Captain's log, stardate 46915.2.
The Enterprise is orbiting Nervala IV,
waiting for an opportunity to retrieve scientific data
left there by Starfleet researchers
when they evacuated eight years ago.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
- Any requests tonight? - Night Bird.
- Any requests? - Night Bird.
Ladies and gentlemen, Night Bird. One, two...
What was that all about?
Will's been trying to get this piece right for ten years.
He's never made it through the solo.
Here it comes.
- Data to Cmdr Riker. - Go ahead.
- You are needed on the bridge. - On my way.
Saved by the bell.
- You wanted to see me? - Yes, sir.
We can transport to the surface sooner than anticipated.
Is the distortion field rephasing early?
No, sir. Using the Potemkin's logs from the original evacuation,
Cmdr La Forge and I modified the transporters.
We can beam out through higher distortion?
Transporters are more efficient than those used eight years ago.
That's a good thing. I almost didn't make it off the surface.
- When can we start? - 97 minutes.
- How long will the window be open? - 26 minutes.
After that, the field will rephase.
That's not much time to retrieve the database.
The proximity to the sun will create two windows in the next three days.
- Let's hope that's enough. - It has to be.
The next window will not occur for eight years
when the planet's orbit will bring it close enough to the sun.
OK. Notify the away team we're going in ahead of schedule.
Aye, sir.
This is different than I remember.
- This place was a mess. - Commander.
- Someone was here. - A ship could have crashed.
The survivors may have taken refuge.
Commander, someone is approaching.
Humanoid. 40 meters due east and closing.
Space, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds,...
..to seek out new life and new civilizations,...
..to boldly go where no one has gone before.
- Who are you? - Who are you?
Cmdr William Riker, from the Federation Starship Enterprise.
That's not possible. I'm Will Riker.
May I ask how you got here?
Eight years ago, I came to evacuate this station.
- What ship were you on? - The Potemkin.
Why did you not return with the others?
I was the last one out.
The distortion field interfered with the transport.
They lost the signal lock on me.
When I tried to contact the ship, I couldn't get through.
Starfleet will have recorded that I was lost on that day.
That's not what happened. I was the last one out and I made it back.
You don't believe me?
It's not that we don't believe you.
It's just hard to see how both stories could be true.
- Will you let our doctor check you? - Of course.
Mr. Worf, take him to sickbay and notify the Captain.
Let's get to work.
- Worf to Enterprise. Two to beam up. - Stand by.
Looks like you fractured your arm.
I was doing some repairs when an earthquake hit.
I got caught in a rockslide. I had to set it myself.
Jean-Luc Picard.
Lt Will Riker.
I hope you understand I'll need to verify your claim.
Yes, sir.
Genetically, he is indistinguishable from Cmdr Riker.
Could there be some sort of cloning involved here?
I don't think so. No genetic drift.
- But it's not conclusive. - I compared their brain scans.
Brain patterns are as unique as fingerprints.
Except for minor differences, theirs are identical.
- Can't brain patterns be cloned? - No.
They're determined by experience, mostly from childhood.
How can two grown men share the same childhood experiences?
It doesn't make any sense.
I am Will Riker.
I don't know who or what made it back to the Potemkin, but it wasn't me.
Lieutenant, our Chief Engineer is checking the logs of the Potemkin.
Perhaps that will shed some light on the matter.
Don't worry. We will get to the bottom of this.
In the meantime, you will be taken to your quarters.
- Try and make yourself comfortable. - I will.
The replicators on the station don't work.
It's been a while since I've had a decent meal. Doctor.
There was a massive energy surge in the distortion field
just as you tried to beam out.
The Transporter Chief tried to compensate with a second beam.
An interesting approach.
He must have been planning to reintegrate the two patterns.
Actually, it wasn't really necessary.
Cmdr Riker's pattern maintained its integrity with just the one beam.
- He made it back. - And the second beam?
The Chief shut it down, but it was reflected back to the surface.
And another William Riker materialized there.
How did the second pattern maintain its integrity?
The containment beam had the same phase differential as the field.
- Which of them is real? - That's the thing. Both.
You were both materialized from a complete pattern.
Until that moment, you were one person.
But you and Lt Riker have lived different lives for eight years.
You are now very different people. It's like meeting someone's twin.
But, no matter how strange it may seem to us,
we now have two Will Rikers on board.
As Lt Riker is with us for several days,
we should do everything we can to make him comfortable and welcome.
We still have to retrieve the database.
The computer on the station is not operational.
Many of its components have been removed.
Lt Riker used them to keep the radiation shield operational.
Can it be repaired, at least enough to access the database?
Without knowing what he did, it's tough.
- Perhaps he can help. - He was alone for a long time.
I'm hesitant to let him go back until evaluation.
- I'll talk to him. - Thank you, Counsellor.
Come in.
Hello, Will.
Imzadi.
- Will... - I never thought I'd see you again.
We need to talk.
- You're on board because of him. - No. Cmdr Riker and I are friends.
Close friends, but nothing more.
Why don't we sit down?
Do you remember the last time we saw each other?
Like yesterday. The Janaran Falls on Betazed.
It was the day before you started on the Potemkin.
- We were going to meet on Risa. - We never did.
I know.
No, what I mean is, Cmdr Riker and I never did.
You see, he earned a promotion very quickly.
I know that, too.
"For exceptional valour during the evacuation of Nervala IV."
I've been looking at his service record.
He chose to make his career a priority.
There wasn't much time for anything else.
We kept in touch, but we didn't see each other again
until we were posted here two years later.
By then, our feelings for each other had changed.
We've served together for six years.
Things never went back to the way they used to be.
I had a lot of time on my hands down on that station.
There were days I was so lonely, I thought I might lose my mind.
Do you know how I made it through?
I thought if I hung on for one more day, they'd rescue me.
Maybe I'd see you again.
I guess things don't always work out the way you expect.
I know this isn't what you were hoping for.
But you can make a future for yourself.
Thanks.
Capt Picard wanted me to find out
if you'd help us retrieve the station's database.
I reconfigured it so many times, they can't make head or tails of it.
- I'd be happy to help. - Do you feel up to it?
- Absolutely. - Good. I'll tell the Captain.
Well, I have to go.
Deanna.
I know it's been a long time since we've been together.
I know your feelings have changed.
Mine haven't.
I can't just give up. I'd like to be with you again.
Goodnight, Will.
Phase distortion is dropping. The next window opens in 42 seconds.
- How long will we have? - 36 minutes.
We are losing time. Lt Riker should be here.
Computer, locate...
Cancel inquiry.
You were supposed to report at 0800 hours.
Sorry.
It's been a while since you had to punch a clock. Let's go.
Energize.
I've shut down the consoles.
I re-routed almost everything through here.
Check out the primary EPS system.
Get some power to these consoles.
I shunted the database to the main core.
- Can we access it here? - There's been seismic activity.
If the links were damaged, we may not be able to.
I'll try to tap into the command pathways.
You see if you can access and disable the file server.
I've been thinking, we should let Dad know.
He'd be thrilled to know there are two of us.
Actually, he and I have patched things up.
I've got by for a long time without seeing him.
I'm not about to start now.
- What made you contact him? - I didn't.
He came on board when I was offered the Aries.
What did he say when you turned down your own command?
He couldn't understand.
For once, he and I agree.
The EPS coupling is fused. The unit has to be replaced.
I've accessed the command pathways. The relays are functioning now.
See if that did the trick.
- It's not working. - The link must be damaged.
We'll have to go under the station.
We have less than three minutes.
I'll stay here. I'll be finished by the time the third window opens.
It's too dangerous. The caverns are unstable.
I've been down there dozens of times.
We'll come back during the third window.
We'll try to access the core from up here.
Riker to Enterprise. Ready to beam up.
You go. I'll be finished when you get back.
Hold it.
I gave you an order, Lieutenant!
Computer. Valerian root tea. Hot.
"Meet me in transporter room three at 1900 hours. It's important."
"It pulses unendingly all through the night,
Seek out the crystal that powers our flight."
- Can I help you, Counsellor? - No, thank you.
"What the future holds, no one can know,
But forward we look and forward we go."
- The Janaran Falls. - I remember. Where did you get this?
I made it a couple of years ago.
- You made this? - You should've seen the first two.
It took a while to get a fine enough beam from the phaser.
It's lovely. Thank you.
Can you stay and talk for a while?
I wanted to remember our last night together.
So, how does it feel being with people again?
Great.
Strange.
For a long time, I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.
- It's been hard taking orders again. - I can imagine.
But I'll have to get used to it to get my career going.
Is that what you've decided?
I'm the one who wanted to make captain by the time I was 35.
I'm a little behind schedule, I'll admit that.
It's good you don't feel set back.
I do.
Things are a little more complicated than I had planned.
But nothing is going to stand in my way.
There you go.
Thanks.
You don't know how many times I thought about you. About us.
For weeks after the evacuation,
I kept thinking they'd find a way to come back for me.
I even thought we'd meet on Risa like we'd planned.
But days went by, and nobody came.
Then I realized why.
They thought I'd been killed.
No one came. They thought there was no one to come for.
So I figured that they'd had a memorial service for me.
Somehow that made me feel better.
I can understand that.
You were there, dressed in black. Very flattering on you.
I'm sure I looked terrible,
with my eyes all red and swollen from crying.
Sometimes, I would look up into the sky and I'd think,
if I tried hard enough, I could make you feel my presence.
That if I could let you know that I was alive, maybe you'd wait for me.
I know it sounds crazy, but there were times when I could have sworn...
What am I talking about?
The other day, when I told you about how Cmdr Riker and I
didn't meet on Risa,
what I didn't say was how disappointed I was.
You didn't have to. I knew.
I started to hear from him less and less.
I knew his career was taking him away from me.
But I didn't want to believe it was over.
I spent a lot of time thinking about him.
Wondering where he was, what he was doing.
Sometimes I'd look into the sky and imagine that he knew, ...
..and that somehow, he could sense me thinking about him.
So, who knows?
Maybe one night, we were looking up at the same star...
..and you were thinking about me, ...
..and in a way, I was thinking about you.
Come.
- You wanted to see me, sir? - Yes. Come in.
Lt Riker has been to see me to talk about the away mission.
He believes we can retrieve the database
by directly accessing the main core underneath the station.
Seismic activity makes those caverns unstable.
- In my opinion, it's risky. - He was there recently.
He seemed confident it could be done.
We may be able to retrieve the database
from a console inside the station.
But if not, we won't have another chance for eight years.
Lt Riker's plan is more dangerous,
but has a better chance of succeeding.
Given the importance of the data, it's worth the risk.
I'll look over the schematics and draw up a mission plan.
I'm sure Lt Riker will be happy to help.
I'll talk to him.
Sir.
- Lieutenant. - Sir.
I met the Captain about your recommendation.
I would appreciate it if you came to me first.
- I tried talking to you yesterday. - I rejected your plan.
- May I ask what he decided? - To go with your recommendation.
- That's not the point. - Isn't it?
If you think I'm coming down on you because he overruled me, think again.
I disagree with him,
but he is my commanding officer and I follow his orders.
Just so there's no confusion,
I am your commanding officer. I expect you to do the same.
If you can't, there's no place for you on my away team.
Yes, sir.
There will be a meeting at 1400 hours to draw up a mission plan.
We stayed in ten-forward talking for hours.
- Then what happened? - He walked me to my quarters.
- Then what happened? - Beverly!
I'm just asking.
You know it's over between Will and me.
He's not Will.
He is Will, but... You know what I mean.
It's hard for me to separate my feelings for them.
Deanna.
Just because things turned out how they did between you and Cmdr Riker
doesn't mean you shouldn't let things with Lt Riker take their course.
- I knew you'd encourage me. - Isn't that why you brought it up?
- I think I'll call it a day. - Beverly!
Bye.
Some form of t'ai chi ch'uan?
Klingon exercises, actually. Lt Worf teaches a class.
The forms are very similar. Do that again.
- You did the KoH-man-ara. - T'ai chi ch'uan. The crane block.
Let's try something else.
What is that called? Mr. Worf's a very good teacher.
Hello, Will.
If you want to be with him, you don't have to ask my permission.
The look in your eyes. I recognize it.
You used to have it for me.
We've both had relationships with other people.
This is different. I didn't know how you'd feel.
Flattered, sort of.
This must be very strange for you.
Ever since he came on board,
I find myself thinking about the choice you and I made.
Me, too.
Do me a favour. Be careful.
I know you and he have had problems.
That's not what I'm talking about.
If he had gotten off the planet instead of me,
don't you think he would've made the same choices that I made?
I don't want you to be hurt again.
Two pair.
Full boat. Kings over.
I'd like to thank you both for your generous contributions.
Come in.
I thought you'd be alone. Excuse me.
Why don't you join us?
The game is five-card draw.
Ante, please.
- Lieutenant? - Three, please.
- Mr. Worf? - Four.
- Commander? - I'll play these.
Dealer takes two.
You control the bet, Lieutenant.
- 50. - Fold.
Here's your 50. And ten more.
You didn't take any cards. Why not make it a little sweeter?
No, thanks.
Playing it safe?
- You in? - I will call.
Here's your ten. And it'll cost you another 100.
I've practised too long to be fooled by that face.
You're bluffing. Here's your 100. And 20 more.
Dealer folds.
I thought that if one thing were clear by now,
it's that you and I play differently.
Let's see who comes out on top.
I thought you'd settle for second, Commander.
I've never settled for anything.
I know what I want. I know what I've got.
You'd be lucky to do so well, Lieutenant.
Here's your 20.
300 more.
- Now I know you're bluffing. - Are you in or not?
Get this over with.
I'll call your three, and raise you anything you've got left.
Well?
Take it.
You always had the better hand. In everything.
Come in.
Hi. There's something I'd like to talk to you about.
Capt Picard has got me a posting on the Gandhi.
Considering I've been out of commission,
it's an amazing opportunity.
- When would you leave? - In about a week.
I see.
Deanna.
After six months, I'm eligible to bring family aboard.
If we got married...
You said those exact words before you went to the Potemkin.
I know. I was just held up.
But if you hadn't been, what would have happened between us?
I wouldn't have made the mistake of leaving you. I know that.
I don't know if I can believe that.
It took me a long time to get over what happened with Cmdr Riker.
I don't know that I want to be in that position again.
- I would never hurt you. - It's not just that.
I've worked hard to make a life on the Enterprise.
I'm happy here.
If the situation were different, I'd stay.
But I can't.
Not while he's aboard.
I know.
- Are you saying it's over? - No.
No.
I just don't know if I'm ready to give up my life here.
Maybe we both need some time.
Goodnight.
Captain's log, supplemental.
The third transport window has opened.
The away team is making their final attempt at retrieving the database.
Once we restore the link, shunt the database to this console.
Are you ready, Cmdr Data?
- You're with me. - Cmdr Data's expertise...
It doesn't take much expertise to repair this.
You and I can handle it.
Lieutenant, I am curious about something.
If you met your double, would you have difficulty interacting with him?
- I think so. - Why?
I am not easy to get along with.
But Cmdr Riker and Lt Riker are.
Yet they seem to have trouble getting along.
I have found that humans value their uniqueness,
that sense that they are different from everyone else.
The existence of a double would preclude that feeling.
Could that be the source of the friction?
Perhaps it is more a matter of seeing something in your double,
something that you do not like in yourself.
This is it.
There's the core.
- You waiting for something? - Your orders, sir.
How should I get over there?
You've been down here. I'm sure you know the best way.
Yes, sir. I do.
- It's leaking ion radiation. - You didn't report this?
It wasn't here before. It must have happened recently.
If we repair this conduit, we won't have time to access the core.
Scan it now.
It's working. The radiation levels are dropping to normal.
Next time, don't give up so easily.
Hang on.
Come on. Grab on. Come on!
Come on. Climb!
- I'm being pulled in. - Let go.
- One of us has to get out. - Climb.
Come on!
Climb!
They have restored the servo link to the core. Download the database.
Initiating data transfer.
Captain's log, stardate 46920. 1.
We have retrieved the database from Nervala Station
and are headed for our rendezvous with the Gandhi.
Come in.
I hear the Gandhi is going on a mission to the Lagana Sector.
That's right. It'll take four months to get there.
I won't be joining you.
I guess I'm not surprised to hear that.
I'm just not ready to give up my life here.
Not yet.
Come in.
- I'm sorry. - It's alright.
I wanted to give you something.
My quarters are full of things that belong to both of us.
The least I can do is give you this.
- Thanks. - Good luck, Will.
- I might go with the name Thomas. - Your middle name.
I guess we are different. I never cared for that name.
Well, I sort of like it.
I guess I'd better get going.
I waited a long time. I guess I can wait a little longer.
Take care of her.