Part Six

JD Dunne still had difficulty believing that this was any more than someone's idea of a practical joke. When he had materialized here from inside the confines of his room, he was certain that this was probably something cooked up by the first officer since only Buck would have the audacity and to a certain degree, the no how to perpetrate such an act of kidnapping. Not that JD minded of course. In truth, JD enjoyed the Magnificent Seven program. As a form of recreation, he could think of nothing more exciting than playing one of the seven gunfighters whom protected the town of Four Corners.

Besides, the bonus of the story meant that he got to be sheriff.

Still despite his lack of concern at being brought here so abruptly, he wished Buck could have at least asked him or given him some warning before transporting him out of his quarters. Although JD did not mind being here, he did not intend to stay for more than an hour because he was tired and wanted his sleep. However, he was somewhat confused that he had been materialized in the jailhouse which how to be devoid of the others. For a few minutes, he waited, assuming that the silence was due to the scenario that Buck was playing out. However, when almost twenty ticked by with nothing happening inside or out, JD decided that perhaps it was time to investigate.

The office in which he was presently occupied was atypical of jailhouses scattered throughout the west in this period of Earth history. There was the standard collection of jail cells, which at this time were vacant; each furnished with a bunk and little else. The sheriff did not fare much either, his bastion being merely his chair and his desk upon which were the obligatory wanted posters that needed hanging up on every surface that permitted. JD pushed himself from behind the desk where he had materialized and headed towards the door, hoping to locate Buck to see what the first officer had planned.

He pulled open the door to the premises and found Vin Tanner about to knock. Behind him were Chris Larabee and Ezra Standish, keeping a cautious eye on their surroundings. Their demeanor immediately put the young man on guard, even though he did not know why at the time. Still, if there was peril at foot, he could not deny that he was grateful to be in their company before it found him. For their part, the three senior officers seemed just as relieved to see that the young man was safe and sound before any of the insanity that had found them in the saloon earlier, did the same to him.

"Captain," JD said with a nervous smile, hoping he was wrong about the danger and that they were simply caught up in the drama of the simulation. "Buck brought you here too?"

"Buck didn't bring us here JD," Vin grumbled as Chris shut the door behind him and Ezra immediately took point at the window, so he could have a clear and unobstructed view of the street.

"He didn't?" JD swallowed anxiously. Until now, it had never occurred to him that their being here could be anything more than Buck Wilmington's attempts to amuse himself at their expense. The first officer did have a very peculiar sense of humor but now that JD considered things more deeply, he supposed even Buck had his limits, especially if it meant involving the Captain. While Chris was very accommodating as far as commanding officers went, JD did not think that even his good-natured manner would tolerate being spirited off his bridge without permission, even if it were his oldest friend committed the act.

"I'm guessing you haven't tried getting out." Vin looked at JD in question as Chris sat down in the chair he previously occupied behind the sheriff's desk, examining the weapon that Ezra had given him in the saloon. The captain was trying to figure out exactly how the thing worked, having no wish to enter another round with Top Hat Bob so disadvantaged.

"No." JD shook his head. "I just figured Buck brought me here and everything that was going on was part of the simulation. I only started to think that maybe I ought to find him when it was quiet for so long and nobody was turning up. But then I opened the door and there you were."

"For once, Mr. Wilmington is not responsible for this little jaunt into wonderland." Ezra drawled from where he was.

"No kidding," Vin remarked, recalling how annoyed Buck had been when they had last seen the man. " He was just as pissed off as we were at being taken off the bridge and sent here."

"I'm sorry Captain," JD started to apologize, feeling immensely foolish at not having realized that the situation was this serious. "I should have realized that something was wrong."

"It's alright JD," Chris answered and gave him a little smile to think nothing of it. "None of us were any surer of things ourselves, even with the benefit of experience." Chris was not at all annoyed that JD had not suspected that there was more to this than simply Buck's idea of a joke. Had not Chris though the same thing when he had first materialized here? JD was younger and still unfamiliar enough with Buck's antics for them to expect him to entirely sure that Buck would not behave like a juvenile.

Hell, half the time Chris was not even sure.

Vin and Ezra exchanged a brief glimpse and a smile as they saw JD immediately swelling with pleasure at the Captain's kind words. Both men did not say what they were thinking, even though their eye contact spoke volumes at the admiration felt for the captain. Part of the reason that Chris engendered the loyalty he did from his crew, not simply from the senior staff, was his ability to make every single member of the Maverick feel like they mattered. No matter how small their contribution to the ship was, not matter how seemingly insignificant it might seem to them, it was not to the captain. He treated every member of his crew, from the first officer to the stewards in the lower decks, that they were a vital component in the machinery that was the Maverick.

"So, we're trapped in here?" JD asked, unable to hide his apprehension at the notion that they could not escape from this simulated reality. Coming here for recreational purposes was one thing but to be trapped in here indefinitely was not a prospect that he was particularly looking forward to. He was not afraid to admit that he was a product of his time and did not crave for the nostalgic days of old.

"More or less," Ezra Standish responded, peeking out the window, ensuring that they did not have a repeat of the incident with the individual called Top Hat Bob. At this time, Bob did not appear to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the jailhouse and the security chief decided that it was safe for them to attempt their rendezvous with the others. "Unfortunately, it also appears that the safety protocols have been disabled."

"Disabled?" JD exclaimed. "Oh, this just gets better!" The young man retorted, forgetting that he was an ensign surrounded by three command officers. However, it was very hard to remember that when they were in this place where the scenario had them playing equals.

"Not to mention," Vin added. "We're seeing some pretty interesting villains."

"How?" JD asked quizzically.

When he had first been invited to join this program, he had studied everything available on the mythology of the Magnificent Seven. JD had been honored at being invited to join the captain's private recreation world and he had not wanted to make a fool of himself by appearing unprepared. Even though they treated him with respect and friendship, JD could not help feeling a little insecure at being an ensign surrounded by veteran officers who were all exceptional in one way or another. He could not deny that he felt a little ordinary in their company and often strove twice as hard to be just as good. He took the Magnificent Seven program just as seriously, ensuring that he was completely prepared to face anything that the simulation had to throw at him, memorizing every legend and every villain that the lawmen had faced during their amazing tenure in the town of Four Corners.

"We were accosted by a particularly odious specimen called Top Hat Bob." Ezra answered before Vin could. "The man seemed to be under the impression that the captain had wronged him in some way."

"Top Hat Bob," JD mused, aware that the name sounded familiar and thought about it for a moment before he looked up again. "Does he have an eye patch?"

All three men raised their eyes to the youth, but it was Chris who answered. "He had an eye patch."

"Well that's Top Hat Bob!" JD exclaimed, pleased because he knew whom their adversary had been with that one bit of revelation.

"I thought we covered that already." Vin said impatiently.

"Sorry," JD gave the tracker an embarrassed smile and then continued. "Top Hat Bob is one an Magnificent Seven villain but not a very big important one. He's mostly a hired gun but he does have a personnel grudge against the gunfighter."

"Because?" Chris asked. While he enjoyed the program ever since Buck had presented it to him as a birthday present shortly after coming on board the Maverick, Chris had to confess not knowing every aspect of the lore regarding the seven legendary gunmen.

"Something about a wood splitting contest or something." JD answered with a little bit of a frown because the facts were rather vague on the exact details of the character's vendetta. "I do know that it was a contest he lost and apparently got into a brawl with the gunfighter about, where he lost his eye."

"Terrific," Chris grumbled. "I wonder how many others are going to come out of the woodwork." The captain led out a sigh before pushing himself to his feet once again.

"Others?" Vin looked at him.

"There is no reason to assume that there will not be," Ezra responded, in complete agreement with the captain's foresight in this matter. "Someone is playing games with us and if you're a pawn in someone else's amusement, there is no doubt they will want to make the games as entertaining as possible."

Chris stared at Ezra for a moment, feeling something spark in his memory at the security chief's words. For a moment, he searched his mind for why he would have been overcome with such a feeling of familiarity, but it was gone before he could grasp it wholly.

"Chris?" Vin who knew his expressions with almost intimate knowledge, saw the uncertainty in his eyes even for that briefest of seconds. "What is it?" The helmsman asked.

Chris did not answer for a second as he tried to understand why Ezra's words had struck him so. However, after seconds of rumination, it was obvious that no such answer was coming. "Nothing," Chris shook his head. "Come on," he raised his gaze to those with him. "Let's get to the rendezvous point."

However, the uneasiness still would not go away.

Less than ten minutes after they had collected JD at the jailhouse, Chris and the entire senior staff of the Maverick found themselves gathered around what was normally their table inside the tavern owned by the gambler/ con man who Ezra took such delight in playing. Although it was not at all the practice of the day that they ought to be joined by the ladies of their group in such an establishment and appeared to arouse more than a few strange looks and disapproving glances, Chris decided that decorum be damned. They had larger concerns on their hands now. Judging by the experiences related by the rest of the Maverick's senior staff, it appeared that the mysterious culprit who had placed them in this recreation of their holodeck fantasy was taking pleasure in pitting them against a full array of Magnificent Seven's villains.

"It's like a Batman movie." Mary declared.

Chris stared at her. "A what?"

"Nevermind," Mary shrugged in response, not about to reveal her predilection for 20th century comic books. "What are we going to do? The Antarians are less than a day away, we have to get out of here."

"One disaster at a time," Buck retorted, certain that Chris was just as tired as he was about being reminded about this deadline. "At the moment, we need to figure out how we are going to get out of here."

"Alright, lets examine our situation," Chris said firmly, speaking with just enough authority to remind those present that they were not in a holodeck fantasy despite their present situation. They were Starfleet officers in an alien and hostile environment and it was time they started behaving like it. "We were brought here to what I am fairly certain is not our holodeck program by persons unknown who seem to have programmed every conceivable villain to throw at us for whatever reason."

"Chris," Mary spoke up. "I'm not so sure that this is a holographic illusion."

"What else could it be?" Josiah inquired. "This can't exist anywhere in reality."

"Why do you think that Lieutenant?" Ezra asked, keeping his gaze fixed at one point and fighting the urge to let his eyes wander. Although he was mindful of their situation, he could not help being faced with his personal problems, especially when Julia was right across the table from him. She too, avoided meeting his eyes and Ezra wondered if she was just as uncomfortable about things between as he was. Once again, Ezra cursed the circumstances that had brought them to this and wished he had the chance to apologize to her as he had intended before they were brought to this alien place.

Mary glanced at Chris, always feeling uncomfortable when discussing this subject, rare as it was. She was human and thus her psi ability was weak at best and what she felt to be extra sensory powers did not manifest themselves as any more than a strong intuition most of the time. "I get a sense of these people," she looked around the room at the barmaid that looked like Inez, the patrons at the tables, downing drinks and carousing with saloon girls before facing her friends again. "My mind tells me they're not real, that they're projections of light and magnetic containment but they feel real to me."

"I know what you mean," Nathan frowned, remembering the young woman that he had stood over a short time ago. She with the ribbons in her hair, staring at him with silver coins in her eyes, she did not seem like a fake but rather flesh and blood. "They feel like real people."

"Look," Julia spoke up. "That's programming." The engineer in her refused to let her belief in something as intangible as a feeling. She dealt in numbers and facts she could see, in laws of physic and proven theorem. "They are supposed to look and feel real."

"But you don't know that it is." Vin countered. "We're all energy is some way, who knows what makes one thing alive and another an object. We live in a universe with android officers and holographic programs that have gained sentience. We don't know how to classify life, not really."

"Spoken like a true Starfleet officer." Buck grinned; remembering a dozen Starfleet lecturer's making the same point at the Academy.

"Thanks." Vin returned after Buck's comment.

What Mary had said seemed to make a certain amount of sense. Chris knew that her latent telepathic abilities were nothing to ignore or underestimate. On the C'Kaia ship, she had used those powers to save both their lives and he was not about to disregard it because there was no irrefutable proof to back up her insights. "Mary, when you say that you get some sense of them, what do you mean?"

"I don't know," she exclaimed with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "I feel them but not quite. Normally when I'm in the holodeck, the people we see don't register at all. They're not alive and it's like seeing a chair or any inanimate object. It doesn't register to me. But this is different," her expression melted into full-blown concern and Chris knew instantly she was more passionate about her belief than her declaration before them. "They're like shadows. Alive but not alive, I can't explain it."

"Maybe Mr. Tanner..." Ezra suddenly suggested.

"Me?" Vin stared back at the Security Chief perplexed.

Alex understood immediately. "Vin, you need to do a meld."

"A meld?" He almost shouted before a stern look from his captain reminded him to lower his voice. As it was they were bringing enough attention to themselves by having the girls in here without causing any further undue fanfare. "Why?"

"You're Vulcan." Alex gave Ezra a brief glance that told him to let her handle this.

"Tell me something I don't know," he bit back impatiently. "I wasn't sure with the ears."

Alex bristled and was about to respond when Chris decided to intervene before they both said something they would regret later. If there was one thing that could make Vin lose his temper, even with Alex, it was bringing up the Vulcan part of himself that he felt uncomfortable discussing with anyone, especially Alex considering his feelings for her.

"Vin," Chris responded, placing a gentle hand on Alex's arm.

The science officer took the hint and immediately withdrew in favor of the captain. In truth, Alex hated discussing this subject with Vin as much as he hated talking about it in her presence. Mostly because he was so sensitive about his Vulcan background and usually reacted heatedly and because inspiring Vin's temper would also inspire hers and since she could not have her way with him, it was a passion she rather not has ignited.

Completely unaware of what was running through her mind, though he would have been most grateful had he known, Chris continued where she had left off. "You're telepathic and far more capable of telling us if these people in here are more than what they seem. Now we need to know for sure that these people are what they appear to be, holograms that is, before we can figure out what to do next."

"Its insane." Julia interjected. "It's a program, I'm telling you!"

"We cannot make that determination simply because appears to look like a hologram." Ezra retorted.

"Something appearing to be something else did not seem to bother you before." She returned caustically.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He met her gaze sharply.

"I think you know," she declared.

"I think I don't give a goddamn hell what either of you know!" Chris hissed with low snarl and immediately silenced both immediately. Julia's cheek flushed red and Ezra could not brave a glance in Chris' direction, able to feel the Larabee glare burning into him from where he was seated. The others found it the perfect time to clear their throats, avert their gaze or generally do anything that kept them from making eye contact with each other.

Chris stared at both and said firmly. "Now you listen to me Commander Standish and Lieutenant Pemberton," his temper though vast was not infinite and the bickering and snide remarks that had been traded between these two since the incidents with the Accrans was just plain pissing him off. He had waited for the duo to settle this like adults but if they were not going to do that, it was their business. However, the minute it started to interfere with their duty as officers, it became his. "We are in a life and death situation here and I don't care if you are having relationship troubles and can barely stomach the sight of each other but while you are under my command, you will behave accordingly."

"I apologize Sir," the security chief said properly mortified by his lack of professionalism.

"Like wise Captain." Julia answered a second later, just as equally embarrassed.

"Don't apologize," Chris said abruptly. "Just get over it. For our sake and your own."

A silence fell over the room for a few seconds as everyone tried to regain their train of thought immediately preceding Ezra and Julia's spat. Vin considered what the others had said about his meld abilities and decided that the captain was right. They did need to know the truth and as he let his gaze sweep across the room to the people that frequented the tavern, he had to admit he wanted to know as well. Besides, this was something no one else could do.

Taking a deep breath, Vin rose to his feet.

"Vin?" Alex asked.

"Its okay," he met Chris' eyes and the captain immediately understood. Chris nodded slightly in his direction and Vin knew that was enough. Chris had given his permission in that one look. "Its time to bite the bullet."

"I wish you would use another vernacular." Ezra frowned. "In this place..."

"Shut up Ezra," Alex groaned and turned to Vin with a smile of encouragement. "You can do it."

Vin returned her smile with one of his own, hoping it allowed her appreciate that he had not meant to snap at her. The helmsman went to the bar, where the barmaid was pouring drinks for more waiting customers. Buck had programmed her to look like Inez and Vin had to confess the likeness was amazing. He was rather surprised that Inez had not been offended at her image being used but then these days, Inez did not waste her time on such thoughts when she still had to contend with her grief at losing her fiancée.

"How about drink darling?" Vin asked silkily.

"Of course, Senor." She smiled radiantly and suddenly Vin had an idea what Buck found so alluring. She really was pretty, and the real Inez was even lovelier.

She poured him whiskey, straight up in a little shot glass and slid the receptacle towards him when Vin caught her hand in his and lingered just enough to run his fingers over the smooth skin. The woman became somewhat offended when he did not let go and his expression became odd, almost as if he was deriving strange pleasure from the contact. Barmaid or not, such behavior was not to be tolerated and she pulled her hand away, almost knocking over the shot glass in her grip.

"I think that is enough Senor." She retorted, more than a little ire in her voice as she glared at him angrily.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Vin quickly apologized but those who knew him could see that he was unsettled. He barely noticed her gaze burning into his back as he turned away and returned to the table where the rest of the senior staff was waiting for him.

"Jesus Vin," Buck declared immediately, seeing the expression on his face that soon struck alarm into all of theirs. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not a ghost," Vin shook his head, glancing over his shoulder at the bar maid once more. "Ghosts are dead." He stated when he turned his attention to his comrades once again. "That woman was alive."