Author's Note: My apologies to everyone who's been waiting for this! It's been an extremely busy week, and it's only going to get busier next month!
4
Ezri Dax scowled at the sound of laughter coming from the entrance to the infirmary. She lurked in the shadows of an empty examination room, listening to Bashir and el Naser catch up briefly as Bashir came on duty and el Naser went off. She had slipped in here, unnoticed by el Naser, knowing that the doctors were about to change shifts. She heard them bid good-bye to each other, then heard the infirmary doors hiss open and shut again.
She moved from the shadows, catching a brief glimpse of her reflection in a powered down console. Well, a reflection. It was her again. Ezri didn't know who she was, but it wasn't her face. Instead of the short dark hair, pale skin and distinctive Trill markings, she kept seeing a woman with long, grey-white hair, silvery skin and pale green-grey eyes. She had never seen any race like that before, and certainly none of her previous hosts looked like that. She had wracked their memories and come up empty handed there, too. All she knew for sure, somehow, was that the woman's name was Hin'Adri.
Already, Ezri wanted nothing to do with her.
"Julian!", she whispered and saw Bashir start, then look into the room.
"Computer, lights," he said and the room lit up. He frowned in confusion at her and she beckoned him inside urgently.
"Ezri? What is it?"
"Computer, shut the door," Ezri said. Bashir looked startled as the door hissed shut. "Julian, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?", the doctor asked. "What's wrong?"
"I need you to remove the symbiont."
He blinked, then stared at her for half a second.
"I'll do no such thing," he said flatly, automatically, then paused another fraction of a second. "Ezri, why in the world would you ask me to do something like that? You know that would kill you!"
"There must be a way it wouldn't!", she said. "Julian, I can't take this anymore! I'm going crazy!"
"Slow down, slow down," he said. "Come over here and sit down. Tell me what's going on."
"I'm losing my mind. Mine. I mean Ezri."
"Well, some confusion can be expec–"
"No! Not like this! This isn't just a case of having problems sorting out my pronouns! Julian, I'm remembering things that I can't possibly know! Yesterday I remembered something from Commander Raza's point of view! Today, whenever I catch a glimpse of myself, I see some alien woman I've never met before, and I don't even know what race she is! This symbiont is taking over! You need to get it out!"
"Ezri, even if I thought that was a good idea, I can't take it out without you dying."
"You're a good doctor, Julian," Ezri insisted. "You'd find a way."
Bashir shook his head at her, picking up a medical tricorder and flipping it open.
"I didn't find a way to keep Jadzia alive without it," he replied. "You know that." He began running a scan on her. Ezri glowered at him.
"It's different with me," she insisted. "I never wanted to be joined. I was never ready for it. I think Dax is rejecting me."
Bashir shook his head.
"If Dax was rejecting you, we'd have known by now. Ezri, listen, your isoboromine levels are just fine . There's absolutely no problems in the neural connections between you and Dax. Your adrenalin and serotonin levels, however, are higher than normal. Let me give you something for that."
"No!", Ezri protested. "I don't want to be sedated! I want you to listen to me! Something's happening and it needs to stop!"
Bashir put the tricorder aside and began preparing a hypospray.
"I am listening to you," he said in an infuriatingly patient voice. "And I'm going to figure out what's going on. But you need to calm down, first. Having hormone levels that high isn't healthy for you or the symbiont."
He turned to her, hypospray in hand and Ezri saw her future suddenly, in a tight, narrow tunnel that began here and ended with being drugged for the rest of her life, no one believing what she said, calling her insane.
She grabbed the tricorder without thinking and smashed it against the side of Bashir's head. He grunted, dropping the hypospray and staggered, one hand reaching for the biobed. Ezri hit him again, then jumped from the bed as he fell, pulling off her combadge. She took his as well, and tossed them in a corner as she ran out the door, hearing it shut again behind her. She ran from the infirmary, then stopped, aware that she'd catch someone's attention if she kept that up.
Where to?, she thought wildly.
Out of the back of her mind came the answer: the ship!
Which ship?, Ezri thought in panic.
Any ship!
She nodded to herself, setting her jaw, and hurried into the nearest turbolift.
"Docking ring," she ordered, gripping the handrails as the lift began its ascent.
"Ow," Tanner muttered, putting a hand to her left temple.
"What's the matter?", el Naser asked from behind her.
"Someone just–", she started, then shook her head. She glanced over her shoulder at her husband, who was standing behind the couch, having stopped on his way across the room. "Do you have a headache?"
"No, I don't. What is it?"
"It felt like someone just hit me," she replied, rubbing her temple. "I– Julian! Someone just hit Julian!"
"El Naser to DS9 infirmary!", her husband snapped. "Julian, can you read me?"
There was a moment of silence.
"Julian!", el Naser said again. "Please copy!"
"Bashir… here," came the muzzy reply and el Naser shot Tanner a look.
"He's barely there," she replied shortly.
"El Naser to DS9 security. There's an emergency in the infirmary on your station. Meet me there!"
Without even awaiting an acknowledgement, he barked an order to have their computer authorize an emergency transport for both of them to the infirmary. Seconds later, they materialized, and Tanner pointed at a set of closed doors.
"In there," she said.
They hurried in and found Bashir half conscious on the floor, one hand pressed against his forehead.
"Shannon?", el Naser asked.
She grunted, gritting her teeth and shaking her head.
"Too disoriented," she replied, putting up her mental shields again as she crouched in front of her old friend. She and el Naser manhandled Bashir onto the biobed, and el Naser grabbed a tricorder that had fallen to the floor and began scanning him.
"Julian," he said. "Can you hear me?"
"There are Romulans…", Bashir slurred. "All over the station…"
"What?", Tanner snapped.
"I don't think he means that," el Naser replied. They both looked up when security poured into the room, accompanied by a shocked nurse Jabara, who immediately hurried over to el Naser and began assisting him.
"What happened here?", Odo asked curtly.
"It appears someone attacked him, but we don't know who," el Naser replied.
"How did you find him?", the security chief asked.
"I called down here to ask him something," el Naser lied smoothly. "I barely got a response."
"Sir, look at this," of the Bajoran deputies said, picking something up from the floor. He held two Starfleet combadges in his hand. Odo took them.
"Computer, identify the owners of these combadges," he ordered.
"Doctor Julian Bashir and Counselor Ezri Dax."
"What happened to Dax?", Odo asked, looking at Tanner.
"She wasn't here when we arrived," Tanner replied.
Odo looked displeased, his not quite properly formed features darkening.
"That means whoever attacked Doctor Bashir was probably after Counselor Dax."
"No," came a groan from the bed. Odo hurried over, circling the bed to stand out of el Naser and Jabara's way as they worked on their patient. Tanner moved closer as well, frowning at her friend.
"What do you mean, Doctor?", Odo asked.
Bashir licked his lips and grimaced slightly.
"It was Ezri," he managed thickly.
Tanner saw the surprise on the faces around her, and felt it ripple through the air.
"Dax attacked you?", Odo demanded.
Bashir nodded, then winced.
"With a tricorder."
"Why would she do that?", Odo demanded.
"She thought the symbiont was driving her crazy."
El Naser looked up, his eyes dark.
"We need to tell Commander Raza, then," he said. "If we have a joined Trill whose having problems with her symbiont, we're not facing one but several frightened and angry people. If Counselor Dax did this to Julian, she might be dangerous if she feels anyone else is trying to threaten her."
"Agreed. But I don't want her harmed."
"Joran," Bashir said.
Odo frowned.
"I'd thought of that, Doctor. If he somehow overtook her mind, we could be facing more than just an angry Trill. We need to find her quickly. Jian, Revik, get the rest of the teams organized, and get help from the Blessing Way's security staff as well. We're going to have to make a thorough sweep of the station. With Dax's knowledge of DS9, she could be hiding anywhere, particularly anywhere that the internal sensors are weak or non-existent. I don't want anyone harming her. Stun her if you need to to bring her in, but that's it. This is not a criminal we're dealing with, but an officer who needs our help. Paol, you're with them, Varet, you're with me."
"Yes, sir," the Bajoran officers agreed and hurried out. Varet remained behind, accepting the combadges from Odo.
"Doctor, can you tell me anything else?", the Changeling pressed.
"Not in this state he can't, Constable," el Naser said as Bashir shook his head slowly.
"All right," Odo said, obviously displeased, but apparently unwilling to press the point. "We'll go inform Sisko. He's known Dax through three lifetimes; if Ezri's going to trust anyone, I hope it will be him."
Tanner nodded and el Naser gave a distracted grunt, focused more on his patient than on the security chief. Odo gave Tanner a curt nod and left with his deputy. Tanner stood back, easing herself gently into Bashir's mind. He sensed her instantly and clung to her. The relief and gratitude washed over her like a cold wave and she gently tempered his mind from the confused adrenalin rush back toward its normal state. El Naser gave him an injection that helped clear his head, and then something for the pain, which Tanner could feel much more vividly now that she was inside Bashir's currently disoriented mind.
"That should do it," el Naser said. "Thank you, Jabara." The nurse nodded, putting the hypospray into a sterilization chamber. "How do you feel Julian?"
"I've been better," Bashir managed. El Naser helped his patient sit up slowly, and Tanner backed out of Bashir's mind gently. "But all right."
"Good. She didn't do much damage."
Bashir grimaced.
"It certainly feels like she did. I had no idea Ezri was so strong."
El Naser nodded.
"Joined Trills are always full of surprises. Jabara, can you go check on Sedtha? She shouldn't be left unattended too long."
The nurse nodded and left the room. When the doors hissed shut behind her, both men turned to Tanner. She pursed her lips unhappily.
"I can try," she said.
"Please," Bashir said. "I know you have trouble with joined Trill. But we can't just abandon her. Ezri wouldn't normally do this. She's not herself."
Tanner nodded and closed her eyes, focusing quickly. Then she reached out, searching the station, looking for a hint of one mind with many facets. There was an amazing array of life surrounding her, minds babbling to themselves, thoughts rising and falling, like musical scales. Different people flitted in and out of her field of focus, leaving small, half formed thoughts or jumbles of words and emotions trailing after them.
Then a flood of memories and images from one place assailed her. Tanner gasped, and felt a pair of strong hands wrapping around her arms, keeping her from falling. Another similar mind joined the fray, and thoughts clashed at cross purposes, mingling with each other so that she thought she might drown in the sea of former lives, former personalities.
With a gasp of effort, she extricated herself, pressing the palms of her hands over her eyes. Purple and black spots danced in front of her when she pulled her hands away, but cleared quickly.
"Anything?", Bashir asked.
Tanner shook her head.
"I got Raza, and Lieutenant Dein," she replied. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Ezri is out there. I'll try again."
"You don't have to," Bashir said.
She gritted her teeth and nodded at him.
"I appreciate that, Julian, but this is probably the quickest way to find her."
Tanner reached out again and this time did find Ezri, almost instantly. The shock hit her so hard that her knees buckled and she hit the floor this time, barely aware that she was reaching out physically as well until someone gripped her hands. Tanner felt blinded by the memories coursing through Ezri Dax, felt them start to flood her, so that they became her own, and she began to fade into the background, making room for those seeking, moving, conquering…
It cut off abruptly as something cold touched the skin on her neck. Tanner blinked, swaying slightly, eyes refocusing on her husband, who was watching her with concern and a glimmer of fear in his eyes.
"What?", she managed.
"Neural inhibitor," he replied. "What happened, Shannon?"
Tanner rubbed her eyes again, feeling weary as El Naser helped her onto the bed Bashir had just vacated.
"I got her, or she got me. I can't tell. That didn't feel right, for a Trill. It was too much. And it didn't make any sense. It was as if– It was as if there were several people living in her mind, not just memories from past host lives."
"Where is she?", Bashir asked.
"Not on the station," Tanner said.
"Computer, how many ships are currently docked at the station?", Bashir asked, glancing up toward the ceiling.
"There are currently fifteen ships docked at Deep Space Nine," the computer replied.
"If I were trying to run, I would head for a ship, too."
"But which one?", el Naser said.
"There are two Klingon ships, at least," Bashir said. "Both Curzon and Jadzia had an affinity for Klingon culture, and a number of Klingon friends. She could easily have headed for something that's familiar to her."
"Wouldn't Starfleet vessels be just as familiar?", Tanner asked, regaining her mental balance bit by bit. "Jadzia was a Starfleet officer, Curzon was a diplomat for the Federation, and Ezri is an officer. Or maybe she headed for a private transport ship. She might expect us to think she'd boarded a Klingon or Starfleet ship."
Bashir nodded, displeased. He tapped his combadge.
"Bashir to Ops."
"Kira here. Doctor, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Colonel, thank you. You need to lock down all the ships docked here. I think Ezri may have left the station and boarded one of them."
"We've already done that, Julian," Kira replied. "Do you know anything else that we don't?"
"It's just a hunch, Colonel."
He heard Kira sigh over the comline.
"All right. Kira out."
He sighed as well, exchanging looks with Tanner and el Naser.
"Now what?", he asked.
"Now I'm relieving you from duty for this shift," el Naser said firmly. "And don't argue!", he added when Bashir opened his mouth to dispute the other doctor's orders. "I know doctors make the worst patients, but believe me, Julian, I will make the worst physician you ever have if you don't listen right now. Deraan can work another shift; I pulled a double shift for him yesterday. I don't want anyone who has been injured or who is distracted caring for Lieutenant Sedtha. I suggest you go back to your quarters and rest."
Tanner watched the battle of wills that raged for a moment between the two doctors, then Bashir conceded with a scowl.
"I'll take the shift off," he replied, "But I could probably be of some help to Ezri. She came to me, after all."
El Naser crossed his arms, but nodded.
"That's not up to me," he said. "This isn't my station."
Ezri Dax crouched in an abandoned Jefferies tube, straining her hearing as hard as she could. She was certain they were on her trail now, and she didn't know how long she had until they began searching the Kejada. She would need to get to the nearest operational shuttle bay. She remembered Chief O'Brien saying that one of the bays had escaped most of the destruction visited. The whole ship seemed to have been affected that way. Entire systems were left undamaged, while others would probably never be repaired.
She had a phaser rifle slung across her back, complements of an unguarded, unlocked weapons locker. After all, since everyone who boarded the ship was recorded, any theft, especially of weapons, wouldn't be too hard to pin down.
Ezri hadn't boarded via security, however. She had boarded the Blessing Way, which was not restricted to Starfleet officers, and, using Tobin's experience as her guide, was able to beam herself from one ship to the other, unnoticed. Now, she only needed to get to a shuttle and freedom would be hers. She could hide in the badlands until they stopped looking for her; she had enough piloting experience to do so fairly safely. Then she could go somewhere, Trill perhaps, or maybe to the doctors who had enhanced Bashir, and have the damn symbiont removed. She was certain they would do it on Trill, once they saw how it was affecting her.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, in a language with which Ezri was becoming more and more familiar, much to her dismay, Hin'Adri was screaming at her to stop and go back. Fortunately, the woman seemed little more than an echo of something. She ignored the unwanted stowaway in her brain and began climbing the ladder to the next level. There, she forced open another Jefferies tube whose controls had been shorted out, climbed in, dragged the metal door closed again behind her, and began to crawl.