Creek Johnson and Nance Hurt
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Disclaimer: We are but fleas on the elephants' posterior that is Paramount. No infringement on their rights is intended. We hope none is taken.
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On the far side of the planet, in the Musilla Province, just as night was falling; a rather nondescript Bajoran woman stepped through the Arrival Transporter Terminal. Very few people noticed her despite her red dress, despite the toddler she held in her arms. Thousands of people passed through the terminal daily, and one woman more or less was nothing to note. Therefore no one noticed when she stepped into the café located just beyond the gates. Nor did anyone pay any attention when she sat at a table, settled the child onto a chair and rose to place her order at the counter. Such things are everyday occurrences in crowded public areas. Nor did anyone take note when a second, rather nondescript Bajoran woman stepped into the café, even though she too wore a red dress, despite the toddler she also held in her arms. The fact that she sat at the same table did nothing to catch the eye of any of the self-absorbed travelers. Needless to say, no one noticed as she settled her child onto a chair and rose to take the other baby in her arms. No one said a word as she calmly strolled out of the café and headed straight to the Departure Transporter Terminal.
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In a peaceful glade in the Kendra Valley on the banks of a man-made lake sat the house of the Sisko family. The serenity of the snow-covered landscape was shattered by the tragedy of a love one lost. Kira Nerys sat quietly by the bed of an inconsolable Jake Sisko and waited patiently for the sedatives to take effect. The measure of her own life having been marked by one senseless loss after another, she knew from experience that while her pah cried out in agony there was nothing that could be said; no words existed in any known language that could provide any measure of solace for Jake or for Kasidy. All she knew how to do, all she knew what to offer was a steadfast resolve to do whatever duty required. "I don't understand," said Jake, his voice drained of emotion. "I just turned my back for an instant. She doesn't even know how to walk yet. The front door was locked - I know it was. How?"
Kira bit her lip and said nothing. She was on familiar territory, she and Death were old adversaries and she knew from long acquaintance that when Death came calling you had two choices, you could just quietly take its hand, or you could fight until you had no strength left. She hoped little Sarah had simply taken Death's hand as though it were a trusted friend. It was easier that way.
"Poor Bindi," continued Jake using his sister's nickname. "She didn't even have a coat on. It's too cold out for…" His voice faded as the drugs took hold. "Poor little Bindi…"
Satisfied he would sleep without waking, Kira quietly left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. In the central living area the quiet of Jake's room was replaced by a hive of activity. Several Militia officers stood around checking equipment. Odo sat on a chair in the middle of the room while the diminutive Lt. Tobin worked with the harness straps, her nervous fingers making a mess of things.
"I'll take over, Lieutenant," Kira said grateful for something to do. "Why don't you check to see that the camera gear is working properly?"
"How's Jake?" asked Odo softly, covering her hands with his own, gently forcing her to make eye contact.
"Pretty torn up about all this."
"And you?"
He didn't have to ask; he could see the whirlwind of emotion that lay hidden just below the surface. He could also see the grim determination with which she held it in check.
"Just find her, Constable," Kira said her eyes meeting his for the first time. "Bring her home."
"I will."
She cupped his face with one hand and for a moment her mask slipped, a single tear threatening to escape the iron will of her resolve. They were both vaguely aware of someone approaching and in the blink of an eye the mask was back in place, she gave him a nod.
"Excuse me, Colonel," said Captain Dhek Skarin. "We're ready when you are."
"We're ready," confirmed Kira stepping aside as Dhek stepped forward to recheck the harness.
"Really, Captain," protested Odo. "As I've explained to your staff, a safety harness really is not necessary. It's not as though there is any possibility that I will need rescuing."
"I am well aware of that," replied Dhek. She was a tall, sturdy middle-aged woman, with an air of quiet competency about her. "But I will feel a lot better about this if you wear one."
"And I concur," said Kira.
"Right then," said Dhek motioning for her team to move the operation outside. "We'll fit you with the underwater surveillance camera once we're on shore."
"Where do you want me to start?" asked Odo.
"Well," replied Dhek with a satisfied nod that all was as it should be. "We found her favorite toy at the end of the pier, so it's reasonable to assume she entered the lake there. Considering how the river flows at this time of the year, I'd suggest you enter the lake just South of the pier and work your way to the South end of the dam. It's possible with the thick layer of ice on the lake that she may still be…"
Not wishing to hear anymore, Kira wandered to the window and looked out on the peaceful landscape beyond.
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In the early hours of the morning, in the Kendra Province, a rather nondescript Bajoran woman stepped through the Arrival Transporter Terminal. Very few people noticed her despite her red dress, despite the toddler she held in her arms. Thousands of people passed through the terminal daily, and one woman more or less was nothing to note. Therefore no one noticed when just beyond the gates she waived to her waiting husband and gave him a kiss before they proceeded toward the exit. Such things are everyday occurrences in crowded public areas.
Nor did anyone take note when she stopped to hand her husband the child and then proceeded to the public waste management facility. Unfortunately, as it was early morning, there was no one around to notice when, as she stood at the lavatory, a second nondescript Bajoran woman, also wearing red, stepped out of one of the stalls and calmly pressed a hypo spray to her throat. If there were other people around they surely would have noticed as the second woman drug the lifeless body of the other into one of the stalls and closed the door. However, there was no one, so there was no one around to say a word as the murderer calmly collected the baby from the waiting husband and the happy family proceeded to the Departure Terminal.
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A wind had whipped up and the team standing on the shores of the lake huddled around the equipment as though it would provide some protection from the biting cold. While Captain Dhek double-checked to make sure everything was in order Kira stood a little away from the rest, fitting Odo with a portable camera. "They know don't they?" asked Odo. "That when I emerge from the lake I will be the same temperature as the water and that no one is to touch me with their bare hands?"
"They know," Kira assured him. "I've made sure they are fully briefed."
"Then I guess the rest is up to me," his voice reflected a note of weary resignation.
"You won't be alone," she reminded him. "I'll be right here on the shore and I'll be right here," she tapped the small transceiver attachment on the camera headset. "I'll talk you through the whole thing."
"It's a shame what with all our technology that we still can't pull a frozen body out of a frozen lake," remarked Dhek clipping the life line to the back of Odo's harness. "Sorry about the antiquated equipment, but it's the only avenue open to us. We're ready when you are, Sir."
Kira clipped on her headpiece and adjusted the microphone. "How's this?" she asked her voice soft and reassuring in his ear.
"Fine," replied Odo drawing a deep breath. "Right then."
As he walked to the edge of the bank, Kira moved to take up position behind the portable view screen, the rest of the team taking positions to either side. Tobin eased the lifeline out carefully to allow enough slack to enable Odo to move freely. As they watched, he stepped slowly into the lake and disappeared from view. For a moment, Kira was distracted by the remembrance of two years earlier, when they had said their farewells on the shore of the Great Link and her heart wrenched at the memory.
"He's stopped!" called out Tobin.
"It's okay," replied Kira dragging her attention back to the present. "He's just taking a moment to allow his body to adjust to the temperature change. Captain, you'd better take the opportunity to adjust the camera, we're not getting a clear picture."
Dhek busied herself with the controls and slowly the murky depths came into focus. Through Odo's eyes, Kira could begin to make out details of the underwater world. Large chucks of ice bobbed just over his head checkering the depths with alternating shafts of light and dark. After a moment she began to see the bottom was thick with weeds.
"Okay," she whispered into the headset. "A few meters to your left is the pier. When you're ready, you might as well start there." Odo's hand briefly moved into the frame signaling he understood. There was a flurry of mud at the bottom of the frame as he moved slowly forward.
"He's stopped again," reported Tobin as the line went slack. In the viewer, mud swirled, obscuring the picture. After a moment the pier supports slowly became visible. In the thick weeds that grew under the pier, Kira spotted something darker that the world around it. Something that moved slower than the weeds, her heart stopped.
"To your right," she whispered to Odo. "In the weeds next to the last support, do you see it?" The picture in the view screen moved slowly to the right. As he moved forward, a chunk of ice cracked off from around the end of the pier allowing more light to enter the dark world beneath. She waited while the mud on the bottom had a chance to settle. There, half in light and half in shadow they could just make out the outline of a small arm.
"Do you see her?" she asked keeping her voice as calm as possible. Again, Odo's hand signaled he understood. In the viewer they watched as his hands reached slowly out to take up the precious burden. The body was face down in the weeds, arms stretched out above her head. Something though did not look right to Kira, in the weightless environment the lifeless body of Sarah Sisko should have been more fluid, less stiff.
"What the hell is that?" demanded Dhek pointing to something that appeared to be tied to Sarah's arm.
"Hold on, Odo," ordered Kira. "There appears to be something tied to the body." Her warning was a bit too late, as they watched, Odo's hand had found the line and his fingers gently traced it a few centimeters away from the body. The pressure though caused the line to snap in his hands.
"Must have been some old fishing filament," remarked Dhek. "Still, it is rather odd…"
"What the…" commented Tobin as the safety line jerked suddenly in her hands.
The viewer went sharply out of focus for an instant before settling again. To their sudden shock, the picture revealed the body of the child face up in Odo's hands. A child's face stared up at them, a smile frozen in place, and across its chest lay a piece of cloth, the words 'Hello Constable' clearly visible.
"Odo," said Kira her voice urgent in his ear. "Get out of there! Get out now!"
If he heard her he gave no sign. They watched in horror as his hands lifted the piece of cloth to reveal below it not the chest of a child, but a digital readout. The words 'Goodbye Constable' flashed across the readout for a moment before being replaced by a chronometer that began counting down the seconds.
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For two nights Tosko Fudan had traveled the streets of the Capital doing his best to elude any signs of authority. Fortunately, there were still plenty of ruined buildings to provide cover during the daylight hours. While it broke his heart to see his home in such condition, he was grateful that the restoration was taking as long as it was. For the first time, he was able to see his homeland not as the privileged child of his father, but as a man devoid of privilege, devoid of connections. He found that he had spent his day wondering how many countless others, had lived as he lived now? What justice had there been in their decline? How many had been brought low by the ambition of his father and men like him? As night fell, he lingered outside the entrance to the Main Transport Terminal and watched as the day shift of workers flooded out and the night shift drifted in. Detaching himself from his hiding place, he followed closely behind a group of workers as they entered the building to begin the night shift. The guard on duty barely gave them a glance as they entered the building. Veering away from the group, he ducked behind a support beam and surveyed the area. With any luck he would be able to board a transport and be well away. He pressed against the wall as to his right as two men stepped out of a room.
"Short manned again?" asked one man.
"Yeah," moaned the other. "Second night in a row the new guy failed to report for duty. I tell you these Off Worlders just aren't worth phasing."
"If only that were an option."
Fudan watched as they walked away, fortunately neither had noticed him. He stepped out of his hiding place and was about to head for the Departure Terminal when he spotted a Security team heading his way. Too late to duck back into hiding now, he turned back only to find a second team was coming from the opposite direction. Fighting panic he noticed a doorway to his left clearly marked 'Maintenance Staff Only'. Praying it was not locked, he approached and as it slid open, he disappeared inside.
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For a moment, no one on the shore could believe their eyes. They watched in horror as Odos hands lifted the piece of cloth to reveal below it not the chest of a child, but a digital readout. The words 'Goodbye Constable' flashed across the readout for a moment before being replaced by a chronometer that began counting down the seconds. "It's a bomb," whispered Kira. "Get out, Odo. Get out of there now!"
"Reel him in!" ordered Dhek. "You there! Lend a hand."
Through the view screen Kira watched with growing anxiety as Odo stood holding the bomb in his hands. The picture jerked out of focus as the line drew taut causing him to lose his balance. "Odo, what the hell do you think you are doing?" she asked and by way of reply the scene in the viewer suddenly lost all focus.
"What the hell?" asked Tobin as the lifeline snapped taut.
"Let it go!" shouted Dhek as the line began to feed out so quickly it smoked gently as it left the reel. After a few minutes the line caught against the line assembly and sent the whole rig flying forward. Dhek and a few others leapt forward to keep the equipment from being pulled into the lake.
In the view screen Kira could just make out the shape of the bomb as it was forced out of Odo's hands as the line jerked taut again. He appeared to struggle for a moment before there was a flash of amber in the water. The next thing she saw was the brief flash of a tailfin as Odo's headset drifted to the bottom and was lost in the darkness.
"Come on, Odo," Kira urged him, her eyes watching the surface of the lake. "Come on."
"There!" shouted one of the team. "In the middle of the lake!"
As they watched the ice in the middle of the lake appeared to heave for a second. The silence that followed was broken by the ominous sound of ice cracking almost underfoot. "Oh, Shi…" said Kira realizing what had happened. "Get down! All of you! Hit the Deck!"
Scrambling under the equipment table she watched as the surface of the lake appeared to be sucked under water for an instant before being thrown up into the sky. Covering her head with her hands, she buried her face in the snow as large chunks of ice rained down upon them.
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In the early hours of the evening, in the Capital City a rather nondescript Cardassian woman stepped through the Arrival Transport Terminal. Very few people noticed her despite her red dress, despite the toddler she held in her arms. Thousands of people passed through the terminal daily, and one woman more or less was nothing to note. Therefore no one noticed when just beyond the gates she waived to her waiting husband and gave him a kiss before they proceeded toward the exit. Such things are everyday occurrences in crowded public areas. Nor did anyone take note when two men, one Human and one Cardassian approached the couple and taking the woman gently by the arm steered her away from the stream of travelers. If anyone noticed the look of terror on the face of the woman, or the demand of her husband to know what was doing on, they paid no attention. This was Cardassia after all and the problem of others was none of their concern. Fudan, in his 'borrowed' Maintenance uniform, certainly paid no attention as he cautiously made his way through the crowd of arrivals. Nearing a trash bin, he lingered near it, staring hard at its contents, trying to blend in until he felt it was safe to continue. As the stream of people entering the Departure Terminal began to thicken, he slowly joined them, keeping his head down.
Hearing a shout, he turned but saw nothing of interest. It was only when the unmistakable sound of phaser fire erupted and countless travelers shouted in alarm did he pick up his pace, attempting to hide in the sudden crush of people desperate to get out of harms way. Finding himself caught in the crush, he tried to push his way through the crowds. He never noticed the woman in the red dress until she was right behind him.
"The circle must be completed," he heard her say as she pushed the child into his arms. "Take her somewhere safe." Before he could protest, she had disappeared into the crowd. He was about to follow, to protest, and to deliver the child back into her arms, when he was pushed aside by a number of Security Guards. Realizing now was not the time; he turned and finding a place where the crowd thinned, managed to edge his way to freedom. Thinking he would be able to leave the baby in one of the waiting areas, he walked as quickly as he deemed prudent to the nearest transport pad.
Unfortunately the nearest transport pad was crawling with Security personnel. As one of the guards stepped aside, a flash of red caught Fudan's eye. There on the ground lay the body of a woman in a red dress a phaser burn scarring her back. Hoisting the baby higher in his arms he quickly stepped beyond the scene. Just as he was about to reach the next pad, a man in a transport official uniform stepped out into the corridor.
"Hey!" shouted the man. "What's all the fuss?"
"I have no idea," replied Fudan busying himself with the child and not making eye contact. "Someone caught smuggling, I suppose."
"Think they'd learn," mused the official. "Well, if you're going to board, I suggest you do so now."
"Board?"
"You did want the transport to that damned Bajoran Station didn't you?"
Fudan glanced back toward the Security guards. Well, any port in a storm, he thought. The child was a problem, but one he could deal with later. Nodding his consent, he stepped through the gates.
"Wait a minute," called out the official. Fudan froze and weighed his options. Fleeing now would surely only end in his being caught and there was the child to consider. "Aren't you forgetting something?" continued the official.
"Forgetting something?" Fudan asked cautiously, his glance going back to the number of Security guards at the next station. Their number had increased during this brief exchange, cutting off any hope of escape.
"Transport pass?"
"Ah," breathed Fudan. He handed over his pass without comment. The official gave it only a cursory glance before starting to hand it back. As Fudan reached out to take it, the official jerked his hand back and looked more closely at Fudan.
"Hang on," he said. "It doesn't say anything about you having a child with you."
"I didn't know I was required to register children under the age of five," replied Fudan. "Have the regulations changed?"
"No. Only how do I know this is your child? She's a half breed isn't she?"
Fudan looked at his burden for the first time. The child was clearly not 100 Cardassian, with her smooth chin and remarkable lack of neck ridges. Only the ridges on her forehead indicated she had some Cardassian blood in her. He looked more closely, there was something about the eyes that spoke of a wisdom far beyond her tender years. She stared at him as though not seeing him, but seeing through him. He found her scrutiny extremely disturbing and vowed to rid himself of her as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
"I'll thank you not to speak of my late wife in such a manner," he snapped. He had long ago learned that in a pinch rudeness always worked and as he thought of the woman in the red dress, realized his words were not entirely a falsehood.
"Sorry," muttered the official slightly taken aback. "But still, how do I know this is your child?"
"You don't," replied Fudan and was slightly surprised when the child reached out and held on to his ear. For a moment, he could feel a sensation not unlike a slight electrical current pass through his body. He looked at the child again and for some unfathomable reason she smiled.
"Pa Pa," she said throwing her arms around his neck.
"Hmmm," said the official finally handing back the pass. "Go on. Only next time bring some sort of identification for the child. There are those around here who aren't as tender hearted as I am."
Not bothering to comment, Fudan and his somewhat curious burden boarded the transport without a backwards glance.
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On the shores of the lake the world was in chaos, equipment lay in broken heaps, the very end of the pier was reduced to little more than splinters, blood stained the snow, and the surface of the lake was littered with dead fish. As Dhek and her team struggled to tend to those injured by the falling ice, Kira Nerys stood on what was left of the pier, her eyes scanning the surface of the water looking for some sign of Odo.
"Come on, Constable," she whispered. "Come on."
"Any sign?" asked Tobin joining her.
"No," admitted Kira. "But if he was knocked unconscious by the blast…"
"You don't suppose there's any chance he might have been…"
"No," replied Kira emphatically.
"What I can't understand," ventured Tobin. "Is why he agreed to all of this in the first place? He didn't have to."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Kira.
"Well," replied Tobin. "It's the Emissary's child wasn't it? It's not as though he was a believer…"
"Odo retired that's all," replied Kira with conviction. "Just because he retired from his job doesn't mean he retired from his duty as a man. And no, he's never believed in the Prophets and I doubt he believes that Benjamin Sisko was the Emissary, but he does believe in friendship and loyalty and honor. If you intend on wearing that uniform, Lieutenant, you'd better learn…"
"Excuse me, Colonel," interrupted Dhek. "But I need the Lieutenant to take some of the wounded back to base and bring reinforcements. Now that it looks as though we aren't dealing with a simple drowning anymore, we'll need more men."
"Sorry about that," continued Dhek as Kira turned back to her vigil. "We're all a little tense. It's just that we've already lost one Medal of Freedom winner in the last week and none of us wants to be responsible for losing another one, not on our watch."
"What do you mean?" asked Kira as the world suddenly grew colder. "Lost who?"
"I thought you had heard. Sorry. Nokis Orr was found dead just two days ago of an apparent heart attack. Strange thing is his body was found in the ruins of the old Kai's palace. Apparently he had been suffering from heart problems for years and it just finally gave out…"
Poor Odo, thought Kira, no wonder Nokis never returned his calls. And now this…she watched the surface of the water with growing anxiety.
Come on, Constable, she thought.
Movement in the water near the end of the pier caught her attention.
"What the hell is that?" asked Dhek as a thin column of ice appeared to rise up just over the edge of the pier. It wavered for a moment as if searching for something. The column flailed against the decking as though desperately trying to find purchase, the movement causing the ice to crack, revealing a humanoid hand underneath.