said.

John-Luc pressed himself against the wall cringing in pain.

"How do you know that?" John-Luc said.

"You never came back to the Enterprise for a report about the planet with two biologists," Taveek said. "The Enterprise had to attend to another matter so the ship I was stationed on was sent to get you back."

"And now we are stuck." John-Luc said.

"Apparently." Taveek said.

"I have an idea." John-Luc said.

Taveek raised a brow.

"What kind?" Taveek asked.

"We are going to play a game with them." John-Luc said.

Oh, I love games!

I watched the memory unfold by the sidelines. At the end I began to experience a hollow high pitch sound. I looked up toward the sky feeling the clarity in my mind starting to fade. I could hear John-Luc thinking, "He needs a new image. He needs a new image to see rather than the one his vision sees." My right hand had been lowered to my side. "He must pull through as a whole."

My entire surroundings were changing in terms of reality.

I saw my boat and in the other eye I saw John-Luc with his eyes closed now having both hands on different sides of my face. What kind of Mind Meld is now doing? What was he doing to to the sound to be exact? I saw a box appear before my left eye. I had a gut feeling to put this sound into the box. I grabbed what I associated the sound to into the box,closed it, and taped up the box. I thought of one thing to say to John-Luc.

Which I hope he could hear.

"It is nice to see you again,John-Luc." I thought.

All I could hear is silence.