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Imaginary Friend

I like to cook all kinds of stuff-- like yogurt and raisin salad, chocolate chip pancakes, and purple omelets.

Purple omelets?

You put grape juice in the eggs.

Isabella doesn't like it very much.

She says it tastes funny.

I can see her point.

Would you like some sugar with your tea?

Yes, please.

Isabella, would you like some?

Yes, but she takes two cubes.

Mm-hmm.

I'll bet Isabella is very pretty.

She's very, very pretty.

She has blonde hair and a blue dress with white buttons.

Her ears are pierced and she's tall.

Maybe you could draw me a picture.

I'd love to see what she looks like.

You don't think she's real.

I think she's real for you, and that is real enough for me.

Honey, I think it's time for you to go now.

You don't wanna keep Keiko waiting.

I have to go plant the nasturtiums now.

I'm Keiko's helper in the arboretum today.

Is that so?

You go ahead, sweetie, and be home in time for dinner.

I hope I see you soon.

Maybe we can be friends.

Okay.

Counselor Troi?

Yes?

Isabella says she likes you.

Why, thank you, Isabella.

I can understand your concern, Ensign Sutter, but really, you have nothing to worry about.

It's a normal, healthy activity for children to engage in imaginary play.

I'm-- I'm just afraid she's not making any real friends.

She spends all of her time with Isabella.

You've been moving from starship to starship since Clara was two years old.

Maybe Isabella provides a constant companion.

She knows this is one friend she won't have to leave behind.

You're probably right.

Give Clara a chance.

Once she learns to make new friends on the Enterprise, you'll probably find that she'll leave her imaginary world behind.

Captain's Log, Stardate 45852.1.

The Enterprise has arrived at FGC-47--

a nebula which has formed around a neutron star.

We are eager to investigate this unique formation.

We've got elevated quantities of hydrogen, helium and trionium, but nothing the shields can't handle.

Shields up. Take us in, Ensign.

One-quarter impulse.

Aye, sir.

In order for the lateral sensors to complete their scheduled observations, additional processing time will be required.

We could steal a couple of hours from the engineering team while they're recalibrating the thermal interferometry scanner.

Will two hours be enough time to complete the high-resolution series on the neutron star? No problem.

We'll just double up the main sensor bandwidth while they're freeing up the lateral units.

Hmm.

And then after dinner, then what?

We went to the holodeck and took a walk on the Champs Elysees.

The neural scanner still seems to be a bit off.

Let's check the sensor calibrations.

I'll run a diagnostic.

And...?

And?

After Paris?

He has shore leave next month.

He asked me to go to Risa with him.

No problem, Nurse McClukidge can cover for you.

I don't think I'm going, Doctor.

I hear it's a very uninhibited atmosphere.

Personally, I don't think I'm ready for that kind of "fun."

Try to talk him into Tavela Minor.

They have a cruise down the Jokri River.

The iridescent currents are beautiful.

( giggles )

See, Isabella?

You have to stick your finger into the soil as far as it can go.

We're making a hole for the seeds.

Now, they need to be watered.

But the baby seeds are very small, so we mustn't give them too much to drink.

( Clara humming Old MacDonald Had A Farm)

( continues humming )

( another girl humming along )

Hello?

Is anybody there?

GIRL: Hello.

Isabella?

Hello, Clara.

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.

Isabella, how come I can see you?

Is something wrong with the way I look?

No. It's just I've never seen you before.

Not for real.

Well, now, you can see me for real.

Doesn't that make you happy?

Yes. It's wonderful.

Can we go now?

We better finish planting the seeds first.

I'm tired of planting.

Let's do something else.

Like what?

Like... I would really like to explore the ship.

We better finish planting first.

I promised Keiko.

We can finish later. Let's go look around.

I better ask my daddy.

Your daddy won't mind.

We can tell him later. Come on.

So, what are we gonna call this nebula?

"FGC-47" just doesn't have the proper ring to it.

Why don't we call it "Sutter's Cloud"?

( chuckles )

The rotational period of the neutron star is 1.35 seconds.

That's a bit on the long side. Sutter, see if you can get a reading on the particle flux.

Aye, sir.

No, I was thinking about something more along the lines of the "La Forge Nebula."

It's got sort of a majestic sound, don't you think?

Given the selections, I prefer FGC-47.

What was that?

It felt like we hit something.

Shields have registered an impact.

However, sensors show nothing in the vicinity.

Forward velocity is down by .2% and dropping.

Engineering, report.

There could be something wrong with the shields, Captain.

We're checking it out now.

Systems are normal, sir.

So, did we hit something or not?

Shields say yes.

Sensors say no.

This is very strange.

Ensign, give me a breakdown on the shield energy conversion and then run a spectral-- whoa!

Where did you come from?

I'm Clara Sutter. That's my daddy.

( sighs )

Clara, you can't be here right now.

But Isabella wanted to see Engineering.

I-- I don't care what Isabella wanted to see.

You go back to our quarters right now.

But, Daddy--

PICARD: Bridge to La Forge.

Our speed is still dropping.

LA FORGE: I hear you, Captain.

I'm increasing the power to the impulse engines but forward velocity just isn't consistent with engine output.

PICARD: Explanation.

It seems like there's something increasing the drag coefficient on the ship, but we can't find the source.

If we can't correct it, we may have to reverse course and leave the nebula.

Give me a couple of minutes here, Captain.

Clara, now.

I'm sorry, Commander.

Why do you keep disappearing like that?

The grown-ups don't believe I'm real.

When they're around, I have to be invisible.

Wait here.

The drag coefficient continues to increase.

Our velocity has fallen by 12%.

( console beeping )

Velocity is increasing.

The ship's speed has stabilized at one-quarter impulse.

That's great, Data. What did you do?

I did nothing.

The problem seems to have corrected itself.

Where did you go?

There was something I had to do.

I don't have an explanation, Captain.

We seemed to hit something, then we started losing speed.

But, so far as we can tell, there's nothing out there to hit.

Could some sort of damping field have caused us to lose velocity?

No. We have simulated several such fields, but were unable to reproduce the same drag coefficient.

And we still don't know why the problem suddenly corrected itself.

Seems we're looking at a unique phenomenon.

One that hasn't been recorded before.

The question is-- do we stay here and check it out?

Might be dangerous.

DATA: Since we have only experienced the phenomenon once, it is impossible to estimate the risks.

Captain, I'd like to stay here for a little bit, collect some samples of the gaseous matter, see what it tells us.

Agreed. Collect your samples, Mr. La Forge.

We'll proceed with caution.

Dismissed.

What's in here?

That's the door to the cargo bay.

We can't go in there.

Let's go someplace with a lot of people.

Okay.

Isabella, why are you so serious lately?

What do you mean?

You haven't even smiled once today.

You're my best friend, Isabella.

Why? I don't know.

Because we do things together and we trade secrets.

Does everybody have a best friend?

If they're lucky.

Before I had you, I didn't have one.

Why not?

Every time I made friends with someone, my daddy's job would change.

We moved to a new ship.

It takes time to make a best friend.

How long?

It depends.

With you, not very long.

You always listened to me, even when I was sad.

Clara, I'm glad we're best friends.

Race you.

Okay.

Ready... set... go!

( both laughing )

( gasps )

This area is not designated for children.

Are you lost?

Where are you supposed to be?

We were only playing. We're sorry.

Return to your quarters.

And we will forget this incident.

Thank you.

Come on.

Hmm.

Okay, I've configured the magnetic coil to collect samples of gaseous matter from the nebula.

Go ahead and activate the beam emitter.

I'm setting the fractionater to continuous cycle.

Good. We'll collect samples from eight random sections.

That ought to give us a reliable measure.

Commander, I... I understand you had a parent who was in Starfleet.

Mm, two of them, as a matter of fact.

My father was an exozoologist, my mother, a command officer.

They must have been posted to a lot of different assignments.

( chuckles )

Yeah, that's putting it mildly.

They were always on the move.

Some of the times together, sometimes separately.

I never knew whether or not I was gonna be stationed with my father while he studied invertebrates in the Modean system, or on some outpost near the neutral zone with my mom.

Was that hard on you?

I don't remember it that way.

It must have been disruptive if you didn't stay in one place long enough to make friends.

Well... yeah, I suppose there were some aspects of my childhood that were less than ideal, but, to me, it was just one long adventure.

Children are a lot stronger than you think.

As long as they know you love them, they can handle just about anything life throws at 'em, you know?

Thanks, Commander. Mm-hmm.

No, it's a Samarian coral fish with its fin unfolded.

I believe what you are seeing is the effect of the fluid dynamic processes inherent in the large-scale motion of rarefied gas.

No, no, first, it was a fish, and now, it's a Mintonian sailing ship.

Where? Right there.

Don't you see the two swirls coming together to form the mast?

I do not see it.

It is interesting that people try to find meaningful patterns in things that are essentially random.

I have noticed that the images they perceive sometimes suggest what they are thinking about at that particular moment.

Besides, it is clearly a bunny rabbit.

Looks as though someone's lost their way.

Excuse me.

Hello. Are you looking for someone?

No, I brought Isabella to see Ten Forward.

Oh, I see.

Well, ordinarily, we only would let you in with a grown-up.

But since you brought Isabella, you can be my guest.

Won't you join me?

Thank you.

Now, how about two papalla juices with extra bubbles?

Just one please. Isabella isn't thirsty.

Oh.

One juice.

You aren't like the other grown-ups.

Oh, no?

They don't think Isabella's real.

Well, most grown-ups have a hard time with things they can't see.

Why?

Well, because they get preoccupied by other things.

Like what?

Like... how much fuel it takes to power a ship, or whether we should go to one star system or another, or whether little girls should go to bed at 7:00, or be allowed to stay up till 8:00.

So, their heads get so full that they forget about the things that are important to you and me, like imaginary friends.

If the other grown-ups don't understand, how come you do?

Well, maybe because when I was your age,

I had one.

You did? Mmm.

What was she like?

It... wasn't a she.

What was he like?

Wasn't a he.

It?

It was a Tarkassian razorbeast.

It had dark brown fur and gold eyes and huge spiny wings, and it would fly past so fast, nobody could see it but me.

Sounds scary.

Oh, it was... especially when he smiled.

But the best thing about him was I could curl up on his furry belly, and he had the softest purr you ever heard.

Put me right to sleep every night.

I tell you, that razorbeast was a good friend.

So is Isabella.

( door opens )

Hello, Clara.

Hello. Clara and Isabella and I were just having a conversation.

Would you and Isabella like to come for a walk with me?

I guess so.

Bye. Bye, Clara.

Bye, Isabella.

Clara, you haven't been on the ship very long, so maybe you don't know.

But Ten Forward is usually for grown-ups.

I know that.

I didn't wanna go, but Isabella wanted to see it.

If Isabella is making you do things you know are wrong, then you must tell her it's not acceptable.

I try to, but she doesn't listen.

Deck 32.

Clara, do you want me to talk to Isabella?

Isabella, it's not very nice to get Clara to do things that she isn't supposed to.

She's over there.

From now on, I want you to ask a grown-up before you go to any place that's off-limits.

What does she say?

She said...

Clara, please tell me what Isabella said.

She said... you better leave us alone.

I'm a little concerned at the turn this is taking.

It seems Clara is beginning to do inappropriate things and blaming them on Isabella.

She came into Engineering today.

She said it was Isabella's idea.

I don't think it's too serious yet, but we should make more of an effort to get her involved with real friends her own age.

The children's center's having a ceramics class this afternoon.

Why don't I take Clara?

I think she'd like that.

I'll see if there's any room left in the class.

In the meantime, I think you should make yourself more available to Clara.

Let her know she doesn't have to rely on Isabella when she needs someone to talk to.

Counselor, thank you.

Are you mad at me?

I'm sorry I got you into trouble.

That's okay.

Are we still best friends?

Here, you can help me put this together, if you want.

Clara, why are grown-ups so mean?

They're not mean.

They're just more serious than we are.

Sometimes I wish they would just go away.

You do?

Yes. I don't like them.

I'm bored.

Let's go back to Engineering.

We're not allowed to go there.

I thought we were best friends.

We are.

Then why won't you play with me?

I told you.

You always listen to the grown-ups.

You don't care about me.

That's not true.

I thought we'd have fun together once you could really see me.

I thought you'd like me.

Let's go to Engineering, Clara.

Just for a little while. No one will know.

It'll be our secret.

And if they find us, we'll tell them we got lost.

( door chiming )

Who is it?

Counselor Troi.

Hello, Clara. Hi.

I came to ask if you'd like to go to a ceramics class.

Can Isabella come, too?

No. Let's do something with Isabella another day.

Well... okay.

Sir, as we move deeper into the nebula, sensors indicate that the levels of helium and trionium are continuing to rise.

Is it something that the shields can't handle?

No, sir, we are well within tolerance levels.

Mr. Data?

Shields have registered an impact.

But the sensors showed nothing out there, right?

There is no indication of anything near the ship.

Forward velocity is dropping, Captain.

Down by .4%.

Can we go to warp speed?

Until we determine the cause of the drag coefficient,

I would not recommend it, sir.

Forward velocity down by 1.1%.

Ensign, increase power to the impulse engines.

Aye, sir.

Impulse engines now at full power.

We are no longer losing speed.

Forward velocity is holding steady.

The drag coefficient is still present, but it has stabilized.

Bridge to Commander Riker.

Check with Mr. La Forge, see if he found anything in the matter sample from the nebula.

RIKER: On my way, sir.

Any luck?

Yeah, take a look at this.

We tried radiating the subject matter with just about everything we could think of.

We didn't find anything until we subjected it to a high-frequency warp field.

We think this is what we've been running into.

RIKER: Do you know what it is?

We think so, now that the sensors can read it.

It seems to be a highly cohesive form of plasma, like a strand of energy.

We figure it's a segment of just part of a network of much larger strands.

When these things come in contact with our shields, it produces a resonant effect, and that creates the drag coefficient we've been experiencing.

Is there anything like this on record?

No, sir.

Do you know how many of them there might be?

No, but if we run the warp field generators through the deflector grid, we could radiate a field outside the ship.

We'd be able to see for ourselves.

Mm-hmm. Let's do it.

( children conversing )

Alexander, I thought you might like a partner.

This is Clara Sutter.

She's new on the Enterprise.

Clara, meet Alexander Rozhenko.

I'm making a cup for my father. Want to help?

Go ahead.

Well, you're supposed to put 'em in a row... like this.

Clara, would you like some clay of your own?

WOMAN: Here, honey.

I've never made a cup before.

How do you make the round part?

Well, it's easy.

You take a big piece of clay like this, you push your hand into it.

Warp field generators are standing by.

Captain, we should be able to illuminate any strands within 2,000 kilometers of the ship.

PICARD: Proceed.

Initiating field generation.

Remarkable.

DATA: It is an irregular lattice composed of approximately 47 million strands of energy.

Captain, with this many of them, the resonant effect on our shields could cause a problem.

Agreed.

Ensign, bring us about. Take us out of the nebula.

That may be difficult, sir. I am detecting a significant number of strands behind us.

Do your best, Ensign.

Aye, sir.

Hot chocolate.

Mmm.

Computer, I need my appointment schedule for next week.

Kryonian tigers aren't so scary.

I saw one once.

You did?

My father took me to the zoo on Brentalia.

All the tiger did was lick my hand, and he smelled funny.

( chuckles )

I think we need more water.

I'll get some.

Isabella?

Clara!

I didn't do it.

Who did?

It was Isabella.

I don't see anybody.

She's invisible.

I spent two weeks on that.

That was really mean.

I didn't do it. I didn't.

Clara... there's no such thing as invisible people.

You're lying.

Hey!

Isabella, stop!

Clara?

Why were you being so mean to me?

Why'd you do that to my friend?

Because you ran away from me.

You left me alone.

I had to do everything by myself.

You're scaring me.

I was going to protect you, Clara.

I liked you.

But now, I don't care.

Now, when the others come, you can die along with everyone else.

Status, Mr. Data?

At our current speed, we will clear the nebula in 12 minutes, four seconds.

( sighs ) Continue a full sensor sweep.

I want all the information we can gather.

Captain, forward velocity is down by .6%.

Velocity down by 2.4%

Mr. Data?

We are moving through a dense concentration of energy strands.

Can we go to warp?

Stress on the hull would be too great.

Captain, the density appears to be lower off the starboard bow.

Ensign, bring us to a bearing 030-mark-5.

Aye, sir.

Forward velocity holding.

Steady as she goes.

Is something wrong with the cake?

Excuse me?

Well, I see you sitting here with a piece of untouched chocolate cake in front of you.

I assume something's wrong with the cake, or something's bothering you.

I'm sure the cake's fine. I've just been thinking.

Let me guess.

About the little girl with the imaginary friend?

I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

How so?

Well, I know the best thing to do is to gradually wean her away from her fantasy.

And she did make some new friends today and had a good time.

But?

But I can't help feeling that I'm taking something from her-- something precious-- a part of her childhood she'll never have again.

Hmm.

Well... I'm not sure about that.

I was, uh, just telling Clara about my imaginary friend.

You have an imaginary friend?

Mmm.

A Tarkassian razorbeast.

It protected me.

I knew as long as that razorbeast was around, nothing could hurt me.

You know, over the years his body kind of faded away, but the idea stayed.

And I just don't seem to talk to him as often as I used to.

You still talk to it?

Oh, yeah.

When I'm afraid, or I get confused or a little scared.

I just don't think you should have to give up an imaginary friend.

Ensign Sutter to Counselor Troi.

Go ahead, Ensign.

Would you come to my quarters?

I'm having a problem with Clara.

I'm on my way.

She won't even go into her room.

She's terrified that Isabella's going to hurt her.

Clara?

Your father tells me that Isabella has been saying some very bad things to you.

What did she say?

She said they're going to come and kill everyone.

Who's going to come and kill everyone?

The others, like her.

Did she say why?

I know you're very frightened.

Sometimes what we imagine can be just as scary as something real.

But I promise you, there is no way Isabella can harm you or anyone on this ship.

But she's not imaginary anymore.

She's real now. I can see her.

You can see her?

Yes.

If I go with you and hold your hand, will you go into your room?

I think so.

We'll make sure Isabella isn't anywhere around.

Okay?

Come on.

Do you see anybody?

Let's look under the bed.

Is she there?

Okay. Where else?

Is she behind here?

Maybe Isabella has gone home.

Let's see.

Anything here?

Maybe Isabella knows that you've got new friends now.

In fact, I'll bet she doesn't come around as much anymore.

Maybe.

What about in the closet?

Okay.

Anybody in here?

Looks pretty empty to me.

( gasps )

( groans )

( screams )

She was 11, maybe 12, blonde hair.

Clara. Clara's sleeping.

She's going to be fine.

Her bioelectrical processes were severely disrupted.

It's as if the energy was pulled right out of her body.

Captain.

Clara has told me that her imaginary friend has been making threats.

She claimed that others are on the way and that they had plans to kill everyone on the ship.

Picard to Lieutenant Worf.

Worf here, sir.

Lieutenant, we've established the presence of what appears to be an alien entity on board.

It seems the entity has manifested itself in the form of a 12-year-old human girl who's been seen with Clara Sutter.

She has blonde hair and blue eyes.

WORF: And a blue dress.

Yes, sir, I have seen her.

PICARD: When?

Two days ago near Engineering.

She was with Miss Sutter.

Security alert, Mr. Worf. Keep a good lookout.

WORF: Aye, sir.

She insisted on talking to you.

It's about Isabella.

What about her, Clara?

I think her feelings were hurt.

She said she liked me, and she liked being with me.

She was my friend.

She only got mean when I stopped paying attention to her.

Did she say when the others were coming?

All right, thanks, sweetie. You go back to bed now.

We'll handle this.

But Daddy-- PICARD: Clara... if we need your help again,

I hope we can count on you.

Yes, Captain.

RIKER: Captain Picard, report to the Bridge.

On my way.

Report.

Our speed is down by 22%.

Strand density is ten times what it was, Captain.

We can't take many more of these hits.

All stop.

Sir, something is moving toward us.

Bearing 103, mark 024.

On screen.

DATA: It appears to be an energy vortex of highly complex patterns, possibly a life form.

Red alert!

It is in direct physical contact with our shields.

Shield strength dropping to 75%.

72%.

The damn thing's feeding off our shields.

Mr. Data, remodulate our shield frequencies.

Aye, sir.

No effect.

Shield strength has dropped to 64%.

We've got about eight minutes before this thing drains our shields.

Any ideas?

Isabella?

Isabella?

Don't you wanna talk to me?

I'm not mad at you.

Isabella?

We know you've been on this ship for some time now, and that you're posing as Clara's friend and that you've been threatening her.

We can only assume that there is some connection between yourself and the life-forms attacking this ship.

You're obviously an intelligent being.

There's no reason to hide from us.

Talk to us?

Or can you only communicate by threatening a small child?

I'm scared, Isabella.

Who are you?

I came here to determine whether you were a threat to us, and to examine the purity of your energy sources.

Energy?

Is that why you're draining our shields?

Yes.

The emissions for your graviton field generators are far richer than our normal sources of energy.

Picard to Bridge. Report.

RIKER: Shields are down to 3%.

We're diverting all available power.

Acknowledged.

If it's energy that you want, we have other ways of providing it.

You needn't destroy us.

You should be destroyed.

You're cruel, uncaring creatures.

What makes you say that?

The way you treat Clara.

In what way have we mistreated her?

You wouldn't let her do what she wanted to, or go where she wanted to.

You mean where you wanted her to.

What difference does it make?

You were taking her to places that were inappropriate, even dangerous.

I wouldn't have let anything happen to her.

We didn't know that.

We didn't even know if you were real.

All we knew was that a little girl's imaginary friend was frightening her, threatening her.

That was only after you told Clara not to be my friend.

I understand.

You are seeing this ship, all of us from a unique perspective, from a child's point of view.

It must seem terribly unfair and restrictive to you.

As adults, we don't always stop to consider how everything we say and do shapes the impressions of young people.

But if you're judging us as a people by the way we treat our children-- and I think there can be no better criterion-- then you must understand how deeply we care for them.

When our children are young, they don't understand what might be dangerous.

Our rules are to keep them from harm, real or imagined, and that's part of the continuity of our human species.

When Clara grows up, she will make rules for her children to protect them, as we protect her.

Please, don't hurt us.

If you still wanna be my best friend,

I'd like that very much.

Status, Number One.

We're clear of the strands.

We'll have full warp capability in 20 minutes.

Inform all sections we'll be leaving this area in one hour.

Sir? Mr. La Forge,

I want you to drive the warp engines to full power and direct an energy beam out into the nebula.

Aye, sir.

I came to say I'm sorry I frightened you.

That's okay.

And I misled you.

I wasn't really your Isabella.

For a while, you were.

I never had a friend before.

I'm sorry I have to go away.

Do you think you'll ever come back?

I hope so.

So do I.