5

Bashir stood in ops, feeling frustrated and useless. He had given Kira and Sisko all the information he had, and now could only wait while security teams tried to hunt down Dax. It was obvious to the doctor that Kira felt the same way, standing beside him, drumming her fingers impatiently on a console. Sisko had joined the search, knowing Dax better than all of them, and O'Brien, Nog, and several other engineers were working at trying to pinpoint any lifesigns where there shouldn't be, or other anomalies that might give some clue as to where Ezri had gone.

"Sir!", O'Brien exclaimed suddenly, and both Kira and Bashir looked up.

"What is it, Chief?", Kira asked.

"There was an unauthorized transport from the Blessing Way about half an hour ago," the chief replied. "It's been covered really well. Very few people would know how to do that."

Kira looked displeased.

"But Dax would," she said. "Thanks to Tobin."

"I'd bet on it," O'Brien replied.

"Why didn't the Blessing Way's transporter chief pick up on it?", she asked.

O'Brien gave a mirthless laugh that was halfway to a grunt of dissatisfaction.

"She did a really good job of covering her tracks, Colonel. I only found it by luck."

Kira gave a curt nod, then tapped her combadge.

"Kira to Odo."

"This is Odo, go ahead, Colonel."

"Odo, Chief O'Brien has traced Ezri's movements to the Kejada. She beamed herself over from the Blessing Way."

"Acknowledged. Thank you, Colonel. Odo out."

Bashir was already halfway toward the lift when Odo had signed off.

"Doctor!", Kira said, and he paused, turning around.

"I have to help her," he said. "She's afraid of herself, and she came to me for help."

"She also gave you a concussion."

"Colonel, I don't think she would have if she had been feeling well. Please. She's my friend. And I'm a doctor. Let me do my job."

Kira pursed her lips, obviously unhappy to send Ezri's victim back into the fray, but then she nodded.

"All right, but be careful, Julian. Enhanced or not, that brain of yours can only take so much."

Relieved, he flashed her a smile.

"I promise," he said, then hurried into the lift and let it carry him out of sight of ops.

Sisko, Odo, and the rest of their team moved slowly through the otherwise empty Kejada. The ship had been locked down and all repair and scientific crews evacuated within ten minutes. If Sisko hadn't known Odo as long as he had, he would have been incredulous. As it was, he had made a mental note to commend the constable later for his efficiency.

They had received information from Kira that O'Brien had tracked Ezri's movements from the station to the Blessing Way then over to the Kejada. His first officer had also informed them that Bashir was on his way, and Sisko was doubly relieved, first to know that the doctor was all right, and second because he suspected that if Ezri was surrounded by people she trusted, it might be easier to reason with her.

He remembered when Joran had began surfacing in Jadzia's memories, and how the young woman had acted during that time. She had been angry and suspicious, lashing out easily at the people whom she trusted and loved. If Joran had anything to do with this, Sisko knew Ezri would have a much harder time with it, having had no preparation for becoming a host.

"Worf to Sisko," came a gruff voice over the comline that Chief O'Brien's engineers had managed to fix only hours before.

"Go ahead, Commander," Sisko replied.

"We have secured all the living quarters on deck four, and the lounge and holodecks on deck five."

"Good work, Commander," Sisko said. "Keep a contingent in that area, and take the rest of your people down to cargo bay one."

"Understood. Worf out."

"Bashir to Sisko."

"This is Sisko," the captain said, glad to hear his CMO's voice.

"I'm on the deck below you, sir. I'm on my way up now."

"Glad to hear it, Doctor. We'll wait for you here," Sisko replied, signaling to the security team to stop and wait. A few minutes later, Bashir appeared, having been armed with a phaser on his way in.

"Doctor, good to see you," Sisko said, and Odo nodded his agreement.

"Thank you, sir," Bashir replied, but looked unhappy. "I need to apologize for this. I didn't realize how serious Ezri's condition was."

"It's hardly your fault, Doctor," Sisko replied. "I don't think anyone could ever have foreseen her attacking you. Let's go. We're on our way to the operational shuttle bay. If she isn't going to transport out again, that's probably where she's headed."

Bashir nodded and fell in with the group. They arrived at the shuttle bay a few minutes later, without incident, but also without tracking any lifesigns or hints that Ezri had been there. Sisko wasn't really surprised; the way this ship had been damaged, it was a miracle they were getting tricorder readings at all. Things hadn't improved much since their search and rescue mission.

The doors were working, and hissed open benignly for them, admitting them to an apparently empty shuttle bay. There were two shuttles on the docking floor, one with a few components removed and sitting nearby. It was an eerie scene to Sisko; some engineers had been working on this, and then probably called away abruptly when the emergency had occured. All but one of the engineers on the Kejada had died; their work lay there, but there would never be anyone to finish it.

"Anything?", Sisko whispered to Odo, who was armed only with a tricorder.

"No," the security chief said. "But there's still so much interference that the readings are meaningless."

Sisko lowered his weapon so that it hung at his side, and looked around, taking another step into the shuttle bay.

"Ezri! Ezri, are you here? It's Benjamin! I need you to come out and talk to me!"

The shot caught them off guard, knocking Sisko backwards. He grunted as the pain flared through his shoulder, and dropped his phaser rifle, hearing the echoing clatter as it hit the floor. He felt someone catch him and was grateful, in a detached way, for his doctor's genetic enhancements. Bashir had him just as he'd begun to fall.

Two more shots came in tight sequence, and both of Odo's security officer's crumpled to the floor. Sisko tried to rise, but Bashir held him down, shaking his head.

"No one moves!", a commanding female voice echoed across the bay.

"All right, Counselor!", Odo called back. "We're listening!"

"Where is she?", Sisko whispered to Bashir, who had eased the captain to the ground, but was unable to do anything else.

"Up on the command deck, near the controls."

"Get her down here," Sisko ordered. "Any way you can."

Bashir nodded.

"Ezri, it's Julian! Please, let me call Doctor el Naser to get the wounded!"

"If you call anyone, I'll shoot you!"

Sisko felt Bashir's hands tense and felt his own stomach knot.

"Ezri, you don't want these people to die! I promise, we won't bring in any more security! We just need a doctor and a nurse to get these people out of here!"

"You expect me to believe that?", Ezri's angry voice carried across to the small party. "What's stopping you from surrounding this place and killing me?"

"No one wants you dead, Counselor," Odo called back in his level voice. "No one wants any dead. Let us get the wounded out."

"Ezri, listen!", Bashir called. "I looked over the medical scans I took of you! You're right: the symbiont does need to come out! I'll even do it!"

There was a pause and Sisko glanced back at the doctor, shocked.

"Don't worry, sir," Bashir said in a voice that was barely a whisper.

"Call Doctor el Naser, then!", Ezri called out. "But you stay, Julian! You don't get to go anywhere!"

"I'll stay!", Bashir agreed.

"I want you to come toward me, unarmed! If anyone tries anything, I'll shoot you!"

Sisko saw Odo start to reply, but Bashir cut him off.

"All right, I understand. I'm on my way."

Gently, Bashir eased Sisko against the wall and put his phaser aside. He put his hands up, palms out, and began walking slowly toward the center of the room, taking care not to make any sudden movements. He could just see Ezri near the control console above him, across the bay, but she was half hidden in shadows. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of Odo calling for el Naser.

The walk seemed to take years; Bashir was aware of each beat of his heart, of the echo of each of his footsteps. He expected at any moment to be shot, while at the same time knowing Ezri wouldn't risk it if she believed he would remove the Dax symbiont.

"That's far enough!", Ezri called down. "Stay right there!"

Bashir stopped, keeping his hands where she could see them, and waited.

"Now what, Counselor?", Odo called from behind him.

"Once you get Sisko and the others out, you will allow me and Julian to leave! We'll take a shuttle, and if you attempt to beam us back to the station, put a tractor beam on us, disable us, or have another ship pick us up, I will shoot him!"

"Understood!", Odo replied. "I'll make sure Chief O'Brien clears you for departure immediately. Do you know if either of these shuttles work?"

"The Alissoria is in perfect condition!", Ezri shot back.

Bashir took a deep breath to steady himself. Suddenly, someone spoke to him, a voice only he could hear, and it nearly made him drop to his knees with relief.

"Julian!", Tanner said. "I'm on the ship! That isn't just Ezri in there! Or just Dax! There's something else in her mind! I've got a good sense of it now!"

Shan, thank God!, Bashir replied, making sure to keep his thoughts as clear as possible so she could understand him. Ezri's on the command deck of shuttle bay two. If you can get there from deck thirty, you should be able to come in behind her. Can you help her?

"Yes," came the definitive reply. "But then I will probably need your help."

You have it, Bashir answered, and felt Tanner withdraw. At the same time, he heard the shuttle bay doors hiss open, and recognized el Naser's footsteps. There was another person with him, one whose steps Bashir couldn't place, so he guessed it was one of the Blessing Way's nurses. There was movement behind him, shuffling, and Bashir hoped fervently that all the wounded were able to walk out on their own.

The door on the command deck hissed open and Bashir's eyes snapped up as Ezri whipped around. Tanner was too quick for the surprised Trill, shoving the phaser rifle aside with one hand and planting her other hand firmly on the shorter woman's forehead. Bashir was running as soon as he saw Tanner's head snap back and her body shudder. He was halfway toward the ladder when Ezri collapsed, leaving Tanner standing, almost a grotesque figure, one arm outstretched, fingers splayed, head back, back arched in pain. He saw her collapse as well as he reached for the ladder and hauled himself up.

The cacophony in her head nearly deafened her. Shannon Tanner fought for a measure of self awareness, pushing back against the onslaught of memories and voices. Most of them were jumbled, all in languages she did not understand, but there was a core there, something that unified all of the din. It was telling her, very clearly, in a way that transcended language, that it could not stay there.

I know!, she shouted back, struggling to put up her mental walls.

Bashir's face appeared in her limited field of vision, then, brown eyes concerned, brow furrowed. Without thinking, Tanner put a hand on his forehead and closed her eyes against the torrent. She would feel vaguely guilty later over her relief that it was Bashir taking this, and not el Naser, but right then, there was nothing but the need, both hers and the other's, to be out of her head.

She was left alone suddenly and gasped in shock, opening her eyes again. She saw Bashir still watching her, but his expression was vaguely unfocused, somewhat confused. Perhaps he wasn't even seeing her, she realized. There was a moment of stillness, then Bashir's frown twitched, he gave the slightest of nods, and straightened up.

He stood taller than Tanner had ever seen him do, his shoulders drawn back, an expression of detached curiosity on his face. Then he looked down again, at her and the unconscious Ezri Dax, and appeared to notice them for the first time.

"Ah," he said, in a voice that was not entirely his. "This woman needs a doctor, and we understand this host is a doctor. There must be others."

Tanner coughed.

"There are," she pointed at el Naser who was running across the shuttle bay floor toward their small group.

"Good," the Bashir and not quite Bashir said. "We must speak to whoever is in charge."

"I think," Tanner said, nodding slowly, "That would be a good idea."