CRUSHER: Chief medical officer's log, stardate 44161.2.
We are docking at Starbase 133 for scheduled crew rotation.
I look forward to welcoming aboard my mentor and dear friend,
Dr. Dalen Quaice,
who will be traveling with us to his home planet, Kenda II.
Dalen.
Oh, it's good to see you again, Beverly.
- You look wonderful. - A lie I can live with.
It's kind of your captain to ferry me home.
It was on our way.
- Thanks, O'Brien. - My pleasure, doctor.
Dalen, I was sorry to hear about Patricia.
She'd been ill for some time.
Is her death the reason you're giving up your post here?
Well, we had a lifetime together doing all the things we'd ever dreamed.
And more.
But when she was gone,
I couldn't continúe to work in that office,
sleep in that bed without her.
The absence of her was too distracting.
Uh, I'm not sure that I'm making any sense.
Jack and I didn't have a lifetime together,
only a few short years, but I understand.
When you realize someone you love is lost forever.
You know what the worst part of growing old is?
So many of the people you've known all your life are gone.
- Hmm. - And you realize
you didn't take the time
to appreciate them while you still could.
Oh, I'm sorry.
There's no reason to load all this emotional baggage on you.
- I usually travel light. - Heh.
Wes, time for the experiment is over. I want my warp engines back now.
WESLEY: I'm almost done, commander.
Almost isn't good enough.
You wanna explain when the captain says "engage" and we just sit here?
WESLEY: I just need a couple more minutes.
I'm ready to try the new warp field.
- Mom? - Don't let me interrupt.
Wesley.
WESLEY: Right, okay.
LA FORGE: Computer, run a level-two diagnostic
on warp-drive systems.
COMPUTER: Antimatter containment positive.
Warp drive within normal parameters.
Wesley, talk to me.
That shouldn't have happened.
Why would there be any visible phenomena
outside the warp drive?
RIKER [OVER COM]: Prepare for umbilical disconnect.
- Are you done? - Yeah.
Mom?
RIKER: Clear all moorings, Engineering,
Aft thrusters.
Aft thrusters, aye.
Impulse power, to the helm.
Dalen?
Dalen, it's Beverly.
Computer.
Current location of Dr. Dalen Quaice.
COMPUTER: There is no Dr. Dalen Quaice
aboard the Enterprise.
PICARD: 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.
[DOOR CHIMES]
Come.
Lieutenant Worf, yesterday, before we left starbase,
an old friend of mine came on board.
Dr. Dalen Quaice.
I requested quarters for him. He was assigned here.
I was not aware of this passenger.
I'm sorry. I thought it was standard procedure
for you to be informed after Captain Picard approved passage.
It is. Please proceed.
We were to meet for breakfast.
But I can't seem to find him or his belongings.
Computer, where is Dr. Dalen Quaice?
COMPUTER: There is no Dr. Dalen Quaice
aboard the Enterprise.
Lieutenant, Dr. Quaice is very old and rather frail.
If he fell somewhere, if his communicator were damaged—
- I will order a search immediately. - Thank you.
Even if Dr. Quaice had been injured, why would his belongings be missing?
WORF: Sir, I have several teams
conducting a deck-by-deck search.
It is not yet complete.
I have scanned the entire ship, captain.
Other than the Enterprise's regular complement,
I can find no one else on board.
Your sensors wouldn't detect him if he were dead.
That is correct, doctor.
Could, um, your friend have returned to the starbase without telling you?
An emergency of some sort?
There were a lot of people going back and forth
between the ship and the starbase yesterday.
We can easily check the transporter ID traces.
By all means, check the trace log.
But even if the results are negative, contact Starbase Command.
We should leave nothing to chance.
Aye, sir.
PICARD: One moment, doctor.
I'm sure you are aware of the procedure involving passengers.
Of course.
I don't know why Lieutenant Worf wasn't told about Dr. Quaice.
Well, I was not informed either.
But I sent in a request weeks ago.
Then it must have been intercepted before it reached me.
Uh, and someone else sent approval? Why?
Dr. Quaice had been stationed at the starbase for some time?
Six years.
Perhaps it would be prudent to find out if he had acquired any enemies there.
Course laid in for Durenia IV, sir.
Thank you, Number One. Mr. Data?
Sir, Starbase 133 has no record at all of a Dr. Dalen Quaice.
You said he was stationed there for six years.
DATA: Not according to their computer.
I have also accessed Starfleet records.
There is no doctor currently serving in Starfleet named Quaice.
In fact, I can find no service record whatsoever.
There are no birth records with that name.
- I can find no— CRUSHER: Data.
I interned with him on Delos IV. I've known him for 15 years.
I do not doubt you, doctor.
But I have tried 173 phonetic variations of the name and I—
His name is Dalen Quaice. Q-U-A-I-C-E.
Whatever your records say, they're wrong.
PICARD: Mr. Worf?
We have completed our search, captain.
- We cannot locate Dr. Quaice. - You're not alone.
He was on board.
I met him myself in Transporter Room 3.
Then it appears, for reasons unknown,
someone has taken great pains to erase all traces of this man.
Who was on transporter duty when he came aboard?
Dr. Quaice?
Was he part of the regular crew rotation?
No, he's a friend of Dr. Crusher's.
- When did he arrive? - Yesterday at 1600 hours.
That was my watch.
I beamed this man aboard?
Yes, I was here to meet him.
An elderly man, not in the best of health.
I'm sorry. I remember you being here for a short while.
But you were alone.
Was he invisible?
Did I carry on a conversation with thin air?
Heh. No, doctor.
As I recall,
you came in and you looked around for a few moments.
I asked you if I could help you with anything.
All you said was "Thank you." I said, "My pleasure," or something.
And that was the end of it.
There was no one else here.
[SIGHS]
I can't believe that Chief O'Brien might be lying.
Well, he believes what he says.
And there is no trace imprint for Dr. Quaice.
Will, I didn't just conjure up one of my best friends
from a test tube.
Well, if the ship's records have been tampered with,
the transporter records could have been changed as well.
And with everybody coming and going yesterday,
maybe O'Brien just doesn't remember.
- Or... - Or?
It might be a good idea to run a diagnostic on him.
To make sure he wasn't tampered with?
- What do you think? - It's worth a try.
I'll check the replicator activity logs.
Eighteen hours is a long time to go without food.
Or without someone seeing him.
[SIGHS]
Chief, this examination should only take a few minutes.
- But I feel fine. - Sit down.
[O'BRIEN SIGHS]
Doctor, it's no use checking my eyesight.
I didn't see your friend.
I'll be a little more comprehensive than that, chief.
Dr. Crusher to Dr. Hill.
Respond, please.
Dr. Selar, your present location?
Computer, current whereabouts of Drs. Hill and Selar.
COMPUTER: There is no Dr. Hill or Dr. Selar
aboard the Enterprise.
Drs. Hill and Selar
and four other members of my medical staff have all vanished.
All record of their ever having been on the Enterprise
has been excised from the computer's memory.
Did they come aboard with Dr. Quaice?
No. They've been on board for months.
But my two duty nurses don't remember them.
Their families don't even remember them.
As O'Brien didn't remember Dr. Quaice.
I checked O'Brien thoroughly.
I found no physiological abnormalities.
WESLEY [OVER COM]: Crusher to Captain Picard.
Go ahead, ensign.
WESLEY: I'm in Engineering, sir.
There's something here I think you'd better see.
It may be connected to Dr. Quaice's disappearance.
PICARD: On my way.
- Progress, Number One? - No one's seen him.
The replicator in his quarters has not been used.
Mr. Worf, check hull and shield integrity
for any sign of intruders.
Yes, sir. But I've been closely monitoring all on board sensors.
There has been no indication—
Give me a level-one diagnostic of any on board sensors.
And run a manual sweep of any anomalous airborne
or electromagnetic readings.
I want some answers.
I've been experimenting with Kosinski's warp-field equations,
trying to improve engine efficiency.
I've read your reports.
We did a test run while we were still at the starbase.
Here's what the computer recorded.
WESLEY: This is the static warp field,
we created inside the warp drive.
The experiment was designed to see
if we could keep a bubble like this intact.
As you'll see in a moment, we couldn't.
There was a momentary flash of light.
It was all over the spectrum.
I remember that.
Are you suggesting that a bubble
could have made Dr. Quaice disappear?
If he were caught in it, yes, sir.
It would seem to us like he disappeared.
- Where would he go? - Who knows?
Could even end up outside of our space-time continuum.
Was Dr. Quaice in Engineering during your experiment?
LA FORGE: No, sir.
And the bubble never expanded beyond Engineering?
No, sir.
Then how could it have trapped Dr. Quaice or the others?
There are others missing?
Yes, and they weren't anywhere near Engineering.
It doesn't make sense.
I doubt that a warp bubble could alter computer records,
or erase memories.
Keep at it, ensign, Mr. La Forge. It's our only working theory for now.
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
PICARD: Something else happen? - Sickbay is totally empty.
Apparently, I no longer have any staff.
And that surprises you, doctor?
Heh. Surprises me? I'll say it surprises me.
There should be at least four members of my staff on duty at all times.
I am afraid ship's records do not concur, doctor.
What are you talking about?
You do not have a staff.
You're telling me I'm the sole medical officer on a ship
with over a thousand people on board?
Excuse me, doctor,
but the entire ship's complement is 230.
What?
Doctor, may I see you in my Ready Room?
Would you, uh, care for something?
So, Beverly...
Tea, Earl Grey, hot.
You're saying that this ship has lost
nearly 800 of its personnel?
I know how it sounds.
None of the scans show any anomalies.
No signs of an intruder.
Wesley's experiment clearly did not have the scope
to affect an entire starship.
Captain, the Enterprise is in serious danger.
You must believe me.
I have no choice but to believe you.
The safety of my entire crew is at stake.
But, uh, I must be sure.
That I haven't lost my mind?
I just examined myself.
And being the only doctor on board, I had to do it myself.
There were no signs of dysfunction.
Yes, there was an increased elevation of adrenaline,
but I think that is understandable.
Did you find anything that might suggest
why you're apparently the only one among us
unaffected by this—
This phenomenon?
No.
I'll talk to Troi.
It wouldn't do any harm.
Captain, please.
Return this ship to Starbase 133 for a full diagnostic.
I realize you have my word only to convince you.
Mr. Riker.
RIKER [OVER COM]: Captain?
Set a course for a return to Starbase 133 immediately.
RIKER: Aye, sir.
Your word has always been good enough for me.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]
[GROANING]
I've had a team in Sickbay for two hours.
We've run the mass spectrometer on all particulates,
we scanned the EM spectrum in case there was a wave-guide
somehow leaking radiation.
We've even crawled around on the life-support ductwork.
Captain, I don't know what this vortex was that Dr. Crusher saw.
I didn't just see it. I felt it. I barely escaped from it.
Well, there's nothing there now. And no sign there ever was.
Is there any possible connection with Mr. Crusher's experiment?
Could this warp bubble be floating about the ship, perhaps?
No, sir. That bubble was definitely contained in Engineering.
There's no way it could possibly have affected anything up on Deck 12.
Sir, I have completed level-one computer diagnostics.
There are no malfunctions.
Have any other ships responded to our queries, Data?
The Wellington is the only Federation vessel in this sector.
It reports normal operations.
A Ferengi ship within communications range
also reports nothing unusual.
Are all the members of the crew accounted for?
DATA: Yes, doctor.
How many are there?
There are 114 people on the Enterprise.
[SCOFFS]
That is the exact number there should be.
There are now over 900 missing.
Deck after deck of this ship is deserted now.
How do you account for all the empty rooms?
If there are only supposed to be 114 people on board,
why all the extra space?
Transportation of colonists, diplomatic missions.
- Emergency evacuations— - Thank you, Mr. Data.
Have security confine all nonessential personnel to their quarters.
Computer, go to red alert.
I'd like Lieutenant Worf to program on board sensors
to monitor all personnel.
- If we can catch the moment— - I'm sorry.
Whom did you say?
Worf, chief of security.
The big guy who never smiles?
The Klingon.
Deanna.
I need you to tell me if I've gone completely mad.
If you can ask the question, I'd say no.
- Don't evade the question. - Well, then, ask me one I can answer.
Deanna, I've delivered babies that no longer exist.
No one else remembers them.
Yet I can close my eyes and see their faces clearly
as I see yours now.
What if it's not some huge conspiracy? What if it is just me?
What if it is just you?
Then I've delayed a mission
and frightened a lot of people including myself.
So what?
You have acted in the best interest of your ship and crew.
What more could you ask of yourself?
And if this turns out to be a mistake,
then we'll be a little late arriving at Durenia IV.
That's all.
It's not a mistake. I wish it were.
When we reach starbase, I'll order a complete workup,
both physical and psychological.
If we reach starbase.
Wesley.
Where's Wesley?
Wesley?
WESLEY: Mom?
Are you all right?
No. We may have very little time left.
You don't believe me.
- Look, Mom, I don't know— - I don't have time to convince you.
Hundreds of people are now missing
and your experiment is the only possible explanation we have
that we can work on right now.
Well, there it is. I don't know what else to do with it.
Then find someone who does.
Someone who knows something about warp bubbles.
I've already talked to Kosinski on subspace.
And he can't explain it either. And this is based on his equations.
There is someone who may be able to help,
but I can't reach him.
- Who? - He was Kosinski's assistant.
He was an alien from Tau Alpha C.
He said he was some kind of traveler.
Somehow he combined warp technology
and the energy from his own thoughts.
Yes, I remember.
Wesley, do you think it's possible
that you've accidentally re-created something that he did?
Something that could alter reality?
I don't see how.
He's the only one who could explain it to us.
I sent a message to Tau Alpha C, but it's so far away
it could take days to get there.
Maybe the captain can help us. We've got to find him. Come on.
WESLEY: I don't even know if he's still alive. He was very sick.
CRUSHER: Well, we can't stand around here doing nothing.
It's a chance. We have to try to—
Wesley.
Wesley?
They're all gone?
Riker, Troi, Data?
Wait a minute. Let me guess. You never heard of any of them.
PICARD: You know, doctor, I have been more than fair.
I've done everything I can to substantiate your—
- Your perceptions of a crew— - Will Riker, your first officer.
He's very good at playing poker, loves to cook.
He listens to jazz music, plays the trombone.
I cannot find any evidence of a Will Riker.
Commander Data, the android who sits at Ops.
Dreams of being human, never gets the punch line of a joke.
Doctor.
We'll be arriving at Starbase 133 in a few hours—
Deanna Troi,
your ship's counselor. Half Betazoid, loves chocolate.
The arrival of her mother makes you shudder.
O'Brien, Geordi, Worf. Wesley, my son.
They all have been the living, breathing heart of this crew
for over three years.
They deserve more than to be shrugged off
brushed aside, just pinched out of existence like that.
They all do.
They deserve so much more.
Beverly...
Perhaps it would be best if you were to confine yourself to Sickbay
until we arrive.
[LAUGHING]
It's all perfectly logical to you, isn't it?
[CHUCKLES]
The two of us, roaming about the galaxy
in the flagship of the Federation.
No crew at all.
We've never needed a crew before.
[SCOFFS]
I don't suppose you remember an alien from Tau Alpha C
who was on board once.
He called himself a Traveler.
Jean-Luc, I don't know how,
but you and I have got to find this traveler,
or another from his race.
- If anyone can help us— - I give you my word.
When we arrive at the starbase, I will make every effort to find him.
It's not a delusion. It is not a dream.
There is a physical,
measurable phenomenon at work here.
Perhaps you could help me to identify it.
How?
I'd like to use the ship's computer to monitor your life functions.
Until I disappear?
It will happen.
[SIGHS]
All right.
Computer, continuous scan, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, vital signs.
Audible readout. Begin now.
COMPUTER: Body temperature, 37.2...
I promise you I will continue to do whatever I can
to find out what's happening and to bring you all back.
COMPUTER: Blood pressure, 122 over 70...
I'm sorry I lost my temper. You do remember that?
Vividly.
But if I have forgotten my closest friends and comrades,
as you say, then I deserved every word.
For quite some time, I've been meaning to say something to you.
I might not have another chance.
Jean-Luc, you and I...
I won't forget.
I won't forget any of you.
[GROANING]
LA FORGE: Wesley, have you got it?
What's happening?
I'm losing it.
WESLEY: The link isn't holding, commander.
I'll go to the secondary equations.
No.
Look.
I've lost it.
Damn. I'm sorry, Wesley.
It's over.
There's no way we'll get her back now.
TRAVELER: It's not over, Wesley.
There's still a way.
PICARD: Captain's log, stardate 44162.5.
Two attempts to retrieve Dr. Crusher have failed.
And now, the Traveler,
a mysterious visitor from our past, has reappeared.
Is she alive?
As long as she thinks she is alive,
she is alive.
What the hell does that mean?
Your species have very narrow perceptions
of time and space and thought.
When Beverly Crusher was caught in the static warp bubble,
she created her own reality.
Her thoughts at the precise moment she was trapped
determined its shape and form.
Can you go in and get her back?
No, it is her reality.
I cannot enter it any more than I can enter her thoughts.
But you said there's still a way.
I can help.
But I can't do it myself.
Wesley.
There is a power within each of us
that most people haven't begun to realize.
But you have begun.
Or else I would not have known to come here now.
Together, we may be able to open a gateway for her.
But she must choose to walk through it.
Computer, we are going to apply precise diagnostic methodology.
Once we've cataloged the symptoms,
we will proceed to determine the illness and then find the cure.
We will start with the assumption that I am not crazy.
If I am, it won't matter one way or another.
Computer, read the entire crew roster for the Enterprise.
COMPUTER: Dr. Beverly Crusher.
Have I always been the only member of the crew
on the starship Enterprise?
COMPUTER: Affirmative. - Heh.
If this were a bad dream, would you tell me?
COMPUTER: That is not a valid question.
Like hell, it's not.
What date did I report on board?
COMPUTER: Stardate 41154,
1400 hours, 3 minutes.
That sounds about right.
Computer, is there more than one U. S. S. Enterprise?
This vessel is the fifth starship
to bear the name U.S.S. Enterprise.
It is currently the only one in service.
What is the primary mission of the starship Enterprise?
To explore the galaxy.
Do I have the necessary skills to complete that mission alone?
Negative.
Then why am I the only crew member?
[COMPUTER BEEPING]
Uh-huh, gotcha there.
That information is not available.
Computer,
are you familiar with the inhabitants of Tau Alpha C?
COMPUTER: Affirmative.
Are any presently located on any starbase or vessel
within communication distance?
Negative.
Estimated time to Tau Alpha C at warp 9.5.
One hundred twenty-three days.
[SIGHS]
Lay in a new course for Tau Alpha C
and send a subspace message advising them of our arrival.
- Acknowledged. - Engage.
Computer, did you change course?
State new destination or coordinates.
I stated it, damn it. Tau Alpha C.
There is no Tau Alpha C listed on current starmaps.
PICARD: Captain's log, stardate 44162.8.
At the direction of the Traveler,
the Enterprise is returning to Starbase 133.
And the precise position where the subspace bubble was formed.
Our goal will be to create a stable gateway
between our reality and your mother's reality.
We've tried. We can't stabilize the link.
Of course not.
The equations are only the first step.
We will be going beyond mathematics.
Just tell me what I have to do.
Begin by letting go of your guilt, Wesley.
- It's my fault. I shouldn't have tried— - Focus on the present.
You will have to be here completely to help her back.
You must open yourself to time and space
and the intricate threads that bind them.
[SIGHS]
Begin entering your warp-field equations.
Now close your eyes.
See past the numbers.
Trust yourself.
I can't. I can't do it.
When the time comes, you will, Wesley.
You Will.
Starbase 133, this is the Enterprise.
Please acknowledge.
Viewscreen on.
It's not just people. Everything is disappearing.
Computer, what is that mist I'm seeing?
COMPUTER: Sensors indicate it
to be a mass-energy field 705 meters in diameter.
- It surrounds the ship? - Affirmative.
If there's nothing wrong with me,
maybe there's something wrong with the universe.
Computer, what is beyond the mass-energy field?
Sensors cannot penetrate the field.
Here's a question you shouldn't be able to answer.
Computer, what is the nature of the universe?
The universe is a spheroid region, 705 meters in diameter.
Captain, approaching Starbase 133.
Slow to ten meters per second.
Mr. La Forge, prepare for precision station keeping.
Acknowledged. Readying thrusters.
There.
There it is.
We've moving into phase now.
There's your warp bubble, Wesley.
What?
What's wrong?
It is collapsing.
Computer,
give me a graphic representation of the universe.
I've seen this before.
Wesley's experiment.
The bubble.
Of course.
But that would mean that I'm the one trapped in the bubble.
[RUMBLING]
Computer, what's happening?
COMPUTER: Explosive decompression,
Decks 5 through 14
Sealing off forward sections.
- Cause? - A flaw in the ship's design.
Show me.
Analysis?
COMPUTER: No ship's structures exist forward of Bulkhead 342.
Superimpose previous image over this one.
Same scale and continúe to monitor.
[RUMBLING]
It's collapsing.
Hull integrity now compromised on Decks 3 through 15.
Computer,
how long can life support be maintained?
Four minutes, 17 seconds.
Captain, we have reestablished exact coordinates and attitude.
Geordi, we're in position. Your status?
The warp bubble is contracting at a rate of 15 meters per second.
We're gonna lose it in about four minutes.
It is time, Wesley.
We're ready, commander.
PICARD: Proceed.
I'll be in Engineering.
Let it go, Wesley.
Let go of the anticipation, the expectations,
the demands upon yourself.
Let it all go.
Leave it behind.
Yes.
The ability is there inside of you.
You do not need to look for it.
[COMPUTER KEYPAD BEEPING]
COMPUTER: Three minutes, 30 seconds to life support failure.
The Traveler used his thoughts to alter warp fields.
Thoughts became reality.
Now I'm in a warp field.
Could my thoughts have changed this reality?
Come on, Beverly. What's the next step?
[SIGHS]
What was I thinking at the moment Wesley's bubble formed?
Dalen Quaice.
He said all the people he'd known were gone.
I thought of Jack. I went to see Wesley.
The flash in Engineering.
That's when it started.
That's when I started losing everybody.
My thoughts created this universe.
- Can they get me out of it again? - That information is not available.
I'm not talking to you.
Click my heels together three times and I'm back in Kansas.
Can it be that simple?
COMPUTER: Two minutes, 30 seconds
to life support failure.
Computer, hypothetical situation:
A person is trapped inside of a static warp bubble.
Determine a means of escape.
Escape would theoretically depend on establishing a stable threshold
between the warp field and the outer environment.
- Describe this threshold. - Negative.
There are no known practical applications of this theory.
Extrapolate from theoretical database. How would it manifest itself?
A dynamic atmospheric disturbance of great intensity.
Disturbance?
The vortex.
They must have been trying to reach me.
But how do I find it?
Wesley, where do I go? Help me.
Stable threshold.
They've been trying to create a stable threshold.
Where are they trying to do it?
Where did they do it the first time?
Engineering.
One minute, 30 seconds to life support failure.
- Engineering. - Failure in Turboshaft 4.
Unable to proceed to Main Engineering.
Just take me anywhere on Deck 36.
We're losing the bubble.
[GROANS]
[WESLEY SIGHS]
Beverly.
Jean-Luc, heh.
You.
Do I have you to thank for getting me back?
No.
Jean-Luc,
if I might ask, how many people are there on board?
One thousand and fourteen.
Including your guest, Dr. Quaice.
[SIGHS]
Is there something wrong with that count, doctor?
No. That's the exact number there should be.