In Sunshine or In Shadow - Part 4
Creek Johnson & Nance Hurt
Disclaimer: Paramount owns what it owns. We own what we own. No infringement intended - hopefully, none taken.
Julian Bashir shook his head. "I've never seen anything like this and apparently neither had Gevrik. There's nothing here to indicate what may be the cause of Odo's illness. It's chemical certainly, we know that from the security recording. But there appears to be no trace of the chemical in his system. If Odo were human I would say that he'd have suffered a stroke or some other neural disorder, but as changelings apparently have no centralized brain functions, it's impossible to tell. If I were back at the infirmary, with proper instrumentation I might have a better chance of making sense of all this. Let's just hope Colonel, that Gevrik manages to get Odo back to Deep Space Nine as soon as possible. Colonel? Kira?"
Julian turned away from the medical records displayed on the padd before him and glanced at his companion. She sat in front of the small display located in the galley, a cup of coffee quickly cooling beside her. Her intent gaze locked on to the image of Odo pacing in his office like a caged animal. As a doctor, the look on her face caused Julian no little concern. He had seen that look more times than he cared to remember. It was the look of strained concentration that was often an indication of nerves held too long in check. If she kept pushing herself this way he was going to have another patient on his hands. He crossed to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped at his touch.
"Kira, why don't you try and get some rest? There's nothing we can do until we get back to the Alpha Quadrant and making yourself sick isn't going to help Odo in any way. Assuming that it is Odo, we don't know enough about changeling physiology to make a determination based on the information Gus was able to recover from Gevrik's message. If only the shields had stayed down just a bit longer, we may have had more information at our disposal. "
"He's lost weight," she said, never having taken her eyes off the display.
"From what I can gather, his density levels have destabilized. That could account for the apparent loss of weight. There also appears to be reoccurring gaps in his morphagenic matrix, but as I said it's all guesswork at this stage. Not to change the subject Colonel, but when was the last time you slept?"
"What? I'm sorry Julian, I wasn't paying attention."
"I thought as much. Come on," he said gently taking her by the arm. "You are going to get some rest. Doctor's orders."
Commander Bryan Landis leaned over his station in Ops and wished he was anywhere but here. It had been a long, busy day and his back was killing him. What he wouldn't give for a comfortable chair. No, make that a comfortable chair and a real beer. On second thought a comfortable chair, a real beer and a nice hot bath. He glanced at his console again. Two more hours. Two interminable hours and this day would be over at last.
"Commander!" said the Communications officer.
Oh lord, he thought, what now? "Yes?"
"I have an Idanian freighter on the comm, they've just come through the wormhole in pretty bad shape. They're venting plasma from the port nacelle."
"Very well, clear upper pylon one and push them through for emergency docking. Have an engineering crew on standby."
"I've done that, Sir. It's just that they asked for Colonel Kira and when I explained she wasn't on the station, they then asked for Dr. Bashir. What should I tell them?"
"Tell them, ah hell, I'll tell them myself. Patch them through to the Office," he said. At least, I'll be able to get off my feet for a little while, he thought as he climbed the stairs to Kira's office. He settled himself in the chair and then put the order through. Idanian's, he thought, now there's one paranoid species. The display lit up with the image of the pale faced Idanian Captain.
"Captain, my name is Commander Bryan Landis. I understand you are having a bit of a problem. How can we help?"
"I appreciate you concern Commander, but I had hoped to speak with Colonel Kira."
"The Colonel is presently not on the station. I am in command in her absence, perhaps I can be of assistance."
"May I speak to Dr. Bashir then?"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Bashir is also not presently on the station. If it's a medical matter, I can patch you through to Doctor…."
"No, this is most unfortunate, Commander."
Damn, thought Landis, it's like talking to a brick wall. "Perhaps if you were to tell me what this is all about, I may be able to assist you," he suggested, trying to keep the irritation from showing in his voice.
"Commander, this is not a matter I can discuss over an open communications channel. Perhaps, if you were to meet me as soon as we dock?"
"Certainly, Captain. I'll be there as soon as I can. Landis out."
What the hell was that all about? Landis swung the chair away from the display and put his feet up on the desk. Oh, God yes, that felt much better. He could feel the muscles in his back start to relax. He had not dealt much with Idanians before coming to Deep Space Nine so he was not sure if this was typical behavior or not. He tapped his comm badge.
"Ops to Security."
"Security. Marshall here."
"Marshall, this is Landis. Have you had many dealing with Idanians in the past?"
"Certainly, Commander. One of the most secretive species know to exist. I would ask why, but I imagine you are about to enlighten me."
"Well, I've just had the oddest conversation…."
They met up in the hallway leading to airlock 2. A team of engineers was ready and waiting.
"This had better not turn out to be an unnecessary visit," muttered Landis.
"Believe me, Commander," replied Marshall. "Unnecessary is a word I've never heard applied to anything done by an Idanian."
The airlock rolled open to reveal a single Idanian man. His quick gaze took in the two officers and the engineers.
"Commander Landis," he said. "You may dismiss your engineers, their presence will not be required."
"I believe Captain…I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"I did not give it. However, my name is Tauvid."
"Captain Tauvid, our sensors picked up a plasma leak from your port nacelle when you entered the system…."
"I'm aware of that Commander, but we have the situation under control. I appreciate your offer of assistance, but your engineers will not be required."
Marshall quickly dismissed the engineers and turned to Tauvid. "Captain, I am Lt. Commander Marshall. Mr. Landis thought I may be of some assistance in this matter."
"Marshall," said Tauvid. "I have heard of you. Very well, Gentlemen if you would follow me."
He turned and headed back into the airlock. Landis said nothing, but raised his eyebrow at Marshall. Marshall shrugged in response as he stepped into the airlock to follow Tauvid.
Landis had expected to be taken to the bridge, or to a ward room. He did not expect to be lead into the bowels of the freighter. The further they went in to the ship the more he wished he had remembered to bring a phaser. He glanced at Marshall. The Chief of Security was apparently suffering no qualms what so ever. His thoughts were interrupted as Tauvid came to a halt before an apparently solid wall. Without a word Tauvid placed a disc over one of the rivets in the wall and a panel slid open to reveal a room within. He gestured for them to enter. Landis hesitated and glanced at Marshall. A faint smile played across Marshall's lips as he raised an eyebrow. Oh hell, thought Landis shrugging his shoulders, in for a penny, in for a pound, and he stepped into the room.
If you had asked Bryan Landis what he had expected to find in that small room in the bowels of that ship he would have been hard pressed to come up with an answer. Never in his wildest imagination, would he have expected a Vulcan in a Star Fleet uniform. Tauvid stepped forward.
"Commanders Marshall and Landis, may I present Doctor Gevrik."
"As pleased as I am to meet you, Doctor," said Landis. "I fail to understand why all this secrecy is necessary. You're in the Alpha Quadrant now, surely, it would have been simpler just to beam you straight into Ops."
"We have a slight problem, Mr. Landis."
"A problem? What sort of problem?"
"That problem."
Marshall and Landis looked in the direction indicated by Gevrik. In the corner sat a figure in the shadows. Gevrik called for the man to stand and come forward into the light. With some difficulty he did as he was instructed.
"Holy Mother of God," exclaimed Landis as the man came closer.
"Close," replied Marshall. "Although I believe his actual title is Emissary."
"What's he doing here?" asked Vonda Lek as she stepped through the door of the holosuite.
"I am here," replied Quark giving his best imitation of a concerned citizen, "To ensure no damage is done to my property. "
"What damage could we possibly do?"
"Pay no attention Captain," said Nog. "He'd never admit it, but this business with Odo has him worried."
"What I'm worried about is the damage Starfleet is doing to my business. First I have Security officers crawling all over my bar, monitoring my business, doing untold damage to my reputation. And now, you are up to who knows what in my holosuites. I have rights you know. Besides that, Odo can take care of himself."
"And," continued Nog. "Besides that, there are only two people on this station who know Odo better than anyone else and one of them is presently in the Gamma Quadrant. I asked Quark to lend a hand."
"And, I'm prepared to donate my expertise for free - as long as Starfleet is prepared to pay for the use of the holosuite."
The door swished open again as Ezri Dax entered. "What's he doing here," she asked indicating Quark.
"Never mind," said Nog. He turned to Quark. "Are we ready?"
"Ready when you are. Computer, begin program."
Suddenly they were standing in a hallway. At the far end, two figures came around the corner, Odo accompanied by a Romulan.
"Still no sound?" asked Ezri.
"No, I wasn't able to enhance the sound," said Nog.
The two men passed them as they continued their argument.
"Computer freeze program," ordered Ezri. She circled the Odo figure. "Well, he's the right height at least. Does anyone else find this…creepy?"
"Very creepy," replied Vonda. "I only met Odo once, so I'm no real judge, but so far I haven't seen anything that would indicate a split recording technique."
"Let's see the rest of it before we come to any conclusions, suggested Nog. "Computer resume program."
The two men continued with their argument. With a loud snap the sound kicked in.
"You're a fool if you think that," said the Romulan. "We should have let you all die."
With a barely human growl, the Odo figure grabbed the Romulan and slung him against the wall. Then single handed he wrapped his fingers around the neck of the Romulan and lifted him off the ground.
"Computer, freeze program," said Quark.
"Did you spot something?" asked Ezri.
"No, I just like this part."
"Quark!"
"Okay, okay. Computer resume program."
"The combined forces of the Obsidian Order and the Tal'Shiar tried once before and failed miserably," continued the Odo figure. "Do you really believe we will allow you a second chance? Mark my words, what happened to Cardassia was just an example of what will happen to…" The audio cut out again.
"Computer, freeze program," said Nog. "Well, there's something not quite right about the voice."
"It's not as, what's the word I'm looking for?" said Ezri.
"Resonant," volunteered Quark. "I've heard that tone of voice more times than I care to remember. But I don't think a voice print would stand up in court considering this is a copy of a copy. A good advocate would have it thrown out in an instant."
"Well," said Ezri. "We might as well play it through. Computer, resume program."
They watched as the Odo figure spoke for a second or two longer then released his hold on the Romulan. The Romulan dropped to the floor struggling for breath. Odo continued to speak. Turning his back to the man on the floor, he turns to face a camera. For a moment he appeared to be speaking to the camera and then turned back to the Romulan. The Romulan spat out words in anger as he reached for his weapon. Odo grabbed hold of the Romulan's gun hand, deflecting the energy charge harmlessly into the wall.
"Computer, freeze program."
"Quark, you better have seen something this time," warned Nog.
"I just wanted to get a better look at the weapon. It looks real, but I don't know."
"Well, the phaser blast on the wall looks real enough," commented Vonda.
"Computer, resume program."
Because the camera angle of the original recording had obscured this part of the tape, Ezri, Nog and Vonda leaned in closer to follow the action as the program resumed and Odo turned the Romulans wrist until the phaser was pressed up against his chest. There was the flash of phaser fire.
"Computer, freeze program," ordered Vonda.
"Odo pulled the trigger, no doubt about it," said Nog. "Are we agreed?"
"That's what it looks like to me," agreed Vonda. "Ezri?"
"I think I'm going to be ill."
"Don't think of it as real. Think of it as just any other holoprogram."
"Sure, Nog. Just any old holoprogram where someone I know and respect just happens to commit the cold blooded murder of a complete stranger."
"We still don't know if it's real."
"I don't know about the two of you," said Vonda, "but I don't see any flaws in the recording at all."
"Can we just see it through to the end before you decide?" asked Quark.
"I think we've seen enough for today," replied Ezri. "I know I have."
"She's right, Uncle. Maybe we'd better sleep on it and try again tomorrow."
"Then you won't mind if I see it through then?" asked Quark.
"Okay, Okay. Computer, resume program."
The phaser flashed, the Romulan rose up off the floor with the force of the energy charge, a shocked look on his face. Odo slowly stood erect and without a second glance walked back down the hall towards the door.
"Computer, freeze program."
"Well, are you satisfied?" asked Nog.
"Oh, yes," replied Quark. "It's a fake all right. No doubt about it. I'd say, and I'm only guessing mind you, that it was recorded in a holosuite like this one."
"What? How can you be sure?" demanded Vonda.
"Well, look at the three of you. Is he Odo or isn't he? Did he murder the Romulan or didn't he? In all this time did you actually look at the Romulan? Of course not." He glanced at their blank faces. "Oh for Profit's sake, come here and look. Look! What do you see?"
"A dead Romulan?" said Ezri.
"Do you see any blood? Look at Odo's hands. Do you see any blood there either? A blast at such close range and no blood, doesn't that strike any of you as odd.?"
"He's right," said Nog. "Not a fleck of green anywhere."
"The phaser burn on the wall?" asked Vonda.
"Where else can you fire a phaser and shoot someone and make it look and feel so real that you could swear it really happened, but no one actually gets hurt?"
"A holosuite!" exclaimed Nog.
"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I have a bar to run."
Of all the duties assigned to her, Flato Rey hated monitoring transmissions the most. The constant stream of data always made her sleepy. She gave the order for the computer to halt as she glanced through the doors of the Security Office and noticed Lt. Commander John Marshall walking at a fast clip toward the office. She blinked. No, that couldn't be right, Marshall never walked at a pace faster than a stroll. She was rubbing her eyes when the door slid open and Marshall appeared before her.
"Flato," said Marshall, "Just the person I was looking for."
"That's funny Captain Vonda is looking for you."
"Most amusing I'm sure, but we have bigger fish to fry right now. I need you to round up a couple of deputies and head straight for the Defiant. Do not let anyone on that ship without authorization, do you understand?"
"I understand the order, but I'm not sure I understand why."
"There is no time to explain other than to say two very important quests will be beaming aboard the Defiant in a very short period of time and I want no one to interfere."
"On my way."
As Flato and two of the Security personnel from the cell area headed out the door. Marshall touched his comm badge.
"Security to Vonda."
"Vonda here."
"Captain, I understand you have been looking for me?"
"Commander Marshall? Well, yes I have. We've found something about the recording that you might find of interest…"
"I'm sure you have. Unfortunately, I haven't time at the moment to go over it. I need you to meet me at the Defiant immediately."
"I'm on my way. Vonda out."
As Marshall made his way through the crowded Promenade he briefly took note of two Finneans among the crowd emerging from airlock six. I'll have to mention this to Flato, he thought. Finneans always meant trouble of one sort or another.
He arrived at the airlock leading to the Defiant to find Flato and Vonda waiting for him. He forestalled their questions with a raised hand.
"Flato, where are your men?"
"All ready on board, Sir. Securing the ship."
"Good. Now, Captain. What we will require is for all access points from this airlock entrance all the way to the Defiants infirmary to be locked down tighter than a drum. I want no way in or out of this area without authorization from Mr. Landis, Dr. Bahir, Colonel Kira or myself. Can you do that?"
"Certainly, but why?"
"Do it first and I'll explain later."
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Get started and meet me in the infirmary on the Defiant as soon as you are done. Come on, Flato, let's make sure everything is in order for our guests."
It took less time than Marshall expected for everything to be in place.
"Perhaps now," said Vonda as she walked in the door to the infirmary, "someone will tell me exactly what's going on?"
"All in good time Captain," replied Marshall. He tapped his comm badge. "Marshall to Tauvid. Ready when you are Captain."
"Energizing now."
"Is that who I think it is?" asked Flato as the transporter beam slowly faded, leaving three men standing in the center of the room.
"No, my dear captain, but I made the same mistake as you. Mr. Landis you know. Allow me to introduce Doctor Gevrik and the rather bewildered gentleman who looks like our Mr. Sisko is actually your former boss."
"Odo?"
"One of an apparent multitude of Odo's in the flesh."
"Now I understand why you didn't want to parade him through the station ," said Flato, "But I still don't understand the need for all this security."
They were assembled in the wardroom of the Defiant. Vonda was secretly relieved they had left him, she still could not resolve herself to the fact that it was Odo and not Benjamin Sisko, in the infirmary. It was just too - what was the word Dax had used - creepy? Yes, it was just too creepy having him staring at them.
"If I may Commander," said Gevrik. "Captain Flato, it became clear to us shortly after Odo became ill that the Founders had no real interest in helping us find a cure. They would not allow him to return to the Link and they most certainly would not allow us to seek help from the Federation. We felt that our only course of action was to take matters in our own hands and, for lack of a better word, kidnap him."
"Kidnapped him? But how?"
"Using the transmitter on the Jem'Hadar base we piggybacked? Is that the correct term? We piggybacked a subspace distress signal in a common Federation code on to the transmissions being sent by the Vorta, hoping it would be picked up by a ship from the Alpha Quadrant on their way back to the wormhole. Fortunately for us, we were answered by Captain Tauvid. We then fabricated a problem with our biofilters, replacements of which can not be found in the Gamma Quadrant. As prearranged, Captain Tauvid conveniently arrived offering assistance and replacement filters. Odo, we smuggled out in the guise of biological samples."
"And you?" asked Marshall. "How did you get out?"
"In a scan protected waste management container. Crude, but effective."
"So, we are assuming that once it's known Odo and Gevrik are missing," said Landis, "Someone is going to come looking for them. Until this matter is resolved, we need to make sure they're not found."
"But, Doctor Gevrik," asked Flato, "How do we know this Odo is the real Odo?"
"Mr. Marshall has explained the situation to me. Unfortunately, we do not know. I can only vouch for him as far as from the time he became ill. From that point forward, he has not been out of our sight. He is who we understand to be Odo. His identity beyond that is unknown to us. It is a dilemma."
"Forgive me, Doctor," said Vonda. "But how do we know you are who you say you are?"
"My records and a sample of my DNA are on file with Starfleet. As far as my being a changeling, I've already been tested by Mr. Marshall."
"Tested? Tested how?"
"It's been common knowledge for some time now that a phaser blast of intensity 3.5 or higher causes changelings to lose their shape."
"He shot you?"
"Crude. But effective."
He was walking down a corridor when she spotted him. She called his name but he obviously did not hear her because he did not stop. She started to run to catch up with him, but no matter how fast she ran the distance between them stayed the same.
He had reached the end of the corridor. He paused for a moment and turned towards her. She was suddenly irrationally happy. He had heard her after all and would wait for her. She was close enough now to see the smile on his face, his right arm raised, his hand extended towards her. Then in a blinding flash of light, he was gone. Filled with despair, she raced to the end of the corridor and stepped in to…
Ops. She was standing outside her office. He was standing across from her, near the lift. The same smile, his hand extended towards her. She ached to go to him, but her feet would not move. She glanced down at her feet and when she glanced up again he was gone. No, not gone. In the blink of an eye he was at every station in Ops. She started to call to him, but before she could utter a word every incarnation of him looked up at her at the same time. Her eyes moved from face to face - all exactly the same. Eventually she realized they were not looking at her, but at something behind her. She turned to see what they were looking at. There was someone moving around inside the office.
The door to the office slid open. She entered. Standing behind the desk was Sisko. He smiled. She glanced back through the door, but Ops was gone. She turned back to the man who was both her friend and spiritual leader. Still unable to find her voice she spread her hands in the universal gesture of questioning. Sisko simply drew a deep breath and sighed. She shook her head unable to understand. He tilted his head to one side and again drew a deep breath and sighed.
She was aware someone was calling her name. She opened her eyes and looked into the face of Julian Bashir.
"Kira, are you okay?"
"Julian! Yeah, I'm fine. I've just had the strangest dream, that's all. What's wrong?"
"We've entered the wormhole. You asked me to wake you, remember?"
"Fine. Thanks. Just give me a minute and I'll come straight up to the bridge."