"Data, usual schedule for you, it will help the station as well in regards to the news that Odo is alive, but that announcement will have to wait for the official announcement from Starfleet so what happened here just now is not to be discussed with anyone outside this shift, I will tell Doctor Bashir personally once he's out of surgery because he needs to know about Odo for complicated reasons"
"Yes sir"
An hour later and Bashir was in Sisko's office learning about the fact that Odo was actually alive
"Sir...what about his people?, they were told..."
"We'll tell them after the official announcement Doctor Bashir, though to be honest I don't know if we should lie to them about who abducted him and made us think he was dead or not because of the nature of Section 31"
"We'll figure something out, but for now it's good to know that Odo's alive"
"Indeed it is, now then I do believe you have patients you need to look after, tell Data I want him checked out just to make sure that the emotion chip isn't creating an instability after the shock of today, I would have sent him down earlier but unfortunately..."
"I know, I heard the alarms during surgery"
Bashir leaves the office and goes over to Data and taps his shoulder and then whispers in his ear, Data simply nods and whispers something in Kira's ear and then leaves with Bashir making the group wonder what the Doctor needed from Data this time considering their routine meetings at random intervals over the years. Once in the infirmary Bashir does a check on Data and clears him of any emotional instability with the chip being as active as it was
"The thing I don't understand is the whole thing that happened to Odo after all..."
"I have researched that very thing and it turns out that his office was not as secure as we believed"
"How did that get missed?"
"I do not know, I have yet to figure that part out, as it is the security issue was subtle enough that I almost missed it myself"
"I see...you're upgrading the security before you leave if at all possible aren't you?"
"Indeed I am Doctor Bashir"
"I'm helping then, I hate that group just as much if not more than you for what they've done to me in the past, plus I'm still angry at them for the virus they created that almost killed Odo and his people"
"Very well"
"What about both of your quarters?"
"Those are as secure as needed, as is the communication system, his office is the only place that is not as secure as it should be for reasons unknown"
"We'll be fixing that though, and I might try and do what Odo would do and investigate for myself why his office isn't as secure as it should be"
"Very well, Doctor I know that you are needed here on the station but I was wondering if you would like to see Odo before the Enterprise leaves"
"I think everyone is going to want to see Odo in person before the Enterprise leaves so I don't think you need to arrange a private meeting for the two of us"
"Understood"
"Now then, before the Enterprise gets here in two weeks we have that potential lead on Bajor to follow, and this time I'm accompanying you not as a fellow person out to take down Section 31 but as a doctor, there's apparently been some sort of plant discovered that could help with pain relief and burns that I need to look at for myself to make sure that Bajorans can indeed have that plant due to the fact that the plant isn't found on Bajor but another planet entirely"
"Understood, if I need you I will call you"
"Same here Data"
Four days later and both Bashir and Data were back on DS9, Data's lead had gone nowhere's while Bashir was still unsure about the plant being helpful for Bajoran's, but he had at least confirmed that no harm would come to them if they were exposed to the plant in an attempt to help them
"I am sorry that you are having trouble with the plant Doctor Bashir"
"Such is the medical field Lt. Commander"
"Understood"
"Data...there's something we need to talk about regarding Odo's return, something you need to know, in my quarters after shift tonight"
"Very well Doctor Bashir, if you are certain"
"Very certain Data"
"Understood, your shift ends before mine so you will be waiting"
"I know that Data, but I don't even trust my office on this one if only because of the risk of lip readers, some of my Bajoran staff have gotten real good at that lately because of the necessity after I was locked in my office for way too long during that incident"
"Ah, that is why we have not discussed the secondary mission in your office since that incident"
"Exactly"
"Understood, secrecy is of the upmost importance in that mission, is that why Odo needs to be discussed in your quarters?"
"No, however I don't know if Starfleet Command has revealed that he's alive, and I don't know when that will happen either"
"Understood"
Late that night Data enters Bashir's quarters and sees that Bashir was waiting for him
"Hello, Data, I just finished my meal and now we can talk about Odo"
"Indeed, what do you want to talk about?"
"That besides the fact that these past three years has potentially had an impact on Odo's mental well being there's also other things that Odo might be dealing with physically, we have no clue what Section 31 has done to him over the years and it could affect him physically in ways that's not obvious yet, there's also the fact that he has no idea what our research has revealed, and also the fact that you never found his location in all this time which means that they potentially have a location that they can keep secret and keep people against their ideals indefinitely"
"The Horatio found Odo on a planet though with no life signs"
"You know as well as I do that most likely that means that Section 31 has abandoned that location, if not then they had a means that they figured that no one would want to try and live on that planet"
"Until people did"
"Exactly"
"I will be alert for any problems"
"Good"
The rest of the two weeks passed peacefully, the day after Bashir and Data met regarding Odo Starfleet Command revealed to the fleet about Odo's survival which meant that Sisko could announce that development to those most affected, knowing that Quark would find out in his own usual way. Once that news was out Bashir and Data could talk more openly about Odo where ever they were, and Odo's replacement also talked about him to both because while she was not involved in the Section 31 mission she knew that Data was constantly with Odo and Bashir was the station doctor, as such she needed to have a general idea of what her boss might be like in three months time from Bashir while with Data she warned him that if he hurt her boss she would figure out a way to hurt him because Odo trusted Data in a way that he trusted no one else, not even Sisko, and Data knew that was because of their experience together being thought dead, and cloaked because of Section 31
"I will do my best not to cause him harm, I will also help Councilor Troi in helping heal from the damage done to Odo during the years he has been missing"
"Very well I'll accept that as good enough, but don't forget my promise if he's harmed by you"
"I will not"
"Good, now then I have a station to protect and you have packing to do, the Enterprise arrives tomorrow according to the schedule I know of"
"I have already packed everything but what I need for the rest of today and tomorrow"
"Right, well I have..."
Suddenly an alarm goes off and since Data was at security he decides to see what the problem is and his android strength was going to prove to be handy because it was three Klingons, two Cardassians and an unknown for Data all in a fight and two security officers were already down as well with what would ultimately be broken limbs and concussions as well
"Well now, that was helpful, too bad you're gone tomorrow, but we'll manage incidents like these somehow"
The next day the Enterprise arrived an hour late but no one minded, the plan was for Odo and some of the other crew members of the Enterprise to disembark for about two hours due to a supply transfer being done and then all but two crew members would go back onto the ship along with Data while the two that were staying on the station waited for ships back to Earth for their new postings there, one heading to the Academy for a teaching job and one doing security on a Starfleet facility on Earth that wasn't the Academy. What Odo wasn't expecting was his crew welcoming him back after so long but there they were
"Welcome back Odo, it's good to see you alive in person and not just a viewscreen"
"It's good to be alive sir, and it's also good to see everyone again, Data you're needed on board immediately by Lt. Commander LaForge for something in Engineering"
"Understood"
Odo gets a quick update from his replacement and then the rest of the time was simply spent talking to the crew about the rest of the station situation but finally it was time to return to the Enterprise for the next three months
"Odo, is it safe to assume that we will resume the same arrangement as before on the Enterprise?"
"Yes, we're sharing your quarters still"
"It is...good to know that we are still sharing quarters"
And so they go to Data's quarters once on board and told they had two days off to get used to each other again, besides Data needed to tell Odo of what he had gone through over the past three years while Odo needed to tell Data what he'd been through for the past three years, plus Spot needed to get used to Odo again
"So...who goes first?"
"I will go first Odo since I am sure that you have already given Captain Picard and thus Captain Sisko your report of the last three years up until your rescue, I will have to thank those who rescued you in person at some point"
"Don't worry Data I thanked the crew of the Horatio for myself at the time you don't have to do the same, besides they are unaware of our Section 31 mission"
"Understood"
"So...what happened to you while I was thought dead?"
"It was not easy for me, just as I assume it was not easy for you, here is what happened
Year 1
Data and Bashir were relentless in trying to figure out how an explosive managed to get into Odo's office, but they also had to deal with the memorial service and that wasn't easy on either of them, Data was actually pulled from duty for a week due to the fact that while he didn't have emotions he had managed to overwork his systems and Sisko wasn't willing to put him back on duty until cleared by Ezri Dax. The day they gave the remains to Odo's people was hard as well and Data knew for a fact that Sisko had yet to inform Picard or Starfleet Command about Odo's loss because he was hoping that he would have answers before then, but finally Sisko said that after Data informed Picard about Odo, he would inform Starfleet about Odo's loss but first Data had to get through the greeting with Odo's people
"Was his death painful?"
"Doctor Bashir does not believe so, according to all tests done Odo's death was quick and thus painless"
"That is good to hear"
They leave soon after and then two days later Data returned to the Enterprise, alone but no one was aware that would be the case immediately, instead the Enterprise docked as usual and Data came on board alone, but initially that wasn't suspicious, after all Odo would have to update his second in command of any on going investigations and officially hand command over to them, so Picard spoke about a sensitive topic unknowingly
"Welcome back Mr. Data, how much longer is it going to take Odo to debrief his second so that they're prepared for the time that he's away?"
"There is no debrief happening Captain"
"Then where's Odo?"
"Constable Odo is dead, killed in his office due to an explosion that is still unsolved"
"I see...in my office Data, now"
And so Data is informed of the changes in the investigation into Section 31 and the rest of the first year without Odo was pretty routine, every three months switching between DS9 and the Enterprise
Year 2
The same routine as the previous year continued but finally two and a half years after Odo's death Data finally decided to input the emotion chip while on DS9 shortly before he was due back on the Enterprise in Bashir's office
"Data, are you okay?"
"I am...unsure Doctor Bashir, my memory files are integrating with my emotion chip I...I am finding that dealing with the loss of Tasha Yar and my daughter Lal is harder this time even though it has been several years since their loss, however due to the time passed it is not overwhelming me however I do not know what will happen once..."
There's a change in Data's posture but it passes briefly without Bashir being the wiser to the fact that Data had just relieved Odo's death all over again and that loss was still fresh. The next day Data was back on duty on the Enterprise and everyone could tell that there was a difference and as such he revealed he had his emotion chip partially activated, he had found quickly that full activation was not wise at the moment, two days later everyone was attacked by an entity that had messed with their minds and thus their memories and once Data was awoken he made a screeching sound that disturbed everyone. When they finally did manage to get him to talk he would only say one word over, and over and over again, Odo and with that it was obvious that Data was keenly feeling Odo's loss forcing Picard to put Data on light duty for a solid month once he was cleared by Crusher and Troi
"I'm sorry Data but it's for the best while you fully process your grief regarding Odo's loss, at least as much as you can with the chip only partially activated"
"I understand sir, am I to be stood down on the same days as last year?"
"Yes, it's for the best because you are not as efficient on those days as you would like to appear"
"Understood sir"
Data knew in a way that Picard and Sisko were right to stand him down on those days but he was also frustrated that he had to be stood down due to emotional compromise on specific days, the rest of the year was routine though
Year 3
Data was in his quarters on DS9 and was getting ready to report for duty when he asked the Stardate and realized that Sisko would stand him down if he even tried
"Three years Odo, it has been three years since your death and I still find it hard to deal with at times, I also still do not know why you died though I have gotten closer to a possible answer with it being Section 31, but if that is the case why have I not found your body yet?"
Data would have spent the entire day pent up in his rooms but the rest of the main group of DS9 wouldn't let him and drug him out of his room and did things with him as their duties allowed, they also enlisted Garak into their efforts and Garak was more than happy to distract Data from his grief regarding Odo's loss, no one knowing what would be happening in mere months. The next day things were back to normal in the emotional sense, Data was actually in the infirmary helping Bashir get free from his office (his nurses were being forced to get real good at lipreading due to the station wide power issues due to a virus that was due to Pakled sabotage) when he was called away because of a security issue. But once that was done the rest of the three months was going smoothly when near the end of the three months Odo would be found by the Horatio and DS9 would be called by the Enterprise revealing Odo's status as alive thus getting to the present
Present
"And that is basically what has happened to me over the past three years what about you?"
"Section 31 was the cause behind the explosion and my apparent death, the next three years was spent being tortured on the planet the Horatio found me at, they abandoned me about a month before my rescue, Picard has my official report regarding everything that happened to me though"
"I see"
"I might get into more depth later but right now just going into depth for Captain Picard was hard enough"
"I understand, at least you are alive still"
"Indeed, now then after the break we have an organization to take down within the confines of our regular Starfleet mission"
"Indeed"
"So where are we starting?"
"Here"