Chapter Twenty-four: On Your Mark…

The unsettling hum of the Cardassian ship is the only audible sound after the chaotic conference call falls silent. Chris' wide eyes blink slowly as his combadge softly signals the channel's closing. Neither he nor Carl utter a word for several seconds after Kira's closing remark.

"Chris," Carl says softly. "We should get to work."

Chris' eyes don't leave the combadge on the table. "Why'd she have to say it like that?"

"Chris…"

"I mean... I know they might have to blow us up if things don't go well, but… damn."

"You're from a different time, Chris. From what you've told me, I can't imagine you've been involved in any effort of such… gravity. She may simply be trying to motivate you to take this seriously—a reminder for us to do everything in our power to make this operation succeed."

"Oh. Well…," Chris nods. "It wouldn't be the first time she's accused me of being immature."

"I don't believe that's…"

"Nevermind," Chris waves a hand dismissively. "I like your explanation better than what I heard. I heard: 'I don't care if you die, just don't make me do it'."

"You're overreacting again." Carl shakes his head taps the table. "Let's get to work so we can go home."

Kira pushes out a long breath as Eris' visage is replaced by the streaked starfield hiding a cloaked Cardassian ship.

"That sounded cold, Kira," Ezri comments from her station.

Kira rubs her forehead. "I… didn't mean it like that. I'm just… frustrated. How the hell does he expect to pull this off? I don't care what the Founder does to give him more time; he's taking a huge risk."

"There's no easy way out of this. You know that. So does he."

"I know," Kira sighs. "I'm sorry how it sounded, but… he needs to understand how serious this is—and stay focused."

"Or… he'll slip back into the funk he was in."

"Don't." Kira shoots Ezri and unpleasant glance. "We need to stay focused too. We'll worry about everyone's feelings when we get back home."

"Of course," Ezri nods and turns back to her station.

"Nog," Kira says, moving on. "You and Simmons…"

"Timms, sir," the young ensign corrects.

"Sorry; Timms." Kira blinks rapidly after spitting out Chris' last name. She's not sure if anyone, including Ezri, caught the slip.

I don't think the others even know it. Hell, I barely know it.

"You were saying, sir?" Timms asks meekly.

"Yes," Kira says as her eyes refocus on the young ensign. "The, uh… the two of you need to maintain a firing solution on that cruiser. Keep an eye on those pulses. Make any adjustments you need. We may have to fire at a moment's notice if Chris gets into trouble—missing is not an option."

"Aye, sir."

Using Carl's knowledge of the cruiser's layout and Chris' map PADD, the pair sneak around the deck holding the escape pods. They choose a primary and secondary hiding spot for when Chris has finished launching them. When they're satisfied with their choices, they make their way to the transporter room on the same deck.

Looking around the room, Chris examines the control panel in awe. "I can't say I enjoyed my first trip with one of these, but the technology is… simply incredible."

"Then you shouldn't object to using it," Carl grins.

"What?" Chris drops his jaw. "I-I can't use this!"

"For the task at hand, the process is quite straightforward."

"Carl, I couldn't use a replicator… or even a comm panel two days ago."

"Now you can, and we're about to add 'Cardassian transporter' to your repertoire."

"I don't know about this," Chris shakes his head. "I mean, what we're doing is important, and I'm…"

"There's nothing to worry about," Carl lifts his chin. "You'll be performing one of the simplest transporter operations possible. I will show you."

"If you say so," Chris says as he looks over the panel's symbols. "You remember I can't read any of this, right?"

"I'll prepare the configuration; you'll just be moving material. Because we're not dealing with living beings, we can let the machine treat the books as mutable. It will rearrange the cargo to fit the space we designate."

"Oh… well, that's cool."

Carl nods. "I'm entering the sensor pattern for one of the bioweapon components. These were provided to the crew to validate the cargo, but we'll use it to get a transporter lock. Now… this section of the panel shows the target to be transported, and this section shows your desired destination."

"That part kinda looks like my PADD."

"Very similar," Carl nods. "The transporter system is linked to the sensor network. You select the material you want to move, select a destination, then this…" Carl presses a button to perform a sample transfer, "engages the transport."

"Whoa…" Chis' face is filled with wonder as he watches the display. "Wait… what's wrong?"

Carl's head is cocked as if listening for something. "I previously tampered with internal sensors to allow freedom of movement. If anyone discovered my work and detected the transport… there will be an alarm."

"Oh, shit!"

Carl grins and shrugs. "No worries… no alarm. There must not've been anyone in the cargo bay either."

"That's not funny, Carl. You're gonna give me a heart attack."

Carl chuckles. "If what your colonel said about the bioweapon is true, there's no reason for anyone to return to the cargo bay to witness our handiwork. While I'm gone, you need to fill the remaining pods—save the one we discussed. I need to do what I promised your colonel I would… ensure you're given as much time as possible. When I return, we'll want to move quickly before anyone discovers what we've done."

"Eris is hailing us," Ezri reports. "She's requesting to speak with you, sir."

"I made it perfectly clear that we'd…" Kira sighs, then flicks her hand at the main viewer. "Put her on."

"Aye, sir"

Eris wears an almost genuine smile when the connection is made. "Colonel, how are the preparations progressing?"

"We're as ready as we can be. We're just waiting to hear back from Chris and the Founder."

"Excellent. I wanted to let you know that I've consulted with another Founder. They agree that this plan presents a good chance of success."

"That depends on how you define success. If you're simply referring to eliminating the threat to the Great Link… there's little question. But if you're talking about…"

"I'm referring to the chance of recovering our men—both of our men."

"Is that why you hailed us? To give us a pep talk?"

"They also wanted to reassure you, like the Founder trapped with your civilian, that they'll not allow any rash actions that would jeopardize his recovery."

Kira shrugs her shoulders. "Eris, there's only one Founder in this entire galaxy that I trust, so unless you can arrange for him to tell me that himself, you're wasting your breath."

Eris nods with a smirk. "Understood."

"Are your ships ready to assist?"

"They are. Let us know as soon as you engage; we'll make our best speed to you."

Kira and Eris share a nod, then the Defiant's main screen once again shows only stars.

Moving material from the cargo bay to the escape pods doesn't take Chris very long. The quick work leaves him ample time to think while Carl is out blocking access to the deck. There are no chairs in the transporter room, so Chris makes himself comfortable on the floor. He leans against the wall and sighs.

Kira's last words still linger in his mind.

Chris has now had two very disturbing dreams where Kira violently attacked and killed him. The first was a bit on the fantastic side, with Kira literally pulling his heart out of his chest, but everything else about it, including the pain, was very real. He didn't want to talk to Carl about the second one, but that dream was more disturbing because of its… practicality. He'd run into Kira before a holosuite baseball game against a Vulcan crew. Never again will Chris underestimate someone wielding a Louisville Slugger. He shudders as he massages his jaw.

Why'd they feel so damn real? I hope they go away when this over—it's gotta be the stress.

Chris does his best to bury the nightmares by filling his mind with positive thoughts of Nerys: her laughing smile when she caught him flexing in front of the mirror, the brief embrace after the explosion in her office, and the playful banter when she and others came to welcome him to the station.

Chris closes his eyes and smiles as he recalls the features of Kira's face. Belying his typical memory, he can picture every detail as if she were sitting right in front of him. As good as his mind's eye for her may be, he can't wait to see her in person again. She may not feel what he feels, but she is nevertheless his motivation to do all he can to make it back to Deep Space Nine.

Chris jumps when the door slides open.

"Chris? Are you here?" Carl calls out.

"Yeah," Chris says as he stands, eyes still wide open from the fright. "I figured I'd sit out of sight… just in case."

Carl nods. "My work is done. The turbolift doors to this deck are sealed, the main Jeffries tubes that lead here are inaccessible, and I've prepared an overload that will disable the transporters ship-wide when you're ready to start."

"Wow. You've been busy."

Carl nods. "It seems my modified disruptor is quite effective at destroying access panels and fusing manual control levers. I also took the liberty of priming the escape pods. With access to the deck limited, there's no threat of the launch indicators being spotted. It should save you time."

"Thanks. I'm pretty nervous, so every bit of help… well… helps."

Carl looks Chris over. "Are you still feeling up to this?"

"Sure," Chris says as he tries to stand tall. "It's scary, but there's really not much to it. I just run and hit buttons—then hide."

"My efforts should postpone any interference from the crew, but… you should be prepared for that possibility."

Chris points to his phaser. "I'll be sure to have this out as I go."

Carl holds out his disruptor. "Would you prefer this weapon?"

Chris shies away from it. "I've seen what that'll do to a man. I have no desire to see it again."

"Very well. I shall take it for further study."

"Uh, to replicate and use against… who exactly?"

Carl looks at the sinister weapon again, then tosses it to a corner of the room. "Point taken."

Chris smiles and holds out his hand. "I'm gonna miss you, Carl."

Carl hesitates as they shake hands. "We… will meet again, Chris."

"Huh?" Chris reacts to Carl's tone. "I'm not… Geeze, now you sound like Nerys. It's not like I have a death wish or something. I want to go home. Not home, home… but back to the station. I just know that after this is over, you'll be off doing… whatever Founders do, and I'll be back in the Alpha Quadrant. So, I mean it. I'll miss you."

"Ah," Carl smirks. "I understand. I will miss you too, Chris. And… thank you."

"Me? Thank you for not letting me be a pile of dust in the cargo bay."

Carl bows his head slightly. "Though your arrival was unintentional, you've made it possible to save my people. We owe you a great deal."

"You said it yourself: I didn't mean to be here. Don't go throwing me a party for dumb luck."

Carl grins. "Get home safe, and good luck with your colonel."

"Pfft. Thanks, but I don't think any amount of luck will help me there."

"You sell yourself short. Don't give up so quickly. Though, I do believe you should talk to someone about your dreams."

Chris rolls his eyes. "I have a feeling Ezri won't give me much of a choice on that."

Carl nods as he steps over to the transporter controls. "I'll be beaming myself on a delay. No offense, but there's more involved when transporting a living being."

"None taken."

"See this pulsing button here?"

"Sure."

"This will trigger the overload I've prepared. The malfunction will alert the crew, so you must complete your task and reach your hiding location as quickly as possible. They will reach this deck eventually."

Chris chews his lip and nods. "Got it."

"Good," Carl says as he steps onto the transport pad. "I will talk to you soon. And don't forget to contact the colonel before you begin."

"Right," Chris' eyes widen momentarily at the reminder of the plan's sequence. Carl must've picked up on his anxious stare at the pulsing button. "Talk to you soon."

After Carl dematerializes, Chris stares at the empty transporter pad. The sudden isolation hits hard.

Just me and a bunch of Cardassians now.

Chris wants to tap his combadge so he can hear Kira's voice, but that would mean giving the signal. His confidence wanes.

In a blatant attempt to delay his run, Chris takes another look at his map PADD. His run follows a U-shaped path along two main hallways with a side corridor between. After he's done launching pods, he'll head for an interior conference room. He and Carl chose this room as his primary hiding spot because it contains nothing volatile which could explode while the Defiant is attacking, is home to large pieces of furniture to hide behind, and has multiple doorways to reduce the chance he'll be cornered if found.

And… that's the tenth time I've gone over it.

With no excuse to linger further, Chris tucks the PADD back under his waistband. He takes a deep breath and taps his combadge.

"Chris to Defiant."

"Defiant here. Go ahead, Chris," Kira responds.

Chris can't help but smile in response to her voice. "Everything's loaded. I… I guess I'm ready to start."

"Are you sure about this, Chris?"

"Hell no; but there's no other option."

"I don't like this plan either," Kira sighs. "Just… hold tight until we get their attention. I'll let you know when they drop out of warp. We'll have you back before you know it."

"I can't wait."

Chris unholsters his phaser and stands by the control panel. Only a few seconds pass before he hears a muted explosion and feels the ship shudder. He never spent much time on boats back home, so the movement of something so seemingly solid is unsettling.

Kira comes over Chris' combadge immediately after the shake. "We grazed their dorsal shields, Chris. They've dropped out of warp and are decloaking. Move quickly; and please… watch yourself in there."

"I will, Nerys. See you soon."

Chris taps the button Carl prepped to overload the ship's transporters. The panel flickers and darkens. With a grin of satisfaction, Chris turns to run from the room.

"First pod's away!" Nog reports.

"Double-check your scans," Kira barks. "The last thing we need is to be responsible for the Founder's death. Keep up evasive maneuvers, Matthews. Dax, signal Eris that we've engaged the cruiser."

Kira's heart is pounding. She doesn't like this plan, but there's no turning back now. All they can do is dispatch pods while avoiding as much fire as possible.

"Their aim is terrible," Nog reports. "They haven't scored a single hit on our shields."

"Hopefully that means we're not dealing with experienced soldiers, lieutenant." After responding to Nog's observation, Kira briefly shuts her eyes.

That's good news for Chris too.

The Defiant continues to destroy book-filled escape pods soon after they're launched. Kira's personal count reaches ten before Nog reports the same.

"First group of pods destroyed, sir."

Kira nods to acknowledge the report. "Way to go, Chris; keep it up," she mutters quietly.

While running through the side passage between the main halls, Chris is ecstatic.

This is a piece of cake!

The primed launch buttons flash red and protrude from the wall, so they've been easy to smack on the run. Turning the corner, Chris is happy to see nothing but another row of flashing buttons. He hits the gas and runs as fast as he dares to still strike them accurately.

It's after pod seventeen that he sees them.

Oh shit…

Two Cardassians step from a doorway near the far end of the hall. They quickly spot Chris and reach for their weapons. Chris, phaser in hand, begins to fire wildly as he runs. There's a side passage coming up he can use for cover, so he hopes to force them to duck long enough to reach it.

Lowering his phaser to round the corner, the Cardassians' return fire causes a panel to Chris' left to explode.

Chris feels an incredible pain in his side as the blast throws him against a wall of the side passage. His head hits hard, and a pain shoots through his leg as he falls to the ground.

15… 16… 17…

Kira's personal count stops at seventeen.

Where's 18?

"Sir?"

Nog's question confirms the delay isn't just a trick of Kira's brain. "Oh, no," she says as she grips the arms of her chair and leans forward. "Dax, he might've been forced to hide; let's not give him away."

"Monitoring his combadge, sir," Ezri replies.

Kira stands; her voice raises as she gives further commands. "Put the audio on speakers. I want to hear everything going on in there. Nog, life-sign report on Chris."

"Life-signs are nominal, sir," Nog answers, "but he stopped moving."

"I want to know the second anything changes, lieutenant."

All Chris can hear is a ringing tone and the racing beat of his heart.

Son of a bitch!

Chris grabs at the pain in his side. He feels dampness… and what must be a piece of metal from the exploded panel. Looking at his hand, he sees blood.

Shit.

His head is throbbing and his vision blurs in one eye. He gingerly reaches for his forehead but winces in pain upon touching it. He looks at his fingertips. More blood.

Dammit.

Before he can assess his condition further, Chris' hearing starts to return. He hears the Cardassians' yells as they charge down the hallway. The déjà vu is terrifying.

Carl's not here to save me this time.

Chris frantically looks for the phaser he was holding. When he spots it, he painfully scrambles for the weapon. Still on the ground when he reaches it, Chris readies himself as best he can. He hopes the Cardassians are reckless enough to charge around the corner.

Chris' luck half pans out as one Cardassian rounds the corner. Being less than six feet away, even Chris' horrible aim is accurate enough to put the Cardassian down with a quick squeeze of the trigger. He feels victorious as the Cardassian crashes to the ground but, despite the weapon being set to stun, guilt washes over him as well.

Kira and the bridge crew listen anxiously to the feed from Chris' combadge, hoping to hear clues as to why he stopped launching escape pods.

It isn't long before they hear the distinct sound of phaser fire. Kira immediately turns to Nog.

Nog reports before Kira utters a word. "His life-signs have decreased, sir. He could've been stunned, or… or he sustained an injury. I can't tell."

"Timms," Kira commands, "take over monitoring Chris' life-signs. Nog, start working on their shields. Eris can yell at me for endangering the Founder later."

"Aye, sir," both respond.

Chris waits for a few seconds, but the other Cardassian never appears.

I can't play the waiting game; this bleeding looks bad. There's three more pods to launch, and Carl's in one of them.

Chris tries to get up, but extreme pain shoots through his leg as he tries to move it.

Dammit.

Chris spies a handhold on the wall. Before he grabs it, he fires a couple of shots near the corner to make the Cardassian think twice about poking his head around. As Chris reaches for the wall, the Cardassian starts to yell.

"What are you doing?! The Dominion must pay for what they did to Cardassia—what they did to the entire Alpha Quadrant!"

Chris is happy to hear the Cardassian yelling as it means he's not about to pop around the corner while he struggles to his feet. He doesn't want to broadcast his injuries, so Chris clenches his teeth hard and grunts as he lifts himself, stifling what would've otherwise been a loud scream of pain.

With most of his weight on his uninjured leg, Chris readies his phaser and hobbles to the corner.

I have to get through this guy to get to Carl.

Kira hears rustling sounds, panicked breathing, and more phaser fire. Soon after, they hear the voice of what must be one of the Cardassian crew.

You don't yell at a dead man… Chris must be OK.

The next sound she hears is an extremely pained grunt that could only have come from Chris.

Shit… Chris is not OK.

"Timms? Report!"

"His life-signs are irregular, sir," the young ensign responds. "I… I think he's hurt."

Kira feels helpless. If the enemy had communications equipment on board, she'd demand their surrender or threaten them with destruction to allow the Defiant to beam Chris to safety. She knows that's impossible, so she closes her eyes and clenches her jaw.

I knew this was a bad idea!

Leading with his phaser, Chris limps to the corner as quietly as he can. He knows there's a Cardassian lying in wait. After a deep breath, Chris peeks around. Instead of an imposing soldier he'd expect from his TV show memories, he finds a Cardassian clutching his weapon and shaking.

He reminds me of me.

"You're not a soldier, are you," Chris observes.

The Cardassian shakes his head.

"Neither am I," Chris says as he winces in pain. "Don't worry; I've never killed anyone. I'm not about to start today."

"But… you just…"

"Set to stun," Chris nods to his weapon. "Whatever they may've done during the war, we can't let you kill the Founders. Have you really thought about what would happen if you succeed? The Founders may lead the Dominion, but they're not its muscle. Dominion forces would lash out at everyone—especially Cardassia."

The Cardassian blinks and swallows hard as he considers Chris' words.

"Now…" Chris grunts and continues. "I've got three more buttons to push over there, and I can't have you shooting me in the back with that nasty gun of yours." Chris points his phaser at the man's chest. "I'm sorry."

The Cardassian stands tall and nods. "I understand."

Chris squeezes the trigger. The stunned Cardassian crumples to the ground. Chris frowns at the seemingly lifeless form, then hobbles across the hall to the remaining launch controls.

Kira's relief at hearing Chris speak is monumental. Listening to his merciful exchange with the Cardassian, she holds a fist against her lips and closes her eyes.

Kira drops her hand and smiles cautiously when Nog reports the launch of pod eighteen, and more confidently after the next.

You're going to make it, Chris.

"Sir!" Timms calls out. "His life-signs are falling!"

Kira's eyes open wide. "What happened?!"

"I… I don't know. They just started dropping."

"Our last pass hit them pretty hard, sir," Nog reports, "but no internal explosions were detected."

"How close are we on those shields?"

"Their primary shields are still at thirty-four percent."

"Dammit," Kira mutters. "Keep at it, lieutenant. I want him out of there as soon as possible."

Kira's hands ball into fists on the arms of her chair.

Chris cracks a smile after launching the last book-filled pod. The threat to the Founders is gone.

Yes!

Chris' brief loss of focus proves costly. The Defiant's attacks have been rocking the ship; he relaxes his grip on the bulkhead at a very bad time. The list of the ship puts too much weight on his injured leg and he falls. He lands squarely on the piece of metal protruding from his side. The pain is incredible and the bleeding increases. Chris tries to get back up. He grunts in pain and frustration as his attempts fail.

Just one more to go… Carl's in there.

Chris starts to crawl. The ship rocks again and he slips on the blood-soaked floor, sending him prone once more. He whimpers from the pain.

Chris ditches his phaser and pushes himself back up to a crawl.

Almost there…

When Chris arrives at the last button, he can't reach it from his low position. His fully stretched arm is still a couple inches shy. He tries to lift himself on his good knee, but he can't muster the strength. He starts to see stars after the attempt.

Dammit.

Chris remembers his PADD. He slides it out of his waistband and starts swinging wildly at the button. After several desperate tries, he finally connects with enough force to send the pod on its way.

Chris grins and collapses to the floor. "Goodbye, Carl."

The stars intensify and the hallway darkens. Chris fights to stay awake, but unconsciousness claims him.

Eris of the Dominion arrives with her cavalry: five Jem'Hadar attack ships and a battleship.

"Eris to Defiant, what's the situation?"

Kira finds it hard to switch her focus from Chris' combadge audio to the face on the screen. Every grunt and whimper has been difficult to hear.

Distraught, Kira finally looks to the monitor. "Chris ran into trouble, we've already begun firing on the cruiser."

"Has the Founder been recovered?"

"Not yet. His is the only pod that hasn't launched. We're concerned about Chris' condition at this point. He's sustained serious injury."

Eris mutters something angrily under her breath. "Apologies, colonel, but we shouldn't've trusted a tactical exercise to a civilian. He should be commended for removing the threat to the Great Link, but our focus should turn to the Founder."

"Don't you dare write him off," Kira practically screams. "He's all I've got, dammit!"

Eris blinks and recoils from the viewer, which forces Kira to reflect on her outburst.

What did I just say?

Before the women's conversation can resume, Nog gives and excited report. "Final pod away, sir!"

Eris nods to Kira with a cautious eye. "We will collect the Founder. Our ships will commence attacks on the enemy's shields. Perhaps we can still…"

Timms nervously interrupts. "Sir… his life-signs… they're critical."

Kira turns to the ensign with a panicked stare. Before she can ask for a more detailed report, Chris' voice comes over the comms.

"Goodbye, Carl."

Kira is mortified at how weak and final his words sound. "Channel!" she yells with only a quick glance in Ezri's direction.

"Channel open."

"Kira to Chris!"

Chris doesn't respond.

"Answer me, Chris!"

There is still no response.

Kira slams a fist on her armrest. "I want those shields down now!"