Chapter Nineteen: The Waiting Game
On the bridge of the Defiant, Kira paces in front of the captain's chair. Having developed no better plan, the crew is racing to the Founder homeworld. Though capable of greater speeds, the Defiant is travelling at warp eight. As she paces, Kira steals glances at the streaks of light on the main display.
We're no good to either of them if we push the ship too hard. We don't have the people we did during the war. Whoever we brought along, I can't assume they could make emergency repairs.
The cloaked Cardassian ship has a head start but, assuming it's travelling at warp six to avoid detection by the Dominion's sensitive sensor technology, the Defiant will easily reach the Founder homeworld first.
Which doesn't mean a damn thing if we can't find them.
Kira left Julian behind to study samples of the strange books found in the cargo bay, but they won't be able to receive a report from him until the station's long-range communications are restored.
To pass the time, Ezri lectured the bridge crew on how repairs to Deep Space Nine's communications would be moot if it weren't for the new wormhole relay. The Dominion destroyed the original communication relay when they poured into the Alpha Quadrant two years ago and 'allied' themselves with Cardassia.
"The Cardassians realized that mistake quickly enough," Ezri had said during her impromptu history lesson.
Given the instability of the Gamma Quadrant and vulnerability of the Alpha Quadrant after the war, replacing the relay and associated listening posts was a high priority for the Federation.
Kira had largely ignored the conversation. She doesn't care about communications details; she wants answers.
Are we truly dealing with a biological weapon targeting the Founders? Can we neutralize it? Will we find that ship in time? Is Chris alive?
Kira's pacing stops. She leans against a console beside the captain's chair and closes her eyes.
The Prophets delivered him to Deep Space Nine; surely they're watching out for him. Ezri's right: he's hiding. He'll be fine. We'll get him back.
Kira's thoughts are blatant denial and a crude attempt to forget that the Prophets explicitly placed Chris in her care. In any event, she doesn't want to consider the possible outcomes of Chris being in custody. Unfortunately, an idle mind tends to wander.
If they find him and he tries to fight, they'll kill him for sure.
Kira cringes and grips the console.
There's only thirty of them. It's a big ship. Maybe he'll stay hidden.
Kira's knuckles return to their natural tone, but the marginally positive thought doesn't help as much as she hoped. She knows far too well what the Cardassians are capable of.
They'll assume he's a spy. If they have him already, they'll…
Kira smacks the console. She's frustrated by the darkness of her thoughts and the hopelessness of the situation. Several faces look up from their stations. Kira locks eyes with Nog.
"Any luck, lieutenant?"
Nog hesitates. "N-no, sir. I've been searching for an ion trail and… testing an idea I have using broad-dispersion proton sweeps. I can…"
Kira shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I know you're doing your best. Keep it up." She turns to Ezri. "Dax, anything on comms?"
"I haven't picked up anything that could be from the cruiser. I've heard very little really, and no Dominion transmissions as far as I can tell. They must be staying closer to their borders since the war."
"They're out there," Kira says as she looks to the main display. "They got their nose bloodied during the war, so they may be more subtle about their excursions for a while. They know we're here; they're just trying to decide what to do about it."
"Should we cloak, sir?" Nog asks.
"If what you said about their sensors is correct, cloaking at this speed wouldn't matter. Besides, I have no intention of sneaking into Dominion space."
"We're planning to knock first?" Ezri raises her eyebrows.
"Knock?" Kira glares at the viewscreen. "We're gonna kick the damn door down."
As the hours pass, Kira resumes her pacing in fits. Ezri finds it difficult to watch her friend fume about the bridge, no doubt blaming herself for Chris' abduction. Ezri is relieved when her communication panel lights up at last.
"Kira," Ezri reports excitedly. "I'm getting a transmission from Deep Space Nine."
"About time," Kira says as she takes her seat. "On screen."
The large bridge monitor shows Julian in his lab.
Kira leans forward in her chair. "I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to hear from you, doctor."
"I was wondering the same," Julian raises his eyebrows. "It seems our saboteurs were quite thorough. Not only did they disable communications on the station, but they caused extensive damage to the wormhole relay as well."
"Then I'm surprised we're hearing from you at all."
"You can thank Admiral Ross for that. As you know, he didn't exactly book passage to Deep Space Nine on a transport." A grin on Julian's face vanishes in response to the unamused look on Kira's. "Right… the admiral ordered the Venture through the wormhole to make repairs."
"Why didn't anyone give us an update? The Venture could've sent us a message."
"I hadn't completed my research," Julian states matter-of-factly, "and the admiral seems to know you well enough not to bother you without good news. It's not 'good news' actually, but…"
"Julian," Kira snaps, "just tell me you have some answers."
"Answers, yes," Julian rubs his shoulder nervously, "but I don't think you're going to like them."
Kira's patience is wearing thin. "Julian..."
"Of course…" Julian clears his throat. "The books we discovered do contain the components of a biological weapon. I've unearthed some of its key properties. As we suspected, it's been custom-tailored to target the Founders. Much like the morphogenic virus that Section 31 devised, this compound targets their morphogenic matrix. This morphogenic poison, for lack of a better term, cannot replicate itself as the virus did. This would explain the large quantities of material we encountered. However, I believe this poison will act more quickly than the virus. I don't believe they want the Founders to have time to receive a cure like they did before."
"The cure they got from Odo…" Kira says, recalling the day she had to say goodbye. "How fast would you estimate, doctor?"
"As with the virus, the more a Founder changes form, the more they accelerate the effects. Founders within the Great Link may not see the effects as quickly as any leaving it. But where the virus' effects would be seen in a matter of weeks or months, this poison could prove fatal within days, hours… perhaps minutes. I won't know more without further study."
"You're right, doctor; I don't like these answers." Kira furrows her brow. "This 'poison' is being delivered as three components. Why? How are they mixed? How can we neutralize it?"
"Combining any two components results in a substance that detailed scans would register as hazardous, so they fragmented it to avoid detection. It seems contact is enough for these compounds to combine; they don't require a catalyst. It's quite brilliant really…" Julian reacts to Kira's glare and qualifies his statement, "…in a purely scientific sense. Neutralizing the bioweapon may prove problematic. I've yet to find an 'antidote', but I'm still working on options."
"Make sure you do," Kira says. "We haven't had any luck finding the ship."
"Colonel, there's something else I find troubling. The compound and its components are resistant to extreme temperatures by design, but the medium they've been deposited on has a low ignition temperature—lower than typical paper."
Kira wrinkles her forehead. "Why is that so troubling?"
"I ran an experiment," Julian says with a foreboding tone. "I raised the temperature of a sealed container until samples from each book ignited. When the fire consumed everything combustible, the residue in the container consisted primarily of the combined biological agent."
Kira's eyes widen as she understands the doctor's point.
Matthews, the ensign helmsman, voices confusion. "What does that mean, sir?"
Kira replies with unease. "It means all they have to do is open the crates and reach the atmosphere."
Julian nods. "Either through destruction by the Jem'Hadar or burning up on entry, the ship's hull will act like the vessel from my experiment—mixing the components with fire. The compound would disperse and settle on the Great Link."
Kira's face is pale. "It is a suicide mission." She closes her eyes and mumbles. "Prophets, forgive me." She looks back to the monitor with determination. "We can't let them reach the planet. We have to find that ship and destroy it."
Kira catches glances from around the bridge after her statement. Chris is still on that ship; she hasn't forgotten.
Julian blinks. "But Chris… Surely you wouldn't…"
"Doctor, we'll do everything we can to get him out, but if I have to choose between Chris and every Founder in the Great Link…"
"Including Odo," Ezri interjects.
"Especially Odo," Kira nods. "We are not letting that ship reach its target. Am I clear."
"Yes, sir," Julian nods. He steals a quick glance at Ezri. "I have nothing more, but I'll keep you apprised."
The viewscreen reverts to a sea of streaking stars. Silence permeates the bridge.
Ezri clears her throat. "Kira, we're still a good distance from Dominion space and… it's been quite a day. I suggest you get some rest."
"Do you honestly think I could sleep right now?"
"Rest, Kira. Your office was bombed, we lost a good man, Chris was abducted, and you're commanding a ship that's heading to Dominion space. Try to get some rest. Don't make me relieve you."
Kira raises a pointed finger to prepare for an argument. Her mouth opens to form the first word, but she catches weary looks from around the bridge. She also knows that as ship's counselor, Ezri could very well follow through on her threat. Kira closes her mouth and drops her hand.
"All right," Kira sighs. "It's been a long day for all of us. We'll rotate out in pairs. You're taking the first break as well, Miss Counselor."
Having been given no choice but to leave the bridge, Kira grabs a raktajino from the mess hall's replicator and reviews the duty roster. Their departure from Deep Space Nine was so frantic that she's not even sure who's on board beyond the bridge crew. Her eyes skim the roster, but nothing really registers. She decides to sneak back to the bridge for a quick status report before trying to get some real rest.
On her way to the turbolift, Kira makes a side trip to check if Ezri is in her quarters.
If she catches me on the bridge, she might extend my 'break.'
Kira finds Ezri's door open. Believing this to mean Ezri's inside, Kira feels she can safely head to the bridge. Then she hears voices…
"I wish I were there with you," Julian says over the comm, "but I understand that we needed that analysis—I still don't have an antidote. It took information straight from a section 31 operative to cure the virus afflicting Odo. Given apparent Cardassian involvement, I contacted Garak."
"Oh?" Ezri responds. "And?"
"He claims ignorance, but I know better. Given the time it must've taken, I highly doubt he had anything to do with the development of this compound—but I believe he wishes he had. He won't be helping."
"We've only been gone a few hours; I'm sure you'll find something despite him." Ezri sighs heavily. "It feels like we've been gone for days."
"I promise, when you get back, we'll have another go at that new holosuite program."
"The Beaches of Blue Horizon? I'll need it. You've got a date, mister. But let me pack the picnic this time?"
Kira leans her back against the wall. She doesn't mean to eavesdrop, but she can't resist listening to the voices of people who have each other's company. She misses sharing her day with Odo; she misses it immensely.
He could listen to me ramble for hours.
Kira clutches her mug of raktajino tightly, pretending its warmth is that of Odo's hand. Ezri and Julian's conversation fades into the background—until she hears her name.
"How is Kira holding up?" Julian asks.
"I'm not sure," Ezri ponders. "She's a strong woman, no question, but I can't imagine the stress she's experiencing right now between Odo, the bomb, Chris…"
"When this is over, we should invite her and Chris to join us for that beach trip." There's a pause. "You don't think so?"
Kira hadn't heard Ezri say anything during Julian's pause, but she must've shaken her head at the monitor.
"No, I don't think that'd be a good idea at all," Ezri says. "Despite Odo's absence, Kira's devoted. You saw yourself how much of a wall she's put up—and how devastated Chris was."
"I know; he's completely crazy about her. Remember how I found him in Quark's? Apparently, that was after he'd spent time in a holosuite learning to use a phaser—or rather… trying to."
"He what?"
"Quark said he was quite determined to learn to protect her. He even raised his voice at Vic for trying to 'talk some sense into him' as Quark put it."
"That's commendable, but… I'll have my work cut out for me when this is over. The feelings aren't mutual."
"I think he's well aware. That's why he drank himself to the brink of unconsciousness. Surely one day she'll realize Odo isn't coming back—and what Chris is willing to do for her. Maybe then we can all go to the beach."
"That's not how it works, Julian. And don't get your hopes up; Chris is alone on a ship of Cardassians. Once we do find the ship, if we do, the Defiant and every Dominion ship in the area will be trying to destroy it. I can tell he's taken an interest, but…"
"He's crazy about her," Julian interjects. "Finds her absolutely stunning. Not exactly what I'd call the woman who'd pinned me down with a phaser—at least not in that sense."
"I know you're trying to help, but this isn't the time for jokes. And it doesn't matter if he's crazy about her. It takes two and you know it. Even if Odo's never coming back and she accepts that…" Ezri sighs. "I can't tell what she feels about Chris. One minute she's talking about him with a laugh, and the next she's asking you if he's a spy—or calling him immature."
The conversation drags on, but Kira doesn't hear it. Ezri can't read how Kira feels about Chris because she doesn't even know. Things have been happening so fast over the last couple of days that she hasn't had time to sort it out. There's a sense of obligation to the Prophets, her unwavering love for Odo, and a mess of uncertainty about Chris.
The Prophets told me to help Chris—of course I care. But he's been so…
Kira scoffs softly.
Is my frustration with him just resistance to letting Odo go?
Kira sighs.
This is stupid. I don't feel what Chris feels; that's all there is to it.
The image of Chris getting beamed away fills Kira's mind. She relives the anguish and fury that followed. She tries to rationalize the emotions wrapped up in that memory when Ezri surprises her with a light touch to her arm.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Ezri asks softly.
After recovering from her start, Kira reads the concern on Ezri's face. The memory she was pouring over must've been echoed in her expression.
"Ezri… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen in. Your door was..."
"Don't worry about it," Ezri shakes her head subtly. "The quarters on the Defiant make me feel a bit… claustrophobic. I like it open."
Kira grins to distance herself from her thoughts. "Not exactly 'roomy,' are they."
The two chuckle awkwardly as Ezri gestures agreement.
"So…" Ezri motions to the open door. "Do you want to come in and chat? I'll close it for you—strictly confidential."
"I don't want a counseling session," Kira says before tilter her head slightly. "But I wouldn't mind talking to a friend."
Ezri smiles and nods. "Then come on in; I'll get you a fresh Raktajino."