Chapter 2
Ira furor brevis est.
Anger is a brief insanity.
(Horace, Epistulae)
Julian and Ezri were waiting for Vicki Ann. She was a half an hour late for breakfast.
"Maybe she slept in," Ezri suggested.
Julian didn't buy it. "I'm worried about her. I'm going to her quarters," he said, standing.
Ezri stood. "I'm going with you."
They went to Vicki Ann's quarters and rang the bell. When she didn't answer, Julian rang it
again. And again. And again. "Computer, location of Victorianna Troi," Julian said.
The computer replied, "Victorianna Troi is not aboard the station."
Julian and Ezri looked at each other. "Maybe she took a transport," Ezri suggested.
"Without telling us? Maybe, let's check at Ops," Julian said.
They checked with Ops. Vicki Ann hadn't transported out or left on a ship, under the name
Victorianna Troi, anyway. She had just disappeared.
Vicki Ann woke up in a very small room, seated in a chair, her hands behind her in
restraints. "Wait a minute! I thought I was on your side!" she protested.
The man who had been in her quarters came from behind her. "We didn't want you to see
where you were brought, just in case your loyalties shifted."
"You could have at least warned me!"
"Using the element of surprise gave us the advantage," her companion replied.
"If I'm on your side, why do you need an advantage?"
"Your enhancements give you an advantage over us, therefore, we needed to even the
score."
"Are you going to let me go?"
"Not, yet. There are a few things that need to be done first."
"Like what?" Vicki Ann asked. Before anyone could answer her though, she heard another
hiss of the hypospray.
Vicki Ann could hear voices as she slowly began to regain consciousness. She was also
faintly aware of some kind of surgery being performed on her. Her mind felt numb. She
couldn't sense anything with her telepathy or empathy. She thought she heard a familiar
voice, though.
"It looks like she's waking up," a voice said.
That sounds like Julian! I must be back on the station. How am I going to explain this?
"Just make sure you get the implant in before she's fully conscious," a voice said, that
sounded like the man that had been in her quarters.
"It's in. If she wakes up now, it won't be a problem," Julian said.
"Then wake her up," the other man replied.
Someone pushed her. Vicki Ann opened her eyes. Julian was standing over her and right
beside him was the man who had been in her quarters.
Julian smiled at her and Vicki Ann could have sworn that she felt a chill go up her spine.
Julian looked different. He was colder.
"You're ready for business, Vicki Ann," he said to her.
"Julian? Is that you?" she asked, still a little groggy.
"Of course, it's me."
"You're in Section 31?"
"Yes. I joined while I was on Romulus. As a matter of fact, it was my idea to recruit you.
After your little speech about your uniform and how Starfleet has forgotten what it stands
for, I alerted them that you were ready. Enough talking, Vicki Ann, it's time for you to
begin,"
Julian replied.
Someone came in the room, carrying a PADD. "Starfleet knows where we are. They've
dispatched some ships to come and take back the station."
"How?" Julian asked.
The man pointed to Vicki Ann. "She's wearing a transmitter."
"What?" Vicki Ann exclaimed.
"It's programmed to cloak itself. That's why you didn't detect it in your scans," the man
replied.
Julian looked at Vicki Ann. "I trusted you, Vicki Ann. And you betrayed me. You're going to
pay for that."
"I'm not wearing a transmitter! I swear, Julian, I'm not!"
Vicki Ann exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Vicki Ann, but it has to be done." Julian turned to the man who had been in her
quarters. "Sid, hand me that hypospray."
Julian took the hypospray and pressed it to Vicki Ann's neck.
And once again, Vicki Ann lost consciousness.
"Wake up, Vicki Ann," Julian whispered in her ear.
Vicki Ann opened her eyes. She was in a dark room, once again bound to a chair. This time
though, Julian was the only one in the room. Beside him was a table with medical
instruments, some she recognized, some she didn't.
"I'm glad to see that you're awake."
Vicki Ann looked at him. He had an almost evil look on his face. "What happened to you,
Julian? What made you like this?"
"The same as you, the war. Like you said, war makes you forget what you believe in." He
walked over to the table and picked up an innocent looking instrument. He studied it
carefully. "Do you know what this is, Vicki Ann?"
She shook her head.
"It's a Breen neural degenerater. It breaks down the neural pathways. I hear it's very
painful and it's never been used on a non-Breen before. You'd be the first."
Vicki Ann gasped. "Julian, please. I promise you, I don't know anything about a
transmitter."
"I'm sorry, Vicki Ann, but I can't believe you anymore." He brought the instrument to her
temples.
Vicki Ann began to move away.
"Hold still!" Julian screamed at her.
Vicki Ann, frozen in shock, obeyed. A moment later, she began screaming. By the time
Julian finished testing the Breen instrument, her screams could only be as loud as a
whisper.
"Now, are you going to tell me who ordered you to join Section 31?" Julian asked Vicki Ann.
"No one," she whispered in reply.
"You have to make things difficult on yourself, don't you?" He walked over to her.
"Unfortunately, all of these other interrogating instruments are useless on you since you're
genetically engineered. Guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Julian said, as he
raised his hand and smacked it across Vicki Ann's face.
Vicki Ann felt the blood trickle down her cheek . She had a feeling of deja-vu. I never
thought I'd feel this way about Julian. She let her head stay to the side so that she didn't
have to face him.
"Now, are you going to answer me?"
Vicki Ann turned to him. "I already told you. No one sent me,"
she whispered.
"Talk a little louder."
"I can't."
Julian went over to the table and picked up an instrument. He walked over to Vicki Ann
and he lifted her head up with his hand. When Vicki Ann tried to squirm away from him, he
said, "Hold still!" He ran the instrument across her throat. "There. How's that? Can you talk
now?"
Vicki Ann tried out her voice. "Thank you. I think."
"Answer my question."
"No one ordered me to. I was kicked out of Starfleet, remember?"
"Rumor has it that all of that was an act."
"It wasn't. I am no longer in Starfleet and I am now in Section 31. I think I am, anyway."
"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But I'm not sure I can believe you. I think you need a
little more incentive. But first, I'm going to take these restraints off. It's not like you can
go anywhere, anyway. The door will only open for my genetic code, just so you know."
He took the restraints off. "Go ahead. Feel free to walk around."
Vicki Ann got up.
"Now, in return, will you answer the question?"
"No," Vicki Ann replied. "I already told you, Julian. No one ordered me to join."
"I really don't want to do this, but I don't have a choice." He hit her again and this time
she flew into the wall and was knocked unconscious.
Ira furor brevis est.
Anger is a brief insanity.
(Horace, Epistulae)
Julian and Ezri were waiting for Vicki Ann. She was a half an hour late for breakfast.
"Maybe she slept in," Ezri suggested.
Julian didn't buy it. "I'm worried about her. I'm going to her quarters," he said, standing.
Ezri stood. "I'm going with you."
They went to Vicki Ann's quarters and rang the bell. When she didn't answer, Julian rang it
again. And again. And again. "Computer, location of Victorianna Troi," Julian said.
The computer replied, "Victorianna Troi is not aboard the station."
Julian and Ezri looked at each other. "Maybe she took a transport," Ezri suggested.
"Without telling us? Maybe, let's check at Ops," Julian said.
They checked with Ops. Vicki Ann hadn't transported out or left on a ship, under the name
Victorianna Troi, anyway. She had just disappeared.
Vicki Ann woke up in a very small room, seated in a chair, her hands behind her in
restraints. "Wait a minute! I thought I was on your side!" she protested.
The man who had been in her quarters came from behind her. "We didn't want you to see
where you were brought, just in case your loyalties shifted."
"You could have at least warned me!"
"Using the element of surprise gave us the advantage," her companion replied.
"If I'm on your side, why do you need an advantage?"
"Your enhancements give you an advantage over us, therefore, we needed to even the
score."
"Are you going to let me go?"
"Not, yet. There are a few things that need to be done first."
"Like what?" Vicki Ann asked. Before anyone could answer her though, she heard another
hiss of the hypospray.
Vicki Ann could hear voices as she slowly began to regain consciousness. She was also
faintly aware of some kind of surgery being performed on her. Her mind felt numb. She
couldn't sense anything with her telepathy or empathy. She thought she heard a familiar
voice, though.
"It looks like she's waking up," a voice said.
That sounds like Julian! I must be back on the station. How am I going to explain this?
"Just make sure you get the implant in before she's fully conscious," a voice said, that
sounded like the man that had been in her quarters.
"It's in. If she wakes up now, it won't be a problem," Julian said.
"Then wake her up," the other man replied.
Someone pushed her. Vicki Ann opened her eyes. Julian was standing over her and right
beside him was the man who had been in her quarters.
Julian smiled at her and Vicki Ann could have sworn that she felt a chill go up her spine.
Julian looked different. He was colder.
"You're ready for business, Vicki Ann," he said to her.
"Julian? Is that you?" she asked, still a little groggy.
"Of course, it's me."
"You're in Section 31?"
"Yes. I joined while I was on Romulus. As a matter of fact, it was my idea to recruit you.
After your little speech about your uniform and how Starfleet has forgotten what it stands
for, I alerted them that you were ready. Enough talking, Vicki Ann, it's time for you to
begin,"
Julian replied.
Someone came in the room, carrying a PADD. "Starfleet knows where we are. They've
dispatched some ships to come and take back the station."
"How?" Julian asked.
The man pointed to Vicki Ann. "She's wearing a transmitter."
"What?" Vicki Ann exclaimed.
"It's programmed to cloak itself. That's why you didn't detect it in your scans," the man
replied.
Julian looked at Vicki Ann. "I trusted you, Vicki Ann. And you betrayed me. You're going to
pay for that."
"I'm not wearing a transmitter! I swear, Julian, I'm not!"
Vicki Ann exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Vicki Ann, but it has to be done." Julian turned to the man who had been in her
quarters. "Sid, hand me that hypospray."
Julian took the hypospray and pressed it to Vicki Ann's neck.
And once again, Vicki Ann lost consciousness.
"Wake up, Vicki Ann," Julian whispered in her ear.
Vicki Ann opened her eyes. She was in a dark room, once again bound to a chair. This time
though, Julian was the only one in the room. Beside him was a table with medical
instruments, some she recognized, some she didn't.
"I'm glad to see that you're awake."
Vicki Ann looked at him. He had an almost evil look on his face. "What happened to you,
Julian? What made you like this?"
"The same as you, the war. Like you said, war makes you forget what you believe in." He
walked over to the table and picked up an innocent looking instrument. He studied it
carefully. "Do you know what this is, Vicki Ann?"
She shook her head.
"It's a Breen neural degenerater. It breaks down the neural pathways. I hear it's very
painful and it's never been used on a non-Breen before. You'd be the first."
Vicki Ann gasped. "Julian, please. I promise you, I don't know anything about a
transmitter."
"I'm sorry, Vicki Ann, but I can't believe you anymore." He brought the instrument to her
temples.
Vicki Ann began to move away.
"Hold still!" Julian screamed at her.
Vicki Ann, frozen in shock, obeyed. A moment later, she began screaming. By the time
Julian finished testing the Breen instrument, her screams could only be as loud as a
whisper.
"Now, are you going to tell me who ordered you to join Section 31?" Julian asked Vicki Ann.
"No one," she whispered in reply.
"You have to make things difficult on yourself, don't you?" He walked over to her.
"Unfortunately, all of these other interrogating instruments are useless on you since you're
genetically engineered. Guess we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way," Julian said, as he
raised his hand and smacked it across Vicki Ann's face.
Vicki Ann felt the blood trickle down her cheek . She had a feeling of deja-vu. I never
thought I'd feel this way about Julian. She let her head stay to the side so that she didn't
have to face him.
"Now, are you going to answer me?"
Vicki Ann turned to him. "I already told you. No one sent me,"
she whispered.
"Talk a little louder."
"I can't."
Julian went over to the table and picked up an instrument. He walked over to Vicki Ann
and he lifted her head up with his hand. When Vicki Ann tried to squirm away from him, he
said, "Hold still!" He ran the instrument across her throat. "There. How's that? Can you talk
now?"
Vicki Ann tried out her voice. "Thank you. I think."
"Answer my question."
"No one ordered me to. I was kicked out of Starfleet, remember?"
"Rumor has it that all of that was an act."
"It wasn't. I am no longer in Starfleet and I am now in Section 31. I think I am, anyway."
"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But I'm not sure I can believe you. I think you need a
little more incentive. But first, I'm going to take these restraints off. It's not like you can
go anywhere, anyway. The door will only open for my genetic code, just so you know."
He took the restraints off. "Go ahead. Feel free to walk around."
Vicki Ann got up.
"Now, in return, will you answer the question?"
"No," Vicki Ann replied. "I already told you, Julian. No one ordered me to join."
"I really don't want to do this, but I don't have a choice." He hit her again and this time
she flew into the wall and was knocked unconscious.