Chapter10
Amicus verus est rara avis.
A true friend is a rare bird.
"He's waking up," Dr. Crusher observed.
Julian opened his eyes. Everyone was standing around him, obviously concerned, probably
because they knew that Q was involved.
Ezri was standing beside the bed, watching Julian, her forehead creased with worry."Are
you alright, Julian?"
Julian nodded as he as he sat up on the biobed. "I'm fine. It's Vicki Ann I'm worried about.
She's been through hell and I don't know how to help her."
"What did you find out?" Crusher asked.
"Everything she told Ezri happened was all in her mind, programmed by the implant," Julian
replied. "Wait! Ezri, would it hurt Vicki Ann if we reprogrammed to implant to explain that it
was all in her mind?"
Ezri thought for a moment. "I don't see why it would. What do you think, Counselor Troi?"
"I think it would be fine," Deanna agreed. "She wouldn't be any worse of than she is now."
Julian ran to the storage area in the back of the infirmary. He retrieved the devices that
he and O'Brien had used to go into Sloan's mind. He modified his by connecting it to the
infirmary computer. He then placed Sloan's on Vicki Ann and linked the implant. He tested
it with a single command: lift your right arm.
Julian glanced over at his patient. She had obeyed. He told her to put her arm down and
then keyed in all the information he had discovered. When he finished, he let her rest for a
while so that everything could sink in. He hoped that when she woke up, she would be
herself. He looked up from his chair. Ezri had entered, followed by Nog, carrying drinks and
food for everyone.
"Thanks, Nog," Julian said, as he took a steaming hot Tarkalean tea from the young officer.
"You're welcome, doctor." he leaned toward Julian as if he had a secret. "My uncle asked
me to tell you that he wishes Vicki Ann well."
Julian smiled. "You can tell Quark that I won't tell his secret. Make sure you thank him for
all of us, especially Vicki Ann."
Nog nodded and then helped Ezri distribute the drinks.
For the next hour or so, they sat around talking about everything but the reason they
were there. Julian heard his tricorder, which was lying on the table beside Vicki Ann's bed,
beep before anyone else. "Wait," he said, holding up his hand as he stood. He went over
to check on Vicki Ann and saw that she was waking up. She opened her eyes and Julian
winced, half expecting her to be hysterical like she had the last time she had seen him.
She wasn't.
"Julian?" she asked.
Julian beamed and replied, "Yes, it's me."
Vicki Ann began to sit up and Julian helped her. She looked around, confused. "What's
going on? Why is everyone here?"
Beverly came over smiling. "Don't you remember? We came to visit you."
Vicki Ann nodded. "I remember, but everything is fuzzy. I remember a lot of things, but
they don't seem right."
"Like what?" Julian asked, as he checked her with his tricorder.
She looked at him,.unsure of whether she wanted to tell him what she remembered. "Well,
I remember giving you a lethal dose of tetraline, but I also remember seeing you afterward.
Everything is mixed up. I don't what was real and what I dreamt."
Julian sat down beside her. "Vicki Ann, do you remember when you were taken to Starfleet
Medical for a concussion and broken ankle?"
when she nodded, he continued, "While you were unconscious, someone put an implant in
you and pumped you full of tricolate and dethacol."
"Suggestion drugs? You mean they brainwashed me?"
Julian nodded. "Almost everything you thought, said or did, from that day on was a result
of their programming. Once they had you in their custody, my clone modified the implant
to not only tell you what to say, think and do, but what to feel and what to remember.
They used this to create an elaborate hallucination where you killed me. I believe that
they were trying to desensitize you to turn you into the perfect agent."
As Vicki Ann listened to Julian, the tears began to run down her face. She remembered
everything now. She remembered how numb she had felt after she had killed the man
standing in front f her. The same man that had given back her free will. She touched her
hand to the side of his face. "It's hard to believe that you are still alive."
Julian smiled. "I'm fine, Vicki Ann," he said, taking her hand in his.
The tears were going full force now. "Oh, Julian. I'm so sorry."
Julian embraced her. "It's alright, Vicki Ann. It wasn't your fault." When she calmed down,
Julian asked. "How do you feel about Starfleet?" When she looked at him questioningly, he
smiled. "Just a little test."
Vicki Ann remembered that she had lost her job. "Well, I'd like my job back, but I know
that's not going to happen, so I might as well start looking for a new profession."
Julian was trying to hold back his grin.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked.
"Well, I talked to the admiral about you and due to the circumstances in which you joined
Section 31 and the circumstances behind you genetic engineering-"
"What circumstances?" Vicki Ann interrupted.
Julian told her what he had discovered in the hospital records. Vicki Ann, in shock remained
quiet, so Julian continued. "As a result of the circumstances and that I personally vouched
for your behavior, I was able to convince the admiral to reinstate you."
Vicki Ann leapt off the biobed and hugged Julian. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" When
Julian gasped for air, she pulled away. She kissed him. "I love you, Julian! I will name my
first born child after you!"
Julian became a little uncomfortable and untangled himself from her grasp. "It's okay, Vicki
Ann." His expression became grim. "There's one catch though."
"What?" Vicki Ann asked.
"Your rank has been reduced to Lieutenant Commander and you have to stay here under
my supervision for one year, as a kind of probation."
"That'll be fine," she replied, smiling and hugging Julian again. She frowned. "One question.
How did you find out what really happened?"
"Lots of detective work and a little help from a certain omnipotent entity."
"Q?"
Julian nodded. "He took me into your head to show me how Section 31 brainwashed you.
Now, doctor, I believe you should go to you quarters for a good night sleep."
Vicki Ann saluted. "Yes, sir."
Amicus verus est rara avis.
A true friend is a rare bird.
"He's waking up," Dr. Crusher observed.
Julian opened his eyes. Everyone was standing around him, obviously concerned, probably
because they knew that Q was involved.
Ezri was standing beside the bed, watching Julian, her forehead creased with worry."Are
you alright, Julian?"
Julian nodded as he as he sat up on the biobed. "I'm fine. It's Vicki Ann I'm worried about.
She's been through hell and I don't know how to help her."
"What did you find out?" Crusher asked.
"Everything she told Ezri happened was all in her mind, programmed by the implant," Julian
replied. "Wait! Ezri, would it hurt Vicki Ann if we reprogrammed to implant to explain that it
was all in her mind?"
Ezri thought for a moment. "I don't see why it would. What do you think, Counselor Troi?"
"I think it would be fine," Deanna agreed. "She wouldn't be any worse of than she is now."
Julian ran to the storage area in the back of the infirmary. He retrieved the devices that
he and O'Brien had used to go into Sloan's mind. He modified his by connecting it to the
infirmary computer. He then placed Sloan's on Vicki Ann and linked the implant. He tested
it with a single command: lift your right arm.
Julian glanced over at his patient. She had obeyed. He told her to put her arm down and
then keyed in all the information he had discovered. When he finished, he let her rest for a
while so that everything could sink in. He hoped that when she woke up, she would be
herself. He looked up from his chair. Ezri had entered, followed by Nog, carrying drinks and
food for everyone.
"Thanks, Nog," Julian said, as he took a steaming hot Tarkalean tea from the young officer.
"You're welcome, doctor." he leaned toward Julian as if he had a secret. "My uncle asked
me to tell you that he wishes Vicki Ann well."
Julian smiled. "You can tell Quark that I won't tell his secret. Make sure you thank him for
all of us, especially Vicki Ann."
Nog nodded and then helped Ezri distribute the drinks.
For the next hour or so, they sat around talking about everything but the reason they
were there. Julian heard his tricorder, which was lying on the table beside Vicki Ann's bed,
beep before anyone else. "Wait," he said, holding up his hand as he stood. He went over
to check on Vicki Ann and saw that she was waking up. She opened her eyes and Julian
winced, half expecting her to be hysterical like she had the last time she had seen him.
She wasn't.
"Julian?" she asked.
Julian beamed and replied, "Yes, it's me."
Vicki Ann began to sit up and Julian helped her. She looked around, confused. "What's
going on? Why is everyone here?"
Beverly came over smiling. "Don't you remember? We came to visit you."
Vicki Ann nodded. "I remember, but everything is fuzzy. I remember a lot of things, but
they don't seem right."
"Like what?" Julian asked, as he checked her with his tricorder.
She looked at him,.unsure of whether she wanted to tell him what she remembered. "Well,
I remember giving you a lethal dose of tetraline, but I also remember seeing you afterward.
Everything is mixed up. I don't what was real and what I dreamt."
Julian sat down beside her. "Vicki Ann, do you remember when you were taken to Starfleet
Medical for a concussion and broken ankle?"
when she nodded, he continued, "While you were unconscious, someone put an implant in
you and pumped you full of tricolate and dethacol."
"Suggestion drugs? You mean they brainwashed me?"
Julian nodded. "Almost everything you thought, said or did, from that day on was a result
of their programming. Once they had you in their custody, my clone modified the implant
to not only tell you what to say, think and do, but what to feel and what to remember.
They used this to create an elaborate hallucination where you killed me. I believe that
they were trying to desensitize you to turn you into the perfect agent."
As Vicki Ann listened to Julian, the tears began to run down her face. She remembered
everything now. She remembered how numb she had felt after she had killed the man
standing in front f her. The same man that had given back her free will. She touched her
hand to the side of his face. "It's hard to believe that you are still alive."
Julian smiled. "I'm fine, Vicki Ann," he said, taking her hand in his.
The tears were going full force now. "Oh, Julian. I'm so sorry."
Julian embraced her. "It's alright, Vicki Ann. It wasn't your fault." When she calmed down,
Julian asked. "How do you feel about Starfleet?" When she looked at him questioningly, he
smiled. "Just a little test."
Vicki Ann remembered that she had lost her job. "Well, I'd like my job back, but I know
that's not going to happen, so I might as well start looking for a new profession."
Julian was trying to hold back his grin.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked.
"Well, I talked to the admiral about you and due to the circumstances in which you joined
Section 31 and the circumstances behind you genetic engineering-"
"What circumstances?" Vicki Ann interrupted.
Julian told her what he had discovered in the hospital records. Vicki Ann, in shock remained
quiet, so Julian continued. "As a result of the circumstances and that I personally vouched
for your behavior, I was able to convince the admiral to reinstate you."
Vicki Ann leapt off the biobed and hugged Julian. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" When
Julian gasped for air, she pulled away. She kissed him. "I love you, Julian! I will name my
first born child after you!"
Julian became a little uncomfortable and untangled himself from her grasp. "It's okay, Vicki
Ann." His expression became grim. "There's one catch though."
"What?" Vicki Ann asked.
"Your rank has been reduced to Lieutenant Commander and you have to stay here under
my supervision for one year, as a kind of probation."
"That'll be fine," she replied, smiling and hugging Julian again. She frowned. "One question.
How did you find out what really happened?"
"Lots of detective work and a little help from a certain omnipotent entity."
"Q?"
Julian nodded. "He took me into your head to show me how Section 31 brainwashed you.
Now, doctor, I believe you should go to you quarters for a good night sleep."
Vicki Ann saluted. "Yes, sir."