Oh my goodness! This story has ME on the edge of my seat! I seriously don't know how or when this is going to end. But for now, here's the next chappie!

Chapter Ten: Very Good Questions

Sisko

"Yes, Doctor, what is it?" Sisko said dismissively as he exited his office and found himself in Ops. He doubted that it could be more important than the whole Cardassian fleet locking weapons onto the station.

"Sir, there's a Founder on the station!" Bashir couldn't say the words fast enough.

"What else could go wrong?" Sisko asked rhetorically. "I want sweeps of the whole station by all available personnel. That changeling must be found as soon as possible!" Then, focusing on another problem, Sisko stared helplessly at the Cardassian ships spread out in front of his station.

"Sir, they're locking phasers," O'Brien informed.

"I suggest you do the same, Chief," Sisko ordered. "We'll hit them with all we've got. Dax, I want you on the Defiant. Protect the station." Dax nodded and was on her way.

"And Dax," Sisko added. She turned, right in front of the turbolift. "Good luck, old man," Sisko finished, winking at her but not smiling.

The faintest grin played about her lips as she said, "Same to you," and whisked around and into the turbolift.

"We're ready, sir, but the Cardassians aren't doing anything," O'Brien observed. "They've got weapons locked, but they're not firing. I don't understand."

"Maybe there is something one the station that they have no intention of harming. Perhaps they know our little tag-along Changeling," Sisko speculated. "Hail them."

Soon enough, the image of a Cardassian face appeared on the screen. "Commander, I trust by now the Major is conscious and has told you about our little secret. I almost wish we could have been more successful in killing her. It is just as well, I suppose. Our operative was not the most trustworthy or experienced, but the only one with the. . . talent for the job," Dukat rambled. "Oh, well. Now we want it back. It seems incapable of getting your station itself, so we've come to get it. We are authorized to use force, if necessary."

"I would give it to you, Dukat," Sisko fibbed, "if I had it."

Dukat shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "Commander, do you expect me to believe that? I am not half the imbecile you take me for." The sick smile completely dissolved from his face. "You have exactly thirty minutes to return it to us, or I'm afraid your pretty station will not be so pretty anymore."

Dukat faded from the screen and O'Brien said, "Sir, we're being hailed by the Defiant."

"Put it through," Sisko said, exasperated.

"Are we clear for departure?" Dax asked, her voice not traced back to a visible body.

"You're needed on the station. For now, the Defiant stays where it is," Sisko explained.

"See you in a minute, then," Dax said. Then the com link was terminated.

Sisko sighed. "If no one else would like to chat, I think we should focus on finding our Changeling," he pointed out. "I am heading down to the Infirmary."

Bashir

Odo was already in the Infirmary, standing by Kira's bed. The restraints had been fastened again to keep her from thrashing at the "Cardassians" around her.

When Sisko entered, he stood between Odo and Bashir around Kira's bed. "No," Kira whispered urgently, "get away! Get away!"

"She's hallucinating," Bashir explained. "She thinks we're all Cardassians, so we had to strap her down or she would try to kill us."

"I see," Sisko said as Kira pulled herself as far from Doctor Bashir's hypo-spray as she could. "And how did you figure out there was a Founder on the station?"

"Well, Kira told me," Bashir explained. "The hallucinations didn't start right away. She saw me for myself at first. I walked away for a minute and she was clawing at my staff, screaming at them to get away. She probably wore herself out by now, or got tired of fighting. But that I doubt." Bashir finally injected the hypo-spray and stood up straight. "Well, that ought to help," he said triumphantly.

"Do what you can for her, Doctor," Sisko ordered, "and quick. We've got under thirty minutes to find your changeling before Cardassians take it by force."

Bashir was shocked. "We're not going to just hand it over to them, sir," he said.

"Of course not," Sisko answered.

"Then what will we do with it?" Bashir pressed. "What will we tell the Cardassians?"

"I was just about to discuss that with the senior staff," Sisko said. "And since we are short on time, I suggest we hold the meeting immediately."

"And Kira. . ." Bashir hinted.

"Look around you," Sisko said, gesturing around the room. "All these doctors with nothing to do. . . yet."

Bashir looked defeated as he nodded to one of the nurses. Then he followed Sisko and Odo out of the Infirmary as they headed for the Briefing Room (AN: That is what it's called, right? I just can't remember).

"Dax, O'Brien," Sisko ordered, "meet us in the Briefing Room immediately."

Just then, as Bashir lost sight of the Infirmary, several station security officers brought to the Infirmary an assortment of unconscious people: a young Starfleet security officer (AN: from last chapter), Marda, and a science officer. What could have happened to them?

Dax

"How did he know the blood wasn't there?" Dax demanded.

"Well, he was right about it not being there, so who's to say he wasn't right about all the other things he said?" O'Brien asked. "Most of them, anyway."

"Are you saying that it could not have been blood? Then what was it?" Dax questioned, not expecting a legitimate answer.

"Don't look at me; I'm not the medical expert here!" O'Brien pointed out. All eyes fell on Doctor Bashir.

"I haven't any clue," Bashir admitted, displaying his palms on either side of his face defensively.

"And what could all this have to do with the Changeling?" Odo asked. "Why does Dukat seem to think it belongs to the Cardassians?"

"All very good questions," Sisko said. "It's too bad we don't have any answers. Speculation?"

"Maybe there is one Changeling working for the Cardassians," Dax began. "They could have sent it to the station to fake the blood test we ran, or to just give them a reason to pay us a visit."

"Maybe there isn't a Changeling on the station at all," O'Brien suggested. "It could all be an excuse attack Deep Space Nine, to 'reclaim Terok Nor' or something like that."

"I don't think so," Odo said. "Who would want the blood and what for? Perhaps it was the Changeling, to retrieve the evidence that Dukat had ever been on the station. I still don't understand how he could have gotten on the station without my knowing."

"Maybe he didn't," Bashir pointed out. "The Changeling could have been the one who placed the blood in Garak's shop in the first place."

"Somehow, I think that only the Major has the answers to these questions," Dax said. "We can sit here and speculate all we want, but I don't think we'll ever come up with a completely correct answer."

"She's right," O'Brien agreed. "We should focus on figuring out how to find the Changeling and what to do when we have it."

"We'll leave security to that first part for now," Sisko said. "When we find it, what will we do? We can't simply hand it over to Dukat."

There was silence. Apparently, no one could think of any way to make Dukat believe they had given him the Changeling without really giving it up. Then, suddenly, Odo spoke up. "I volunteer to go in its place."

Oh, I really love this story! It's a lot of fun to write; I hope it's equally fun to read! Anyways, I am OUT OF SCHOOL! In case I didn't say that already. . . . Did I? Who cares, it's still AWESOME!! I'm going to Utah soon, so I'll post this before I go. It oughtta be fun!!