your side arm. Of course. May I ask a personal favour? Yes. Will you take care of Spot for me? Your animal? I am afraid if I have another waking dream, I might injure him. Of course. Spot, come here. Unlike a canine, Spot does not respond to verbal commands. Goodbye, Spot. He will need to be fed once a day. Feline supplement number 25. - I understand. - And he will require water. And provide him with a sandbox. And you must talk to him. Tell him he is a pretty cat. And a good cat. I will feed him. Perhaps that will be enough. Captain, we have a problem. Look at this. Her tissue is breaking down on a cellular level. It's spreading. At first, I thought it was a rash from the coil brace. But when I used the interphasic scanner, I found this. What is it? The question is, what are they? I've tested all the medical staff. I found them on almost everyone so far. The cellular decay is accelerating in all cases. I haven't found a way to stop it or even slow it down. Looks like you're infected, too. The organisms are attached to our epidermal layers with osmotic tendrils. They tap directly into the bloodstream. And from what I can tell, they're spreading. What are we dealing with? Are these creatures feeding on us? Yes, in a very particular way. They extract our cellular peptides. It's analogous to the way leeches consume haemoglobin. If they're not removed soon, our bodies will lose their cellular cohesion. We'll collapse into nothing but a few pounds of chemicals. Alright. Is there any way that we can affect these organisms? We've tried EM radiation, subspace fields, thermal protons, nothing's worked. They seem to exist in some interphasic state just beyond our visual and sensor acuity. We can only see them with an IP scanner. Tricorders can't see them. - Do we know where they came from? - I scanned the vicinity. There was no sign of similar creatures or any unusual interphasic activity. What about Mr Data? There must be some connection with his odd behaviour. - Is he infested as well? - I scanned him but I found nothing. Data attacked Troi because he saw a mouth on her shoulder. It was in that same area that we first saw one of the organisms. Data saw a straw in my head. Beverly discovered an organism there. Those images are all part of Data's dream. Maybe somehow he's unconsciously perceiving these creatures. Perhaps it is time we took a closer look at Mr Data's dreams. It is an interesting hypothesis. If I am being affected by these interphasic creatures, it may also explain my waking dreams and my antisocial behaviour. We want to link your neural net to the holodeck and activate your dream program. As you dream, we can observe the dream images. Perhaps we can learn about these creatures by interpreting your dreams. I see. The concept is similar to directed dreaming. Exactly. How soon can you have the link ready? We need an hour to establish the parameters. Make it so. In the meantime, Mr Data, I suggest that you prepare for bed. I think we're ready, Captain. The link is active. The holodeck has been calibrated to Data's neural net. - Ready, Mr Data? - Yes, sir. Normally, I would wish you pleasant dreams. But in this case, bad dreams would be more helpful. I understand, sir. Initiating dream program. Stand by. Let's be very observant. Even the most insignificant image could be important. Right. Here he comes. Hello. Can we speak to Data, or would that wake him up? He perceives us as part of his dream. Anything we say will be taken in that context. That sounds like a telephone ringer but I don't see a receiver. - Cake? - Thank you. Look at that. Her right shoulder. That's where Data stabbed her. In his waking dream, there was a mouth on her shoulder. They are both symbols of consumption. Mouth, food. Mr Data, what cake is this? - It is a cellular peptide cake. - With mint frosting. ------------------------------ Читайте также: - текст Нэйт и Хейс на английском - текст Дитя человеческое на английском - текст Вспомнить всё на английском - текст Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона: Смертельная Схватка на английском - текст По закону на английском |