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After flashing into my room, I quickly change into a pair of pajamas and mess up my bed so it will appear as though I've spent the night in it. The chronometer tells me that it is nearly six hundred hours, the morning after I left with Q. Although I have not slept all night, I don't feel tired. Maybe Q require no sleep I muse, contemplating what I will do with the extra hours.

Sam and Al are stirring in their cage and I feed them. Occasionally, I still place them inside their maze, but Data told me long ago that it is no longer necessary to run the experiment.

I hear someone in the living area and step out of my room to join mother at the table. She has made herself a hot chocolate and appears relaxed. Wondering whether she knows Eric has been returned to her, I sit down across from her. How should I approach the subject, though? If I simply ask, she'll question how I know. Telling her that I spent the night inside the Continuum wouldn't be wise. If she doesn't know, then her state of calm might be another Q-induced trance.

"Mother," I say, my voice sounding groggy. "You seem more content today. Has Q returned Eric to us?"

"Sunshine, your brother came back last night."She smiles and reaches a hand out to grasp mine. "He looks fine, but refuses to talk about what happened. Your father and I have decided to take him to see Dr. Selar this morning. Although I don't believe he'll suffer any long-term problems, I'm going to keep him out of school for a few days and watch him closely."

"If you need any help, I can take a break from my lessons." I cannot help feeling guilty for Eric's predicament.

"That's sweet, dear, but there's no reason for you to interrupt your studies."

"Where's Father?"

"He's in Eric's room. I didn't feel your brother should be left alone just yet."

"Did he have nightmares?"

Yes. That's how we discovered he'd been returned, when he started screaming."

My cheeks grow warm as I contemplate how Eric's day in the Continuum must have been for him. Was he trapped in a black universe or one as equally terrifying for hours? Although Q was responsible for Eric's nightmare, I'm still overwhelmed by guilt. Maybe I've unwittingly encouraged Q to return despite my words of rejection. He believed that snatching Eric was the only way for me to admit that I wanted to join the Continuum. I was able to unlock the mystery of the black universe and solve every riddle the Q brought before me. I enjoyed my night in the Continuum, I realize. The Continuum is not the place for everyone though and Eric didn't deserve to suffer the experience. If mother or father find out I offered myself in trade for Eric, I will be in severe trouble with them. Why does their reaction not worry me as much as what the Q will do if I violate my probation. A thousand years! How will I ever survive that long?

You shouldn't think of only yourself , Shannara I chastise myself. You're better than the other Q . "We should do something really nice for Eric to help him forget about his experience with Q," I say, trying to not think about my own problems anymore. "Maybe have a party and let him invite all his friends."

"Shannara, that is very thoughtful and mature of you to worry about your brother. It's also a very good idea. Let's see what Dr. Selar says this morning and if she says Eric is physically fine, why don't you take the responsibility of planning the party?"

"I'd be happy to."

Father and Eric walk into the living area, holding hands. "He has decided he's hungry," Father says. "I believe it is a good sign."

Mother smiles and walks over to the replicator. "What would you like, dear?"

As Eric removes his hand from Father's and walks over to Mother to give his breakfast order, I observe his behavior. Is he acting like the brother I knew two days ago? Or has he been irrevocably changed? He's withdrawn and mother has to bend to his eye level before he will tell her what he wants to eat. Will he ever be my boisterous and obnoxious brother again? I will have to find a way to help him come out of this shell.

Mother carries Eric's plate over to the table and he sits down, delving into the scrambled eggs, sausage and toast. At least his appetite has not suffered.

"Would you like anything, Shannara?" Mother asks.

"I'll have the same, thank you."

*****

After Mother and Eric leave heading for sickbay, I decide the Arboretum is the best place for me to work today. I gather up my data padd and my latest experiment, an attempt at duplicating a hybrid of two flowering plants found on Riegus IV. So far, all six of my trials have failed to yield a viable plant. It is due this evening when Data's duty shift ends, but with the havoc I've experienced from the Q in the last forty-eight hours, I'm not sure I can manage to keep my mind on schoolwork. Yet I still have a clear head and don't feel any need for sleep.

I step off the turbolift onto Deck 11 where the Arboretum is located and am relieved to see the corridor is empty in both directions. Maybe the Arboretum is unoccupied and will provide the peaceful atmosphere I require to finish the project. Heading in its direction, I travel only a few yards when a purple and green pattern appears on the wall. It blends together like wet sand and holes appear in the titanium wall.

"Q!" I say immediately knowing it is one of them. Which one and what is the point of this demonstration? I wonder. "This petty display isn't going to scare me. Show yourself."

The sand dissolves and the wall returns to normal, but no Q appears to challenge me face to face. "Fine. Whatever. I don't have time for your childish games."

I arrive in the Arboretum with no further incident. As I'd hoped, it is empty and I take a set in the center where I can have a decent view of most of the plants. Maybe they will inspire me to write the correct formula that will produce the plant. Data has told me that the plant has been reproduced by Starfleet botanists for medicinal purposes.

I bring up the file on my data padd and study my previous formulas. What went wrong with them? The next to last test seemed the closest to succeeding. That time, the plant had formed buds, but never bloomed and quickly dried up despite adequate water and fertilizer.

"Oh just stop puzzling over it and use a little magic." I look up to see the second Q from the white room standing, knees bent, on the table.

I wonder whether he tormented Eric inside the Continuum. If he did, I will seek vengeance against him and any other Q who participated. "I thought Q sent you to oblivion," I say in a cold tone. I don't like him and see no reason to hide this fact.

He waves the notion aside with a hand. "He's been threatening to do that for several millennia. Very soon, he will be overthrown anyway."

"By who? You? Oh please! No one will want to belong to the Continuum with you as their leader."

I have my supporters, and I don't need the likes of you anyway. You have the power of the Q and refuse to use it."

"That would be cheating. You've probably been a Q too long to understand that. Even more important, Data would be disappointed in me." Hopefully, mentioning my mentor puts a sting in this Q, knowing I prefer an android over his presence.

"Oh, you really are a ridiculous breed! What does Q see in you?"

"If you care so little about me, then why are you wasting time on me? Have you lived so long that you can find nothing better in the universe to alleviate your boredom? Go away!"

"You're smart enough to be a Q. You *know* why I'm here. And it's not to rid myself of boredom. Too many Q use that excuse. It's nauseating."

I furrow my brow as I study his visage. Smiling like a clown, he waits for me to puzzle out his motives. "You're trying to get me into trouble. You want me to break one of the rules so I'll get thrown out of the Continuum. You figure if you work fast, I won't have a chance to learn the rules. How many other would-be Q have you thrown out? Well, maybe I just won't play along with your game and be the next to go. Unless--"

"Yes?"

"Not playing games is breaking one of the rules."

"You're sure.....that's your final answer?"

"You're playing a game now! And yes, that's my final answer. I'll play your stupid, silly games and I'll win." Even better, I'll be the one to send you to oblivion one day. Realizing I sound overly cocky, I hope I'm not shortly disproved and ridiculed by all members of the Continuum.

"I bet you will."

Surprised by this announcement, I let my mouth fall open. My throat tightens and I'm unable to come up with a witty response. Really smart, Shannara, I chastise myself. He'll win by default if I'm unable to play.

"Rule number two: Never underestimate a Q." He seems unmoved by my moment of silence. I actually wonder whether he's choosing to ignore it because he doesn't want to see his game end so quickly. A weakness I shall play to my advantage.

"I thought I was supposed to figure out the rules by myself. You're making this game too easy. Make it more difficult or I'll defeat you in minutes. Oblivion will last a very long time."

"Oh really? You must realize the rule works both ways." Without warning, he flashes out.

I stand up and explore the entire Arboretum, convinced he hasn't left and is playing a childish game of hide and seek. Or with a Q is it mind and seek? Why did I have to open my big mouth and get myself into this trouble? I'll be lucky if he doesn't send me to oblivion. After all, he has far more experience with the power of the Q than I.

With an idea suddenly popping into my head, I sit back down at the table. I can't let him know that I'm afraid of him. "Q, I'm not going to search every centimeter of this ship for you, because I wouldn't find you anyway. You're not here anymore in the physical form, but your mind is still on the Enterprise. So listen to me: You won't win this game!

With a sense of euphoria, I return to my data padd and slightly alter my formula. Satisfied, I remove an empty pot from my experiment box and fill it with soil and add two tablespoons of fertilizer. I press two fingers into the center to form an impression large enough for the seed I'm about to make.

After wiping my hands, I walk over to the nearest replicator and program in my formula. I pick up the large seed that materializes and carry it over to the table in my palm. Planting the seed, I watch the pot as though the plant will immediately sprout. I'm so intent on it that I don't realize someone has entered the Arboretum until she's right behind me. I gasp as I flip around to confront my unexpected visitor. Although she is wearing a lieutenant's uniform, I know she is not a Starfleet officer and that she does not belong on the Enterprise. "Q, you startled me," I admit only to wish I could take it back. Rule number three, I bet: Never admit weakness to another Q.

"I heard Q paid you a visit," she says, folding her arms across her chest. News travels faster than warp nine through the Continuum. "What kind of game is that imbecile playing now?"

"The same as you, I suppose." She narrows her eyes in obvious offense. "You've both come to interrupt my work. You don't want me to succeed as a Q, maybe not even at anything. You'll do anything within your power to interfere with my progress."

"Within our power," she mocks. "Are you forgetting there are no limits to what the Q can do?"

"I haven't forgotten anything. I just don't subscribe to the belief that the Q are omniscient. Very powerful, yes, but you have your limits. Otherwise, I wouldn't be sensing how threatened you feel by me right now."

"Threatened! You think I'm threatened by the likes of you? You're a little girl with almost no experiences beyond the confines of this starship."

"Oh but my age should mean naught now that I'm a Q, if your claim is true. All-knowing. All-powerful. Immortal." My tone conveys that I believe none of the three.

She leans toward me, a smile playing at her lips. "Do you really think you can beat me?"

Although I hesitate to formulate an intelligent response, I don't waver my stare. I can't let her think I'm backing down! She wants me to battle her and from what I've seen thus far of the Q, they fight their battles with minds, not with fists. "You're not here as a representative of the Continuum. You've come to battle me one on one. The Q don't care about each other. You're all in a battle for the finish!"

She rears her head back and laughs. "If you don't like the game, then why are you playing?"

"I never said I didn't like the game. I just don't like the other players. Now why don't you act like Q and play a game of mind and seek?"

"Stoop to his petty level?"

I turn my back on her and wrap my hands around the pot. "Do whatever you want. I'm going to finish this experiment. And before you say anything, Q already Suggested that I use the power of the Q to make the plant grow, but if I don't do this the hard way, I'll have no sense of accomplishment. Glancing back over my shoulder, I realize I am again alone in the Arboretum.

Hopefully, no other Q will show up today to challenge me. I should consider myself lucky that they didn't team up against me. That thought leads me to wonder why my Q hasn't shown up today to defend me. Unless, he wants me to realize I'm capable of fighting my own battles.

I busy myself with some history reading until the alpha shift is over and Data will be inside his quarters. Reading has often helped me grow drowsy and eager for sleep, but the power of the Q flowing through me keeps my body invigorated and ready to perform the next task. Leaving the Arboretum, I pass three crewmembers on my way to the turbolift, defining the difference between the number of officers assigned to the alpha and beta shifts.

When I step inside his quarters, Data is touching up a painting he has been working on for a couple of weeks. One might find it hard to believe that an android would have trouble perfecting anything, but Data has taught me the difference between logic and creativity. As I silently watch him add a few more strokes, I contemplate telling him about my night in the Continuum, but before I can make up my mind, he sets his pallet down and greets me. "Good evening, Shannara," he says. "I trust you're ready to share the results of the Riegus plant merger?"

"Well-I wish I had more to share with you," I respond, glancing down at the pot.

Data gestures toward his desk. "Set the pot over there and explain to me what you have learned from this assignment."

I do as he asks and then searching through the notes on my data padd, flounder for a way to improve my evaluation of this project. "I tried several formulas. Only a couple produced anything at all. I made one last attempt earlier today, but as you can see, it's too soon to tell what the results will be. If there will be any at all."

"May I take a look at your formulas?" Data asks, holding his hand out for my data padd.

I give it to him and anxiously remain where I am standing, afraid to peer over his shoulder as he reads through six weeks worth of notes. He is finished in thirty seconds, anyway. "Your final formula is correct. Your plant will sprout in thirty-six to forty-eight hours and will mature in about fourteen days."

I accept my data padd back from him and stare at my formula, amazed. Can I really be lucky enough to have hit on the right formula only hours before turning in the experiment? After weeks of painstaking notes, scribbled equations and replicated attempts, I find the answer on no sleep in over thirty-six hours. Could my induction into the Continuum have anything to do with my success? I really wanted to find the solution without the power of the Q.

"Congratulations," Data continues. "When you find two species which can coexist, you've discovered harmony."

"Is everything else chaos?" I ask, thinking of my encounter with the two Q in the Arboretum.

"Not necessarily. If that were true, the universe would be unable to function properly. Civilizations would never form and technological advances would never occur."

I understand what Data is telling me, but I can't stop dwelling on the idea of chaos. It defines the Q perfectly. Yet they've been able to hold the Continuum together for millennia. The two Q who visited me today have a particular dislike for one another and I wonder what chaos would bring if I brought them together for a little game of my own.

"And we would never have become friends," Data continues, snapping me back to the present.

"Who would want to live in a universe where you can't make friends," I respond.

Data lectures me in science, history, and checks over my English composition, then tests me on the molecular biology of several plants I've studied. After receiving a ninety-eight percent on the test, I'm dismissed for the evening. My parents will expect me home soon, so I move quickly on my game plan. Walking up to a commpanel, I ask the computer to locate all unoccupied areas of the ship other than officer's quarters. A storage area on Deck 5 looks like a good playing field and I call out to the Q as I step off the turbolift. "You left the game unfinished!" I tell the first. "You're breaking rule number two and I'm ready to play."

He pops in on top of a barrel. "You ask me to leave. Now you're pouting because I'm gone. A true Q wouldn't be that indecisive."

"You're full of the mind games, aren't you?" I counter. "We'll see how well you fair against Q."

"Q! You wouldn't be foolish enough to bring her into this." He hesitates. "Would you?"

"Your fear tells me it's not a foolish move at all. And she's itching for a new challenge. She'll enjoy this showdown. He folds his arms and with a smile, says " I might enjoy this as well.." I look upward though I know there's really no correct direction to look for her in an alternate universe. "Right Q? Let's all play the game." lets see who enjoys this the most, I think silently.

"You wish to challenge me?" she states arrogantly as she flashes inches in front of me. Obviously she doesn't believe in letting others have their own space.

I take three steps back before responding "yes *we* do."

The male Q claps and rolls his head back to let out a thunderous laugh. "How presumptuous of you to think I would take your side."

"You refuse to take mine, you refuse to take hers, yet you claim you have devoted followers."

"Oh spare me," the female Q exclaims. The reaction I was hoping for, both are moving toward my game plan. "He doesn't even get along with anyone."

"And you're the queen of charm," he counters, jumping off the barrel. "People flock to roam in your pasture. If I were a fly, I'd bathe in your horse manure."

"You're not a fly; you're a maggot!" She hurls herself at him and a furious battle wages, not of fists, but of words. The insults race out of their mouths so quickly, I can hardly follow what's said. I am amazed at how close they remain and how angry their words escalate, while neither resorts to physical violence.

I wave my arm and send them away in a Q-flash. They are so intent on degrading each other that they probably won't realize their surroundings have changed for a day or two. Good riddance, I say. They won't be meddling in my probation for a long while. Content, I leave the storage room and return to my quarters.

Eric is sitting at the table coloring and Mother and Father are sitting on the sofa. Standing to face me, Mother says, "you're late for dinner, Shannara. What took you so long?"

I consider telling her my tutoring session ran longer than normal, but know she already contacted Data to check on me.

"The computer told us you were on Deck 5," Father adds. "You have no business up there."

"I'm sorry. I was working on a surprise for the party," I respond, remembering my promise. How can I lie to them so easily? I'm behaving more and more like a true Q.

"What party?" Eric asks, turning toward me.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

Eric smiles and I don't feel quite so guilty about the lie. If I can help him readjust from his experience, then I am not as bad as the other Q. Tomorrow, I will devote time toward planning a grand festivity. For now, I will enjoy dinner with my family and freedom from the Continuum.

*****

It is bedtime, but can I sleep? I could read the hours of the night away. Only that would keep Sam and Al awake, and I wouldn't want to risk my parents discovering my lights on. What should I do?

"Sleep if you want," my Q says, popping in on the edge of my bed. "Your android friend requires no sleep and yet he enjoys an occasional dream. If you feel it's necessary to exist in the same boring routine, then will yourself to become tired."

"I can do that?"

"You're a Q, aren't you?"

"All-powerful," I say with a smirk.

"By the way, that was a good show you put on this evening. They've both convinced themselves that they're the greatest Q who ever walked the universe. What they don't know *will* hurt them."

"You were watching?"

"Of course. I had to make sure you're keeping your affairs in order and learning the rules quickly, I see."

I sit down beside him and almost reach my hand out to grasp his before I think better of it. "Q, why do you like me? From what I see of your people, no one likes anyone."

He shakes his head sadly. "The competition has become too steep. After millennia of battling for the top spots inside the Continuum, most every Q has learned to only think of themselves. There are a few, though, who believe that absolute power is not the most important goal in the universe. Someday, I'll introduce you to one or two of them. You may find a Q you like after all. Good night, Shannara." He flashes out, but I hear him add softly, "pleasant dreams."

"I already have found a Q I like," I reply and yawn. Maybe I will allow myself to grow tired.