"Come on," she said softly. She didn't know if making a lot of noise would hinder their escape, but it seemed a wise precaution not to be too loud.

Riker seemed to agree, as he whispered, "If we touch the left-hand wall, we should find the tunnel to the surface. I don't remember any side branches, but I'd been beaten pretty badly when they brought me down here. Maybe I just don't remember."

"No, I don't remember any openings other than for the other cells off this chamber. I paid attention in case I was going to have to fight my way out."

"Fight your way out? Is that something Bajoran vedeks usually do, too?"

"I told you I haven't always been a vedek. I was in Starfleet, too."

"I thought you were . . . wait a minute. Was Parys your name when you worked for Starfleet?"

"No, I was called Ro Laren then."

"Ah, now that's a name I've heard before."

"I'm sure it is. So, how long are we going to keep on chatting here? Until the Cardassians decide to come back to strangle us?"

A coughing laugh erupted from his throat before she heard, "Wait a second." Ro could hear his steps lead away, a rustling as he touched something, probably the cot, and then a tiny, scraping sound before he returned to her. "Got the water bottle. They don't give me much. Want some?"

Realizing she was thirsty, Ro accepted the bottle from him, their fingers brushing with the exchange. After taking a sip from it and replacing the cap, she handed it back to Riker. She could hear him unscrew the cap to take a drink himself, then heard him say, lightly, "Lead on, MacDuff."

MacDuff. That had been the name of the fake commander when everyone on the Enterprise had lost their memory. When she and Will Riker had . . . Now's not the time to think of that, she thought to herself forcefully. Especially with Will Riker's double so close to her, filling her nostrils with his strong but not unpleasant musky male scent. The situation was far too desperate for such thoughts.

After a little fumbling in the dark, his warm hand grasped hers firmly. Proceeding with care out of the cell, Ro held her left hand out, grazing the stone wall with her fingertips. She hesitated each time she passed an opening to another cell, but at last she was certain they had passed them all and moved more confidently.

"Ouch!" Ro cried as she barked her shins against an obstruction.

"Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride. There's some kind of bench in the way here."

"We must be where Tevran likes to play 'Twenty Questions' with me. He has lots of games he likes to play. I'm always 'it,' too."

"I thought as much. I saw it on the way down to you. We must be near the tunnel entrance, then."

"Yes, Vedek Parys . . . Ro . . . what do you want me to call you?"

"Parys will do. I haven't been advertising my real name here."

"I don't blame you. Wait a minute. I wonder if there might be anything we can use as a weapon here."

"If they're electronic, they won't work."

"The handles of the energy whips could still do some damage if they're thrown. They're heavy."

"Not a bad idea. Are they here, do you think, or locked away somewhere?"

"Oh, they're here. Just a minute." She heard the sound of a hand slapping around the benches. Finally, he said, "Got it! There's a couple of them here. Parys, let me give you one, too."

She heard his footsteps before feeling something shoved against her forearm. As she grabbed the object, Ro inadvertently felt her thumb slide on switch. She suddenly cried out in shock when a sparkling rope of light and energy shot out from the end of the handle she held. For a split second, the energy discharge illuminated Riker's astonished face. Fortunately, he was not in the way of the whip's business end.

"Be careful, that thing can hurt us. Wait. Didn't you say all the electronics were supposed to be disrupted by that device?"

"Yes, Riker. If this weapon is live, then the cell force field should still have been active, too."

"Why would it be off, then?"

"I don't know." After holding out her hand until she could touch Riker to be certain of his position, Ro cautiously held the torture device away from them both and hit the switch. Energy shot out of the end. Using the weapon like a wrist light, Ro walked toward the force field, across the corridor where they needed to exit. When the energy whip made contact with where the force field barrier should have been, there was no effect. The barrier wasn't on. "I don't like this at all," Ro said, turning the weapon off again. "Most prisons have redundant systems for energy barriers. I can't understand why this one doesn't."

"This one does have a redundant system, Parys. I saw it in action a month ago. There was another prisoner here, Wavrin Kelnir. When Tevran was 'entertaining himself' down here before they killed the poor bastard, the shields went down for a moment before flickering back on. After he had his minions drag away Wavrin's body, Gul Tevran assured me that I couldn't escape because of the backup energy system, and the only way I was ever going to leave this prison was the same way Wavrin did."

"So, if the system itself wasn't disrupted, what happened?" she wondered.

"Someone must have taken it off line. Do you think your friends managed to take over the prison?"

"That crew? Impossible. I figured I was going to get killed for sure."

She could hear a chuckle, and then, with a hint of admiration in his voice, "And you came to me anyway? I'm flattered."

"Just my duty, Riker. 'To bring comfort to the troubled and weary.' "

"I'd still like to thank you, but it'll have to wait until later. We need to move out of here. They'll come back eventually. If I'm going to get killed, I want to give them a hard time first. I don't like the idea of hanging around here like a sitting duck."

"I agree." She reached out and made contact with his hand again. They took a few more cautious steps forward. "We must be clear of the barrier again, Riker," she said.

Ro groped for the wall again. When she reached it, she felt Riker's body come close to hers and his voice to murmur, "Parys . . . Ro . . . whoever you are. I've changed my mind about waiting to give you that 'thank you.' There's something I've been wanting to do since you first came into my cell. I'd like to do it now, while I'm still alive to enjoy it. I hope you don't mind." Turning to face his voice, Ro felt a pair of arms come around her, gently holding her body in place until his touched hers. One of his hands was around her back, near her waist. She felt something touch her shoulder, then her face. It was his other hand, cupping her jaw as if he was trying to locate it in the dark. A warm mouth surrounded by beard touched her face and softly made contact with her lips.

He demanded nothing. No tongue assaulted her; no attempt to plunder her mouth. Just an ephemeral, friendly kiss, yet erotic despite its gentleness. She felt his bearded face lean against her cheek as his arms held her close. Into her ear he whispered, "We may not get out of this alive, Ro Laren, but your coming to see me means a lot. You're pretty nice to hold, too."

She leaned her body into his for a few seconds. He was pretty nice to hold, too; but she said only, "You're welcome. Now, shouldn't we get moving so maybe we can get out of here alive?"

His answer was a chuckle that tickled the ear that bore her Bajoran earring. He withdrew his arms from around her but kept his hand on her shoulder. "Lead on . . . "

"I know. MacDuff, right?"

"I was going to say Vedek Parys, but whoever wants to can take the lead. I don't care, just as long as we get out of this tunnel."

The feel of his hand on her shoulder as they walked up the tunnel's grade was comforting , although she didn't mention it. If they managed to stay alive, maybe she'd tell him about it. Maybe she'd have a lot to tell him, if they survived.


The climb up the tunnel seemed ten times as long as it did coming down. The upgrade alone made walking uncomfortable after only a short while, but the angle of ascent and the distance were minor points. Not having any idea, by this time, what might be awaiting them at the end was nerve-wracking. Nerve-wracking, yet exhilarating, too. Both of them had been trained for this sort of action by Starfleet; but both of them had forfeited the chance to exercise these skills long ago. For some reason neither could have explained, it made the entire venture even more exciting.

Before they could perceive any sign of light that would mark the tunnel's entrance, distant noises came to their ears. Some were shouts, others the distinct crackling of energy weapons of various types. Neither doubted for a second that the guards were engaged in battle by some unknown enemy.

Riker stopped and bent his mouth next to Ro's ear. "Let me go up and see who's up there with the Cardassians."

"But you wouldn't know if any of them are the people I was with. I should go."

"Shall we both go?" he asked, a hint of amusement audible in his query.

"Yes, but give me a few seconds first," said Ro. "I need to hitch up my tunic. I don't want to trip." Putting the energy whip down so that it touched her foot, making it easy for her to find again, Ro ripped the back veil of her headdress down the middle, using it as a belt to anchor the long end of the tunic around her waist, allowing her freedom of movement. The loose-fitting, lightweight trousers beneath were not at all restrictive.

"I'd love to know what you're doing," whispered Riker. She could almost feel his smile in the dark.

"Nothing exciting, believe me. You'll see when we get up top," she replied, a soft chuckle escaping from her lips. Ro bent down to pick up the weapon and felt Riker's hand on her arm again. Ro expected to hear him speak, but he said nothing. Just a gentle squeeze of her elbow, then the sensation of his body barely touching hers from behind, following her up the tunnel.


As he trailed Ro closely, Riker was less aware of the indistinct shuffle of their shoes against the stone floor as he was of their breathing, which was harsh from exertion. As they moved closer to the end of the tunnel, the whine of weapons, while intermittent, was louder than before. Gradually, he became aware of a shadow passing quietly in front of him. There was just enough light to see the silhouette of his benefactress. She must have become aware of the light, too, even though it would be harder for her to distinguish the subtle change in the light levels than it had been for him. He had her to use as a point of reference as he shadowed her.

Ro slowed down perceptively. Creeping ever more slowly and quietly, they rounded a slight bend in the tunnel, then immediately stepped back. Figures could be seen ahead of them, not moving at the moment, but lying in wait. Their backs were to Ro and Riker. Clearly, they did not anticipate any threat coming from their rear. First Ro, then Riker, leaned forward to spy around the corner.

Riker counted five Cardassians ahead of them. There was little chance that any of them were Ro's confederates, but to be sure, he looked to her for confirmation. Pointing in a line from ear to shoulder, he indicated the rope-like sinews of a Cardassian neck and spread out all five fingers of one hand. Even in the dim light, he could see her nod and imagined her smiling at him. She had quite a smile, he recalled from their conversation. Not a good time to recall the enchanting smile of a woman, but he indulged himself. After all, it could be his last opportunity.

They chanced looking out again, each in turn. He still could not see any indication the Cardassians had sensed even the barest hint of danger from behind. They must not have heard Ro rip her veil for her improvised belt. Perhaps they were confident the shield system could not have failed in Riker's dungeon. Maybe they hadn't even remembered he was down there in the midst of all the fighting. Riker could not suppress his grin at that thought. A fatal mistake, if that was the case.

Grabbing Ro's hand again to get her attention, Riker signaled to Ro that he would cross to the other side of the tunnel. Creeping silently forward, thanks to his slipper-like foot covering, Riker took his position. They were only five or six meters from the backs of the Cardassians from their current position. If any of them turned back to look now, Riker would be in plain sight. None of them turned.

When they'd discovered the energy weapons, Riker had grabbed one for Ro and three for himself. One he had shoved into the waistband of his trousers. The other two he'd held in his right hand during the journey up the tunnel. Now, with a little light available, he studied one of the weapons. It was a fairly standard design with a very simple control panel. The thumb switch could be locked into place. He noted a slide away access panel on the handle, below the switch. Holding his breath, he slid it a little way. There was no noise, and he carefully exhaled. Slipping one of the weapons he had held into his waistband next to the one that had been there all along, Riker slid the access panel of the remaining whip all the way over. As he'd suspected, pulling one of the chips partially out of place and leaning it against another caused a glow to start. Glancing over at Ro, he saw that she was staring at him. He held the whip at an angle so that she could see the glow. He nodded once, twice, three times. She answered him with three nods.

The handle in his hand started to hum slightly. The nearest Cardassian may have been able to hear something now, for he tilted his head as if to try to catch a sound. This was the time to strike. Grabbing one of the energy whips from his waistband, he nodded three more times, turned on the whip in his hand, locking on the switch, then flipped it so that it spun around as it flew at the Cardassian closest to them, who had started to turn around.

They saw a shower of crackling sparks and heard a grunt of surprise from the Cardassian, whose face resembled a whipping post as the tossed energy whip snapped around it. A second later, feeling the whip in his hand start to rumble and hearing the whine signaling an overload explosion, Riker threw it in back of two more of the Cardassians, who were bending around to see what had happened. They turned their faces into an explosion of energy from the sabotaged whip and went down.

Both of the ex-Starfleet officers jumped up to attack the remaining two Cardassians. Screaming loudly, each was armed only with an ignited energy whip and their courage.

Riker would have loved to ask the Cardassians how many banshees they thought were chasing them out of the tunnel. He never had the chance. The weapon that the soldier who had become a whipping post had dropped was "liberated" by Ro, who fired immediately at the remaining two Cardassians. She hit neither, but when they stood up to react to this threat from the rear, they exposed themselves to shots from outside the tunnel. Both were hit by what Riker judged from the sound to be a Klingon disruptor. As the Cardassians fell, twitching in death (no stun settings on these weapons, Riker noted grimly), he ran up to grab any other weapons he could find.

Taking cover where the last two Cardassians had crouched before their demise, Ro and Riker began to shoot in the direction of other Cardassians whose backs were now exposed to their fire. He glanced over at her once and noted the gleam in her eyes and her cynical smile.

Damn. He really was going to have to find out more about Bajoran vedeks. If Ro were a typical example, they weren't like any religious he'd ever met before.