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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In the early hours of the morning, Station time, too early in the day for the day shift to begin or for the late shift to conclude, Commander John Marshall finished his solitary breakfast and heaved a satisfied sigh. If he were to confess, though confessions on a personal level were not in his nature, he would have to say that this was the time of day that held the most attraction for him. To his way of thinking, to be stationed in a place that fairly hummed with activity for the majority of the day it took the absolute quiet of the early hours of the morning for anyone to truly appreciate the soul of DS9. Disposing of the remains of his meal, he stretched, and set off on the first rounds of the morning, reveling in the absence of activity, the absence of people and all the attendant problems inherent with the business of living. Having completed the circle of the Promenade without meeting a soul, he took the stairs up to the second level. He had nearly completed the circle, when movement down below drew his attention.
Stepping back into the shadow of a bulkhead, he watched as Quark tentatively stepped forward and tested the lock on the door to the offices of the Centurion Corporation. Finding them secure, Quark quickly entered some information on a padd and furtively looked around before bustling off.
Marshall raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Quark's activities. He was just about to continue his rounds when he noticed a second figure approach. Marshall raised his other eyebrow as D. McKinley also tested the doors to the Centurion Corporations offices, entered some information onto a padd and turned to follow in the direction Quark had gone.
Now there's a pretty how-de-do, thought Marshall.
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As a pale winter's sun rose over the mountains of the Shaving Range, the five moons of Bajor faded slowly from sight in a brightening sky. Not more than fifty kilometers from the shadow of the mountains, morning prayers having been said, the Capital City began to stir once again to life. Through the vast corridors of the Kai's palace a single acolyte ran, his feet echoing through the near empty passageways.
Kai I-Ko Nye, having finished the first services of the morning, and having divested himself of his robes of State, was just joining the rest of his household for the first meal of the day when the doors to the communal dining room burst open. Looking up, he recognized the young man who stood panting in the doorway. Excusing himself from the table, he crossed the hall and taking the young acolyte by the arm gently led him back out into the corridor.
"Eminence," panted the acolyte attempting a bow of respect.
Having no patience with ceremony, I-Ko waited for the youth to regain his breath. "You have news?" he asked.
"I have been instructed to tell you: It has begun."
I-Ko stood as still as the statues that lined the corridors and for a moment, the youth feared he had delivered the message in error. "Eminence?" he asked.
"Go on," urged the Kai gently laying a hand on the young mans shoulder and giving him a rather sad smile. "Get your breakfast."
"Are you coming as well, Eminence?"
"In a moment."
Left alone in the corridor, I-Ko crossed to a window and looked out upon the waking world below and wondered.
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"Well," conceded Bryan Landis, his broad features filling the view screen. "It is a bit of a long shot, but I agree it is possible." "I've already notified all the planetary departure ports to be on the lookout and they are supposed to be notifying outbound traffic," said Kira pushing her damp hair off her forehead. "But as we still have no idea when she was taken, I don't know if it will do any good."
"I'll notify all Security details to be extra vigilant with inbound traffic from Bajoran space," Landis reassured her. "Don't worry Colonel, if they plan on passing through the Station, we'll find them."
"I don't doubt it, Commander. I'm just sorry to have to drop this in your lap."
"All part of the job," replied Landis. "Pity about your vacation."
"Well," conceded Kira. "As someone recently reminded me – events chose us, we seldom have the luxury of choosing them."
"Some of us more than others, Colonel. Landis out."
"Colonel?" asked Lt. Tobin tentatively from the doorway. "Captain Dhek wanted me to ask if we should wake Mr. Sisko."
"No," replied Kira. "Let him sleep. He'll be better able to deal with the situation after we know more."
"Sir."
Left alone, Kira glanced around the room and was suddenly reminded of her former commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko. Everything in the room was familiar to her from the years she served under him on Deep Space Nine. Spying a photo of Jake and his father, she smiled and made a solemn vow to do whatever was necessary to restore Sarah to the bosom of her family. Sighing and taking one last look around the study, Kira entered the living area beyond. A makeshift command post had been established in the Sisko home. Communications equipment lined one wall each station manned and alive with activity. The entire house was in the process of being scanned by groups of officers.
"Dhek?" she asked of one young lieutenant as he scurried past her. The officer merely pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
"Colonel." said Dhek as she approached. "Perhaps you can talk some sense into him."
It was clear to Kira that the 'him' Dhek had referred to was sitting patiently on a chair in the center of the kitchen, a pile of damp thermal blankets at his feet. She smiled slightly and was brushed aside by an apologetic officer, who stepped forward with a freshly heated thermal blanket, which he placed over the shoulders of the still frozen changeling. The blanket hissed softly as the warm material came into contact with his frozen skin, causing steam to rise briefly in the air.
"What's the problem?" she asked taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"The bomb was specifically targeted to you," said Dhek ignoring the question and leaning forward to address Odo. "I saw it myself. The tripwire tied to the hand. If that isn't premeditation then I don't know what is."
"I am not disputing that," replied Odo his voice weary but calm. "What I am disputing is that it was a deliberate attempt on my life."
"How can you not think that was a deliberate attempt on your life? I don't pretend to know what goes on on that Station of yours but I hardly think that bombs with your name on them can be everyday occurrences."
"Let me spell out the situation for you," said Odo. "Let's assume for one moment that I am the kidnapper. I want to kidnap a child and leave no visible trail. What do I do?"
"Wait for a convenient time," replied Dhek.
"What better time," prompted Odo. "The mother is off world and the half brother is the only one home. Now problem is that it is the middle of winter. What's more it's snowing; any approach to the house by land will leave a trail that even the blind can follow, so conventional methods are out. Agreed?"
"Agreed," said Dhek reluctantly.
"So, let's say I have access to a transporter, I transport the child out of the house to another location. Why not? It's quick and relatively clean. Only problem is that transporters leave a signal that will only dissipate with time. So my main problem is how do I delay the search long enough to allow for the signal to dissipate?"
"You make it look as though it was not a kidnapping," said Kira.
"Exactly," replied Odo. "And how best to do that? The easiest way is you plant a favorite toy at the end of the pier and count on Mr. Sisko's imagination to lead him to assume the worst."
"But," insisted Dhek. "That doesn't explain the bomb."
"Just suppose," continued Odo. "That the toy is also beamed to the end of the pier. Now you have two transporter signals left behind. One might go unnoticed, but with two you take a greater risk."
"And assuming the bomb was also placed via a transporter," volunteered Kira. "That would leave three signals."
"But…" objected Dhek, only to be cut off in mid protest.
"But," said Odo holding up his hand to forestall Dhek's objection. "What normally happens in the case of a winter drowning?"
"We would normally wait until the thaw or wait until the body washed up somewhere."
"However," said Kira. "Considering who the drowning victim was you couldn't wait, Lt. Tobin said as much."
"Precisely," said Odo giving her an approving look. "And as the Colonel is required to register her whereabouts with the Militia when on Bajor, it's reasonable to assume that our residence in Orexis Bin's cabin was not a secret. If your people knew where to look for us, it's not outside the realm of possibility to assume the kidnappers knew where we were staying as well."
"I still don't understand what you're getting at," replied Dhek.
"Nor do I exactly," agreed Kira.
"What I'm getting at is this," said Odo. "If this were just an everyday kidnapping, the kidnappers could reasonably assume the Kendra Militia would just accept the drowning and simply wait for the body to surface later. However, considering the child was the child of the Emissary, they couldn't take that chance. So they gambled on your people appealing to the one person who could recover a frozen body from a frozen lake."
"You."
"Yes," continued Odo. "Now, it's just a possibility that the search of the lake would create enough of a delay for the transporter signals to dissipate and thereby allow the kidnappers to take Sarah to where ever she's being held, but they couldn't be certain. How then do they create enough of a diversion to ensure that they make a clean getaway?"
"Plant a bomb," said Kira. "It always worked with the Cardassians."
"And if the confusion and panic created by the bomb wasn't enough to delay things," concluded Dhek. "The blast would ensure that any signal lingering in the air would be dissipated."
"Exactly," said Odo a certain measure of satisfaction in his voice. "Now, what I suggest is this. We'd best start by trying to find out what ships, if any, were in orbit from the time Mr. Sisko last saw the child until this morning when he discovered her missing. Failing that, we should then concentrate our search on all transporter terminals within range of this area."
They sat in silence for a moment allowing the shear audacity of the plan to sink in. Kira watched with a certain degree of amusement as Dhek struggled with the information presented, her hands moving in short gestures as objection after objection was squelched before the words could be spoken. She glanced at Odo and gave him a slight smile and was reminded for a moment what a keen investigator he was, or had been. The sudden and unexpected reminder of all that he had lost caused her to fight the sudden urge for tears. She shook her head and drawing a breath, forced herself to focus on the present.
"I still don't like it," said Dhek after awhile. "All things considered, we still don't know who the kidnappers are or what they want and until we do I can not ignore the possibility that you might be a target after all."
"I'm retired," protested Odo. "What possible threat could I possibly pose anyone?"
"There's the kidnappers for one," replied Dhek.
"But I am not in the militia anymore – not an official part of this investigation…."
"But you have the potential to be," said Kira; suddenly reminded of Nokis Orr's warning and the fact that Nokis had died before he could elaborate. She glanced sharply at Odo and judging by the expression in his eyes, realized he had come to the same conclusion.
"Agreed," replied Dhek. "Only there is no 'we' about the situation. The Militia will take over from here. You are to stay well out of it."
"But you can't expect me to stand by and do nothing?" snorted Odo.
"That's exactly what I expect," said Dhek with a note of finality in her voice.
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In the grand reception hall of the Bajoran Planetary Museum a holographic representation of the Lunar Convergence hovered in mid-air, each of the five moons replicated in their precise location in the sky above as visitors moved below and gazed up at the ceiling in wonder. Ignored by the enthralled visitors, one man lingered by the entrance, and smiled as a young woman entered. Arm in arm they admired the holographic display for a moment before wandering into an adjacent display room. "Well?" asked the man pausing before a display case.
"It has begun," replied his companion.
"Good. What do you hear from Musilla?"
"The switch in Musilla went according to plan," replied the woman gently leading him to the next display case. "The decoy was sent to Kendra without any complications."
"Excellent. Our friends in Kendra, what news of them?"
"The package departed Kendra according to plan."
"And the courier?"
"Dispatched," replied the woman hugging his arm and laughing as though he had just told an amusing story.
"Regrettable, but necessary," the man replied. "What news from the valley?"
"As expected, our friends in the valley were delayed by weather," replied the woman. "And by a somewhat unexpected surprise."
"Do not," gently urged the man. "Underestimate their determination. Much may still go wrong - many things may still happen between now and the Convergence."
"The circle will be completed," replied the woman giving him a reassuring hug. "The Child of the Light will make the sacrifice and the Children of Anjohl will liberate the One."
"Of course," her companion replied.
Arm in arm they left the display room. Back in the reception hall they parted company, the woman continuing through the other display areas, the man crossing through the main hall to the gardens at the back of the Museum. Once outside, he sought out and located a small, rather wizened woman, sitting on a bench before the reflecting pool.
"It has begun," he said taking a seat next to her.
Without a word, Ramo Ket stood and walked away.
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"Believe me, Colonel," Tobin Io assured her. "I understand how awkward this is, and we will do our best to stay out of your way." At Captain Dhek's insistence and over Odo's objections, the day was well over before they had been reluctantly escorted back to Orexis Bin's cabin under protective guard. Feeling emotionally drained and too concerned for Odo's health, Kira refrained from voicing any objections over the arrangements knowing full well they would resolve themselves in the fullness of time.
Giving Tobin a nod by way of dismissal she entered the cabin to find Odo standing in the center of the living room, his arms crossed over his chest, contemplating the now cold fireplace. His body still exhibited a sheen of wetness she knew from long experience indicated he was fast approaching a need to regenerate. The experience in the lake had taken more out of him than he would ever have admitted to anyone other than her. She stood behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his still cold back.
"Rough day," she said with a sigh.
She felt rather than heard the snort he gave by way of reply.
"Come on," she insisted giving him a final squeeze before taking his hand. "Off to bed with you."
He stood silently staring at their joined hands before finally giving in and allowing her to lead him up the stairs. Half way up he stopped.
"Someone should warn the others," he reminded her.
"You're exhausted and you need to get some rest," she replied giving his arm a gentle tug. "I'll warn the others. Besides that, you said yourself you didn't think this was a deliberate attempt on your life."
"I don't," he conceded. "But I do think there is a connection between what Nokis was investigating and the kidnapping."
"Connection?" she asked gently pushing him through the door and into the bedroom. "What kind of connection?"
"I don't know. I just find it a little too coincidental that Nokis should die so soon after issuing a warning."
"I don't like it either," conceded Kira piling blankets on the bed. "But according to Dhek he did die of a heart attack. He wasn't a young man Odo, it is possible it was just his time to go."
"Possible," he muttered. "But not likely considering where his body was found."
"I don't follow." She turned back the bed coverings. "Right, in you go."
He gaze shifted from the bed to her and back for a moment before finally giving in and crawling into bed. "It's something that was said the day of the Awards Ceremony," he said watching her tuck the covers around his body. He was tempted to remind her that he was not a humanoid much less a humanoid child, but bit back the words. "Tepic Dow asked Nokis if he was still chasing ghosts."
"Tepic?" scoffed Kira who having satisfied herself that he was snuggly tucked in, sat on the edge of the bed facing him. "That nasty little peacock? What did he mean by that?"
"That is what everyone else wanted to know," replied Odo moving aside to allow Kira more room on the bed. "It turned out that Nokis was in some way involved in investigating the appearance of a ghost in the ruins of Winn's old palace."
"Well, if any place could be said to be haunted, I imagine that's the place." She leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "But I still don't see a connection. What have ghosts to do with the Sisko's? You don't even believe is ghosts, do you?"
"No, I don't and I doubt that Nokis did either. But whatever he discovered was important enough to lead him back to Winn's palace on the night he died and that just may be our connection."
"Enough," she said placing a finger against his lips. "Whatever this connection is, it can wait."
"And what do you intend to do in the meantime?" he asked.
She stretched out on the bed next to him. "I intend to watch you sleep for once rather than the other way around."
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If you had asked Daren Johnson where he thought he would end his days, he most likely would have told you that he fully expected to be shot in a noble, though futile, attempt to evade the law. It was therefore somewhat of a disappointment to him to find himself tied to a char, in a dank basement, in a burned out section of the Cardassian Capital. If you had asked Daren Johnson to describe the events leading to his demise, he most likely would have described to you a fantasy, in which he had masterminded a spectacular plan by which he managed to steal, or connive, a fabulous treasure, which would have made him a wealthy man and though men in his line of business seldom, if ever, lived to enjoy their wealth, the proceeds would have been enough to ensure that his wife and children still living on a far off planet would lack for nothing. It was a matter of no small wonder to him, then, that he found himself in his present situation due to having lost one small and relatively insignificant child.
If you had further asked Daren Johnson why he had embarked on a life of crime, he most likely would have told you a lie, but the sad truth of the matter was that it was the kidnapping and subsequent loss of his first child that had driven him to live outside the confines of civilized society. The irony of his situation was not lost on him.
"Oh my," he gasped with his last breath. "It really is too funny."
The other occupants of the basement did not hear his words, nor the death rattle that signaled the end of his life. The death of one man was not their concern, making sure they did not end up as Daren Johnson did, was.
"Okay," said the leader. "Tell me again what we know."
The remaining two men, one Cardassian, the other a Terran, looked at each other with a wary unease, both hesitant to say anything that might get them further into trouble.
"The package arrived as expected," began the Terran. "We waited until they were both cleared through Customs and Immigration."
"That's right," agreed the Cardassian. "Just as Johnson planned it. They didn't suspect a thing until we intercepted them."
"But…" prompted the leader.
"But the woman resisted."
"As did the man," replied the Terran. "We showed them we meant business and they calmed down for a second but before we could get them out of the Terminal, the woman managed to break free."
"Damn Bajorans," said the Cardassian. "Damn religious Bajorans at that. They just don't know when to cooperate."
"So she ran," commented the leader.
"Jones went after her," continued the Cardassian. "While I stayed to cover the man. Everything was fine until he decided to try for my disruptor…"
"So you shot him."
"And I shot him," agreed the Cardassian.
"I suppose you shot the woman," the leader asked of the one called Jones.
"No," replied Jones emphatically. "Security shot her by accident. They were aiming for me."
"And the child?"
"By the time I caught up with her," said Jones looking decidedly uneasy. "She no longer held the child. She must have handed her off to someone else as she pushed her way through the crowds. It's the only explanation."
"You're right," replied their leader. "Our sources have had a look at the Security recordings. Lucky for you, she handed the child over to some Cardassian who then boarded a transport to Deep Space Nine."
"Imagine that," said the Cardassian clearly relieved. "Saved us the trouble of having to take the child there ourselves."
"Do not consider yourself off the hook just yet," warned their leader. "Someone still has to retrieve the child in time for the Eclipse. Remember gentlemen, the child is the key, without her, our plans will not succeed."
The two men looked at each other with growing unease.
"Right boss," said the one called Jones. "We'll get right on it."
"You'd better. But first," replied the leader indicating the body of Daren Johnson. "Clean up this mess."