A Place in Time

Chapter 2, The Return

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Julian had woken up that morning with a very strange feeling. He had had a dream in which he had aged at least thirty years and was coming back in time to do something. He didn't know what, but there had been a strange pilot person, who had left him on DS9, and flown away. It had seemed so real though, more real than a normal dream. *Oh well, * he thought, as he headed to Quarks. *Nothing a good raktijeno can't fix. *

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It was the day after Jadzia had announced her engagement to Worf. Julian was totally miserable, constantly chastising himself for letting her go. He had never really told her that he loved her; maybe if he had she wouldn't be engaged to Worf. She thought he was just a flirtatious young doctor with a crush on her. Maybe he was. No, he'd been over that a thousand times before. It had started out that way, but he was really in love with her now. "Somehow, I've got to put this behind me" he thought as he sat in Quark's, sulkily sipping a raktijeno. He was still trying to fool himself, but he knew that he could never truly forget her.

Suddenly, Julian felt a strong hand on his shoulder. As he looked up, Miles O'Brien sat down in the seat opposite him.

"How are you" he asked, his voice full of sympathy. If anyone had a hint of Julian's true feelings it was Miles.

"Fine." he answered.

"Yeah, right, and I'm a Cardassian. Come on Julian, I know how you feel. You can't bluff me"

"No I guess I can't." He said with a wry smile. "I'll be all right in a few days."

"Maybe. There's something bugging you though. What is it?"

"Oh I don't know." Julian said with a slight groan. "I'm not sure. I just feel like there's something wrong with all this. It seems so ...fake."

"I think I know what you mean. It's kind of weird, Jadzia going against the Trill board and all."

"Not only that, but it's...well, out of the clear blue sky she suddenly decides she's infatuated with Klingon culture. It's not like her to be so narrowly focused. I've known her a long time" Julian sighed. "There's something wrong going on here. Somehow, I've got find out what it is. I mean, she didn't even tell me she was involved with Worf. She's always told me everything before."

"I know. What do you think is going on?"

"I have no idea. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Jadzia was subconsciously forced into this." Julian said with a puzzled look on his face."

"Subconsciously forced? You mean drugged?"

"In all seriousness, she might have been. I think I'll run a diagnostic on her recent medical history. Maybe I'll find something. You never know."

"That's a new one! I've never met a guy who thought his girlfriend was drugged just because she ditched him. "Miles laughed. "Seriously though, do you honestly think there's something wrong here?"

"I really do. I don't know what it is, but something is definitely wrong. Jadzia has never been so impulsive. She's acting out of character."

"Well, I'll leave you alone to find out. If you need anything at all, just let me know. Have dinner with us tonight. I know Keiko would be glad to have you, and Molly has been asking for her 'Uncle Julie'." He smiled.

"Thanks Miles. I'll be there."

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Julian headed to the infirmary with his head dropped down, thinking about Jadzia's strange behavior, when he bumped into someone, causing them to drop the PADD they were carrying.

"Jadzia! I..I'm sorry..I didn't see you." Julian exclaimed when he looked up.

"That's quite all right Dr. Bashir. See you at lunch tomorrow." Jadzia said in a monotone as she walked off.

*Dr. Bashir!?! She's never called me "Dr." Bashir before. There's definitely something wrong here. * Julian thought as he picked up his pace to his lab. Once there, he went through Jadzia's medical records, and analyzed her recent reports. He found nothing abnormal however, and left with a discouraged countenance. *I need a blood sample, but how am I going to get it without her knowing? I could 'accidentally' jab her with a hypo- collector. That might work. I could try anyway. * He thought as he picked up the necessary tool, and stepped into the turbo-lift for OPS.

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"Hello Jadzia." Julian said cheerfully, as he stopped behind Dax's station. "What are you working on?"

"I'm analyzing a plasma fluctuation in the reactor core of a Tyrelian freighter. It's nothing serious." Jadzia spoke with some annoyance in her voice.

Julian, ignoring her remark, leaned over for a closer look at her terminal. A hypo-collector suddenly slipped out of his hand and pricked Jadzia on the shoulder.

"Julian! Watch it, will you." she said as she gruffly slipped out of her chair.

"Sorry." he said quietly. He had never seen Jadzia act this way before. He left OPS and went back to the lab to analyze her blood sample.

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"Bashir to O'Brien."

"O'Brien here. Go ahead."

"Miles, I think I found something. I analyzed a sample of Jadzia's blood. I didn't see anything at first, but after I ran a more specific drug diagnostic...I think you should come up. I'd like to discuss this with you."

"I'll be right there. By the way, how did manage to get a blood sample?"

"A little luck. Bashir out."

Miles took the turbo lift to the infirmary, puzzling about Bashir's conversation.

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"Well Miles. What do you think?" Julian asked. Miles had been in the lab an hour while Julian explained the results of his tests.

"It's impossible. Worf wouldn't do a thing like that. Besides, where would he get the stuff anyway?"

"I don't know. It may not be Worf. As much as I might want to believe that he did it, it still may have been someone else."

"What are we supposed to do now?" asked Miles with concern.

"We have to do something. Jadzia has to know about this. She won't believe it, I'm sure, but she should know just the same. It's my job to decontaminate her."

"Maybe we should tell Captain Sisko. He's known Dax longer than any of us. Maybe he would know how to tell her."

"All right. Will you come with me? I don't think I'd be able to tell him alone. He might not like the way I went about this." said Julian sheepishly.

"Sure old buddy. Let's go."

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"Come." spoke Captain Sisko, as the familiar ping of the door sounded. "Hello Dr., O'Brien. Please have a seat. What can I do for you?"

"Um..I a..don't quite know how to begin. I've uncovered something that involves Dax. It's not very pleasant. Miles suggested that we consult you." nervously stammered Julian.

"Is it that bad Dr.? You don't look very well. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you. It's just, rather upsetting."

"What is it?" Sisko inquired.

Julian took a deep breath and spoke. "Lately, I've been feeling that something strange was going on with Jadzia. She hasn't been acting normally. She's been impulsive, irritated, cold, all things which are totally opposite her usual self. I have reason to believe that she's been drugged."

"Drugged?" Sisko stared in disbelief; "Do you have proof?"

"I do sir. O'Brien has been over this with me, and he agrees that she HAS been drugged."

"Please explain."

"I went over Jadzia's medical records to see if I could find an anomaly, don't ask why, I hardly know. When that didn't show anything, I..I took a blood sample. She didn't know that I did it. I analyzed it and found traces of golabenzium hydronite, a drug that is used for mind alteration. In the large quantities I found in her blood, her entire thought processes are affected." Julian solemnly spoke, while gaining courage.

"What purpose would this have? Can information be gained through the use of this drug?" questioned Captain Sisko.

"No it can't. The drug cannot extract anything. It can only influence the actions of the victim. If the victim is subjected to intense hypnosis while under the influence of the drug, he or she will remember only the specific act ingrained on their memory, and not the administration of the drug or the hypnosis. In Jadzia's case, I believe that she was forced into attaching herself to Worf. I can see no other purpose in the presence of this chemical."

"That would mean that Worf drugged her. Why? I admit that her engagement was quite sudden. She didn't even hint anything to me about it, which is very unusual. I don't understand the purpose of this." Sisko said with exasperation.

"Miles checked into Klingon marriage customs. It seems that if a Klingon is in love with a woman, it is not dishonorable to obtain her forcibly, which includes the use of administered chemical influences."

"If what you're saying is true, we have a serious problem on our hands. How are we going to resolve it?"

"If we could get Jadzia to sick bay, I could neutralize the drug and eventually flush it out of her system entirely. I don't think she'll come willingly though." said Julian.

"Probably not." admitted Sisko. "Could you get her there on the pretext of a report you need help with?"

"I could try. You and Miles should already be there when she comes though. To keep her there I mean."

"Alright. Have her there in half an hour."

"I'll do my best sir."

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"Bashir to Dax."

"Dax here. Go ahead."

"Could you come down to the infirmary? I have a report I need your opinion on."

"Can't it wait? I'm busy right now." she said in an aggravated tone.

"I'm afraid not. I have to send it to Starfleet this afternoon. Will you come?"

"I guess so. I'm on my way. Dax out."

"I hate lying to her like that, but I don't see another option." Bashir sullenly said.

"It's alright Dr. It's for a good cause." said Sisko.

"How are we going to neutralize the drug?" asked O'Brien.

"I plan on sedating her as soon as she comes in. I'll need one of you to distract her while I administer the hypo-spray. After that, it will be simple to filter out all of the drug and its remnants." said Dr. Bashir, matter-of-factly.

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The door chime sounded, and Dax walked into the infirmary. "Hi Julian." she said as she entered, but then noticed that Sisko and O'Brien were present. "What are you two doing here?" she asked rather gruffly.

Sisko walked forward, and started talking to her about some unimportant Cardassian file, while Julian crept up behind her. Just as he was about to inject the sedative, Jadzia whirled around with an angry look on her face.

"What do you think you're doing? What is that for?" she said, looking impatiently at the hypospray. Then she realized what they were trying to do, and she attempted to leave the infirmary. Sisko and O'Brien grabbed her arms, while she struggled violently, but to no avail. The sedative was injected, and she was soon unconscious on a biobed.

Julian went to work and held a tricorder over Jadzia, reading how much golabenzium hydronite was in her system.

"I don't believe the amount she's been administered! Much more of it, and her neural network would be permanently shut down. Whoever did this wanted to make sure she would be submissive."

"Do you think we should get Odo to conduct an investigation, Captain?" asked O'Brien.

"Definitely. Especially on Worf. Even if he is innocent, he's still our prime suspect. Sisko to Odo."

"Odo here. What can I do for you Captain?"

"Come to the infirmary. We have a problem."

"On my way. Odo out."

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