5

The temperature had dropped enough overnight that there was frost clinging to the leaves the next morning. Bashir and Narayan packed up their camp quickly, not wanting to linger, and ate their breakfast of rations while walking. Bashir eyed the sky; it had cleared up, and he hoped the weather would hold, so that they could have some real food for dinner that night. Narayan had told him to keep an eye out for berries, and they picked what they could as they went, each using an emptied water flask as a container.

The walking was easier that day, as the river had widened somewhat, allowing them access to the rocky and sandy bank most of the time. Around mid-afternoon, though, they came to a tributary following into the river which they had been following, and they stopped, looking at it critically. It was flowing fast and wide where it spilled into the larger river, and it seemed unsafe to cross at the mouth.

"We'll hike in a couple hundred meters and see if it's any narrower," Narayan said.

Just under one hundred meters upstream, the river did narrow enough to make the crossing easier. Bashir scanned it with his tricorder.

"It looks like it's about forty centimeters deep at the deepest point," he said.

Narayan nodded.

"Well, we might get our pants a bit wet, but there's nothing for it. Let's go."

They removed their boots, socks, and thermal pants, cramming them into their packs, and rolled up the legs of their uniform pants.

"It will be extremely cold," Bashir said. "We need to move as quickly as possible; neither of us needs to get sick."

"Right," she agreed. "Take my hand."

She stretched her hand back to him and he clasped it, following her. He gasped as the icy water hit his feet and ankles, then winced as he waded further into the current. He could see the tendons in Narayan's neck straining, she had her jaw set so hard. After only a few seconds, the muscles in the backs of Bashir's legs began to tense up against the cold and he hissed under his breath, forcing himself to keep going. The crossing wasn't wide here, only about five meters, but it was five meters of hell. Bashir tried to concentrate on something else, and kept his eyes on Narayan, who was picking their path carefully but fairly quickly. It was the first time he'd been able to watch her on this trek; normally, he was out in front. She was watching everything, eyes darting everywhere. He'd seen that kind of look in security officers before; she was drinking in as much detail as she could as quickly as she could.

They reached the opposite bank and, gasping, came out of the water.

"Ow, ow, ow," Bashir complained under his breath. Narayan was wincing and rubbing her calves, trying to shake some circulation back into her feet.

"Rocks again, I think," she said, and they very quickly gathered up a small pile of stones and heated it up with a phaser. They sat on the rocky bank, warming their feet until their legs were dry and the chill was gone from their bones. Then they put their boots, socks, and thermal pants back on. Narayan looked around, frowning, then beckoned him to follow her. She stopped at a sandy patch, and pointed at it. There were tracks in the wet sand.

"There's some sort of animal around here," she said. "We need to be careful. I'll lead now."

He nodded, happy to follow her for the moment. She guided them back to the larger river and they climbed up the bank, away from the tributary. Narayan was keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings, and they walked in silence for half an hour, before she stopped and turned back to him.

"I think we're safe now, but we'll keep our ears open."

"Easily done for both of us," he commented dryly. She only raised an eyebrow in return. Bashir moved in front of her, then stopped, turning back.

"You're not really a pilot, are you?", he asked.

Shocked, she blinked, staring up at him.

"What? Yes, I am," she replied.

"All right," Bashir conceded. "Then you're not just a pilot."

Narayan was silent for a moment.

"Intelligence?", Bashir asked.

She crossed her arms, looking displeased.

"How did you know? Are you?"

He shook his head.

"No. I just watched you. You seemed to know too much since the moment I met you. You notice everything. You're always listening. The pilots I know are very observant, but not so much as you. And they don't have the array of knowledge you have."

She sighed, then nodded.

"All right, yes, I am a Starfleet Intelligence officer."

"What's your real name?"

"My real name is Syreeta Narayan," she replied.

"What are we really doing here?", Bashir asked.

"Doctor, if you think this is some sort of plot, think again. You can't possibly be that important, no matter what you might think of yourself. We're stranded here, and two of my crewmates are dead. If this was an intelligence mission, it would be a really poorly arranged one. What could Starfleet possibly gain by stranding two officers on some unknown planet in the Gamma Quadrant? Do you have all sorts of state secrets from the Romulans or Cardassians you'd like to share with me? Believe me, if I thought you had any valuable information, I could get it from you much more easily and subtlety than by asking outright."

"Well, I am enhanced," he pointed out. "Starfleet Intelligence might want something from me."

Narayan crossed her arms, a dark look flashing through her eyes.

"And this is how they'd get it? Doctor, think. Why would we bring you here, of all the damned places in the galaxy? I am stranded here, too, and I've lost two people. If Intelligence wanted anything from you, they'd have sent someone to the station. From what I understand of DS9, it's a hotspot for intelligence operatives from all kinds of political entities." She paused shake her head once. "Believe me, I have no more desire or reason to be here than you do. I just want to go home. That's it. Home. Do you understand that?"

Bashir nodded, feeling guilty, although he realized his suspicions had initially been justified. He had more or less accused her setting this up, without sparing a thought to the two dead crewmates she'd left behind. He hadn't actually been to her shuttle, of course, the long range sensors in the Orinoco had showed him very clearly where it was.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

"Trust me, you get used to it after awhile," she replied. "Now, let's go."

He stayed close enough to her that they could talk.

"Why did you join? Can you answer that?"

"They recruited me in my second year at the Academy," Narayan replied. "I caught their eye in my admittance physical. It was the enhanced hearing. I'm surprised they never tried to recruit you."

Bashir sighed, glancing back at her.

"Only a few people knew until very recently that I'm enhanced," he said. "I kept it to myself, for the most part. I didn't think Starfleet would accept me if they knew. After all, it is against the law."

He glanced over his shoulder again and found her staring at him in shock, although she was still walking.

"Really?", she asked, her voice incredulous.

"Yes. I know I should have told them, but I couldn't risk it. I'm not Khan Singh." He wondered who he was trying to convince: her or himself. "I just wanted to be a doctor. I didn't ask to be enhanced."

"Neither did I," Narayan reminded him.

"Still, this was a deliberate choice that my parents made. Did your parents have any say in it?"

"Not that I know of," Narayan replied. "Maybe. I'll never know. It doesn't matter. What's done is done."

"For you," Bashir sighed.

"Starfleet obviously kept you," she pointed out.

"Yes," he had to admit. "My father's serving a prison term for it."

"If Starfleet kept you, then why does it bother you so much? You've obviously proven yourself well enough in your posting to keep your commission and your freedom. Like you said, it wasn't your choice."

Bashir nodded, but inwardly didn't agree. But she wouldn't understand it, no one did.

"Let's pick up the pace a bit," Narayan said. "We should be able to make up some time today."