Chapter 9
Mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo. My conscience means more to me
than all speech.
(Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum)
Julian looked around. He was in Vicki Ann's quarters. She was sitting on the edge of the
bed crying. He went over to her and tried to comfort her, but she didn't appear to see or
hear him. A man appeared in her quarters. Julian recognized him as Sid Patrick. Sid fed on
her anger at Starfleet and made Section 31 sound like the French Resistance. The instant
he asked her to join, two other 'Vicki Ann's' appeared. One wore a Section 31 uniform and
wore an unreadable expression on her face. The other one wore a Starfleet uniform
(complete with pips and insignia) and was obviously upset over Section 31's presence.
"What is going on here?" Julian asked.
"It's simple, doctor," Q said. He had appeared beside Julian. He snapped his fingers and
everyone but he and Julian froze. "You're in Vicki Ann's mind and you're seeing what
happened with Section 31."
He walked over to the Vicki Ann in the complete Starfleet uniform. "This is, in essence,
Vicki Ann's conscience. It's a combination of her heart and mind trying to help her to do
the right thing." He then went over to the Section 31 Vicki Ann. "This is the drugs and the
implant trying to brainwash Vicki Ann. Understand?"
Julian nodded.
Q snapped his fingers and everyone unfroze, as he vanished.
Vicki Ann was considering the offer. Her conscience walked over to her. "Are you crazy?"
her conscience asked. "You can't join Section 31. It's the opposite of what Starfleet
believes in!"
The Section 31 Vicki Ann replied, "She is no longer in Starfleet. Besides, Starfleet has
abandoned those beliefs. Section 31 is just trying to protect those beliefs."
Julian began to think the two as Starfleet and Section 31. Vicki Ann said that she would
join Section 31. Another man appeared in the room, behind Vicki Ann. He wore a Starfleet
doctor's uniform. "Oh my God!" Julian exclaimed. "It's me!" The other Bashir nailed Vicki Ann
with a hypospray just as she turned around.
The scene changed to Vicki Ann in a room with Sid. He and Vicki Ann spoke for a few
moments and then the other Bashir again snuck up on her with a hypospray. While Vicki
Ann was unconscious, they began to perform surgery. The other Bashir modified the
implant and then woke her up. Julian heard a voice in his head. Q. Vicki Ann did not
witness the surgery, but I am allowing you to see it to confirm your suspicions.
The Bashir clone then told Vicki Ann that he had joined Section 31 while on Romulus.
Another man entered and accused Vicki Ann of being a double agent. She denied it and
pleaded with his clone to believe her. Instead, he knocked her unconscious. When he woke
her, they were in a different room and Vicki Ann was bound to a chair. The Bashir clone
began to use various torture devices on her to get her to talk.
Starfleet had her mouth open in shock. "What happened to Julian? He's so different!"
Section 31 replied, "War changes people. War makes people become the opposite of what
they are. A healer will become a killer and a killer, a healer."
"Is that what you're trying to do?" Starfleet asked Section 31. "Turn her into a killer?"
"She is a member of Section 31. She will do what she must to survive," was the reply.
"Well, if she wants to survive, she'd better confess,"
Starfleet muttered.
"Never confess, even if it means death," Section 31 replied.
The other Bashir continued to torture Vicki Ann until she could no longer scream. When the
torture devices failed, he physically abused her until he knocked he unconscious.
Julian felt tears falling down his face and he realized that he was feeling everything that
Vicki Ann was. He thought to himself, I have no idea how Vicki Ann can stand feeling
everyone else's emotions everyday. I'd go crazy.
In the next scene, the other Bashir tried to convince Vicki Ann to become his ally.
Starfleet disagreed. "Don't do it, Vicki Ann. He's obviously lost his mind! There's no telling
what he might do."
"She needs an ally. He's the only one she can trust," Section 31 told Starfleet.
"He's evil!"
"There is no evil, only misinterpreted actions."
"Misinterpreted actions? You're as crazy as him!"
"If she doesn't have an ally, she has a greater chance of getting killed."
Starfleet considered the thought. "You do have a point there. He is the closest thing she
has to a friend here."
The other Bashir told Vicki Ann that the reason he and Ezri broke up was because he was
still in love with her. He suggested that they get back together.
Starfleet had a different idea. "It's fine if he's your ally, but don't even think about having
a relationship with him! You'd be reenacting your relationship with Gerard!"
Sid then came into the room and chased Bashir out. He then told Vicki Ann that she had to
enter a relationship with Bashir in order to get close enough to him to perform some sort of
punishment for betraying Section 31.
Vicki Ann followed Bashir, who had returned, to their quarters. He asked her about
re-entering a relationship with him and she said yes.
Starfleet walked over to her. "What are you doing?"
Section 31 replied, "She loves Julian."
"No, she doesn't. She loves David!"
"David was a replacement for Julian."
Starfleet was becoming angry. "No, he wasn't! If anything, Julian was a replacement for
David! Not that I didn't love Julian, I did. Just not as much as I love David. Besides, Julian
is dangerous!"
"Being in Starfleet is dangerous. Danger is a part of life."
"Sure it is, but that doesn't mean that she should walk into a destructive relationship!"
Starfleet exclaimed. She turned to Vicki Ann. "I know you're doing this because he
threatened you, but you can't live your life in fear, Vicki Ann. Besides, when you joined
Starfleet and took your doctor's oath, you swore that upholding all those ideals was more
important than death."
"She doesn't have a choice."
The scent shifted again to the next morning. Bashir was kissing Vicki Ann.
Starfleet didn't like this one bit. "Tell him you have a headache or you're too tired. Think of
something!"
Section 31 almost snickered. "She can't do that forever. They're lovers, he's going to
expect them to make love."
"She can try. Just because she's supposed to get close to him doesn't mean she has to
betray David!"
"Don't you remember your time with Julian?" Section 31 asked her.
Images of his time with Vicki Ann flashed in Julian's head. Vicki Ann was remembering. The
implant was making her remember to try and convince her that she still loved Julian. That
way, she could throw herself into the part.
Weeks went by and Sid visited. He told Vicki Ann that she was to give Julian a dose of
methacoline that night. Methacoline cause the slow deterioration of the neural pathways
and causes frightening hallucinations. It would definitely make someone regret crossing
Section 31.
Starfleet went over to Vicki Ann and grabbed her shoulders. Over the past few weeks, she
had grown to hate Bashir less and almost think of him as a friend. "Don't sell him out. Yes,
maybe he's betrayed Section 31, but he's still you friend. I think. Besides, he's still a
person. You can't willingly hurt someone. You're a doctor!"
"She's not a doctor," replied Section 31.
Starfleet replied, "She's a doctor at heart."
She was right. Vicki Ann never would have joined Section 31, let alone killed or hurt
anyone had she not had the implant in her.
That night Vicki Ann set up a romantic evening with candles and wine to get Bashir drunk
so that she could administer the drug. When Bashir arrived, she laid on the charm.
Starfleet looked repulsed. "You're going to torture this man with immense pain and you're
enjoying yourself. What happened to you? Wait, I know. You've finally become the sadist
Section 31 wants you to be."
Vicki Ann turned to the Starfleet version of herself. "I don't have a choice. I have too
much to lose if I don't obey! If I don't obey, they could hurt my family! I don't want to
condemn my little brother to death because I couldn't play dirty!"
"Who are you?" Starfleet asked, her eyes narrowing. "You are not Victorianna Troi. You are
the product of Section 31's brainwashing!"
"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Vicki Ann screamed.
After Bashir fell asleep, Vicki Ann administered the hypospray after arguing with herself
over whether or not to administer the hangover cure instead. Section 31 had won by
asking Starfleet if she wanted to be responsible for the deaths of Vicki Ann's friends and
family.
Julian watched his representation, who should have woken up from the pain by now. But
he didn't.
Starfleet noticed this too and looked scared. "Why isn't he waking up?"
When Vicki Ann pulled out a tricorder, Julian went over to read it. It stated that the
hypospray had contained tetraline, not methacoline. The Julian Bashir in Vicki Ann's mind
was dead.
Tears began to stream down both Vicki Ann and Starfleet's faces. "Oh my God!" Starfleet
exclaimed. "She killed him." She turned to Section 31. "No, you killed him. This is all your
fault."
She ran at her opposite and attacked her.
Section 31 pulled out a knife and stabbed Starfleet, who stumbled back and vanished.
"There can be no attachments. Not even inside. You can trust no one but yourself."
When Vicki Ann started to apologize to Bashir and cry over his death, Section 31 replied,
"The only way to survive is no to feel anything." Section 31 had won. They had completely
hidden the real Vicki Ann beneath their programmed one.
The rest of the story, Julian knew. Vicki Ann had been sent to Rigalia IV and he and Ezri
had kidnaped her. Julian watched Vicki Ann and he wished that she was real so that he
would comfort her. It broke his heart to see his friend suffering like this. He just hoped
that he could help the real, physical Vicki Ann.
Mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo. My conscience means more to me
than all speech.
(Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum)
Julian looked around. He was in Vicki Ann's quarters. She was sitting on the edge of the
bed crying. He went over to her and tried to comfort her, but she didn't appear to see or
hear him. A man appeared in her quarters. Julian recognized him as Sid Patrick. Sid fed on
her anger at Starfleet and made Section 31 sound like the French Resistance. The instant
he asked her to join, two other 'Vicki Ann's' appeared. One wore a Section 31 uniform and
wore an unreadable expression on her face. The other one wore a Starfleet uniform
(complete with pips and insignia) and was obviously upset over Section 31's presence.
"What is going on here?" Julian asked.
"It's simple, doctor," Q said. He had appeared beside Julian. He snapped his fingers and
everyone but he and Julian froze. "You're in Vicki Ann's mind and you're seeing what
happened with Section 31."
He walked over to the Vicki Ann in the complete Starfleet uniform. "This is, in essence,
Vicki Ann's conscience. It's a combination of her heart and mind trying to help her to do
the right thing." He then went over to the Section 31 Vicki Ann. "This is the drugs and the
implant trying to brainwash Vicki Ann. Understand?"
Julian nodded.
Q snapped his fingers and everyone unfroze, as he vanished.
Vicki Ann was considering the offer. Her conscience walked over to her. "Are you crazy?"
her conscience asked. "You can't join Section 31. It's the opposite of what Starfleet
believes in!"
The Section 31 Vicki Ann replied, "She is no longer in Starfleet. Besides, Starfleet has
abandoned those beliefs. Section 31 is just trying to protect those beliefs."
Julian began to think the two as Starfleet and Section 31. Vicki Ann said that she would
join Section 31. Another man appeared in the room, behind Vicki Ann. He wore a Starfleet
doctor's uniform. "Oh my God!" Julian exclaimed. "It's me!" The other Bashir nailed Vicki Ann
with a hypospray just as she turned around.
The scene changed to Vicki Ann in a room with Sid. He and Vicki Ann spoke for a few
moments and then the other Bashir again snuck up on her with a hypospray. While Vicki
Ann was unconscious, they began to perform surgery. The other Bashir modified the
implant and then woke her up. Julian heard a voice in his head. Q. Vicki Ann did not
witness the surgery, but I am allowing you to see it to confirm your suspicions.
The Bashir clone then told Vicki Ann that he had joined Section 31 while on Romulus.
Another man entered and accused Vicki Ann of being a double agent. She denied it and
pleaded with his clone to believe her. Instead, he knocked her unconscious. When he woke
her, they were in a different room and Vicki Ann was bound to a chair. The Bashir clone
began to use various torture devices on her to get her to talk.
Starfleet had her mouth open in shock. "What happened to Julian? He's so different!"
Section 31 replied, "War changes people. War makes people become the opposite of what
they are. A healer will become a killer and a killer, a healer."
"Is that what you're trying to do?" Starfleet asked Section 31. "Turn her into a killer?"
"She is a member of Section 31. She will do what she must to survive," was the reply.
"Well, if she wants to survive, she'd better confess,"
Starfleet muttered.
"Never confess, even if it means death," Section 31 replied.
The other Bashir continued to torture Vicki Ann until she could no longer scream. When the
torture devices failed, he physically abused her until he knocked he unconscious.
Julian felt tears falling down his face and he realized that he was feeling everything that
Vicki Ann was. He thought to himself, I have no idea how Vicki Ann can stand feeling
everyone else's emotions everyday. I'd go crazy.
In the next scene, the other Bashir tried to convince Vicki Ann to become his ally.
Starfleet disagreed. "Don't do it, Vicki Ann. He's obviously lost his mind! There's no telling
what he might do."
"She needs an ally. He's the only one she can trust," Section 31 told Starfleet.
"He's evil!"
"There is no evil, only misinterpreted actions."
"Misinterpreted actions? You're as crazy as him!"
"If she doesn't have an ally, she has a greater chance of getting killed."
Starfleet considered the thought. "You do have a point there. He is the closest thing she
has to a friend here."
The other Bashir told Vicki Ann that the reason he and Ezri broke up was because he was
still in love with her. He suggested that they get back together.
Starfleet had a different idea. "It's fine if he's your ally, but don't even think about having
a relationship with him! You'd be reenacting your relationship with Gerard!"
Sid then came into the room and chased Bashir out. He then told Vicki Ann that she had to
enter a relationship with Bashir in order to get close enough to him to perform some sort of
punishment for betraying Section 31.
Vicki Ann followed Bashir, who had returned, to their quarters. He asked her about
re-entering a relationship with him and she said yes.
Starfleet walked over to her. "What are you doing?"
Section 31 replied, "She loves Julian."
"No, she doesn't. She loves David!"
"David was a replacement for Julian."
Starfleet was becoming angry. "No, he wasn't! If anything, Julian was a replacement for
David! Not that I didn't love Julian, I did. Just not as much as I love David. Besides, Julian
is dangerous!"
"Being in Starfleet is dangerous. Danger is a part of life."
"Sure it is, but that doesn't mean that she should walk into a destructive relationship!"
Starfleet exclaimed. She turned to Vicki Ann. "I know you're doing this because he
threatened you, but you can't live your life in fear, Vicki Ann. Besides, when you joined
Starfleet and took your doctor's oath, you swore that upholding all those ideals was more
important than death."
"She doesn't have a choice."
The scent shifted again to the next morning. Bashir was kissing Vicki Ann.
Starfleet didn't like this one bit. "Tell him you have a headache or you're too tired. Think of
something!"
Section 31 almost snickered. "She can't do that forever. They're lovers, he's going to
expect them to make love."
"She can try. Just because she's supposed to get close to him doesn't mean she has to
betray David!"
"Don't you remember your time with Julian?" Section 31 asked her.
Images of his time with Vicki Ann flashed in Julian's head. Vicki Ann was remembering. The
implant was making her remember to try and convince her that she still loved Julian. That
way, she could throw herself into the part.
Weeks went by and Sid visited. He told Vicki Ann that she was to give Julian a dose of
methacoline that night. Methacoline cause the slow deterioration of the neural pathways
and causes frightening hallucinations. It would definitely make someone regret crossing
Section 31.
Starfleet went over to Vicki Ann and grabbed her shoulders. Over the past few weeks, she
had grown to hate Bashir less and almost think of him as a friend. "Don't sell him out. Yes,
maybe he's betrayed Section 31, but he's still you friend. I think. Besides, he's still a
person. You can't willingly hurt someone. You're a doctor!"
"She's not a doctor," replied Section 31.
Starfleet replied, "She's a doctor at heart."
She was right. Vicki Ann never would have joined Section 31, let alone killed or hurt
anyone had she not had the implant in her.
That night Vicki Ann set up a romantic evening with candles and wine to get Bashir drunk
so that she could administer the drug. When Bashir arrived, she laid on the charm.
Starfleet looked repulsed. "You're going to torture this man with immense pain and you're
enjoying yourself. What happened to you? Wait, I know. You've finally become the sadist
Section 31 wants you to be."
Vicki Ann turned to the Starfleet version of herself. "I don't have a choice. I have too
much to lose if I don't obey! If I don't obey, they could hurt my family! I don't want to
condemn my little brother to death because I couldn't play dirty!"
"Who are you?" Starfleet asked, her eyes narrowing. "You are not Victorianna Troi. You are
the product of Section 31's brainwashing!"
"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Vicki Ann screamed.
After Bashir fell asleep, Vicki Ann administered the hypospray after arguing with herself
over whether or not to administer the hangover cure instead. Section 31 had won by
asking Starfleet if she wanted to be responsible for the deaths of Vicki Ann's friends and
family.
Julian watched his representation, who should have woken up from the pain by now. But
he didn't.
Starfleet noticed this too and looked scared. "Why isn't he waking up?"
When Vicki Ann pulled out a tricorder, Julian went over to read it. It stated that the
hypospray had contained tetraline, not methacoline. The Julian Bashir in Vicki Ann's mind
was dead.
Tears began to stream down both Vicki Ann and Starfleet's faces. "Oh my God!" Starfleet
exclaimed. "She killed him." She turned to Section 31. "No, you killed him. This is all your
fault."
She ran at her opposite and attacked her.
Section 31 pulled out a knife and stabbed Starfleet, who stumbled back and vanished.
"There can be no attachments. Not even inside. You can trust no one but yourself."
When Vicki Ann started to apologize to Bashir and cry over his death, Section 31 replied,
"The only way to survive is no to feel anything." Section 31 had won. They had completely
hidden the real Vicki Ann beneath their programmed one.
The rest of the story, Julian knew. Vicki Ann had been sent to Rigalia IV and he and Ezri
had kidnaped her. Julian watched Vicki Ann and he wished that she was real so that he
would comfort her. It broke his heart to see his friend suffering like this. He just hoped
that he could help the real, physical Vicki Ann.