"Computer," whispered Julian, careful not to allow his voice to carry as he hurried along the Promenade. "Locate Professor Dowling."

The emotionless female voice seemed to drone right in his ear. "Professor Dowling is in her quarters. Level twelve, Section twenty-two Beta."

He paused instead at the entrance to Quark's, painfully undecided, heart still racing. He would have to make it as brief a visit as possible, but there was another matter he had to see to first.

"What can I do for you?" The fall-back line of barkeepers everywhere. But Quark's grin vanished the moment he saw the darkness in his potential customer's eyes.

"You can tell me about Emanon," Julian insisted.

"Again?"

"No more games, Quark. What did you sell to him?"

"What makes you think I sold him anything?" the Ferengi challenged, but then he smiled again. "You know, Doc - you're looking a little tense. If you like I could set you up with one of my latest recreational programmes, direct from the pleasure spas of…"

"I don't have time for this." Anger, frustration, even fear all threatened to turn Julian's voice to a rising shout, but he forced it to remain at a whisper. "Ezri could have died today. And she's not the only one."

"Dax?" Quark gasped, suddenly pale.

At the mention of her name, Julian's stomach twisted queasily. "That's right." Pushing his voice to the surface was suddenly as difficult as hauling boulders uphill in two times Earth-gravity. "So now do you see? This is serious, and you'd better not have had anything to do with it. Now tell me. What's going on?"

The bartender sputtered, face twisting into a round-eyed, toothy grimace. "Nothing. I swear. All Emanon everwanted was a drink, and… and…"

Suddenly, his mouth opened even further - exactly as it might had be been stunned - and an expression of pure horror crept into his eyes.

"And what?" Julian demanded, loud enough to break the Ferengi from his trance.

"News," said Quark. "I hear things, sometimes. You know? I do remember thinking that some of his questions were a little off. There was just no profit in any of it. I mean what would a couple of scientists…? But then, everything he told me was just too strange."

"Such as?" Julian wanted to know.

"Let's see now…" Staring down at his cleaning rag as it circled around the empty glass in his hands, Quark frowned, thinking hard. "Something about… a very important event. Yes - those were his words. He was here for a very important event. And there was more bizarre talk, about an unfulfilled promise, and a favour he had to return. I forget the rest. I figured he just owed someone money."

The doctor jerked backwards, now with the same horror reflected in his eyes. Badin was asking Quark about Amy

"Other than that--" the big-eared Ferengi continued his lisping speech. "All the man ever bought from me was a Samarian Sunset. I swear it."

Without another word, Julian leapt around like he'd been flung from a slingshot. He darted for the exit, and narrowly missed a group of four junior technicians, so intent on their conversation that they barely even noticed him pass.


The door to the guest quarters opened, and Amy's curious smile turned quickly to an expression of confused alarm. But before she could speak, Julian had her by both arms and was pushing her back inside. He glanced furtively around him as the door slid closed again.

"Jules!" she protested, jerking free. "What are you…?"

"I have to ask you something." Weak with relief at finding her still alive, Julian's voice had turned to a tense, breathy whisper. "Have you noticed anything unusual recently, and especially since the last time we talked?"

"Unusual?" She frowned, shaking her head. "Like what?"

"Faces, perhaps. Or something going on… Anything that just doesn't feel quite right."

"You're scaring me."

"Think, Amy - this is important."

"Why?"

Before he could answer, there was movement at his left hand side. Words caught in his throat when he noticed Professor M'Pel enter from the adjacent room. She glided smoothly towards him, steady brown eyes quick to lock with his own. "This is a most opportune surprise, Doctor. We were not expecting any other visitors."

"Yes - it's a real lark," Julian snapped, absently, unsure of exactly how to feel about her presence. He gazed uneasily past her, to the door through which she had come, and was far too aware of every slow, shallow breath he took.

"What's going on?" he demanded of M'Pel, who cocked her head slightly, regarding him as she might an interesting biological sample.

"I am not entirely certain that I comprehend your meaning."

"Yes you do," growled Julian. "There's something very wrong in here, and I intend to find out what."

"I always said you were a clever boy," said a far deeper voice than any of the others. Amy and Julian turned towards it, and the young doctor quickly discovered that his throat was dry. Another figure had already emerged from the same room as the Vulcan scientist. Ignoring Amy's shocked blue eyes, Badin Fen turned his attention to Julian - and smiled like an elderly uncle. "But I do think you'd have done better to leave things be. That's just the kind of thing as is gonna get you in trouble, one o' these days."