Chapter Eleven: Even Odds
"Coming in with us?" Steed asked as Dr King pulled up in front of Miss Gayle's flat.
Dr King shook his head. "I've already wasted enough time on your escapades; I have to get back to my patients. Tell Cathy I'll stop by to see her when she isn't all tangled up in one of your cases."
"Will do," Steed agreed.
"Thanks for the help," Bashir told him, guessing that that help wasn't given quite as reluctantly as he let on.
"They don't appear to be back yet," Steed noted as Dr King drove away.
Bashir frowned. "Even with Sisko driving, it shouldn't have taken that long to get the car. You don't suppose the double…"
"Miss Gayle can take care of herself," Steed said, but there was a lack of assurance in his tone, and Bashir grunted skeptically.
"Sisko does have his combadge," he murmured as if to assure himself. "He could have called me if they ran into trouble, or even beamed up to the Defiant."
"Exactly," Steed said with new confidence, unlocking the door. "All we have to do is sit back and wait —"
The door swung open to a dark, seemingly empty flat, but Bashir suddenly knew they weren't alone. Without stopping to analyze whether he heard, saw, or merely felt the double's presence, he shoved Steed to the ground and jumped to meet the attack.
The double's first punch landed on nothing as Bashir ducked to avoid it. The single second in which the double was off balance gave him time to draw his phaser. He fired, but the stun setting had no effect, and he flicked it higher even as he rolled under another punch and jumped to his feet.
There was no time to try intermediary settings to find the one that would have an effect on the enhanced double; Bashir set it to the highest level, consoling himself with the thought that if the double was completely immune to the stun setting, it was doubtful he could be killed even by what was normally a lethal setting.
In any case, he couldn't spare the time to worry about it, once more squeezing the trigger.
The only apparent effect was that the double burst into maniacal laughter. "Fool! I am more than human; that little toy can't hurt me!"
For an instant Bashir stood in frozen horror, and then his eyes darkened in resolve. "Steed, catch!" he called, flicking the setting back to stun even as he tossed the weapon away. He knew well that he was not immune to phaser fire; he couldn't chance the double getting hold of it and using it against him.
He still seemed to be fighting merely defensively, though none of the double's blows had landed. Then Bashir darted in, a hypospray flashing into his hand, and jabbed it against the double's side, injecting the full dose. For an instant he waited, afraid even that would have no effect, and then the double began to waver and fell to the ground with a thud.
Bashir grinned in relief, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. "I was beginning to think I might have to borrow your umbrella."
"You were quite a match for him," Steed remarked, groaning and rubbing his shoulder as he got to his feet. "Oo."
Bashir's eyes narrowed. "You're hurt."
"Hit my shoulder when you pushed me aside."
"Sit down and let me have a look." Bashir said, turning to get his tricorder from his bag. "Let me know if the double stirs at all. The dose I gave him should keep him under for a while, but with his enhancements, you never know."
"Doctor…you're enhanced, too, aren't you?"
"Yes," Bashir answered quietly without turning around. "You've known for some time, haven't you?"
"I suspected."
"And nearly gave me away," Bashir said a little hotly.
Steed winced. "Sorry. But your captain would never have guessed from my hints."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Bashir asked roughly, returning with the tricorder and running it over Steed's shoulder before probing the injury with his fingers. "For that matter, why didn't you tell him outright as soon as you realized I was as much a monster as that man there?" He jerked his head toward the double.
"Because you aren't, Doctor," Steed replied firmly. "Oo." He winced as Bashir's fingers found a sore spot.
"It will only take a minute to fix this for you," Bashir murmured. "Go on with what you were saying."
"I was only saying that you're not a monster, and your captain knows it. Because he assumes all enhanced men to be monsters, it would never occur to him that you're enhanced."
"While you picked up on it because you're not prejudiced against genetically enhanced individuals," Bashir realized.
"Exactly."
"I never thought of that before," Bashir mused. "I've always assumed that all I had to do was make the slightest slip, and my secret would be out. There; how's that?"
Steed swung his arm cautiously at first, then more vigorously. "Good as new," he declared.
Bashir flashed a quick grin, then sobered as he turned toward the double. "I feel like a hypocrite, turning him in."
"But you're not turning him in because he's enhanced, Doctor; you're turning him in for his crimes."
"That's as may be, but his enhancements will prevent him ever getting a fair trial."
"Would his sentence be less if he did? You're the one who said he's not at the mercy of his enhancements."
"True. Still…" Bashir shook his head, unable to deny a strange kinship with the man. "'The double,'" he murmured. "We couldn't even be bothered to dignify his humanity with a name."
Next chapter coming next week!
I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that the spelling of some Avengers characters' names has been changed intentionally.)
Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Deep Space Nine or Avengers alternate histories, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie
