After walking the doctor over to the hospital where she was volunteering; Jason made his way back to the quarters he was using whilst his ship awaited repairs.  It was a small place just two rooms, but more than adequate for his needs. He had the place to himself which was another bonus.  It had given Jason the chance to finish up his reports.  The next thing on his list was crew evaluation, something he wasn’t exactly looking forward to.

The door made a kind of ‘ffisshusf’ noise as it opened and the lights came on as expected at his request and the door closed again behind him.  All as expected all pretty normal.  What wasn’t expected or normal was the tall thin man sitting on the sofa.  He was dressed in a sort of light grey collarless business suit with a white shirt visible underneath, but no signs of a tie. The shoes the man wore where black and that well-polished that the light directly above him reflected in them.  His face was that of a man in his mid-forties may be; slightly rounded but fairly unremarkable.  The hair on his head was short and as black as the shoes.  But it was those eyes; eyes that sucked you into a never ending void.  Whole galaxies had got lost in those eyes, or so it felt to Jason.

“Ah, mister Devron.” The stranger spoke with a voice like the rumbles of distant thunder whilst flashing impossibly white teeth.

“Who the hell are you?” He shouted at the intruder. “And how did you get in here?”

The stranger looked at Jason in the same way as a father looks at a naughty child, just before he tells him off for leaving chocolate fingerprints everywhere. Coupled with those eyes it stopped the young lieutenant in his tracks.  Then with a click of the fingers; which in itself sounded much loader than it should; he was gone in a brief flash of light only to reappear almost in the same instant in the office chair over the far side of the room, which he swung around to face Devron. “Take a wild guess?”

“Q!” He replied in surprise.

“Well one of yes.” The older man replied. “There are more of us than just that one.” The word ‘that’ seemed much more emphasised, like the particular ‘Q’ it referred to was an annoyance to this individual.

“So what would a member of the Continuum be wanting with me?” Jason enquired folding his arms, but still remaining in the same spot near the door.

“I hate to disappoint.  But right now you are just a pawn in a galactic game of chess.”  This ‘Q’ acted and sounded differently from the one often encountered by the Enterprise. “No it’s the doctor that concerns me.”

“Doctor Andrianakis?” Jason asked as if there could be any other doctor this intruder was referring to.

“One and the same.” The ‘Q’ clasped his hands together.  He couldn’t honestly remember the last time he’d been in a solid form and done that before today.  It had been a while, but time was subject and annoying.  He also wasn’t going to let it be known he’d spent a good hour practising speaking in front of the mirror either.  This whole idea of lips and jaw moving to create a sound.  Rather than think it into another person’s head.  How did his compatriot manage it with such ease?

“Have you noticed anything strange going on, around her?” He finally said.

“No, why do you ask?” Devron was puzzle by the question.

“So somehow surviving the attack on Y’Tech V, and being missed by an Orion firing his weapon despite being much closer to the exit of the transporter room than you yourself who took a direct hit.  Aren’t strange?”

Devron thought about it for a moment, she’d been on the other side of the island, and he and Stuart had both escaped being killed during that mission.  As for Hasray missing the doctor when he fired.  Well that was just luck.

“And I suppose you’re stupid enough to believe the armour on that Romulan car saved your lives to?”

Jason had never really thought of it much.  Yes the damage was only minor, but those things had been designed to protect whoever was inside. So hadn’t that been the case?

“Typical human behaviour.” The ‘Q’ sighed. “Always dismissing what’s right in front of you.  How you ever made it past the primordial soup stage, I have no idea.” He got up and stretched.  His backside was actually starting to feel numb, and people actually sat on these things for eight hours a day! “I suppose that Jem’Hadar warrior freezing mid-swing was just luck to?”

‘Did this entity know everything that had happened?’  Ok that was a stupid question to think, at least Jason felt he’d only thought it; though this ‘Q’ smiled like he’d heard it. Yes that was strange, granted.  Those warriors didn’t hesitate. But what was this stranger implying?

“And just to top it all off.  She brings a pilot back from the dead.” The ‘Q’ finished

Phoebe had said it herself; the EMH had declared the man dead.  But if all this was connected to her; what was she?  His mind had clearly been read again, as an answer was soon forthcoming.  “She’s human enough.  Just her father wasn’t.”

“Then?”

“Her father was a member of the Continuum and it’s become apparent that the good doctor is displaying abilities beyond the scope of a normal human.” The stranger knew what was coming next even without needing to read this young man’s mind.  “And yes breeding with lower life forms is frowned upon. But it does happen from time to time.”

What did he mean lower life forms! Who did this ‘Q’ thing think he was anyway?  Jason was angry now, and he was sure the entity could sense that to.

“There will come times when your crew will face danger, grave danger.  And if she unleashes these powers she may do untold damage, way beyond what your primitive minds can understand.  You must help steer her clear of those actions.”

“How do I do that if I don’t know the dangers or what she’s capable of?”

“You’ll find a way mister Devron.  As for her abilities and power even we can’t predict that yet.”

“And the alternative?”

“For her, there is no alternate.  She either follows this path or the road ends here.” That last part seemed to sting, as it was said with weight and menace behind it. Then in a far friendlier tone of voice. “Oh and you’ve got someone at the door.”

Jason turned towards the door, then back again, but the room was empty. Then someone knocked at the door.  That made him jump more than it normally would have.  The two security officers standing outside was rather a surprise to.  One of which peering inside as if half expecting to find someone else in there.  Had he heard anything, Jason wondered.  The other man held up a Padd. “Have you seen this man sir?”  The face on it was unmistakable that of the man he’d seen today and knew from back on earth.

“No, should I have?”

“You are Lieutenant Junior Grade Jason Alan Devron, grandson of retired Rear-Admiral George Jason Devron, the man in this photo?”

It was at this point the Jason’s world imploded.  ‘What the heck was going on?’