Tiro Matsushita watched the star lines move across the main view screen before him. He sat at the con and marveled that after all this time in space, he still felt a thrill at the thought that he was piloting this ship. The rest of the Alpha Shift were at their regular places as well. Ens. Dalton Pierce was at astrogation, Lt. (jg) Raymond Fredricks at opps., and Ensign Jenna Skye was being briefed by Ens. Denver Colton, who was just going off duty. Lt. Commander Marlin Robins sat beside the Captain in the first officers chair, as Commander Sinclair was temporarily serving in the Officer Exchange Program aboard a Vulcan Science vessel. Everything felt perfectly normal.

Ens. Colton finished bringing Skye up to date on the nights communications log. He was tired and ready to go back to his quarters and unwind. He rubbed the back of his neck, loosening the tight muscles there. "That was the last message Jenna. Standing orders are to notify the Captain if there is any reply."

Jenna Skye smiled and slid into the chair in front of her consul. "Thanks, Colton. Get some sleep."

That was exactly what he intended to do. As soon as he showered, ate, and... Denver ran smack into the turbolift doors. "Ooof!" A suprised grunt escaped him.

All turbolifts opened automatically, unless sealed for security reasons or by safety overrides. All the doors on the Endeavour did.

Denver stepped back and tried again. The door stubbornly remained closed.

Others on the bridge began to notice his predicament. Lt. Comdr. Robins stood to investigate. "Problem, Colton?"

Red embarrassment rose in his cheeks. "No sir, it's just that the turbolift seems to be malfunctioning."

"Computer," Robins commanded, "open main bridge turbolift doors."

A smooth voice calmly replied, "Unable to comply."

Now the situation had the full attention of everyone, especially Captain Forrester. Doors to the bridge did not simply malfunction, and the computer should have opened the door immediately if it were a normal maintenance problem.

"Computer," the Captain spoke, "why is the door to the main bridge turbolift unable to be opened?"

"Automated safety overrides are engaged." came the maddeningly inadequate reply.

" Why have the safeties engaged?" Forrester grated.

"Absence of breathable atmosphere outside of the main bridge bulkheads."

Without waiting for the Captains orders, every member of the bridge was checking monitors to try to explain the computer's last statement.

"Captain!" Lt. Fredrick's said with disbelief, "An internal scan of the ship indicates..."

He was unable to finish. What his panel said was impossible.

"Indicates what, Lieutenant?" snapped Robins.

"Indicates that...there is no ship." He turned to look behind him as he finished, wanting reassurance that his instruments were at fault.

"What?!"

"Sir, I ran the scan twice. It doesn't make any sense, but..." Fredricks let his voice trail off.

"Oh," A female officer standing at life support turned around.

Denver couldn't remember ever seeing her on the bridge before. "I think it makes perfect sense, Captain." she said with disdain.

Marlin Robins narrowed his eyes on her. "Explain, mister..."

"No need to be so formal, Commander. You can call me Q." Her name was familiar, even if her appearance wasn't. The continuum had plagued certain captains for years. "What have you done to my ship?" demanded Forrester with barely suppressed anger.

"Not 'to' your ship, with your ship. To be exact, we are no longer with the Endeavour." She coolly sauntered over to sit in the center command chair.

Forrester ignored her presumption and stood his ground. "What do you want?"

"You certainly are a direct one aren't you?" she asked with a mocking smile. The Captain waited for her next move, refusing to be baited. "Well, if you must know, I want to understand you."

"Understand this!" Forrester grated out, "I want my ship returned to normal, and you off of it!"

She blinked in bewilderment, like an innocent child unable to understand why her fondest wish has been denied. "I thought your purpose in exploring space was to 'seek out new life, new civilizations,' to learn about them and understand them. Surely you wouldn't deny me the right to do the same?"

"Your purpose is not peaceful exploration, Q. Too many times your continuum has disrupted the lives of others..."

"Ah, lives," she interrupted his angry tirade, "that is exactly what I wanted to learn about- your lives. Or, more accurately, your deaths."

She smiled happily as if she had announced a grand scheme for everyone. "Let's begin, shall we?"

Before anyone could react, Marlin Robins disappeared from the bridge. Shocked silence filled the air as each tried to come to terms with what had just happened. They were powerless participants in an experiment of the Q. They could only hope to survive.

*****************

Marlin blinked, disoriented for a moment by the transfer in location that Q had subjected him to.

"Get down, you bloody idiot!" a voice beside him hissed, and a hand jerked him roughly to a crouching position. A phaser whine exploded the darkness and the top edge of the barricade he found himself kneeling behind for cover. Dust and debris rained down on his head and shoulders.

Marlin had no idea of where he was. This could be a "real" event, or something from Q's imagination. Considering the source of his predicament, he decided it didn't really matter where he was. He was in trouble!

"Are you my relief?" the man who had pulled him to safety asked.

Marlin's eyes were adjusting to the darkness. He was kneeling behind a low barricade of plasteele-concrete at the entrance to a bunker. The kind that was used for temporary head-quarters groundside in a military engagement on uninhabited planets. Only a small moon on the horizon cast any light. His companion was dressed in a Starfleet uniform with a phase rifle in his hands.

"Who's shooting at us?" Marlin asked in hushed tones.

"Bloody sniper. He's been sitting out there taking pot shots at me for an hour," the other man replied softly, "It's been a long night. Archie was supposed to relieve me at chow time, but he never came. You taking over for me?" He looked eagerly at Marlin with an unspoken plea.

Even in the shadows, Robins could see the weariness in the man's face; the weariness that comes from being too long on the edge of danger, fighting every instinct to run to safety, forcing the body to stand and face fear and risk for hour upon hour.

"Yeah," Marlin said quietly, "I'll take the next watch. Get some rest."

A smile split the man's face. "Thanks, Commander." He shoved the rifle into Marlin's hands, "You'll need thins. If you see that sniper out there come out of hiding, give him a blast for me!" He finished the last words in a defiant shout, loud enough for the sniper to hear. Then he scooted towards the bunker opening, towards warmth and safety.

Marlin changed position a bit to get more comfortable, resting his thigh against the concrete barrier for support. The night was cold and he could feel the warmth drain away from his body where it contacted the ground. The knowledge that someone was out there waiting to shoot him from hiding, was even more chilling.

"Hey, Starfleet!" A voice from behind his shelter called out. It was eerie against the night silence. It had to be the sniper.

"Yeah?" Robins shouted back.

"Might as well surrender, Starfleet. We got you all bottled up in there, and soon as dawn comes, we'll just blow you all to Hell anyway." The man was enjoying the taunting. But as long as he kept talking, Marlin could keep a fix on him, be sure the man wasn't moving in for a better position.

"What makes you so sure?" Marlin answered.

"You're cowards! All of Starfleet are cowards!" the sniper nearly spat the words, they were so obviously filled with contempt, "You hide behind your Prime Directive and your treaties, and refuse to take any responsibility for anyone outside of your precious Federation." Bitterness crept into the man's tone, "Must be awful comfortable having all those high soundin' morals."

"Sounds like you have a case to make." Robins pushed.

"God, you people make me sick!" he paused for a minute and when he spoke again, Marlin was sure that the man had begun to move closer. He tried inching up to look above the barricade, hoping to get a shot at the sniper. Another blast forced him back down. "You decide who you'll help and who you won't, who will live and who will die, as if you were God Almighty Himself! 'This planet is in the Federation; we save it.

This planet isn't in the Federation- must obey the PD; this one dies.'" The man was definitely closer. Marlin gripped the phase rifle tighter.

"Well damn your Prime Directive, and damn you!"

The man was over the barricade and in front of Robins before he could react! Marlin raised the rifle and fired. The shot hit a personal force field and was harmlessly dispersed.

The sniper laughed, and the sound was sour. "Guess today, I get to decide who lives or dies."

Marlin looked the man in the eye. There was no doubt that this man was going to shoot him. He would die, right here, for no reason than to satisfy Q's curiosity and this man's hatred.

"Any last words, Starfleet?" he asked mockingly.

"Just," his mind refused to accept this reality, "I'd rather live." It sounded so incomplete. The last thing he would ever say should express his commitment to Starfleet and its ideals- in spite of its weaknesses; should say how much he regretted every wrong he had ever done, and how much he wished he was going to get the chance to go on with his life, making up for his mistakes; should be something to leave behind for his daughter, Sarin; should say how of all things he would regret missing the rest of her life. The last thing he would ever say, should somehow say it all. "I'd rather live." he repeated. It said it all.

The next thing Marlin knew he was standing weakly on the bridge of the Endeavour, gripping a consul for support. He looked up to face the other officers, pale but unharmed.

"Very interesting." the female Q said from her seat in the Captain's chair. Then with a flash, she disappeared. Ensign Neal Ryan vanished simultaneously. He was her next victim.

*********************************

Ensign Neal Ryan tried to use the operations scanners to find out where Marlin Robins had gone. He had read about the Q continuum's ability to transfer people in space and time, but it couldn't hurt to try. "Marlin Robins is not aboard the Enterprise." The computer responded. The Enterprise? Ryan asked himself. He looked up from the console. He was on the bridge of a Galaxy class Starship, but this was not the Endeavor, and not the Endeavor's crew.

"Any luck, Captain?" A commander asked, without getting a response.

Neal paused for a moment, confused. He had been here before, back in the academy...

The Commander stepped up to him. "Anything wrong, Captain?"

Neal noticed the Commander was addressing him. He tried to look at his rank pins, but failed. He ran a hand across them. Four, he counted, quickly throwing a look at the main viewer. This was the space near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Exactly where he had been back in the academy, where he had been in the only test he had failed. The only bridge test in which he had lost the ship and crew. "The Kobayashi Maru." He said to himself.

"That is correct." A voice said. "The distress call originated from the Kobayashi Maru, Starfleet registry NCC-10935. Records list it as an Oreb class vessel, one phaser array only, maximum speed warp two."

It was all familiar. Like the last time he had been here, that android officer pointed out the ship was helpless, trapped in the Neutral Zone. "Computer, end program!" Neal knew rather well how this simulation would go on - if it still was a simulation. Neal noticed the Commander, Riker, or what his name had been, calling for a medical team. He chose to ignore it, and try something else to shut off the simulation before it was too late. He touched his communicator. "Cadet Neal Ryan to Admiral Murphy. We have to end this bridge simulation." Nothing. Not that he would have expected anything different....

He tried to remember the bridge test more clearly. He had been sent in alone. If this was an accurate repetition of the test, transferred to reality, there was nobody else he could expect to be real, to know what was going on. There was no way to avoid it . He had to give it another try.

"I'm all right, Commander." He nodded to 'his' first officer, quickly taking the role as Captain of the Enterprise. If anyone could get the ship out of the situation it would soon be in, it would be the person who knew what would happen. Him. "I've just bee n thinking about the times in the academy. We have had a similar situation in one of the bridge tests."

The Commander threw him a confused look, but he seemed to accept it. Neal headed for the command chair, and took his place. "Position of the Kobayashi Maru?" He asked.

"The Kobayashi Maru has drifted into the Neutral Zone. It is twenty thousand kilometers off the Federation border." The android officer replied.

"We can't get a tractor beam locked on them from our side." Neal murmured to himself, to get a "That is correct." from the android. "Open a channel to the Romulan authorities." He had been told that the Kobayashi Maru test was not supposed to be won, but maybe there was a way to lose the test without losing one's life. What harm could it do?

He didn't know what this Q could do. He didn't know if anything here was real at all. If it was, and if he managed to get the test to an end without being killed, what could happen to him? If he had been transferred back in time, he'd maybe not succeed in the Academy, but it would be better than being dead. In all his life, he had wanted to join Starfleet, but there just had to be other choices, and any of them would be better than being dead. He had to give it a try.

"The Romulans are not responding, Captain." The Klingon at tactical, Neal couldn't remember his name, announced.

"It is entirely possible that there is no Romulan ship or station in range, Captain." Data added to the Klingon's statement.

Yes, it was entirely possible, but it wasn't what was happening. There was a whole bunch of Romulan ships, just waiting for the Enterprise to cross the border. "Open the channel, just in case they are listening." He paused for a moment, thinking of what to say.

"Romulan ship or station, this is Ens... Captain Neal Ryan, of the Federation Starship Enterprise." He introduced himself, without getting attention from a Romulan. "One of our trade ships, the Kobayashi Maru, has drifted into the Neutral Zone at coordinates 38, 123, 281. They are helpless, and they do not have any hostile intentions. We ask you to repair their engines, or to transport them to Federation space." He considered asking for their permission to run the rescue operation, but he didn't think that was safe enough. Instead, he signaled the Klingon to cut the line.

"We can't risk starting a war over this incident." He tried to explain in response to the confused look from his First Officer. "I don't think the Romulans will fire on a helpless ship. Set course for starbase 147, warp five."

There was nothing more left to do. Neal nearly expected Admiral Murphy to step on the bridge and tell him he had failed the test, but nothing like it happened. He waited somewhat longer, maybe too long, without taking any further action. After a few minutes, he realized the simulation, alternate reality, or whatever this was, hadn't ended.

"I'll be in my ready room. Commander, you have the bridge." There was no point in staying on the bridge, he guessed, heading for the ready room, and sitting down behind the desk, thinking. What was this all about? Some kind of alternate reality, just created for him to face death? Not an appealing thought, after all. This Q had said she wanted to find out about death - why had she not just killed him? Why had she transferred him to somewhere he knew he'd be killed? Did she want to find out about impending death, or did she maybe want to leave him a chance? He had managed to avoid death once - what would happen now? Would Q bring up some other way to kill him? Would this simulation go on until his natural death? Captain Neal Ryan, he thought... I've always wanted to become Captain of a Starship. Now I've got it, but I'd give everything to get back to reality, or the reality I know. A smile crossed his face when it occurred to him that he was Captain of a Starship at the age of twenty. "Beat me on that, Captain Forrester." He said to himself.

An announcement from the ship's computer distracted his thoughts. A priority message from Starfleet Command was coming in. "Captain Ryan," an Admiral he hadn't seen before started, not sounding very friendly. "There's something you should know about the Kobayashi Maru before giving it up that easily. It is an old trade ship, yes, but it is transporting secret research material on weapons to be used against the Dominion to one of our research stations. We must not permit the material to fall into Romulan hands. Starfleet Command, Out."

Second chances. That sounded like Admiral Murphy's doing. So that's what would have happened if he had taken a different decision in the Academy test. He would have to bring this to an end.

He returned to the bridge, and ordered to set a course back to the Kobayashi Maru, still thinking of a way out. A thought crossed his mind. He had been ordered not to let the material fall into Romulan hands, but Starfleet Command had not told him to save the Kobayashi Maru... 20,000 kilometers might be out of reach for a tractor beam, but it was well within the range of a photon torpedo. He considered it.

It all came down to a simple question. What was the nature of this situation? In a simulation, he'd destroy the Kobayashi Maru without hesitation, but if this was reality, or some form thereof, was it justified to sacrifice the lives aboard the Maru for his own?

"Until we arrive, I'll be in my ready room." He said, knowing he had only ten minutes left, knowing it was not the typical behavior of a Starfleet Captain to leave the bridge ten minutes before he would be needed, but he needed more information, and he needed a place to think. As much as he liked being on the bridge, it was not the best place to think about these things.

"Computer, access to all records about meetings with a being known as 'Q'." He requested. He quickly flew over them, but they didn't hold a hint on the nature of situations created by the continuum. Just what he had known before - they could be either simulations, or realities. There was no way to tell. He couldn't simply act on the assumption that it was a simulation, and destroy the Kobayashi Maru with all her crew based on that belief.

Just, would taking the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone be a better choice? He knew there were twelve cloaked Romulan Warbirds waiting, he knew he'd lose the ship and crew - - but what if this wasn't the same situation? What if Q wanted to see how easily he would kill on the behalf of assumptions? Q had said she wanted to know more about death - and he had assumed she w as referring to his death. What if she was referring to causing death, to placing one life above another? He couldn't ignore either possibility.

Q had brought up an interesting question, though, wanting to find out about death. What was it? He started wondering. He'd never thought about it before. Was it just ceasing to exist, or was there some kind of afterlife? What would it be like? He couldn't tell. With all the advances made in medicine, the Federation had never been able to stop death, or to find out for sure what it was. What basis was there to tell? He wondered. There was no physical proof of an afterlife, but there was no proof that it didn't exist, neither. Probably, the only way to find out was to go through it... To explore the unknown... What he had always wanted to do. This was just not what he had expected the unknown to be. He liked living, he had hoped to explore a lot of other unknowns before this. This was the one unknown he'd always be scared of.

"Captain Ryan, report to the bridge." Riker's voice disturbed his thoughts.

Decision time, he thought, slowly getting up, going for the bridge door as slowly as he could. He had known there was a certain risk serving in Starfleet, but he had never expected this. Would his first assignment be his last one?

He sat down in the command chair, looking around on the bridge. It surely resembled the Endeavor bridge... The place he had hoped to be in for a long time. He paused for a moment before making his final decision. "Evacuate all non-necessary personnel. It might be a Romulan trick, and I don't want to lose anyone more than necessary." He ordered, then taking the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone for a rescue mission.

When the Romulan Warbirds decloaked, he didn't bother giving the command to return fire. He tried to surrender - without getting a reply. Worf shouted that shields were down, and the Enterprise couldn't take another hit. Getting the ship out of there was not possible- the Romulans were all around.

"Hope you're getting all you needed, Q, so you won't have to play the same trick on others." Ryan said, before he saw the flash of another disruptor hitting the Enterprise on the main viewer. Pieces fell off the ceiling, something behind him exploded, and something sharp hit him on the throat. He didn't feel it. He slowly lifted his hand to where he thought it had impacted - just to feel the skin. "So there is an afterlife, after all." He thought to himself, before looking up and noticing he was back on the bridge of the Endeavor.

This time Denver Colton Vanished.

*********************************************

As Denver made final grid specification adjustments to his Nine Men's Morris program, Holodeck four lost primary power and was cast into complete darkness. Moments later, the power resumed.

"Computer, run program--Colton, Alpha," Denver stated flatly, wondering if the serge had erased any of his hard work. Suddenly, the blaring of the red-alert klaxon began to sound, and the emergency lights flooded the holodeck; the exit door opened automatically.

"Robins to Colton," Denver's com badge resonated.

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"Report to the bridge immediately."

"On my way." As Denver entered the corridor, lights dimmed and flickered. The Endeavour rocked violently throwing the young ensign and other scrambling personnel off balance.

The Starship's bridge was churning with activity when Denver stepped off the turbo lift. He quickly made his way to the communications station where a female ensign immediately gave Denver her chair.

Lt. Matsushita shouted, "Warp engines are off-line!"

"Damage report," Captain Forrester barked from his chair.

"Shields are at sixty-four percent," Lt. Fredricks announced.

"Ensign," Forrester ordered, "hail the Romulan vessel." Denver saw a Romulan Warbird in the center of the view screen. He carefully entered data into his consul.

"They are not responding," he reported regretfully. The Captain stared at the view screen; the red klaxon glow streaked across his face.

"Another Warbird decloaking, sir," Fredricks stated. A second Warbird materialized onto the view screen. The Captain stood. "Sir, the USS Calcutta has dropped out of warp." The Galaxy Class Starship appeared beside the two Romulan vessels.

"We are being hailed by the Calcutta," Denver announced.

"Split screen," Forrester ordered, and the view screen was split with the image of the two Warbirds and the Starship on the left side, and the image of Consul General Captain Mahesh Siva (pronounced Sheeva) on the right.

"Captain Forrester," Siva began, "I hope that we haven't missed all the fun."

"On the contrary, Captain," Forrester said settling back into his chair. "The game is only beginning." A smile slipped from the corners of his mouth.

"A third Warbird is decloaking off port side, sir," Fredricks interrupted.

The Endeavour lurched forward. Colton was tossed to the floor. The view screen went blank.

"Report," Forrester demanded.

"Direct hit!" Fredricks announced.

"We have lost primary life support, switching to secondary systems," Matsushita noted. "Starboard power coupling is down."

"Shields?" Forrester asked.

"Down to seventeen percent and dropping."

"Casualties reported on decks seven and eight," Robins added. "We have lost shields," Fredricks injected, "I am detecting transporter signals throughout the ship. We are being boarded, sir."

Forrester rose from his chair. "Initiate intruder alert. All security teams report to...." The turbolift doors opened and a small group of Romulans carrying phaser rifles filed onto the bridge. As soon as Fredricks raised his phaser, A Romulan shot him in the chest, knocking him off his feet.

"Put down your weapons," another Romulan ordered.

"Computer, deactivate all command functions, authorization Forrester, epsilon, four." "All command functions suspended," the computer voice stated.

One Romulan raised his rifle and shot Captain Forrester also hitting him in the chest; he collapsed.

"Begin transporting everyone to the Warbird," one Romulan ordered.

As the Romulans began rounding up the bridge personnel, Denver and Ensign Brianna Loring found themselves in the Captain's Ready Room standing in front of three Romulan officers.

"We need to regain access to your central computer," the tallest one said. "You don't really think I'm going to help you?" Denver asked.

"Unless you release the computer to our control, I will personally execute every officer, beginning with your girlfriend." He raised his rifle and pointed it at Brianna. She looked at Denver in disbelief.

Denver was in shock. This whole thing was happening entirely too fast. He wondered what had happened to the Calcutta? To Captain Forrester?

"I don't have the authorization codes to ...."

"Are you Ensign Denver Colton, Communications Specialist?" one asked.

"Yes," he admitted wondering how they knew his name.

"I'm sure you can find a way to manipulate the computer. You have two minutes."

"That's ridiculous. Even if I wanted to, I...."

Suddenly Brianna grabbed the rifle and attempted to force it from the Romulan's hands. Unfortunately, the rifle discharged and Brianna slumped to the floor.

"Release the computer to our control," one stated firmly, "or you're next." He slowly raised the rifle and pointed it at Denver's throat.

Denver broke down in tears as he began entering the correct sequence of codes into the small tabletop consul on the desk.

Immediately, the screen read, "Access granted."

"Command functions released," the computer noted.

At that moment, Brianna stood up and said, "Mill, I win. Computer, end program." Then the Romulans and the Ready Room immediately vanished; the grid pattern of Holodeck Four appeared. Brianna also disappeared and was replaced by the female Q. "Very realistic program, Mr. Colton. However, you may want to make a few more grid specification adjustments."

Next, Denver found himself back on the bridge standing in front of the turbolift as if he had never left.

**********************************************************

As the tension on the bridge built Tiro squeezed his eyes shut and took three deep, cleansing breaths. He willed the muscles in his body to relax and his mind to focus. He wanted to be ready to act quickly if an opportune moment presented itself. He opened his eyes and was immediately disoriented. The bridge was pitch black. He turned his head trying to not let the panic overtake him as he sought out a glimmer of light, a form, a shape, but he could find nothing.

"Captain?" he called out, straining for a reassuring word from Marcus Forrester. He waited, straining for a word or a sound, but no one answered and nothing stirred. The silence was overpowering. And then it hit him. This was his test!!

Despite himself his body went rigid with fear. That damnable Q had ferreted out one of his deepest secrets, he was afraid of the dark and he could think of no worse way to meet his end.

He forced himself to push the fear back and take stock of his surroundings. He still appeared to be seated at his console on the Endeavour's bridge, but he knew instinctively that this was not so. He put his hands on the console and took a small bit of comfort from the familiar feel of it but then ,knowing he had to investigate further, pushed himself away and stood up. He next turned completely around trying to extend his senses and feel what was out there because even with all the silence.

*************

As the tension on the bridge built Tiro squeezed his eyes shut and took three deep, cleansing breaths. He willed the muscles in his body to relax and his mind to focus. He wanted to be ready to act quickly if an opportune moment presented itself. He opened his eyes and was immediately disoriented. The bridge was pitch black. He turned his head trying to not let the panic overtake him as he sought out a glimmer of light, a form, a shape, but he could find nothing.

"Captain?" he called out, straining for a reassuring word from Marcus Forrester. He waited, straining for a word or a sound, but no one answered and nothing stirred. The silence was overpowering. And then it hit him. This was his test!!

Despite himself his body went rigid with fear. That damnable Q had ferreted out one of his deepest secrets, he was afraid of the dark and he could think of no worse way to meet his end.

He forced himself to push the fear back and take stock of his surroundings. He still appeared to be seated at his console on the Endeavour's bridge, but he knew instinctively that this was not so. He put his hands on the console and took a small bit of comfort from the familiar feel of it but then ,knowing he had to investigate further, pushed himself away and stood up. He next turned completely around trying to extend his senses and feel what was out there because even with all the silence he was almost certain he was not alone.

Tiro took a few exploratory steps in the direction away from his chair and then stopped to listen again. Nothing. He backed up, retracing his steps, and reached for the chair he had just left... but it was gone!!! Frantically he began trotting around in ever widening circles hoping to find the only concrete things available to him in his new environment but neither the chair nor the console could be found.

He forced himself to stop, to stand completely still, and then he sucked in a deep breath and called out "Q! What is it that you want of me?" Again the deafening silence filled his ears. He felt his anger rise but thought this a good thing because where anger existed fear could not grow. "Q!" he shouted more insistently this time. "I refuse to play your game!!! I will not panic! I will not run! I will stay rooted to this spot and do nothing!," he shouted defiantly, hoping against hope that he'd make such a poor subject that the Q might become disgusted with him and return him to his ship.

At first, nothing changed. He stood alone in the dark for an indeterminable amount of time and then suddenly he realized that he was beginning to feel chilled. He hugged himself and tried to think of warm things, a fireside, beach sand on a hot day, but the temperature seemed to be dropping rapidly and his thoughts did little to comfort his now shivering body.

Despite his vow to stay rooted to the spot he soon found himself moving. He hoped a little kinetic energy might help to raise his comfort level and he began to jog in what he thought might be a wide circle. At first he began to feel a bit better but the temperature continued to drop and soon his feet hitting the hard flooring beneath him became numb and his body developed a severe and all encompassing ache from the cold.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could last as he slowed from a jog to a slow limping walk. Tears tried to run from his eyes but froze to his cheeks instead and his fingers did not want to move when he willed them too. His thoughts turned to the people he had cared about and the things he had accomplished with his life. He thought of his family and how they would grieve for him when he was gone. He thought of his days at the academy and the later recognition he had earned as a Starfleet officer. He thought of Myoko, the girl he had loved and wondered how she would react to the news of his demise.

Dying itself was not a problem for him. He had always known that there was a possibility that he could lose his life while wearing the uniform of a Starfleet officer. But to die like this? It shamed him. Dying for a cause or dying to save the life of another had always been an acceptable risk for him, but not this. He was nothing more than a guinea pig, put here to be tortured for the amusement of a superior intellect. His death would mean nothing.

Tiro fought the urge to cry out, to curse the Q who was ending his life in such a wasteful fashion. He could feel the need to shout moving from his stomach up into his throat, but he fought it. Remaining silent and depriving his tormentor of watching him rant and rave as he suffered through his last moments was the only way he could fight back and he made up his mind to do so. Then, making his last conscious decision, he lowered himself to the floor, curled himself into a small ball and closed his eyes.

************************

Q stood with a self satisfied smile on her face. "You humans interest me. I find you very hard to understand." She paced to the center of the bridge and faced their angry stares. "You so obviously want to live- pitiful though your existence's are- and yet, you constantly choose to risk your lives; out here exploring, or in other places defending principles or rights. You are full of contradictions."

Lt. Commander Robins made a motion as if he would strike the woman, but Forrester saw the move from the corner of his eye and waved him to a stand still.

Q continued, "At first I thought you human's must be unaware of the consequences you faced. But I see from your reactions today, that you are quite aware of your mortality." She was looking right at Colton. "I suppose I will have to keep you humans around and study you further. For today, you live." A final dazzle of light. and she was gone.