Lt. Commander Worf sat at a table at Quark's and took a sip of his prune juice. He glared at the holosuite program rod sitting on the table and tried to ignore Jadzia Dax.
"Worf, they're just trying to express their gratitude," Jadzia commented.
Worf grunted. "I have no need for their gratitude."
Julian Bashir walked up to the table and picked up the rod. Worf snatched it out of his hands.
"What program is that, Worf?" Julian asked. "Quark trying to set you up with one of his more risquИ entertainment programs?"
"It is not your concern."
Worf was hoping that this would be enough to discourage the enthusiastic doctor.
Instead of leaving, Julian looked at Jadzia and asked, "Is this seat taken?"
"Yes," Worf grunted.
"It is not, Worf," Jadzia interceded. Julian sat down.
"So, what's this program about?" Julian persisted.
When Worf didn't answer, Jadzia said, "It's a western." She looked at Worf with a bemused grin on her face. "Worf isn't interested in trying it because he has no sense of fun."
"A western? That sounds wonderful. Worf, you've got to at least open it up and look at it."
"I have no need for holosuite adventures. Especially in the west." Worf shuddered, remembering the last time he had activated a western program.
"Worf?"
Worf turned and glared at the Trill. "Yes."
"General Martaugh gave you a dagger for your role in his being assigned to this station as advisor, didn't he?"
"Yes. What has that to do with anything?"
"I know for a fact," Jadzia continued, "that you carry that dagger on occasion, and when you aren't carrying it, it is displayed on your wall."
He fixed her an irritated glare. "That has no bearing in this matter."
"I think it does. Martaugh is a warrior. And he gave you a gift of his trade. The Binars are programmers. They designed a program for you. To refuse their gift would be dishonoring them." Jadzia grinned at him.
"Very well. I will utilize this program. But only once," Worf conceded ungracefully.
"Mind if I tag along?" Julian asked.
Worf gave him a withering look, but decided that it could not be any worse with Julian there than without him. He nodded once, and Julian smiled.
"Anyone else want to join in?" Worf asked the room. His voice was a growl as he openly dared others to take him up on it. Worf saw that Chief O'Brien nodded.
"Sure, Commander. Sounds great!" O'Brien said enthusiastically.
No one else had the temerity to take him up on it. "Tomorrow at 1800 hours," Worf growled, then he downed the remnants of his prune juice, picked up the rod, and left Quark's.
******
Julian looked at Dax. "So, what was that all about?" he asked with a smile as he waved Quark over to their table.
"You know Worf," she replied.
O'Brien sat down at the recently vacated seat and took a sip from his mug of synthale.
Quark made his way to their table. "What'll it be?"
"I'd like a Black Hole," Julian responded.
"Feeling adventurous today, Julian?" Jadzia asked.
"Must be; I just invited myself to join Worf in a holosuite outing," Julian said with a laugh.
O'Brien raised his mug with a laugh.
Jadzia just shook her head. "Well, I've got a project in the science lab that I need to check. I'll see you two tomorrow."
******
Worf decided he looked ridiculous with a cowboy hat perched on top of his head. He briefly considered abandoning it, but decided against it. When he saw Jadzia standing in the dress next to the holosuite, her figure barely contained by the decorative corsetted dress and highlighted by a bustle, Worf decided that perhaps his hat wasn't so bad. Jadzia looked a bit miffed that she was attired as befitted a saloon girl.
Julian was attempting to mollify her. "I've been reading up on the period, and there really wasn't much in the line of respectable work for an unmarried woman to do. Could have been worse, you realize."
She squinted her eyes at him, glaring slightly. "How is that?"
Julian brightened considerably and winked at her. "You could have been a washerwoman. I imagine you'd have a grand time up to your elbows in laundry water."
"I'm sure that there were women doctors and lawyers and┘"
"A few doctors and nurses, to be sure. But those were pretty rare, actually," Julian started.
O'Brien interrupted him. "She's just upset cause she wants a gun."
Jadzia protested, a bit quickly, "I do not!" Then she raised her skirts and showed them her gun, neatly holstered in a garter. "I already have one."
Julian was wearing a three-piece suit, and looking very much like an Easterner visiting the west. O'Brien was attired in an outfit so dusty that its shape was almost indeterminate.
"I take it these costumes were the design of the program," Worf stated.
The three other members nodded. "I assure you, Worf, I'd have chosen something a bit more debonair if it had been up to me," Julian put forth.
"And I'd have certainly not been a saloon wench," Jadzia added.
"But it certainly shows off your spots to great effect," Julian commented, earning him a swat from the Trill.
"Let's just get this over with," Worf said. He punched the panel and the doors opened. The quartet entered the dusty streets of the holosuite and the door slammed shut behind them.
"This is most realistic, Worf!" Julian exclaimed almost immediately. "I've run several holosuite programs before, including a few set in the West. But it feels different. The smells┘the leather and the dirt and the┘" he paused a moment and took a deep breath, "the rotting wood and the manure! And the heat! Why, it's positively unbearable!" The doctor oozed with enthusiasm.
"I'm glad you're enjoying your discomfort," Worf put in.
"Oh, I am, Mr. Worf, I am! Usually the environmental controls keep it comfortable, but this is just splendid. I'm parched. Who's up for a visit to the saloon?"
"That is not why we are here," Worf stated.
"Lighten up, Worf," Jadzia said as she batted him on the shoulder. "We're here to experience the atmosphere┘and the best place for that would be the saloon."
*
Worf led the group into the saloon. Almost immediately, a tall man with a thick mustache approached Jadzia. Jadzia smiled at him.
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure, ma'am," the man said with a lascivious grin.
"My name is Jadzia Dax."
"Buck Wilmington, at your service. And might I say that Jadzia is a most unusual name┘." Buck started when he was interrupted by a man clad in a crimson jacket of finest wool.
"An unusual name for an unusual woman," he said as he extended his hand. "Ezra Standish."
Jadzia suppressed a laugh as she saw Buck give Ezra a withering glare. The other man merely smiled guilefully back at him. Buck quickly offered her his arm
Worf glared at the two men, and she was surprised that neither one seemed the slightest bit intimidated or impressed by his baleful glare. Either they were incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.
"We do not require your assistance," Worf stated.
"Let's just let the lady decide if she'd like assistance," Buck replied.
Jadzia stated, "I think I can find my way to the bar unassisted ┘.and unescorted." She looked pointedly at Worf when she said the last phrase. Upon uttering the words, she marched straight to the bar, leaving a stunned Worf, bemused Ezra, and crushed Buck in her wake.
Just then, a tall man garbed in black entered the saloon. Jadzia noted that he glanced first at Ezra, Buck, and a young man with a mug of milk, then turned and looked at her group a moment. His gaze returned to the two men she'd just met, and he nodded. The three men got up and left the saloon quickly, without saying another word.
Julian immediately followed them out. O'Brien wasn't too far behind them. Jadzia agreed. She didn't know who the man in black was, but he obviously thought something was up and she didn't want to miss it.
Jadzia watched as the four men crossed quickly to what appeared to be the jail. Two men were waiting for them outside the building. Curious as she was, she didn't want to intrude on the plot just yet. It was obvious that this program was different; usually, when she'd participated in holosuite programs, her characters were central in the plot of the program. Here, she was on the sidelines. It was an odd feeling.
She started to walk towards the men, as several people were doing. Their activity had caused some curiosity in the locals. Julian and O'Brien were already on their way; Worf stayed on the stoop of the saloon.
Jadzia felt someone wrap a large hand around her face and an arm about her waist. She started to struggle a bit, but he drew her into the street with him.
"Larabee!" the man holding her shouted.
The man in black turned his attention to them. His eyes betrayed nothing but disgust when he looked at them. He sneered. Ezra and Buck both put their hands on their guns.
"Larabee! You're gonna send out my nephew, or I'm gonna kill this wench."
Jadzia elbowed the man hard in the kidneys. She grabbed his wrist and then flung him over her shoulder onto the street. By the time the man landed, Larabee was standing over him, gun pointed.
"You were saying, Mr. Thompson?" he drawled.
"What I believe Mr. Thompson was saying was that he would appreciate a cell adjacent to that of his nephew," Ezra observed.
Buck offered Jadzia a smile. "That was a pretty maneuver there. Wouldn't mind learnin' how to do that."
"Wow! That was great! How'd you do that?" a young man enthused. Jadzia was reminded of Julian's exuberance. The youngster suddenly looked abashed. "I'm JD Dunne, by the way."
"Jadzia Dax," she muttered. By this time, Julian, O'Brien, and Worf had joined them.
"Do you customarily allow citizens to be assaulted on the streets?" Worf accused.
Larabee's eyes narrowed. "Do you customarily greet people by growling at them?"
Jadzia, Julian, and O'Brien simultaneously stated, "Yes." Worf growled.
Chris Larabee looked at the quartet. He could feel the others of his group coming up to flank him. Seven stared down four. "You got business in town?"
Worf glared right back at him. "I do not see how our business is your concern."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "I've just made it my concern."
A shot sounded near the livery, causing both men to break the gaze. Chris drew his weapon and turned towards the others. Buck was already on his way, followed by JD. Vin disappeared into the hotel to gain access to the roof. Nathan and Josiah herded the local citizenry off of the street, and Ezra was looking at the newest arrivals. Chris nodded to him and broke for the livery, trusting that the con man would keep an eye on them until the situation was resolved. As he moved off, he could hear the excited tones of the man dressed like JD say, "This is so exciting! Come on, Worf, let's go check it out!"
Chris ignored him, trusting Ezra to keep them out from underfoot.
"Gentlemen, and lady, might I interest you in a libation?" Ezra asked. Then his whole world seemed to collapse upon itself and then expand beyond its original capacity only to come crashing down to reality. When he recovered his wits, he could see that everyone was reeling from whatever had struck them.
A soft shrill chirp sounded and Worf answered it. Ezra looked at him again and blinked. He could swear he saw ridges on that man's forehead.
"Lieutenant Commander Worf."
"Report to the bridge at once."
"Acknowledged, sir."
Ezra was sure he'd just heard a voice come out of thin air. "There are no bridges around for miles, Mr. ┘ Lieutenant Commander Worf," Ezra stated. "On what ship did you sail?"
Worf glared at him. Jadzia looked at Ezra curiously. "He shouldn't have heard that. The holosuite is programmed to ignore all external communication." As she was speaking, Ezra stared at her. She had spots. Spots? Where had those come from?
"We must go. Now," Worf insisted. "Computer, Exit," he added in a no-nonsense tone just as a tumbleweed blew past them. It blew out the door, into the corridor, and kept going.
"Worf! Wait," Jadzia shouted.
Ezra watched, fascinated, as suddenly devices of a type he had never seen seemed to materialize out of no where. Frowns appeared on four faces. One of the other men removed his hat and walked to the strange door to another world that had appeared in the middle of the street. He tossed the hat out, and it vanished into thin air.
"Now that should not have happened," he said.
"Still excited about being here, Julian?"
"Miles, while the-"
"Enough!" Worf bellowed.
Ezra merely watched in shock. He needed a drink. Badly.
Worf brought out a small metal object and taped it. "Captain, there is a problem."
Ezra listened for several minutes as the four strangers spoke in what was clearly a scientific, but completely foreign, language. He grew bored and approached the door┘and stepped through it.
Ezra looked down the hallway of metal, then onto the dusty street where the quartet was openly gaping at him.
Almost reluctantly, he returned to the dusty street.
"Computer. Close exit," Jadzia stated and the doorway disappeared.
"Ezra Standish, from Charleston, South Carolina," he said by way of introduction. "And just who, or rather what, might you be?"
******
Chris walked up to Ezra, noticing the stance his associate was taking with the new comers. They looked┘different. Ezra actually looked shaken.
"Ezra?"
"These individuals were just about to tell me who they are," Ezra said. "Did you clear up that other situation?"
"Just Tommy shooting at a rat," Chris said with a chuckle. He looked to the foursome. He wondered about the deformities on the tallest of the quartet.
"Commander, I believe that the holosuite safeties are probably not functioning. I recommend that we exercise caution, I understand that projectile weapons can cause a great deal of damage," the man in the suit said.
"Julian, we are holomatter. I don't think a bullet is our biggest concern," Jadzia said.
Chris glared at them. Holomatter, holosuite?
"I want to know where that doorway went," Ezra said.
"What doorway?" Chris asked as the rest of the seven came and joined them.
Ezra pointed towards the street. "There was a door. A metal door in the middle of the street."
Chris wanted to question Ezra's sanity, but the spots on the woman and the bumps on the tall dark man made him rethink it. Those spots and bumps had not been there before.
Ezra pointed to Worf. "He said 'Computer, exit' and-" Ezra broke off as the door appeared.
"Now that definitely shouldn't have happened," the dirty one said.
The foursome looked very uncomfortable. Chris moved until he was standing almost toe to toe with Worf. "Who are you, and where the hell are you from?"
Worf stiffened. "Worf." He pointed in turn to each of the others. "Jadzia Dax, Julian Bashir, and Miles O'Brien. We're from," Worf paused, "out of town."
"Reckon I could have figured that."
"This is all very well and good, of course," Ezra said. "But I want to know what is down that hallway."
JD was walking around the door.
"This is incredible. You can walk around it. There is nothing on the other side!" He stepped through it.
"JD, get back here!" Buck called out.
JD came back over to them. "That place is incredible! The air is even cool."
Seven faced four, and this time the conflict between them was much more severe. Strangers were on the streets of Four Corners. Strangers not just from another city, but from a land they could not comprehend, a land of which even HG Wells could not dream.
In the Ready Room, Captain Benjamin Sisko reclined in the chair at his desk. Major Kira Nerys paced. "How are we supposed to get them out of there? There is an anomoly on our back doorstep, and the people who can figure out what it is doing there are trapped in the holosuite!"
"I know, Major."
"And the Kai is up here, with an illness that no one down on Bajor seems to understand. Now, you know I don't like her, but she is the Kai and she's asked for our help. But Dr. Bashir can't help her if he is-"
"Major, I understand the problem. I suggest that you go to Engineering and find out if anyone else has experience with holosuites and holodecks." He handed her a pad. "This is a list of all of the personnel assigned to engineering. I also have included a few Science officers who are assigned in other areas. In the meantime, Dr. Ra is working on the Kai's illness and is doing his best to keep her comfortable until Dr. Bashir can be freed."
Major Kira nodded and strode out of his office, and Benjamin Sisko shook his head. "Old man, you're the one who's supposed to figure these problems out."
******
Billy Travis saw the Seven standing in the street, but what really got his attention was the open doorway. He walked up to it as if drawn by a hidden force and ignored the adults. Billy Travis had a mission, he was going to explore. His eyes widened as he walked through the doorway and into a corridor. He looked to the left and heard the loud sound of people talking. To the right he saw a tall man with strange bumps on his face. He was dressed in a green cloth, the likes of which he'd never seen. Then the man smiled.
Billy screamed and ran down the hallway toward the loud voices.
******
Garak shook his head as the small boy ran towards Quark's, wondering briefly what had set him off. He looked into the open door of the holosuite and saw his friend Julian with several other Star Fleet officers talking to holosuite characters. But why would they have taken a child into the holosuite?
Garak thought. He knew he had never seen that boy before. And he was dressed in the outlandish, and quite frankly unstylish, manner of the American Old West. Commander Worf would not have allowed a small child into the holosuite with him, unless its parent was there also. And he knew that that child belonged to none of those people.
"BILLY!!!!" he heard a woman cry out as she ran frantically down the street. She ran to the group standing near the door, but she didn't go to his friends. She went to the other men.
*******
Although Garak didn't typically like the detective fiction by old Earth authors, he did find some of the theories of Sherlock Holmes to be valid, particularly the one that said when everything that was impossible was eliminated, whatever remained, however improbable, must be the answer.
That child was a product of the holosuite, and he was running around on the station. Garak stepped onto the holosuite.
"Garak," Julian said with a smile.
"Well, Dr. Bashir, I see that your taste in clothing has not much improved."
"Have you seen my son?" the woman asked him. He saw the fear in her eyes as she looked from him to Worf.
"Why yes, I do believe I have." He held his hand about three feet off the ground. "This high with blond hair?"
"Yes!" She started towards the door.
"Now hold it right there Mary. We don't know how safe it is out there. You stay here in town, and let us go get Billy-"
"Chris, he's-"
"You're staying here, and that's final." The other men had already headed out of the door.
"Don't worry, Mr. Larabee. We'll keep an eye on your wife while you find your boy," O'Brien said.
"She's not my wife!"
"I'm not his wife!"
Both sentences were spoken almost simultaneously as Chris strode out the exit. O'Brien took hold of Mary's arm.
"Garak, you might want to keep an eye on them."
"Now, Doctor, I'm a simple-"
"Tailor, yes I know. But we're holomatter, and they are not prepared for our future."
Garak nodded at that statement and walked out the exit. The last thing he heard before the door slammed shut was. "Computer, close exit."
Ezra followed Vin down the stairs and stopped. Before him was a saloon. It was crowded, and there were tables set up with games of types he'd never seen. Every seat at the bar was full. Gaming tables were standing room only. The sounds of the chinking as money exchanged hands was musical, and the bright lights entranced him.
"Come on, Ezra. We need to find Billy," Vin said, giving him a nudge.
"But-"
"Now!" Chris growled.
Reluctantly, Ezra followed behind them, leaving the saloon of his dreams behind.
The streets were unusual. They were indoors and while it seemed to be day by the size of the crowd, when he looked out the windows, all he saw was the night. But there was nothing outside of them. People walked around, crowding them, and within moments, he had lost sight of the others. Ezra turned around, trying to find them. But he could only see men who wore outlandish suits, and women who looked like their apparel was painted on. Not to mention the odd hair colors, skin colors, and eye colors. He wasn't quite sure what to think, but he knew he still needed a drink.
Ezra walked back into the saloon. He walked up to the bar. "Whiskey."
The man behind the bar had ears larger than Ezra's hands, and they seemed to connect in the middle. He nodded to Ezra and pulled out a bottle with green liquid.
"Sir, I asked for whiskey," Ezra insisted.
"And that is what I'm giving you. Aldebaran whiskey."
"I refuse to drink anything of that color."
The man fixed him a look. "What color would you like to drink?"
"Amber."
"As you wish." He rifled around under the bar. "Never let it be said at Quark's that the customer couldn't get what he wanted. Acamarian Brandy. The finest in the Alpha quadrant." Quark poured a glass. "That will be one-half slip of gold-pressed latinum."
"I'm afraid I don't have that currency."
Quark held onto the glass. "Then I'm afraid I don't have any brandy."
"However," Ezra said with a smile. "I would be willing to wager for it."
"What would you wager?"
Ezra took off his ruby ring. "This. How much would you say it is worth?"
Quark looked at the ring. "Ten slips."
"All right."
"Name the wager."
Ezra smiled. "Poker. Do you know it?"
Quark nodded.
Ezra took out his cards and Quark checked them over for marks. He nodded his approval and Ezra dealt the cards.
******
Chris walked the corridor. He had not yet seen Billy. Ten minutes earlier he'd lost Buck when a woman had responded to the scoundrel's smile. JD and Nathan had been separated from them before that. Josiah had wandered into what looked to be a church. Of his six friends, the only one beside him still was Vin. Chris was certain that Ezra was at the saloon, and Josiah the church. But he didn't know the location of the others.
"Billy!" he called out, but no one responded.
Chris wondered how a child could get so far so fast.
******
JD walked over to a window and looked at Nathan. "Where are we?"
"I don't know."
They stared out the window as a rainbow of lights suddenly appeared around a hole that opened in the sky and a silver vehicle flew out of it.
"Wow!" JD muttered softly under his breath.
Nathan just shook his head in awe.
JD looked over to the side and pointed. Billy stood transfixed. The two went over to him.
"Mr. Dunne, M-mr. J-Jackson!" He ran towards them and grabbed Nathan's leg, holding on for dear life.
JD couldn't really blame him. This place was very different from home. He could only imagine how it must have been for a small kid.
The three looked out the window and saw another hole open in the sky. There were lights surrounding it. A large cube flew through it and came to an immediate stop.
There was nothing elegant about the cube, and JD couldn't help but think it was sinister.
"Let's see about getting you back to your ma. Okay?"
Billy nodded.
They turned around, but JD had no idea where they were, or how to get back.
*
Sisko looked out the window in his office and immediately stood up. He tapped his combadge. "Sisko to bridge."
"Captain, this is Ensign Thompson. A Borg cube just came out of no where sir!"
He walked out of the Ready Room and onto the Bridge. "Report."
"I don't know sir. It just appeared, right where that anomaly came from. It didn't come from the Gamma Quadrant."
"Send a message to Starfleet. I'll contact the Bajorans. Do not engage the Borg unless they do something. Or I give you other orders."
"Yes Captain."
Sisko walked into his Ready Room. His head reeled. The last time he'd encountered the Borg, he'd lost almost everything. And now it was here. He had no back up. All he had was the Defiant and the station. If a single Borg cube could wipe out forty three starships at Wolf 349, then the firing power of one space station didn't have a prayer.
Sisko looked out to the wormhole to the Prophets and whispered. "I hope you know what to do, have some plan. Because if you don't, I won't be able to help Bajor."
******
Quark looked around. The bar was empty, except for that infernal gambler. He didn't know what a Borg was, and he refused to leave.
"Mr. Standish, you should get somewhere safe. I'm closing up."
"Well, Mr. Quark. As much as I'd like to do that, I'm afraid it isn't possible. I don't know where safe is, and I've become separated from my friends."
"Ask the computer where they are."
Odo walked into Quark's. "Quark. You know that this place is supposed to be closed during crisis situations."
"Do I look like I'm serving drinks? No. I'm simply talking to a friend here."
"Your friend should be in his quarters. As should you."
Ezra was silent.
"My friend is waiting for his friends."
Odo looked at the dapper gambler. "I don't recall seeing you around here. What transport did you arrive on?"
Ezra pointed up the stairs. "I came from one of the rooms up there."
Odo looked at Ezra again and nodded. "Stay here. Be careful of that one." Odo pointed at Quark. Then he turned to Quark and said. "And try not to swindle him out of anything."
When Odo left, Ezra turned to Quark with a wry grin. "So I'm supposed to watch out for you." He chuckled.
Quark shook his head. Ezra was a human he could actually respect. This man understood the Rules of Acquisition. He'd come into this establishment with nothing, and had managed to clean out several of Quark's regulars.
"I think maybe I should be watching out for You, Mr. Standish."
Ezra raised his glass of brandy in salute before downing it.
******
Chris and Vin walked along the now dark corridor. Where before there had been a lot of people around, now the corridors were empty. Everyone had scattered when that loud noise had sounded.
"You got any ideas, Vin?"
"No. Maybe we should head back and see if any of the others have found him yet."
Chris nodded. "Right. But I ain't goin' back to town without him."
Vin quirked a smile at him. "Me neither. Ms. Travis would skin us."
"That she would."
The two men turned and started walking back where they had come from. It was a maze of pathways and Chris hoped that they could find their way, since everything looked the same.
Chris and Vin stopped dead in their tracks as a man appeared out of thin air. But what really gave them pause was the way the man looked. They'd seen a lot of strange things since they'd come to this odd land, but this man beat it all. He was half man and half metal and leather. One of his arms had metal bits instead of a hand, and his head was a combination of tubes and metal pieces. In place of an eye, there was a patch.
The man removed a panel off of one of the walls and began to prod around inside it. He attached his hand to the mechanism inside.
Although the duo didn't know what the man was doing, neither liked it. Chris nodded to Vin and drew his gun. Vin walked up to the man, who ignored him. He tapped him on the shoulder and got no response. Finally, Vin pulled the man away from the wall. The man cocked his head to the side and one of the metal pieces on his head moved, much like an antennae on a cricket. He touched something on his arm, and then grabbed Vin. A moment later, Vin and the man disappeared into thin air, leaving Chris alone in the corridor.
"VIN!" Chris shouted.
******
JD and Nathan managed to find Quark's. They walked in with Billy.
"And there are some of my compatriots now. Mr. Dunne, Mr. Jackson. I see that you've located young Mr. Travis. Where are the others?"
"Don't know, Ezra. Lost track of them. Reckon we should get Billy back to his ma then go find them?" JD asked.
The three men and small child walked back up the stairs towards the room they'd entered from. They stood in front of the door. Nathan poked a few buttons on the panel. JD tried to push through it. Ezra stood back and watched. Nothing seemed to be working.
'Open Sesame," Ezra said.
JD looked at him. "That ain't gonna work."
He shrugged. "Nothing else seemed to be working." He leaned back against a wall.
Billy looked up at them.
"Don't worry Billy, we'll figure it out."
"Computer, open door," Ezra tried. Still, there were no results.
Nathan paced.
"I'm hungry," Billy said.
Ezra smiled. "I'm sure Mr. Quark can tell us where we might find some nourishment here."
"Ezra, we don't have any money like these people use."
"Mr. Jackson, you just leave the financial worries to me."
"Good lord, Ezra. Can't you go nowhere without trying to make a profit?" Nathan said.
"Mr. Jackson, I was not entirely certain how long we'd need to be here until we located Billy, and I thought having some finances might be useful." Ezra looked pointedly at Nathan. "As is the case now, is it not?"
JD looked at both of them. "Guys, can we do this later? I'm kinda hungry too."
"Lead on, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said, making a sweeping gesture with his arm.
JD took Billy's hand and led him down the corridor, back to Quark's. Nathan and Ezra followed in their wake.
******
Josiah sat in the temple and listened to the soft sounds of the music that played. An orange-clad monk came up to him.
"The Prophets have called you here, my son," the monk said.
"Don't rightly know where I am," Josiah said. "The Prophets can be your guide, if you will open your mind and allow Them to show you Their will."
"God works in mysterious ways, indeed. Tell me, where am I?"
"You are where you need to be. The Prophets will lead you when the time is right. You should join your friends. They need you."
Josiah nodded. The monk touched his arm and looked searchingly into his face. "The Prophets will restore that which you've lost in Their service. Trust in that. Leave this place, and turn to the right. You will find your friends gathering where you last saw them."
Josiah left the temple and shook his head. The monk had been cryptic, but he felt oddly at peace. Josiah turned right and found Quark's. Inside, he saw JD, Nathan, Ezra, Buck and Billy. He entered the establishment and saw Ezra wave over to the bar. A man brought over another plate.
"You must be one of Ezra's friends."
"Indeed. Quark, this is Josiah Sanchez. Josiah, meet Quark, the owner of this fine establishment."
Josiah sat down and took the plate from Quark, thanking him. The food looked odd, but Josiah was hungry so he ate. He found the unusual flavor of the food appealing. He smiled as Billy covered a yawn.
Quark snapped his fingers and one of the women came over. Josiah found it hard not to stare at her. He could tell that the others were just as shocked. The beautiful woman was wearing a top which exposed the undersides of her breasts while covering the top. Her naval was showing and she wore skin tight pants which showed through the translucent skirt. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a most elaborate style, but Josiah found his eyes drawn once again to her exposed midriff.
"Nara, show the young lad to your room so that he can get some rest, if you would," Quark said as the woman bent down and kissed the top of his head.
She smiled to him and offered Billy her hand. Billy looked to the others before taking the woman's hand and walking off.
Josiah chuckled.
******
Jadzia scanned the holosuite for the access panels. O'Brien called out, "Over here!" He was bent down beside one of the barrels next to the livery. "Found it."
Jadzia sat down next to him. "It looks like the holosuite systems have become completely disengaged from the station."
"Yeah. We're a self-contained universe in here."
Jadzia called out. "Computer, exit."
Nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working now? It was before," she asked.
"My guess is, and this is just a guess. The laws of physics aren't working here right now in any way that I understand. My guess is that before there was a state of flux while things were getting settled. Now everything's gotten all set in position."
"We need to reverse it."
"Lieutenant, we're gonna have to figure out the rules before we can reverse anything."
"Where's Julian?"
Miles looked at her for a moment. "Julian's at the clinic immersing himself in the tools of 'frontier medicine.' You know how he is with that. And Worf is examining the jail. Last I heard, he was trying to upgrade the security."
Jadzia nodded. "Sounds about right."
******
Vin Tanner lay on the bed. He stared around the room. Nothing looked natural. Metal, wires, rubber tubes, bright lights-that was all he could see. He tried to move but the restraints were too strong.
"Resistance is futile."
"What do you want from me?"
"You are irrelevant. You will be assimilated."
"Assimilated? What is that? Who are you?" Vin didn't understand. They weren't asking him questions. One of the men approached him with a long object and Vin tried to flinch away from it. He felt the sharp pain as it was pushed through his throat.
"We are Borg. We will assimilate you and you will join our collective."
Vin didn't like the sound of that. He was immobilized by the tubing now coming out of his own neck.
One of the Borg came over to the table and instead of a hand, he had a saw. Vin tried to scream as the Borg cut through the flesh of his arm, amputating his arm at the elbow, but the tube prevented it. He wanted to fight against them, but he felt his body betray him and he couldn't get it to respond. First they took his arm, then they shaved his hair. When they removed his right eye, the Borg began to implant the devices which would replace his natural appendages. When the pigment had bleached from his skin and eyes, Vin Tanner stopped caring.
*******
The drone looked around and surveyed the room, his once bright eyes taking in the surrounding and listening to the voices that now echoed in his mind.
He was Borg.
******
Kira patrolled the Promenade, her phaser rifle set and ready for Borg infiltration. She was frustrated. Kira had spent her life fighting Cardassians, fighting to win freedom for her home. But this was different. She'd heard stories from people who had fought the Borg. And right now, she'd take the Cardassians in a fight instead of Borg.
Borg killed without killing. They took the very spirit of every person they encountered. That was something that the Cardassians had never been able to do. The spirit of Bajor had never been broken. It had been trampled, and chained, but its people had never been broken.
Kira looked out the viewport. "May the Prophets guard us," she whispered.
She looked over towards the small station temple and smiled at the monk standing in the doorway. He nodded to her and smiled ever slightly. Kira felt a little more at peace.
The Prophets helped those who helped themselves. They had not delivered Bajor from the Occupation, but they had helped keep her spirit whole and given her people the strength to fight. They would help here too.
******
Chris Larabee walked down the corridor. He was angry. Vin, his best friend, had been turned into nothingness in front of his eyes. He wanted to shoot something. Anything.
Buck came out of one of the rooms, smiling. "Hey there Chris. Where's everyone?"
"Maybe if you had been paying attention to finding Billy, instead of finding pleasure, you'd know," Chris snapped and continued walking.
"It wasn't 'bout findin' pleasure, pard. It was about givin' it. Maybe you ought to try it sometime. Might help that attitude of yours."
"Not now." Chris didn't slow down. He was relieved to see Buck, but he needed to find the others. "Halt!" A woman stood in their path, pointing what could only be a weapon in their direction.
Chris and Buck both stopped.
"Who are you?"
"Might ask you the same," Chris said looking at the woman.
"Answer the question." Her tone brooked no patience.
"Remind you of anyone, Chris?" Buck said with a smirk.
Chris nodded.
"Name's Chris Larabee."
"Buck Wilmington."
"The Promenade is off limits now. Return to your quarters."
"Don't have none. Be happy to visit yours with you," Buck smiled.
She sneered at him.
"You still ain't told us who you are," Buck said.
"Major Kira Nerys." She continued to point the weapon at them, ushering them down the corridor. When they walked past the saloon, Chris noticed the others.
"Wait, our friends are in there," Buck said.
Chris had been unusually silent, but when he saw the others sitting at the table, drinking, he relaxed.
"Then wait in there. Stay off the Promenade."
"What is going on?" Chris asked.
She looked at him and shook her head. "We have a situation here. Just stay here. You'll be safer."
"Maybe we can help," Chris offered.
"Look. I have enough to worry about without worrying about protecting civilians. Just. Stay. Put."
She turned and marched off.
"I see you've met Major Kira," the strange man sitting with his friends said as Chris took a seat. Chris just looked at him for a moment and nodded.
After Ezra had introduced Quark, he turned to Chris. "Mr. Larabee, where is the illustrious Mr. Tanner?"
"Gone," Chris whispered.
"Where?"
"He's gone, all right? Just gone!" Chris stood up abruptly and slammed his hand down on the table. "Do you need me to spell it out?" He shouted. "He's dead." The rest of the group stared in stunned silence.
"Where is our brother's remains?" Josiah asked softly.
Chris shook his head. "There was nothing left. One minute, Vin was there. The next-nothing."
Quark smiled at him. "Mr. Larabee, I think I've got some good news for you. Please. Sit."
Chris just stared at Quark and then sat.
"I understand from Mr. Standish that you are from a place quite different from ours." Several of the men nodded their heads, and Quark continued. "We have a technology here that allows us to transport instantly from one place to another. It's one of the ways we travel. I'd suggest that your friend isn't dead. But he has been taken."
"But I saw-"
"You saw your friend disappear into thin air, yes?"
Chris nodded.
"While we do have vaporizing weapons, they are quite painful and you would have watched your friend boil from the inside out before his molecules were shattered into nothingness."
While that thought wasn't comforting, Chris nodded. "He's not dead." His voice was soft and almost a growl. "Then that metal man is going to pay. Dearly."
This time Quark paled.
"What?" Buck asked him.
"I think I spoke too soon. Your friend is worse than dead. He's likely been assimilated."
The six men looked at Quark.
"Most species propagate by engaging in pleasurable reproductive activities." He smiled a moment. Chris saw Buck nodding. Quark continued. "The Borg increase their species by assimilating others. Their knowledge becomes the Borg's. Their individuality is lost. The Borg thinks as one being." He wrinkled his nose in distaste and sneered. "They have no regard for profit," he uttered as if it were the greatest insult he knew.
"Then we'll get him back."
Quark shook his head. "Your friend has been gone what-one, two hours?"
Chris nodded.
"Then by now, he's one of them."
"Then we stop them," Chris stated bluntly.
Quark snorted as the six men nodded as one and stood up. "You think you can stop the Borg? The Federation couldn't do it. They wiped them out. The Romulans and even the Klingons have not been able to stop the Borg. And you think that the six of you can do what no civilization has been able to do?" He stood up and watched as the six men started to leave.
"Just how do you think you're going to stop them? Do any of you have a shuttle? Do you even know how to fly one?"
Quark was interrupted when three Borg materialized on the Promenade.
"We're going to send them a message," Chris said softly. He unholstered his gun and knew instinctively that Buck and JD were also doing so. The three shots were fired almost simultaneously, and three Borg fell to the ground, and didn't get up.
Quark stared at them with wide eyes.
******
Five minutes later, Benjamin Sisko walked into Quark's. He gave the outward appearance of being calm, but he was not. He'd left specific instructions to leave the Borg alone until they had a plan. And these civilians had decided to take them on.
"Gentlemen. I'm Captain Benjamin Sisko." He looked at them each in turn. "I understand you killed some of the Borg."
They nodded. The groups swayed as the station was grasped by a tractor beam.
"Sisko to Bridge. Execute program Dax Omega 39."
"Acknowledged."
The station rocked slightly again as the tractor beam was released.
"What was that?" Chris asked.
"That was the Borg. Your little stunt alerted them to our presence."
"Considering that these nefarious creatures have already abducted one of our associates, and if this gentleman is to be believed," Ezra said as he indicated Quark, "made him one of them, I would say that they were already aware of our presence."
"Mr. Standish, is it?"
Ezra nodded.
"What you do not understand about the Borg is that they assess. They do not attack until they are ready, unless forced."
Buck laughed. "Ain't smart to give the enemy time to prepare fer ya."
JD smiled. "Less you're not ready neither."
Sisko just shook his head. "I do not like the Borg. You can kill them, but more will come. Life means nothing to them. We are irrelevant to them."
"I think it is time we made them see how relevant we are," Chris replied.
Sisko nodded. They had to keep the fight here, as long as the Borg were concentrated on DS9, they weren't concentrating on Bajor.
"You have a plan?" Sisko asked.
"Tell us more about these Borgs."
Sisko didn't really have time for this. But, there wasn't much else that they could do anyway. So he sat down and told the six men about the Borg.
After Sisko had finished with his explanation, he looked at the men again.
"So, you think that because we've already killed some, we won't be able to kill any more, and our weapons are useless?" Josiah asked.
"Basically."
"Only one way to find out, right boys?"
As if on cue, more Borg materialized. Sisko drew his phaser and fired. One fell. But when he fired again, a shield appeared in front of the being and it continued to advance.
Josiah fired and the Borg fell. But more arrived. However, each bullet took the life of a Borg. No shield appeared. In a matter of minutes, all the Borg were lying dead on the deck, and Sisko was shocked.
"I think we need to distribute more of those kind of weapons to Security," Sisko said, smiling. Things were beginning to look a little less bleak. "Sisko to Odo."
"Odo here."
"Constable. I think we have a partial solution to our Borg problem."
"I'll be right there, Captain."
******
The group stood in front of one of the view ports and looked at the Borg vessel. "And Mr. Tanner is over there?" Ezra asked.
Sisko nodded.
"It looks impenetrable."
"Borg don't have shields that prevent us from transporting over there. In their mind, we're irrelevant." "Do you believe that too, Captain Sisko?" Josiah asked.
"What I believe is not important."
Josiah shook his head. "You're wrong, Captain."
"If we could disable their ship, it would buy us time until reinforcements can arrive." Sisko stared at the cube.
"Countin' on reinforcements will get you killed," Buck said. "Let them clean up." He grinned.
Ezra was staring thoughtfully out the window. "Perhaps a few well-placed charges," he muttered softly.
"Ezra, you ain't thinkin' what I think you are, are ya?" Buck asked.
"If you believe that I am contemplating what the effect of dynamite would be on that unattractive square, then indeed I am."
Sisko nodded.
"This instant transportation-could it send lit dynamite?"
"Only one way to find out. I'd normally ask Chief O'Brien, but the holosuite can't be reached." Sisko turned and started to walk. As he walked, the others followed. "First, we'll need to get some of this dynamite of yours."
******
Three attempted transports later, the results were conclusive. Fire could not be sent via matter transport. Someone was going to have to go over and physically light the dynamite.
"I'll go," Ezra volunteered.
The others had obviously all been thinking the same thing.
"It's gonna take more than one placement to blow up that box," JD argued. "I'm going too."
"No, you're not. It's too danger-"
"Buck, don't give me that. I can take care of myself. And if it is too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for Ezra." JD looked to Ezra. "Right?"
Ezra smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow. "I believe the timing will be essential, Mr. Dunne."
Sisko looked to Odo, who said, "If you're going to be helping us, you will need these." He handed them each a combadge. "These allow us to communicate with one another." Odo looked specifically at JD and Ezra. "I and one of my security officers will join you as part of the Away Team. Do not attempt to engage the Borg. They will ignore you. Once the charges are placed, let the rest of the Away Team know. When all are ready, I will give the signal and then we'll set the fuse. We should be back here in less than 10 minutes."
JD stood, paying rapt attention. Ezra seemingly ignored the Changeling.
"Are you listening, Mr. Standish? Or am I boring you?"
"Not at all, Mr. Odo. Not at all," Ezra said quietly. "Are we ready?"
Odo nodded curtly and the four men stepped into the corridor and walked towards the Defiant. Odo explained the need to get closer to the Borg vessel. Ezra wondered briefly how the Borg could do it, but did not voice his concern.
Ezra and JD didn't expect that anything could surprise them anymore. They were already in a space station far from home. They could had met different species of intelligent life and learned that they weren't alone in the universe. And yet, neither were prepared for the sight that greeted them as they looked out a viewport. The Defiant.
It was unlike anything either had ever seen. Its sleek lines entranced them. There was something about the ship. It looked powerful, and dangerous.
The men walked onto the ship and settled in their seats as the pilot ferried the craft away from the station. Ezra's jaw dropped. JD stared openly. Ezra recovered first and watched out the window. Odo rolled his eyes.
"Gentlemen, I do hope you're not going to react this way when we reach the Borg ship. We do need to remain focused," Odo said.
"Mr. Odo," Ezra started, fixing him with a penetrating stare. "I assure you that both Mr. Dunne and myself are quite capable of ignoring distractions when the situation requires it."
JD nodded. "We're ready. Just enjoying the view."
Ezra nodded and tipped a finger to the rim of his hat while winking at JD.
"Sir, we're within range of transport," the pilot said.
"Monitor our transmissions, Ensign Carter. And be ready."
"Aye, sir."
The men took their positions. Odo took a few seconds to make certain that Ezra and JD could operate their remote transport bands. Once he was certain, he stated, "Begin transport."
The last thing Ezra heard before his world disappeared was JD uttering a squawk of shock, then he saw darkness as he found himself alone in a place the likes of which he had never imagined. Ezra was finding that there was a lot he had never imagined lately.
******
Josiah watched as Nathan walked in amazement into the sick bay, as it was called. He almost chuckled as Nathan's eyes lit up. The dark healer touched consoles reverently and had a lost smile on his face.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Nathan asked the man who was bending over a patient, checking her vitals.
Dr. Ra turned and looked at Nathan with a raised eyebrow. "Be my guest."
"What are her symptoms?"
Josiah stepped back as Nathan and the doctor started to talk shop. They moved away from the patient, so Josiah walked over to her.
He smiled down to the woman and took her hand, noticing she was awake.
"I don't know you," she said unsurely.
"No, ma'am. You don't. I've come from a far off place," Josiah responded with a smile as he pulled a chair up beside her. "Thought maybe you could use some company who wasn't gonna poke you with a needle."
"Thank you, my child."
Josiah smiled broadly. "Sister, it has been a long time since someone has called me a child."
"You said you come from a place far away. Tell me about it."
Josiah laughed. "So far away, ma'am, it is perhaps another time."
"Then you must have been sent by the Prophets." She looked over towards Dr. Ra and Nathan. "I am certain the Prophets still have plans for me."
"Tell me about your Prophets."
Kai Winn smiled serenely at Josiah and began to speak.
******
JD placed the sticks around several of the panels. He pushed a couple of the storage crates under the strange lighted box that the odd looking man had told him about and fixed some dynamite to the 'junction.' After he'd gotten the charges placed, he connected all the fuses together.
"My charges are set."
"Acknowledged. Wait for my signal."
"Right."
JD moved the storage boxes back to where he found them and watched as several of the Borg came near him. He held his breath, worried. But they didn't pay any attention to him.
**********
He smiled when he heard Ezra's voice over the small communication device. Two down, two to go. The remaining charges were soon ready.
Odo's voice sounded. "Now, gentlemen."
JD pointed the firing device at the end of the fuse and fired. He waited for just a moment, then activated the transporting signal.
*
Chris and Buck stared at the figure that walked towards them. It was unmistakably Vin. Even with his hair shorn from his head and an eyepiece covering one of his formerly blue eyes, the stance was difficult to mistake. They took in the pallid complexion in an instant. Shock warred with anger and concern. Vin Tanner, the man who was most in touch with the elements, stood before them as a bastardization of nature. Mechanical parts and wires exited his body.
The grotesque parody of their former associate raised an arm, and Chris could see that it too had one of those light-firing weapons instead of a hand.
Without another moment's hesitation, Chris Larabee raised his gun and fired at the man he considered to be his best friend.
Vin fell backwards and hit the paned glass window before landing on the floor. Chris turned and walked away from the scene, never turning back.
******
"Captain, I've lost contact with the Defiant!" Ensign Stephens panicked voice called out as Sisko walked out of the Ready Room.
"On screen. I want you to reestablish contact. I want to know when those charges are set-" His voice trailed off as his attention was captured by the sudden bright, blinding light that filled the room. The view screen dimmed back to normal, and the cube was gone. In its place were fragments, pieces.
"Ensign, I want you to find the Defiant. Expand sensor power if you have to, but find me our ship!" Sisko spun on his heel and walked off the bridge. In his Ready Room, he looked out the window to the remains of the Borg vessel.
He had never seen anything like it. It might have cost the lives of five men, but it had saved billions. Bajor was safe; the station was safe; the wormhole was safe. He hated losing anyone under his command. Anyone. But five men to save billions. How could he say that the rewards weren't worth the sacrifice. The loss of even one life was too much, but this day, the Borg had been defeated. And only five had died.
Whoever would have thought that the Borg could be beat by low-tech solutions?
Sisko tapped his combadge. "Stephens, any word on the Defiant?"
"No sir."
"Keep looking."
Sisko sat down. "How was he going to tell those civilians that they had lost two men? And why had he allowed them to talk him into this hare-brained scheme?" This hare-brained scheme that had worked.
*
Chris headed straight to Quark's. He had killed Vin. He had killed his best friend. Chris saw Buck following right behind him and turned to him. "Tell me this is a nightmare, Buck."
"If you're dreamin', so am I."
"I killed him."
"No pard, they did. You set him free."
Chris shook his head. "I'm the one put a bullet in him."
Buck pulled out a chair and forced Chris into it. "Vin wouldn't want to live like that. We both know it."
Chris nodded.
Buck shook his head and sat down next to Chris. "Chris, there weren't othing' you could have done. Not a thing. You heard what Quark and the others all said. Hell, these boys are runnin' scared, even though they're tryin' to put on a brave enough front. These half-men they call the Borg scare them." Buck looked around. "You see this place? You seen all their fancy weapons, same as me. And if these boys couldn't have saved Vin, how could you?"
"Ain't the point, Buck."
"Then maybe you best tell me what that would be."
"I'm the one who shot him."
Buck nodded solemnly. "Yeah, pard. You did. And if it was me who ended up like that, I'd hope you'd shoot me too. I know that is what Vin would have wanted. You know it too."
Chris nodded.
"Now, let's go show these Borg fellas who they just pissed off, all right?" Buck forced a smile.
Chris answered him back with a grisly smile that promised retribution.
Sisko tapped his combadge. "Sisko to Larabee."
He waited a few moments, and then he heard. "Larabee."
"Assemble your men and meet me at Quark's in five minutes."
"Ezra and JD aren't back from the mission," Larabee responded. "But I'll get the rest of them here."
"Acknowledged."
This was not going to be pleasant. Sisko walked out of the Ready Room just as Major Kira came up the steps.
"I heard the Defiant is missing, Captain."
Sisko nodded at her.
"And Odo?"
"I don't know. I don't know if he got off the Borg cube before it exploded."
Her statement was tight as she nodded.
"I'll keep you informed, Major."
"Thank you, sir," she said, her voice harsh with emotion. She turned on her heels and marched away from him.
Sisko knew she'd be upset. Odo had been a friend to the major for longer than she had been in the Bajoran militia, a time dating back to the Occupation. In many ways, Odo was a member of her family.
Ben Sisko knew there was a slim chance that the Defiant could have survived the explosion. He wanted to hang on to hope that they had, but he also could not afford to let it take over. For now, he had to inform Chris Larabee and his men, that Ezra Standish and JD Dunne were missing, presumed dead.
******
Josiah Sanchez paced in front of the bar. First Chris had told him that Vin was dead, then Sisko had said that Ezra and JD were missing. He thought back to his conversations. Two people had spoken to him of these Prophets. One had said that all he had lost in Their service would be restored.
But Vin, at least, was dead. How could they restore that?
And Ezra and JD were missing, presumed dead. Sisko had offered little hope that the two would return.
Chris was nearly destroyed over the loss of Vin, and Buck was no longer capable of anchoring their leader.
Josiah felt his faith wavering. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but before, there had always been something to pull him back. What could help now?
He watched Sisko tap on the combadge. "Any word on the Defiant." "No Captain."
"How about on getting our people out of the holosuite?"
"Rom is on his way to explain the status of that, Sir."
"Keep looking for the Defiant."
"Aye, Captain." There was a pause. "Captain!"
"Yes, Ensign."
Josiah sat down, not truly listening to the conversation.
"There is a ship coming out of the wormhole. It matches the Defiant's readings, sir!"
"On my way. Have Rom meet us there."
"Aye sir."
Josiah looked up and saw they all were looking at Sisko. No one dared to breathe.
Sisko turned to them. "They think they've found the Defiant."
Four men stood as one and followed Sisko to the command center of Deep Space Nine.
******
As Sisko walked off of the turbolift, he turned to the con. "Life signs?"
"Four, sir."
There had been five men on that mission, Sisko thought. "Beam them directly to the bridge, Ensign."
"Aye sir."
All eyes fixed on the transporter. First the light shimmered, indicating the imminent arrivals. Then the forms solidified.
Odo, JD, Ezra, and the pilot stood there, looking slightly the worse for wear. But they were alive. Before any words could be said, the four men rushed to JD and Ezra.
Ezra looked to them. "I'm sorry, Mr. Larabee. We did not find Mr. Tanner before we detonated our charges."
"He wasn't over there to find, Ezra."
Ezra smiled in relief.
"Where the hell you boys been?" Buck asked.
Ezra looked confused. JD shook his head. Odo spoke up. "I believe that the explosion caused a subspace rift in space, which acted like a worm hole. We were rendered unconscious and when we came to, we were in the Gamma Quadrant. Once we'd determined that, it was just a matter of getting our bearings and heading back home."
"We should get you to the medical facility," Nathan said to them.
Josiah grinned. "You just want a chance to play with those toys, doc."
Nathan smiled, and the rest of the men laughed, their relief at finding two of their lost comrades evident. The moment was short-lived though, when JD asked, "If Vin wasn't over there, where was he?"
"Here, son. He was here," Josiah said softly.
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "And where is he now?"
"Vin's dead, Ezra," Buck said softly.
Ezra's reaction surprised them. His legs gave way and the gambler was sitting on the deck, breathing heavily, trying to regain his composure. JD merely shook his head and said, "No," before brushing his hands across his eyes.
Odo looked to them. "I'm sorry about your friend."
The six men nodded as one, then helped Ezra and JD as they left the bridge.
******
Rom walked up to Captain Sisko. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes I did Rom. How is it going down by the holosuites? Any progress?" Sisko asked.
"Actually, sir," Rom said with a smile. "We've re-established communications with them and have been able to download Tricorder readings through a com-link. It was kind of tricky, since right now their tricorders aren't real."
Sisko nodded.
"But we've figured out that we can reverse the anomaly's effect if we can get everything that left the holosuite back in there. We'll need to fire a probe into the anomaly and then activate a sequence of frequencies to reactivate the anomaly. Hopefully, that will reverse the process by converting the holomatter into matter and the matter into holomatter."
"You think that will work?"
Rom shrugged. "It is only a theory, of course. Won't really know until we try it. But it is our only chance."
"What happens if this doesn't work?"
"Then they'll be trapped in the holosuite. And we do have to do this quickly. The anomaly is beginning to move off. If we don't do this in the next 20 minutes, it will be out of range."
"Is the probe ready?"
"Just about sir. It will be in five minutes. But the others must be in the holosuite when it is activated."
Sisko nodded. "Complete the programming of that probe. I'll get the others back in the holosuite."
"Aye sir." Rom quickly left the bridge. Sisko looked out the view port where the anomaly was sitting, it's black and rainbow mass shimmering. He could see that it was beginning to drift. Truly, this was now or never.
"I'll be in sickbay," he called out as he stepped onto the turbo lift.
"Go? Go where?" JD asked.
"Back to where you came from."
Chris sat next to Billy and looked at Sisko. "We don't belong here." He shook his head. "You ready to go see your ma?"
"Yessir."
"We'll bring Mr. Tanner along too."
"I have a question, Captain," Ezra said softly.
"Yes, Mr. Standish."
"What happens to us?"
"You go on as you were before."
Ezra nodded and frowned. Without Vin. And knowing what they knew. How could they possibly expect him to be happy in the confines of the small town of Four Corners now that he had flown amongst the stars? And how could he trap those who had lived here all their lives to the meager existence he knew awaited them back in Four Corners.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Standish. If there were a way to allow you to stay without sacrificing my crew, I'd do it."
"You're their commander. You've got to watch out for your men," Larabee said.
Sisko nodded. "It's been an honor to work with you. And without your help, we'd still be fighting the Borg."
"I'm sure we got some outlaws need chasin' down," Buck said with a small smile. "Besides, Inez must miss me something fierce by now."
JD laughed. "Probably glad you're gone, more like."
The other men laughed. Chris stood up. "Boys, let's go home." The others stood up and followed Chris up the stairs.
******
Chris and Buck carried Vin's abused corpse into the holosuite. They laid him down reverently. Then the six men stood around him. Billy ran straight into Mary's arms.
Jadzia, Miles, Worf and Julian looked to the six men and frowned. Miles smiled suddenly and walked up to them. "If this works, if they reverse this anomaly, I think I may be able to help him."
"He's in God's hands now," Josiah said. "No one can cure death."
Miles smiled as once again. Then again the world seemed to collapse and colors spread all around. Miles could almost taste the yellows and greens as the sounds seemed to start to smell. Then as suddenly as the shift came upon them, it was gone.
The doors to the holosuite opened, and Rom came in with a tricorder. He smiled at the Starfleet officers. "It worked sir."
"Good job, Rom," O'Brien said. "I owe ya. But I have one more favor to ask." Then Miles looked towards Vin. The others had already lifted him, and were carrying him towards the undertakers.
Rom nodded, "You want me to reboot, right?"
"You got it," O'Brien and Rom rushed out of the holosuite and over to the control panel. The two began to program the computer.
*
Chris and Buck laid Vin on the table at the undertakers. Then they watched as Vin disappeared. All the men stepped back, drawing their guns.
Vin rematerialized, sitting up, in his own clothes, with his hair long and both arms in tact. It was like he'd never been gone.
"There a reason we're meetin' at the undertakers?" Vin asked Chris.
"You were dead."
Ezra seemed to be counting, but really he was muttering to himself. JD just stared.
"That why y'all are starin' at me like a two headed bull?"
"Yeah, pard," Buck said. "That would be it."
"I need a drink," Chris said suddenly.
The others echoed the sentiment and walked out. Miles O'Brien stood out waiting for them.
Chris walked up to him and shook his hand. "I don't know what you did. But thanks. Care to join us for a drink?"
Miles grinned.
Vin pulled Ezra's arm and looked to him. "Who's that man Chris was just talkin' to?"
Ezra frowned, then seemed to understand. Miles O'Brien had brought Vin back to life, but that had cost him his memory. "The man who saved your life, Mr. Tanner. The man who saved your life."
Vin accepted that and joined his friends in the saloon.
******
A few hours later, Worf sat at the table at Quarks and looked at the program rod. Miles, Sisko, Dax, and Bashir sat around him.
"How did you bring him back to life, Chief?"
Miles shrugged. "I rebooted his program. He don't remember none of what happened here because I had to delete all the Borg nanites, but other than that, he's fine."
"The question is, what do we do with this?" Sisko said, pointing at the rod.
"They deserve a place of honor," Worf said succinctly. "They are seven men who defeated the Borg with nothing but guile. It was an honor to have met them."
Jadzia just smiled.
THE END