Riker said, "You think we've run into something the Starfleet engineers didn't think of?"

La Forge shrugged. "Looks that way, sir."

The room was silent again. Wesley began to squirm, and at last words were squeezed out of him. He said, "The Boogeymen caused all this trouble?" He looked even more uncomfortable than La Forge.

"Not all by themselves, Wes. The diagnostics didn't find the Boogeyman program. But even if it somehow got through undetected, the machete program would have cleaned it out by now."

Wesley nodded. He seemed relieved.

Dr. Crusher said, "Then the Boogeyman program must be working along with some other program."

La Forge said, "You were talking about viruses before, Doctor. That's what we have."

Picard remembered that the Iconian program had been a computer virus, too. Only by shutting down every Enterprise system and then reloading every program had they saved the ship. "Continue, Mr. La Forge."

La Forge stood up and called into operation a screen at the end of the conference lounge.

"It works," Wesley said with some surprise.

"Yeah," said La Forge. "So far. Computer, exhibit 'Virus.' "

"Working," said the computer. It sounded like a Boogeyman. Picard saw Wesley shudder.

The screen rolled a few times, and when the picture steadied, it was a schematic of Enterprise's computer system. La Forge said, "This is basically a smaller, simplified version of the flow chart in the main computer center. If everything were working properly, this chart would update itself automatically as the situation changed. But what you're looking at is not connected to the computer. It is a picture of the situation as it was twenty minutes ago." He pointed out specific areas. "Normal information flow is in gold. Satellites of the computer brain afflicted by the virus are in red."

"Almost half," Riker said.

"Forty-seven percent," La Forge said.

"Twenty minutes ago," Picard said. Forty-seven percent. Fifty-two. Seventy-three. When would the ship become unlivable? How long before navigation and life support went down? He said, "How long do we have till we can no longer function, even at the most basic level?"

"Impossible to say, sir. The virus is spreading by fits and starts, as a clean satellite calls on information in a contaminated part. Could be hours or days. Certainly no more than a week, and that's only if we are very lucky."

"We'll shut down all nonessential systems," said Riker.

"Yes," said Picard, "and then only essential systems will become infected." There had to be a loose thread, a way out. "Number One, alert all pa.s.sengers and crew to use the greatest discretion when accessing the computer. Use it as if it were a natural resource that was running dry. Also, for the duration we are shutting down all recreational functions."

"Aye, Captain." They waited while Riker called the bridge and repeated the captain's instructions into his communicator. Mr. Worf acknowledged.

When Riker was done, Picard said, "How did the Boogeyman program get into the system?"

La Forge sat down, the energy he had shown during his presentation suddenly gone. He said, "My theory, sir, is that when it spread to the holodeck computer, somehow the virus and the Boogeymen got hooked together."

Riker said, "And then the virus program hauled the Boogeymen everywhere it went."

"That's the way I see it." La Forge was almost apologizing.

Picard thought about what La Forge had just said. It was all very neat. All very logical. It was probably correct as well. "This is my doing, then," he said.

"Well, sir-"

"When I forced the Boogeyman program to disappear, it was not overwritten, as Mr. Data and I thought. It simply went somewhere else."

Dr. Crusher moved as if to put her hand on Picard's, but took it back without touching him. She said, "You didn't know, sir."

"Mr. Crusher didn't know. I didn't know." He shook his head and then smiled as if he had just begun to understand some cosmic joke. "Overloading the computer seemed like a good idea at the time. Which is the best defense any of us can ever give when caught making a mistake of this magnitude."

"We have to answer two questions, then," Riker said. "First, where did the virus program come from? And second, how do we get rid of the virus-Boogeyman combination?"

Good old Riker, trying to distract him from blaming himself for something no one could have known.

"I have a theory about the first question, too," La Forge said, sounding somewhat embarra.s.sed. He'd had a difficult day, Picard thought. First accusing his captain of scuttling his own ship-if only accidentally -and now accusing one of the captain's friends of helping the process along.

"Go on, Mr. La Forge," Picard said, smiling his most encouraging smile.

La Forge said, "I think we can take it as given that Data has the same virus as the satellite computer system; he was infected when he plugged in to be diagnosed."

Everyone nodded.

"And after the flu symptoms, what is the most obvious characteristic of Data's condition?"

"He's forgotten Professor Baldwin," Wesley said.

"But," Dr. Crusher said, "that happened when he plugged into the holo-computer-which the Boogeymen controlled."

"Right," said La Forge, "but I believe the two events are connected."

"How?" said Picard.

"Okay," said La Forge, molding the explanation in the air. "Imagine we have these two programs. At the time Data plugged into the holo-computer, he was contaminated by the virus, which caused him to forget Professor Baldwin."

Dr. Crusher did not look happy, but she nodded along with everyone else.

"Now, as the virus spread through the system, it dragged the Boogeyman program along with it. The Boogeyman program, being more aggressive than the virus, reproduced itself faster, became stronger, and was able to afflict Data with something that looks like the flu."

"Let me see if I have this straight," Dr. Crusher said. "Wesley programs the holodeck computer with Boogeymen. Somebody infects the computer system with a virus that erases references to Professor Baldwin. When it infects the holodeck computer, the virus somehow gets connected with the Boogeyman program."

"Right so far," La Forge said.

"When the captain distracted the holodeck computer by filling the recreation deck with holo-people, the Boogeyman-virus combination was squeezed into the system, and from there it was able to spread."

"Right again."

"All of which means what?" Dr. Crusher said.

Riker smiled in appreciation. "You don't have a devious enough mind, Doctor. If all reference to Professor Baldwin has been erased, the chances are good that he is the one who designed the virus."

La Forge, having recovered most of his equilibrium, said, "You see what I mean about parallax, Captain? Data's problems give us insight into the ship's problems."

"Mont can't be Professor Baldwin's only enemy," Dr. Crusher said. "Maybe they're trying to make Baldwin a nonperson, discredit him that way."

"No, Doctor," said Picard. "I believe that Commander Riker is correct."

"For what reason?" Dr. Crusher asked.

The answer was obvious to Picard. Particularly given Baldwin's private comments about wanting, needing, to disappear. In an information-intensive society such as the Federation, the place to start would be with the records. How better to proceed than by using a computer virus designed to wipe out every mention of his name, every bit of evidence he ever existed? Picard did not feel free to mention any of this, not even now. But he would have to speak with Eric Baldwin very soon.

Picard said, "Something Professor Baldwin said to me. Mr. La Forge, why didn't your diagnostic program find Baldwin's virus when it searched the computer? More important, why didn't the machete program clear it?"

"When we find that out," La Forge said, "we'll know how to get rid of the virus. I say we start finding out by talking to Professor Baldwin."

Riker touched his insignia and said, "Lieutenant Worf."

"Here, Commander." Worf's voice pierced the room like a steel shaft.

"Bring Professor Baldwin to the conference lounge on deck one."

"Belay that order, Mr. Worf."

"Aye, Captain," Worf said, sounding a little confused.

Riker's eyebrows were up, which meant the captain had surprised him. Picard had almost succeeded in surprising himself. He said, "I'll speak to him first."

"Very well, sir," Riker said in a tone that meant he was willing to go along with Picard, for the moment anyway. One of the things that made Riker valuable was that he knew when to disagree with his superior officer. Picard knew that time would come soon. But Riker trusted him and would allow him some rope.

When Picard stood up, the others did as well. He said, "Mr. La Forge, I want you and Mr. Data to track down, a.n.a.lyze, and counteract the Boogeyman-virus combination. Minimal use of the computer, if you please."

La Forge nodded and said, "We'll use tricorders." He strode out.

"The rest of you stay alert," Picard said. "If you have any ideas, even if they seem ridiculous, please see Mr. La Forge. This situation does not seem to welcome conservative thinking."

Dr. Crusher and Commander Riker followed La Forge onto the bridge. When the doors closed, Picard said, "What is it, Mr. Crusher?"

"I'm sorry, Captain."

"For what?"

"For the Boogeymen. For the mess we're in now."

"It seems that we've both made a number of mistakes."

"Yes, sir."

"You are determined to take this all on your own shoulders."

"Well, yes, sir. If it hadn't been for the Boogeymen-"

Picard sighed and said, "Mr. Crusher, I would like to quote a poem to you."

"Yes, sir," Wesley said, bewildered.

Picard recited: "Once in a stately pa.s.sion I cried with desperate grief, 'O Lord, my heart is black with guile, Of sinners I am chief.'

Then stooped my guardian angel And whispered from behind, 'Vanity, my little man, You're nothing of the kind.'

"Do you understand, Wesley? It is sometimes arrogant to claim all the guilt."

Picard caught Wesley trying not to smile and said, "Go. Try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes, sir."

Wesley went out, leaving Picard to ponder his own arrogance. He sighed again and left the conference lounge.

In Engineering, La Forge discovered that Data had gone to his cabin. La Forge took the turbolift back up and pushed the announce b.u.t.ton outside Data's door.

Data said, "Cub in."

"Cub in?" La Forge said as he entered. He found Data sitting at his desk surrounded by an incredible array of stuff: stacks of bound books, a game generator with a number of game chips, a box of tissues. Nearby was a cup of room-temperature brown liquid with a foamy white island floating on the surface-hot chocolate with a marshmallow. In Data's mouth was a gla.s.s tube no larger than a pencil, and on top of his head was a sack that sat there like a small lumpy mountain. He was dressed in a blue robe held closed by a golden cord.

"Data, what is all this?"

Data was about to answer when he inhaled convulsively. With one hand he pulled the gla.s.s tube from his mouth and with the other he grabbed a tissue. "Ah-ah-ah-choo!" He sneezed into the tissue, and the bag slid off his head and onto the floor, where it disgorged ice cubes and cold water.

"Dis is a terbobedder," Data said, holding up the gla.s.s tube. "And dis is tissue for wed I sneeze."

"You sound all stuffy."

"Ob course. I hab a code in by dose."

La Forge shook his head in disbelief. "You can't have a cold, Data. You're an android."

"I ab exploring de human condition 'do be sick.' "

"You can explore that later. The captain wants us to get busy on that computer virus."

Data stood and dramatically threw off the robe. Underneath was his uniform. He said, "I believe I have contrived some theories on how we might proceed." Magically, his nose was no longer stuffy.

"You must be feeling better."

"I must," said Data agreeably.

He and La Forge walked out into the corridor, spouting computer science at each other enthusiastically.

Picard sat behind the desk in his ready room glaring at his memo terminal, wondering if asking it a question was worth the frustration of not getting an answer. He'd already called Professor Baldwin in the exobiology lab and requested his presence. He could have sent Worf or some other member of the security team to escort him, but Picard preferred not to do that. Even if Baldwin had in fact loaded the virus into the Enterprise's computer, he was not likely to be violent. It was just as well that sending somebody to get Baldwin had turned out not to be necessary.

"Somebody's at the door," a Boogeyman voice called. The voice startled Picard. Only moments before, when Riker had looked in on him with a routine matter, the door had made its usual audio twinkle. Wesley's Boogeymen were taking over the ship. Something had to be done, and soon.

"Come," Picard called.