Chapter Sixteen

"Get up, Marina, you idiot!" Marina chided herself. "Get up!" She climbed to her feet, glancing behind her at the iron bars. She suddenly felt like Julian needed her. Hopefully, he wasn't behind those bars anywhere. She reached out for him with her mind--and with her heart. And soon, she found him. His presence was not very far away, but it was very weak. She frowned, wondering why. Usually, his presence was the strongest to her. That was odd. Then she remembered her sudden vision and her stomach tightened with fear.

"Oh, God, please let him be okay. Please let me get to him in time," she prayed aloud, breaking into a run. She hardly paid attention to where she was going. She didn't have to. His presence, however weak it was, was like a beacon to her, and she launched herself straight for it.

Suddenly, fire shot across her path. She screamed and jumped back. She stood there for a moment, panting, and watched fire stream out of a hole in the wall. "Gentanar," she said aloud, as if he could hear her (he probably could). "What games are you playing? Why not just come and get me, if you're so powerful?"

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fire blinked out.

Marina stood still for awhile, her body tense. She slid her pack down on one elbow and reached into it, drawing out a tightly packed ration. She tossed the packet in front of her so that it passed by the fire hole. Nothing happened. Cautiously, she inched forward, holding her pack in front of her. Slowly, she passed the hole. The fire did not return. Smirking, she bent down and picked up the food packet, slipping it into her pack. She straightened and slid the pack back onto her shoulders, then continued down the tunnels, this time at a slower pace, keeping her sharp eyes opened for traps.

Gentanar doesn't seem to want me dead, so I shouldn't be too worried, but… Better safe than sorry, and all those other clichés about being cautious…

She soon came to a split in the tunnel. The path she was on branched off in three directions. She reached out for Julian, desperate to find him. To her dismay, his presence seemed to occupy all three paths! Nothing like that had ever happened…

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. It was someone she knew…

"Marina! You're alive!"

"Miles!" Marina turned around and flung herself into the Irish engineer's arms. "Oh, Miles, what happened? Everyone's gone, and Julian is fading from me somehow, and he's in three places at once, and I don't know what to do!"

Miles drew back from her. "I don't know what happened," he said slowly. "All I know is, these iron bars kept blocking my way. The only way I could go was this way. So you still haven't found Julian yet?"

Marina shook her head. "No. I'm so worried, Chief! His presence is usually stronger than anyone's to me, but now… It's so weak!"

"He's in trouble," Miles said, suddenly alert. "We have to get to him." He looked dubiously at the three paths. "Which way do we go? Where is he?"

"That's what I was rather hysterically trying to tell you," Marina said mournfully. "I sense his presence down all three paths!"

"It must be some sort of trick. Like the fire and the iron bars."

"You saw the fire, too?"

"Yes."

"Gentanar," Marina said through her teeth. She tended to say that name in that manner. "He's got these tunnels rigged." She shivered. "I think he was waiting for us. I think he wanted us to come down here."

"He's a pretty good engineer, by the looks of things." He crossed his arms and glared at the split in the tunnel. "I figure this is some sort of trick of his, too. Sensing three Julian's and all."

Marina's eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure. He could have a bio signature projector. It could be scrambling Julian's signal and setting up fake signals. Perhaps the fake ones are so good, they could fool even you."

"That's--that's possible?"

Miles looked askance at her. "You didn't know that?"

Marina shook her head.

"Ah! I keep forgetting you're a new officer. You act like you've been at the job for years."

"Miles, just tell me how to find the real Julian."

The red haired engineer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, if my theory is true, then you'd just have to keep looking at the signals--or 'presences' to you-- until you find discrepancies."

"Discrepancies?"

"Yeah. Sort of like checking blue glass to make sure it is the glass that's blue and not just paint."

"Oh. I think I get it." Marina stepped closer to the three paths. "All right. Here I go." She closed her eyes and stretched out her hands in front of her. Even though the gestures had little to do with her mental skills, they helped her concentrate. And she needed all the concentration she could get. She first looked at the presence down the path to the left. Of all of them, it was the weakest. She studied it carefully, feeling it with her mind, testing it with her heart. It felt completely like Julian. But just to be sure, she carefully examined the other two presences. Sure enough, both of them blinked in and out and wavered--ever so slightly, but just enough to convince her that they were decoys, set up by some device--or by the mind of a very powerful psychogenotron.

"It's the left path," Marina said quickly, drawing her phaser. She started forward, then stopped abruptly. "Now the two decoys are gone. And I think--I think Harris is with Julian."

"That could be bad," Miles said.

"Or it could be good," Marina said, once again starting down the path. "But from my experience on this mission, I'm expecting bad." Hang on, Julian, my love. I'm coming…

"You might want to let me lead the way," Miles said, walking around her. "Who knows what we might find."

Marina felt the blood drain from her face. "Yeah," she managed weakly. "Who knows?"

Miles stopped walking, and Marina nearly ran into him. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "That was… insensitive of me."

"It's all right." Marina cleared her throat. "From what I can read of your emotions, you're trying to keep things nonchalant because you're really worried about Julian."

Miles raised his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, that's about it." He smiled at her before turning back to the path. "Come on."

The two of them went slowly down the tunnel, Miles straining his eyes and ears for any sign of his friend or of the deranged ensign. Marina strained her mind. To her confusion, both of their presences were weak and unmoving. It disturbed her badly.

"Stop," Miles suddenly whispered.

Marina stopped, tense and shaky. "Wh-what is it?"

"It's a room. Looks like a dead end." The engineer waved his flashlight around, walking forward slowly. "I don't see--" His voice trailed off, and his body went still.

Marina could feel his shock and fear. "What is it?" she asked. She was so anxious that she felt like breaking down and crying.

"Marina, why don't you step back and let me go in--"

Before he could say "first," Marina had rushed into the room. She skipped over Harris's prone form and flung herself to her knees beside Julian. "Oh, God, please!" she cried, setting down her pack, phaser, and flashlight. She quickly placed two fingers on his throat, nearly collapsing with relief when she felt his pulse.

"Is he all right?" Miles asked, quickly joining her at his friend's side.

"He's alive, but I think he's hurt," Marina said, her voice shaky. "Look for his medical kit." While Miles searched for the kit, Marina reached to touch Julian's face. "Julian," she said quietly, gently. "Can you hear me?"

No response.

"Marina."

She turned. Miles was holding up the smashed remains of Julian's medical equipment. Marina groaned. "Can you fix it?"

Miles looked closely at the shattered devices. "This will take a lot of work."

Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise. It seemed to come from the wall opposite the path.

Marina reached out with her mind--and felt sheer malice coming from behind the wall. She looked at Miles with large, startled eyes. "We have to get out of this room," she said. "There's someone--or something--back there that we really don't need to meet."

"All right. I know that we're taking Julian with us, but… What about him? I think he was stunned by Julian's laser." He nodded towards Harris.

Marina frowned. "We need to bring him, too."

"After all he's done?"

"He's a Starfleet officer, Miles. And even though he's a horrible person, anyway, I think Gentanar made him what he is now."

There was another rumble, like thunder.

Miles leaned over his friend, gently tapping his shoulder. "Julian!" he called loudly. "Julian, you have to wake up!"

Julian moaned softly, but did not move.

"Let me handle this. You carry Harris out of here," Marina ordered.

"Marina--"

"Go! I'll get him!"

"Look, I'll get Harris, but I'm waiting right here in this room for you and Julian."

"All right." Marina flashed him a grateful smiled, then turned to Julian. She took his hand and pressed it gently. "Come on, Julian." She used her mind, concentrating on his weak presence, thinking hard at him. Julian, wake up. We're in trouble. We have to go. Open your eyes. Wake up!

"Marina?" His eyelids fluttered. "What are you--what are you doing here?" His eyes opened, and he tried to sit up on his elbows, but they shook so bad that he laid back down, wincing.

"Julian, we've got to get out of this room," Marina said. "Miles is carrying Harris. Do you think you can walk?"

The thundering returned, louder this time. The little room seemed to quake.

"I can try," Julian said. He raised himself up on his elbows again, this time managing to stay there. "You'll have to help me. I'm so sorry."

"That's ridiculous. There's nothing to be sorry for." Marina helped him sit up, feeling almost sick to her stomach at seeing him in such bad shape.

"Marina, we have to hurry," Miles urged. He had Harris flung haphazardly over his shoulder. "I can't carry this big fellow for long."

"Come on." Marina stood and took Julian gently under the arms. "Can you do this? I can try to drag you if you can't."

"No, no," Julian coughed out. "I won't be dragged. And I won't think about the pain. Mind over matter and all that." He forced himself to his feet, grimacing.

Marina wrapped an arm around him, badly frightened by how heavily he leaned on her shoulder. She nodded to Miles. "Let's go." She followed Miles back onto the path, half dragging Julian.

Julian suddenly gave a small gasp, then sucked in his breath and bit his lip.

"Are you all right?" Marina asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine. Just keep going." But his face was frightfully pale, his eyes over-bright and feverish.

They made their way back to the split in the tunnel. The low rumbles still echoed, but much more softly.

"I think we'll be all right here," Marina said, gently lowering Julian to the ground. "I think that room we were in was… unstable."

"Unstable?" Miles asked, plopping Harris down very un-gently.

"Gentanar probably had it rigged or something," Marina said. She turned to Julian, who was curled up on his side, panting. "Julian? How bad are you?"

"Just a couple of broken bones, some major cuts and bruises, and perhaps internal injuries. Nothing serious." He smiled briefly, then winced.

"That's not funny," Miles said.

Marina felt sick again. "That's serious. What's broken?"

"All my ribs, maybe my collarbone, one of my knuckles, and maybe a crack in my shoulder blade."

"Good Lord!" Miles exclaimed. "We've got to get you to a doctor!"

"I am doctor," Julian managed. "My kit--"

"It's right here." Miles held it up. "Or what's left of it."

Marina sat down and gently pulled Julian into her arms so that his head rested on her shoulder. "I hate we had to move you," she said, her voice shaky. She looked at Miles. "Not even the painkillers are undamaged?"

Miles shook his head, his face grim. "It's all smashed up. I could fix it, but it would take awhile. And we've got to get to Catronis 6."

Marina looked down at Julian.

"Don't look at me like that. I'll be all right." He tried to lift his head from her shoulder, but didn't quite make it, collapsing back into her arms with a sharp cry of pain.

"Julian! Oh, God! Are you all right?"

"I'm alive, if that's what you mean." The young doctor looked up at her and smiled. "This bloody Gentanar fellow doesn't know what he's up against." He closed his eyes suddenly, frowning. "God, I can't take this pain. I don't think I can stay awake… much… longer…" He went completely limp.

"Julian!" Marina cried. She touched his cracked lips gently, feeling for breath. "Thank-you, God…" He was still breathing. But how long would he last in such bad condition?

(LINE)

"Julian."

Julian was standing on a very windy cliff. He spun around at the sound of the voice. There stood a tall, blonde man. "Who are you?"

The man laughed. "You being such a genius, I would have thought you might have guessed by now."

"Gentanar." Julian said the name like a curse.

"At your service." The psychogenotron bowed. "Looks like I'm winning, Julian. At this very moment, as your broken body lies in the arms of the woman we both love, I am not only inside of your dream, but also sabotaging yet another of Catronis 6's weather control devices. Before long, this planet will be stormed by… storms!" He laughed insanely.

Julian found suddenly that even in sleep, he could feel pain.

"Hurt?"

Julian just glared.

"Harris packs quite a punch, I hear. He always excelled in Starfleet combat training. And he loved those boxing simulators! In fact, he brought down Muhammad Ali once or twice. He's a very gifted young man."

"And a bloody crazy one to follow a sick creature like yourself," Julian added, bending over to hug his aching body.

Gentanar was quiet for a moment, his face devoid of emotion. Then he smiled. "Crazy to follow me? Whose side seems to be winning, Bashir? I'm not the one whose doubled over hugging my ribs and trying not to puke. I'm not the one who won't get over it when she's sees the man she loves die in her arms--until I become the next man in her life. I'm not Harris's next victim like that engineer fool. You just wait till I wake Harris up."

Julian straightened, despite the pain. "I'm not the one who is so deluded by himself that he doesn't recognize the true power of what he is up against."

"Let's see. What am I up against?" Gentanar grinned wickedly. "A dying doctor, a rookie psychogenotron who will fall for me the next time she sees me, a doomed engineer, a childish Trill, an overly zealous Klingon, a colony of weak, simpering fools, and… Oh wait, that's it. No one else dares to stand up to me."

"Marina will not fall for you--ever," Julian said, his voice low and intense, his anger blotting out his pain momentarily. "I'm not dead yet. And you still have no idea what you're up against." He drew back his fist and punched Gentanar square in the nose.

Then he woke up.