~ Hidden Memories ~
by Mijra
Note on the timeline:
This story takes place in the fourth season. It's almost canon-oriented – although what happens in this story would never make it into the series:)
Category:
Contains some darker topics (as always…) with a lot of angst, so please be warned! There is a reason why this here is rated as "T". However, no slash, sexual content or strong language.
Disclaimer: Neither Star Trek nor DS9 or its characters belong to me. They're all Paramount's – unfortunately ^^
Notes from the author (April 2013):
This here is a brush-up version of the original published in 2004. The content remains the same – I just made it a little more readable… It might take some time to replace all the chapters with their updated version so to discern between the old and new chapters, I'll leave out the "Hidden Memories" in each chapter titel of the new version.
,
- Prolog –
"It is time..."
Captain Benjamin Sisko woke with a start. Faint light was slanting in through the viewport of his bedroom, bathing the room in a cool and gloomy twilight. Tiny, white stars were streaking by outside the viewport, slowly enough that you wouldn't notice if you didn't pay closer attention. But still way too fast for someone who had grown up under the vast sky of New Orleans. It was strange but even after all these years in space, he still hadn't gotten used to the deliberate, artificial distinction between day and night here in space. Or perhaps he was just not yet ready to. Blinking several times against the darkness around him, he cast an uncertain look at the chronometer.
0300 hours. Still in the middle of the night. He ran a sweaty hand over his sleepy eyes and sighed. Had it been a dream? He could have sworn that he'd heard voices...
He propped himself on his elbows, listening once more attentively into the silence of his quarters. And if he concentrated hard, he could swear he could still hear them. It sounded like faint whispers that came drifting through the door of his bedroom. They were too far away to make out their words. But if his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, they came from the living room.
He frowned.
Reluctantly, he shoved the bedcover aside and stood, trying to overcome his sleepiness. The closer he made it to the living room, the more distinctive the voices became.
No sooner had he crossed the threshold to the adjoining living room, than he suddenly found himself in the brightly-lit infirmary. He instantly brought up one arm to cover his eyes against the unexpected brightness, his pulse quickening.
"It is time."
He spun around, startled by the sudden nearness of the voice. When his eyes had somewhat adjusted to the unnatural brightness that was enveloping him like a glowing, pulsing cocoon of light, he saw Dax watching him out of deep, expressionless eyes. When their gazes met, though, he instantly knew that it wasn't really his old friend staring back at him. And the realization didn't even surprise him. He knew all this. He had been here before.
"Time? For what?" he asked, his heartbeat slowly coming back to normal now that he had made sure that he was in no immediate danger.
"Linear existence. A point that has to be passed for other linear points to occur. The point is just about to arrive..." It was Kira who had spoken. The Bajoran major was watching him out of the same timeless and unfathomable dark eyes as Dax.
"What point? What's going to happen?" he asked with a rising sense of alarm.
A flash of light – and he was standing in OPS.
"Danger has arisen."
He hastily turned toward the disembodied voice – just to look into the swollen face of the Ferengi bartender.
"What danger?" he demanded again, shaking his head in confusion. "Danger to Deep Space Nine?" His brows furrowed. "Is it the Dominion?"
Dax' face didn't betray the slightest hint of emotions when she finally said: "He, who has lost his place among you, is aware of the danger. You have to find him. The existence of our kind is in danger."
About to speak up, he didn't have the chance to question them further when his vision was all at once drowned in another dazzling flash of light. With a groan, he reflexively squeezed his eyes shut, but the vision had vanished as fast and unceremoniously as it had come. It took a moment for his vision to return, but when it did, he found himself standing yet again motionless and with pounding heart in the middle of his dark quarters.
"You alright Dad? I heard your voice..."
He had to blink several times until the dark, shadowy figure standing in the door frame opposite him became discernible in the still dim-lit room. Running a hand over his head, he pressed his lips into a thin, contemplative line.
"It's okay, Jake. I couldn't sleep, that's all," he finally sighed, watching his son nod skeptically before he stifled a yawn and left his father alone in the elsewise deserted living-room.
Still unsure what to make of their sudden visit, it took Sisko a moment to understand what they were trying to tell him.
Danger.
It was their way of asking for his help. The Prophets had given him all he needed to know – and probably all he'd ever get from them – and now it was up to him to take action...