The Enterprise
Molly was dead.
Just moments ago she'd been alive. Alive and gasping for air like every other person in the mess hall. The ship was currently stuck in some sort of creature that devoured energy; all forms of energy. The Enterprise was dead in the water, its crew fading fast. Molly wasn't the first to die of this latest in a series of gruesome mishaps to befall the starship, but she was the only death that mattered to Marsha. The young but brilliant doctor gathered the four-year-old to her, feeling her control slipping as Miles and Keiko, her surrogate parents and father and mother to the dead child, keened their grief.
She could fix this. Indeed, she could fix this entire situation as Dr. Crusher had begged her to do three days ago. Back then she'd had faith in the crew to discover a way out of this predicament. They had always come through in the end before. And she hadn't wanted to reveal her powers. They were private, secret, her ace in the hole. So what if Beverley came to her every single time the crew was in danger? Her power was her own and she didn't particularly feel like sharing. Especially with nosy patients that were more likely to have her dissected than to appreciate her work. At least ten years the junior of every senior officer on board, Marsha Wachinski was the youngest doctor ever to be assigned a post aboard a starship. Never mind that she should have been Senior Medic, Beverly Crusher's job. Starfleet was amazingly ageist when it came to young officers. She'd dealt with the sniggers and insults the only way she could; she treated the entire crew coldly; having no friends among them and viewing them all as nothing more than patients to be treated.
It had worked perfectly until Miles O'Brien walked into her life. The Irish Chief Engineer had stormed into her life after a kayaking accident in the holodeck and refused to leave until she called him 'Dad'. Somehow he'd seen through the vicious rumor mill and the coldness of the woman herself to the lonely, socially awkward orphan who raised herself on Sabra 6. The two became two peas in a pod after that. Then Keiko came along and Marsha thought that would be the end of that. Instead, the man had included Marsha as a package deal for his affections. He and his adopted 'daughter' would either be a part of her life or neither would. Keiko had in turn taken the twenty-eight-year-old on as her own daughter when the two married, treating her as she would a true daughter. Molly had been a happy surprise for the three, Marsha automatically taking on the role of their gynecologist and helping coach them through their pregnancy like a dutiful daughter. She still refused to acknowledge the crew as anything but a bunch of patients that she would eventually have to treat, but her warmth and caring nature came to the fore when she was in the presence of the O'Briens.
And now Molly was dead.
Could she fix this? Most definitely she could. Would she fix it? That was a no-brainer. Captain Picard and his entrepid crew had obviously come up against a problem they couldn't fix. Otherwise, her little sister would still be alive. What did her powers amount to if she couldn't save the people she loved?
The first strands of the song wafted through the hall and someone had the nerve to shout for them not to waste energy. Little did they know; she was energy. She'd never sung in anyone but Beverly's presence, but she did so now.
I'm dead as dead can be
My doctor tells me
But I just can't believe him
Ever the optimistic one…
As soon as she started singing, the oxygen scrubbers kicked in. No longer were the people in Ten-Forward breathing stale, dead air. Everyone took deep breaths, listening to the song and wondering whether this would save them. Marsha continued her song, ignoring all the people around her. She was glowing in the pitch-black room. The people on the ship hadn't seen stars in days. But she glowed as brightly as one to her desperate shipmates. She stood up and walked to the front of the room, singing like an angel this song about death. Then the lights turned themselves on and everyone knew it was going to be alright somehow.
Wake up and face me
Don't play dead 'cause maybe
Someday I will walk away and say
You disappoint me. Maybe we're better off this way"...
Her singing had picked up speed with the energy of the song. People stared in disbelief, whispering in hope and fear. Others simply sat and listened. Wachinski didn't care. All that mattered was that her little sister was safely ensconced in her parents' arms. That she was alive again. All over the ship, systems were booting up and people were reviving from where they'd died.
Wake up and face me!
Don't play dead, 'cause maybe
Someday I will walk away and say
'You fucking disappoint me!
Maybe we're better off this Way!
Go ahead and play dead!
I know that you can hear this!
Go ahead and play dead!
Why can't you turn and face me?
Why can't you turn and face me?
Why can't you turn and face me
Why can't you turn and face me?
You fucking disppoint me!
The end of the song sounded and she murmured Passive-aggressive bullshit until the next song started. She was on a roll now; Beverly ordered the computer to start recording this incredible performance. She'd witnessed Marsha's work before and knew that she always capped off at three songs at a time. The second one was another that the crew had never heard of and was just as high-energy as the first. It was like the ship was using her as an energy source, repairing itself and filling its stores greedily. Marsha let it, unleashing the full extent of her power on saving the… Wait…
Penetrate, penetrate all the simple minds
They adore, what a bore
I'll be stand in line.
Dilate, dilate what's my drug of choice.
It's okay when they say
'You know, I got the voice'…
The other two ships with surviving crew began to power up as well. Marsha could sense hundreds of ships in this creature, this humongous entity. Only two ships were left that hadn't been sucked completely dry. She renewed her resolve to save all the ships she could, knowing now that the effort would likely kill her. There was a Romulan ship and a Vulcan one. Great. Now she'd have to get them all to the Neutral zone and make sure they didn't fire on each other before they were rescued. Just ducky.
Turn me on, turn me on, Mr Deadman
Yeah! I want it! I need it!
To make a million
Yeah! I love it!
A fucking rock star!
Something was calling to her now that she was using her powers to the fullest. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. A feeling like contentment just off the horizon beckoned for her. But she couldn't go there. Not yet. Molly would die again if she left now. It would have to wait. If she survived this, she had an appointment. He was waiting for her.
...Watching fate as it flows
Down the path we have chose…
You and Me, we're in this together now!
None of them can stop us now
We will make it through somehow
You and me, if the world should break in two
Until the very end of me
Until the very end of you
This was her third song. By now all three ships were fully powered up and moving into overdrive. She had to get the warp drives to the breaking point to destroy this monster that had swallowed and was digesting them. She was at her limit but…
People watched her back as she sang, so they couldn't see the blood coursing out of her eyes, nose, and ears as she pushed herself to the limit. She was using all of her power; it wasn't like when she did small experiments with the good doctor. This time she was all in. This time she was fully engaged.
"No, Wachinski," Beverly shouted frantically. She didn't know what was happening, but things felt wrong. Marsha ignored her, glowing so brightly that it was hard to look at her directly. "You don't have to-"
A beam of light shot out of her chest and up out of the ship. She was suddenly bent over backward almost floating with the force of it.
...You and me… we're in this together now
None of them can stop us now
We will make it through somehow
You and me… if the world should break in two.
Until the very end of me…
Until the very end of you…
She dropped onto her feet heavily and dropped to her knees, panting. Molly ran up to her.
"Marsha?"
"You wanna get out of here, cheeky monkey?" She used her nickname for her little sister.
"Mama wants to-"
"I didn't ask about Mama, monkey. Do you wanna get out of this cold, dark, scary place?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "But it's hurting you!"
"It killed you," she said gently, placing an arm around the little girl's shoulders to pull herself up. "Let's get out of here. One more song ought to do it."
"Marsha…"
"It's alright, monkey. I want you safe. Tell everyone to hold on tight. We're going."
Keep you in the dark,
You know they all pretend…
Keep you in the dark
And so it all begins…
The backbeat kicked in and suddenly she was glowing brighter than ever. The force of it caused the crew in the room to shut their eyes. The whole ship was lit up with the light and sounds of the woman. Three ships were revving up their engines for escape. The energy of the song built and built, people no longer just hearing it with their ears. They were seeing it, the images it invoked, with their own eyes. No one was looking at the girl anymore. They were seeing their salvation from the entity that had caught them at the beginning of the week. If she stopped right now the ships would explode, damaging the creature. Only a complete escape would destroy it.
Knowing this, the woman sang on.
I'm the voice inside your head you refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left.
I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the man that'll take you down; bring you to your knees
So who are you?
Yes who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
A break in the adrenaline rush of the song was the only warning anyone got before the idling warp drives of the three ships kicked in at an impossible speed greater than warp nine. The creature was torn apart from the force of the three ships escaping, the void of space suddenly becoming a graveyard for all the ships the girl couldn't save.
The crews learned this later. At the moment they were whipping through space, heading for the Neutral zone at warp impossible. The song was almost over and she had to book it to make it to the neutral zone with all this power behind her. They rolled to avoid a Valerian cruiser and continued on as the backbeat pumped on. She could make it. She just had to concentrate. She had focus. She could do it if she just-
What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays!
You're the Pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
The song ended abruptly and so did she. Dropping to the floor, her heart stopped pumping without the energy to move the muscle. She'd done it. She'd saved them all.
Beverly had been blown back by the g-forces of the ship when it took off. She'd felt the crack of her neck as she'd hit the back wall of the mess hall. She'd also felt the damage repair itself as they soared through space to wherever Wachinski was taking them. The older woman recovered in time to see her... Friend? Student? Successor? Drop to the deck. She ran to the woman while the others were recovering.
"Wachinski? Wachinski?" She checked her pulse and found nothing there. She put the neural stimulators on the girl and began CPR to keep her brain oxygenated.
"Mars?" Miles called out. He was still in shock from everything that was happening, but he needed to know that his daughter was alright.
"Doctor, how's my-"
"I'm trying to bring her back, Chief. I need to concentrate." She was pounding away on the young doctor's chest incessantly, desperate to restart her heart. "Come on, Wachinski. Come on!"
Without warning, a cocoon of light engulfed her causing the people gathered closest to her to be knocked back. The girl took one expansive breath and settled as if sleeping. Beverly couldn't get through the shield to check the girl's pulse, but she could see her breathing again.
The overhead announcement was almost not a surprise.
"What the hell have you people done to my ship?!" Captain Picard screamed, the slight slur in his voice signaling a concussion.
13 Months Later…
"...So, all you need to do is-"
"Is it true that you could heal me with just a song, doctor?" the curious patient asked.
"You're… Is that why you're-"
"Well, I've noticed since you've been assigned to Deep Space Nine, you haven't-"
"How did you know about-"
"Oh, my dear. No one has secrets on this station. It was very brave of you to save those ships, all those people. But think of all the good you could do if you only-"
"No. Thank you, Mrs. Garner. You can go now. Apply the cream twice a day."
"But can't you just-"
"No! No I can't. I don't do that anymore. Good day, Mrs. Garner."
"Oh, dearie.-"
"Don't 'oh Dearie' me, Mrs. Garner. You are my patient. Not my friend. Get out of this sickbay immediately or I am going to call security."
"Please, just consider-"
"Your corns are not a life or death issue, Mrs. Garner. You will live and the medicine I gave you will fix your problem. I have no desire to continue this conversation. Goodbye." The woman gave her the evil eye but left before Marsha was forced to call security. She sat down heavily on her chair at the end of the day, too tired of similar requests from her patients to think straight.
"Wachinski-"
"No!" Marsha barked, standing up angrily. "I will not- Doctor Bashir!" She deflated from her righteous fury once she saw who was addressing her. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were-"
"I take it your first day in the sickbay didn't go well?" the doctor chuckled, pulling up a chair next to her and gesturing for the exhausted fellow doctor to sit.
"No, it didn't," she answered, rubbing her head to relieve the tension headache there. "I expected to pick up where I left off, treating patients. But everyone seems to know my story and - even worse - they expect me to just burst into song for every bruised tendon and-"
"I understand your frustration, Wachinski," Julian said comfortingly. "But you have to understand, Deep Space Nine isn't like the Enterprise. We're a close-knit community, you're not going to get very far with the 'professional' routine. You might as well accept the fact that everyone already knows about your powers and expects you to use them. How many humans can glow anyway?"
"My readings may come back human, but I'm pretty sure I'm not. Human beings don't glow." She sighed heavily into her hands and rubbed her face tiredly. "I should have taken that Vulcan research vessel offer."
"Well, pardon my asking, but why didn't you?" Bashir took out his tricorder and scanned his new coworker. The readings showed nothing to suggest she was anything other than she should be, a young human woman with a traumatizing past on the Rape Planet and exceptional grades in Starfleet. The only thing amiss was the headache she had. A few buttons pressed and she sagged with relief.
"Daddy's here so…"
"You really think of the Chief as your father, don't you?"
"Of course I do! He's the closest thing to a parental figure I've ever had. His family is my family and I won't give them up for anything."
"So what was it like being experimented on by Starfleet, Wachinski?" Bashir asked eagerly. Marsha huffed out a laugh at his eagerness and gave up.
"It was… very humane. No one tortured me or tried to force my power to manifest. They basically took a few liters worth of blood samples and asked lots of questions. No big deal."
"What kind of questions?"
"Well, first they wanted to know all about my time on Sabra 6, but I don't talk about my time on the Rape Planet. There's nothing in those memories that would explain why I glow like a freak anyway. So they moved on to understanding how it all works. Everyone knows that I'm allergic to violence, they think that has something to do with my powers-"
"Wait. 'Allergic to violence'? What does that mean?"
"It means… If I were to punch you in the face right now, the force of intent would break my jaw. As it is, there's probably a bruise forming right now-"
"There is," he said in amazement looking at the ugly bruise forming on her jaw right before his very eyes. He automatically used the tricorder to fix the problem. "Has it always been like that?"
"Since the incident with the Enterprise, I've been more sensitive. I used to be able to talk about violence at least, now I can't even do that! Just another example of my freakish powers. I'm useless in a fight and always have been. I just hide behind my Hippocratic oath to-"
"Wait a minute, Wachinski. You are not a freak," the doctor said firmly, British accent clipped.
"What would you call a woman that can't even take on the Borg or the Dominion should they show up on the station? Some useless nobody that is more a liability than a-"
"I'd call that woman 'special' and 'meant for something different than cannon fodder'. I'd call that woman 'worth protecting' and 'an ace in the hole'. There's nothing useless about you, Wachinski. And by the way, you're not a 'nobody' Marsha. You-"
"Marsha's not even my real name! The officer that found me in the vents of his starship running from Sabra 6 gave me that name because I looked like I'd been crawling around in a 'marsh'. Then he gave me his last name to make it official. Even my name is a joke!" What the hell was she doing? Why the heck was she telling these private musings to a virtual stranger? She'd never been one for oversharing and any sharing at all had always been oversharing. But something about the fact that everyone already knew her biggest secret made her want to share. Damn place was contagious!
"Then change it," Julian said simply.
"'Change it'?" she blinked "To what?"
"Change it to whatever you want. If you feel that your very name is mocking you, then change it. You're 28 years old. There's no need for you to hang on to a name you got more than twenty years ago that makes you feel bad about yourself. Oh, and Marsha?"
"Yes?" she asked absently, already thinking of the possibilities.
"If I ever catch you speaking so poorly of yourself again, I'll tell your father. He and I have gotten to be rather close friends in the last couple of months after all. He would be furious to hear of you disparaging yourself, especially in front of others."
"Sorry, sir."
"Julian, Masha. Call me Julian. We are working together now, after all." He smiled disarmingly at the girl and watched as she blushed almost red under her dark skin. Clearly, she wasn't one for flirting
"Thank you, Julian. I-"
"Hey, Mars. You in here?" Marsha backed up guiltily, looking for all the world as if they'd just done a whole lot more than just talk.
"It's okay, Marsha. We've only been talking. I would never spoil your father's image of you." He made as if to tuck a stray braid behind her ear and she stepped back as if she'd been burned.
"I-I- Daddy," she cried in relief, running up to him and sounding as if she'd been in a marathon "Oh Daddy, it's been a horrific day. They all treated me like a freak!"
"Well, it's only been your first day. You have to expect they'll treat you like a curiosity, love. It's going to take some time, Mars. I know you'll fit in here just fine. You just have to give it a chance. For me?" he asked sweetly, grabbing her hands and swinging them a little. She smiled at the gesture. "Come on. I know you can do this. I mean, you just arrived yesterday. You have to stay at least a week before Starfleet will agree to a transfer anyway. Give it a chance, okay? I really think you're going to like it here."
"What makes you think I'll like it here?" she whimpered, stubbornly trying to keep the tears at bay. "Everyone knows me. Everyone knows my secret. They all-"
"Exactly. There's no more reason to hide who you are. There's no more reason to be detached from everyone. They all know your secret. You can relax now. You can let people in. And… And this is the place to do it. These people are friendly, they are open, and if you give them a chance, they'll accept you, protect you as one of their own. I wouldn't have chosen this place if I thought it wouldn't be good for you."
"You're serious?"
"I vetted this place for you," he nodded. "I knew you would need a place to rebuild, a place to just… be. After what happened on the ship… I wanted you to have a sanctuary, love. Someplace safe from prying eyes and judgment. Why do you think I'm here?" She looked up, eyes wide and vulnerable.
"Daddy?"
He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. "Two peas in a pod', remember? 'Cause I haven't forgotten. We work together, right?"
"Right," she grinned, nodding happily. "You're right, Daddy. I'll stay. Of course, I'll stay." The two hugged and Marsha sighed in contentment. No matter what this new place held, at least she was with her family.
"Why don't you run along home? Mom and Molly are waiting for you with dinner."
"Okay. Don't be long, Daddy, the food will get cold."
"I can always heat it up in the replicator," he laughed
"You always say that!"
"And I always mean it. Run along now." The girl did, truly smiling for the first time all day.
"Oh, and doctor?"
"Yes, Chief?" Julian asked, mind already on his experiments. As the evening shift kicked off, he was happy to see no patients
"If you ever hit on my daughter again, I'll break your legs, understand?"
Bashir blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. Marsha is a delicate girl. She's not one of your bimbos to be exploited. Marsha is off-limits."
"Understood, Chief," the doctor said seriously, wide-eyed. "For the record, though. I hadn't begun trying to hit on your daughter. She's just too easy of a target. Too innocent to seduce." He lost his smile as the Chief Engineer glared at him.
"You just make sure it stays that way, Julian. I'm serious. She's off-limits."
"Okay, Dad," he said sarcastically, going back to his experiments. He acted tough until the protective father left, then shuddered when he left, remembering that steely look in his friend's eyes.
"Mama?" Marsha called out as she entered her parents' habitat. "Mama, I'm- Hey Monkey!" she caught her little sister as the child flew through the air to greet her. The two play-wrestled for a bit before Keiko laughingly asked them to stop.
"Sorry, Mom," the young doctor said as she carried her sister into the dining area piggyback style.
"Mommy! Mommy! Marsha's home!"
"That's right, Molly! Why don't you set the table? I need to talk to Masha alone." She waited until Molly went into the next room before she turned and slapped her daughter hard in the face.
"How dare you scare me like that? Thirteen months! Thirteen months and no word from you? And after that display! You… You were glowing, Marsha! And then you died and you were still glowing! You disappeared-"
"Starfleet took my comatose body back to headquarters. I've been there ever since, Mom. They didn't exactly give me phone calls back home. When I woke up, it was to questions. Tons and tons of questions that meant nothing and told them even less. And let's not forget the tests. I've had probes in places I didn't - as a doctor - know existed. All to prove I'm a 100% home-grown human. There's nothing special or remarkable about me. I shouldn't have been able to do what I did back there with that monster. They deemed it a fluke and sent me somewhere to be out of the way and out of the spotlight. I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to worry you."
The older woman pulled her into a hug and held her close as she cried silently. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know it must have been hard for you. I was just so worried."
"It was… I don't want to talk about it. I'm just so glad to be back." She hugged her mother and breathed in the scent of home. Molly joined them once she was finished setting the table, and when Miles came into the apartment, it was to find his three ladies in a three-way hug.
"Hey, room for one more?" he asked with a smile. The hug opened up to include him and Ama felt the hairs on the back of her neck settle for the first time since she'd woken up alone and surrounded by scientists and strangers.
There you have it. Chapter one of a new story. I'm pretty proud of this one, and unlike my other DS9 story, the main character is on the correct station by the end of the first chapter! Marsha is going to be a blast to write. I'm sure you can all tell that I have big plans for her. She's not going to be a Mary Sue, don't worry. See you all next time to see where this story is going.
Perfect Circle - Passive
Union Underground - Turn Me On Mr. Deadman
Nine Inch Nails - We're in This Together Now
Foo Fighters - The Pretender