A/N: This story is almost completed. Just a couple more chapters.

The standard disclaimer still applies.

Chapter 24

Teal'c released Khan from the field, and the superman collapsed, unconscious. His own body had supplied the power to keep itself immobile. In addition, possession by Anubis wreaked havoc on anyone. Khan was affected much less than someone of lower augmentation would have been, but the trip had been long, and he was exhausted.

Teal'c reached down, grabbed the man by the back of his belt, and lifted him entirely off the floor. The blonde man, Joachim, was careful to not antagonize Teal'c now. He was still somewhat sullen, but he had piloted Saratoga obediently.

"Power down the engines, then accompany me," Teal'c told him.

Joachim didn't reply, but he complied. That was enough for Teal'c.

With one hand carrying Khan, the big Jaffa led the way to the airlock connecting Saratoga to Avalon. On the way, they collected the remaining members of Khan's crew, and they were herded toward the station. With Teal'c carrying their leader by the belt, it was as if they accepted a new alpha. They weren't happy about it, but they acknowledged that Teal'c was more powerful than their own leader.

When they reached the airlock, the other Q were there, but rather than interfere, they simply parted, allowing Teal'c unimpeded access through the connecting tunnel. Spock raised an eyebrow at the strange sight of Khan Noonien Singh being carried in such an undignified manner, but not a word was said. The five other Q stepped in behind the last of the augments and brought up the rear as they were lead by their new alpha to the security station.

When they arrived, they allowed themselves to be placed in holding cells, and watched mutely as Teal'c dropped Khan unceremoniously on the floor inside a cell. He stepped out and flipped a switch which activated the security fields. He turned around and stood facing the cell. He seemed uncomfortable for a moment, then held up his right hand, as if he were holding a staff. There was a bright flash and the signature Jaffa weapon was in his hand.

It was almost an hour later, that Khan started moving. He didn't moan, but simply sat up. He took in his surroundings with one glance, then his eyes narrowed as he saw Teal'c.

He stood and placed his nose a millimeter from the force field and glared at the Jaffa. "Why am I here?"

Teal'c waved his free hand and the field disappeared. "Do you know who I am?" he asked deliberately. To his right, he saw the other Q standing watch. They made no move to interfere, but he could sense that they were ready to act.

"You are Jaffa," Khan said as he took in the golden mark on the big man's forehead. "First Prime of Apophis?"

"You are well informed. The man I consider to be my father is Bra'tac. His wife is Lwaxana Troi. Since Bra'tac is my father, she is my mother. You destroyed her homeworld unprovoked."

"I do not know these people you are talking about, and I have certainly destroyed no one's homeworld."

"If Anubis retains control, then you are lying. If he has fled, which he would be wise to do, you are Khan, and you have a prison sentence waiting for your return.

The superman eyed the Jaffa speculatively. "You don't fear me, do you, Son of Bra'tac?"

"I have no need to fear you."

"Those who have not feared me in the past have died."

"Has it not occurred to you that it was I who turned off the force field?" Teal'c asked mildly. "There is an old Earth saying. 'Go ahead. Make my day.'" With that, he lifted the staff weapon, and offered the handle to Khan. "If you think you can, you are welcome to try."

Pendergast…

Pendergast had an amazing engine. It had been designed by the twins, and was capable of crossing the Avalon Galaxy in approximately ten minutes. Provided everything was working correctly, that is. Their current speed was somewhat slower, as the damage to hyperspace had not completely healed. In their favor, it was at least useable. Slipstream was still a viable option, but it was nowhere near as fast as hyperspace. Because of the figures Dr. Smith had showed Mr. Scott and Mr. LaForge, warp drive was now considerably faster than it ever had been, but hyperspace was still the most efficient of the three types of drives.

Pendergast was now on its way to the delta quadrant. Fargo and his team had finished with the equipment setup on Terra Nova, and now they were on their way to a planet they knew well. It really wasn't far from Jord, either. They were planning on rendezvousing with Equinox to pick up a couple of people before travelling on to Altair. Once they were finished installing a sensor net there, they would move to the beta quadrant, and finally, the gamma.

Shelby exited her cabin and almost collided with Rose.

"Is there a fire somewhere?" the Doctor's wife asked.

"No, why?"

"Well, you seem to be in quite the hurry, is all."

"Do I?" Shelby considered. "I've always figured the early bird gets the worm, so I usually move pretty quickly."

"I usually move pretty quickly too, but mainly when I'm running from a Dalek or Cyberman. Sometimes even a Nestene."

Shelby was confused. "I'm afraid I don't know what any of those are."

They were walking toward the mess hall now. None of the people on board the ship needed to eat, but by almost unanimous decision, they continued to do so, mainly because it was a time to socialize. Many of them had talked to Daniel Jackson about his time as an ascended. They did not want to end up where all had been said and done and people didn't speak to each other anymore. Thus, they consciously avoided that particular trap.

"Well, a Cyberman is just like it sounds. It's a person who was inserted into a mechanical body. Their emotions are suppressed and they are out to either 'delete' people or add them to their ranks."

"Sounds like the Borg," Shelby commented.

"Somewhat," Rose agreed. "The Daleks. They're something entirely different. They are a race that uses strong mechanical bodies to augment their vulnerable biological bodies. They've suppressed their emotions as well." She paused as she thought. "You know, they're really rather two peas in a pod, both trying to achieve their own perverted view of perfection. The Nestene are something altogether different."

"You said that about the Daleks."

Rose smiled. "Well, if you saw a Cyberman and a Dalek, you'd see that they appear completely different. The nestene, though, are a type of living plastic."

"Living plastic?"

"It's a creature that is very closely related to plastic, on a molecular scale. Because of that, it can animate certain types of polymers."

"That seems pretty far fetched," Shelby said.

"Really? As far fetched as people who are able to draw power directly from a different continuum and do almost anything with that power?"

The Doctor had fallen into step beside his wife as they turned the last corner before entering the mess hall. "Of course, those aren't the strangest things I've run into," he commented.

They entered the mess hall and started for Shelby's table. "Dare I ask?" she said as she sat down.

"The lonely assassins," Smith said as he pulled out Rose's chair for her.

Shelby looked at Rose, questioningly. The Doctor's wife shook her head. "I've never seen them, although I know what they are."

Fargo and Holly joined them, then Jo and Zane. "I'm all ears," said Shelby, inviting the Doctor to tell the tale.

Smith waited while Cameron Mitchell sat down, then explained.

"They're also called weeping angels."

"Like those statues?" Jo asked.

"Exactly. Except they're not statues. They're living beings. Psychopathic murderers. They're quantum locked, which means that they've developed a natural defense where as long as they're observed, they become stone."

"Sounds like they'd be easy enough to get away from," Jo laughed. Several around the table joined in her merriment until Rose pointed out, "Sooner or later, you're not looking at them, or you blink. If you blink, they move, and they're very fast."

"Incredibly fast," confirmed the Doctor. "All they have to do is touch you and you're transported back in time. They live off the residual energy of your life in the present and future."

"That sounds crazy," Mitchell scoffed. "It makes no sense."

"Actually, it makes plenty of sense," Fargo said, looking to Holly for confirmation.

"It would be like living off of potential energy," Holly said. "We can draw potential energy from things. We do it all the time."

"As a sort of parlor trick," Jo said.

"There was a time when they couldn't think of any use for electricity other than parlor tricks, JoJo," Zane reminded her.

"It's not exactly living off of potential energy," the Doctor explained. "Think of it this way. If you have a stretched rubber band, there is potential energy there. If you suddenly release it, there is a release of energy. By sending someone back in time, the energy from their future life - the one that they will not get to live - is released, and that allows the weeping angel to feed."

For some time, no one said anything. Finally, Fargo commented, "Interesting."

In orbit of Betazed…

A runabout dropped out of warp and slid gracefully into standard orbit.

The three people seated inside were shocked at the state of the once beautiful world.

"Federation runabout, Ganges. Identify your crew!"

It took a moment for Riker, who was piloting, to respond. Not only was he dealing with his own pain at the sight, but he felt that of his wife and stepfather-in-law. He finally touched the transmit button and said, "This is Commodore William T. Riker, of Enterprise. My wife, Deanna Troi, and her stepfather Bra'tac are also aboard."

"Ganges, maintain your orbit." The bird of prey took up a position directly behind, and slightly above the runabout, where the little ship was under the guns of the more powerful Klingon vessel. A moment later, two Klingon security officers, in full battle armor, and holding phasers outstretched, materialized behind the three occupied chairs.

The ranking Klingon took in the passengers in one glance. "My apologies, Commodore Riker. We had no idea if you were who you said you were."

"No apologies are necessary, Lieutenant. I commend you on the performance of your duty."

The lieutenant inclined his head, and turned to Bra'tac. "Your wife is aboard the Ho' pach. Would you like to see her?"

"We would all like to see her," Bra'tac informed the young warrior.

The klingon seemed uncomfortable for a moment, until Riker offered, "She may come here."

The warrior straightened. "Commander Mek'tor is charged with her safety."

Bra'tac stood and squared off with the klingon. "Do you doubt my ability to protect my wife?"

Riker saw in his eye that the Lieutenant was about to say something he would regret. Apparently, Bra'tac saw it as well, and quick as lightning, he reached out with one hand and grabbed the bicep of the klingon and squeezed, the tips of his fingers digging in. Riker knew that a klingon's muscles were usually like steel, and security officers kept themselves in peak physical shape. But Bra'tac was a former first prime. Even at his advanced age, he was incredibly fit and fearless.

The klingon didn't show any pain on his face, even though Riker heard an ominous cracking sound from his arm. He shook his head and said, "No, Sir. You are obviously capable of protecting her. However, it is my duty if she leaves Ho' pach."

Bra'tac nodded and released his grip. "Very well. She may come here."

"Yes, Sir," the warrior nodded. He re-holstered his sidearm, and Riker could see the tiniest of grimaces cross his face when he moved his arm. Then the young man tapped his communicator badge and gave the proper orders to Ho' pach. However, he had to transport back to show he was not under any form of coercion, before the bird of prey would beam Lwaxana over.

Avalon...

Khan eyed the staff weapon in Teal'c's hand. He was very quick and strong, and he knew it, but something in the Jaffa's manner told him that he would not succeed in killing him. Whether the staff weapon was charged or not, he didn't know. Perhaps the big man was wearing armor, or a personal shield. Whatever the reason, Khan refused to appear the fool.

He stepped backwards and placed his arms firmly behind his back. "I think not," he told Teal'c. "You are strangely self assured. I see no reason to fight you at this moment."

Teal'c nodded and said, "That is wise." He lowered the staff back to the floor, but still made no move to leave.

"Is there more that you desire?" Khan asked him.

"What I desire you will not willingly give."

"Then you will gain nothing. You will not get what I do not allow."

Khan folded his arms across his chest and intended to appear as self assured as Teal'c, but he suddenly felt as if a weight was pushing down on top of his head. The pressure quickly became intolerable and he dropped to his knees. Next, he found himself thinking every thought he had ever had, replaying his life at an incredible rate. He had no control over the replay, and tried everything he knew to stop it. He felt as if he was a bystander, watching someone else take control.

As suddenly as it began, it was over. He found himself laying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Teal'c came over, gripped his belt and lifted him up. A moment later, Khan found himself dropped onto the hard platform that served as both a bed and chair.

"Thank you for the information," the Jaffa said, then he turned and left the cell. The field finally turned back on.

Several minutes later, Khan had enough control over his body to sit up. He saw Joachim standing across the corridor, watching him with a concerned expression.

"Do not worry, my friend," Khan said. "I shall soon regain my strength. How many of us are still alive?"

"We have lost no one."

Their leader nodded his head. "Very good. We shall take them soon enough."

Joachim shook his head. "We can't."

"Why?" Khan snapped.

"We don't have the power."

Khan stared at his friend for a long moment, then, very quietly, he said, "Explain yourself."

Joachim did.

Cardassian space...

Rene braced himself and slowly let out the rope. At the end was Tessa, slowly lowering into the hole she had been digging. It was early morning and she wanted to get started. For a couple of hours, she dug, filling a bucket with dirt, and he laboriously lifted it out and dumped it. Then, he carefully lowered it back down the twenty or so feet to her so she could refill it.

"There's something hard down here," she called up to him. "It looks like some kind of concrete edge."

He heard her dig some more, then, "The edge is about a quarter of a meter thick. It looks like there's an opening under it!" He heard some scrambling, then she shouted for him to pull the bucket up. "And send me down a light. I want to see what's down there."

Once Rene had the bucket up and dumped, he pulled a flashlight out of one of the survival packs. He tested it to make sure it worked, then placed it in the bucket and lowered it down.

A few minutes later, "You're never going to believe this, Rene!"

Deep Space Nine…

Jean Luc Picard entered his quarters. Wearily, he sat down on the sofa beside Beverly.

"A penny for your thoughts, Jean Luc?"

"I'm afraid you wouldn't be getting your money's worth."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm quite certain your thoughts are worth more than that."

"I'm concerned about Marie." He sighed before continuing. "She's worried about Rene, and I can't say I blame her. As much as I understand war, and the cost, I also understand a parent's hurt at the loss of a child.

"My hurt, however, does not compare with what she is going through. We had to discipline Guinan, but we know we haven't lost her. In fact, she is still with us, in Janet." He sighed again. "Marie has none of that assurance regarding Rene."

"Where has she gone?"

"She has left DS9, and teamed up with Doctor Weir, a combination which doesn't bode well with me."

"Is why you're concerned?" Beverly asked.

"Yes." He looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "I know you told me I didn't need to know why Marie made the choices she did, and I've respected that. But I wish I knew now."

Beverly wasn't sure what to do. Telling Jean Luc what she knew could conceivably change the wrong thing. But would Andy stop her if that was the case?

In the other section of the cabin, they heard the noise of a gateway opening. A moment later, Andy Lawson stepped into the room.

"Forgive my intrusion," he said with a smile. "Doc, this is one of those times where I need to nudge you along instead of stop you."

Betazed…

The runabout and the bird of prey had both landed. According to scans, their landing site had recently been the home of Lwaxana and Bra'tac. Now, there was nothing. No buildings, no trees, no flowers. Just an unbroken stretch of destruction and desolation. Lwaxana leaned against Bra'tac, tears in her eyes. A few feet away, Mek'tor and his crew stood, clearly disgusted at what Khan had done.

"Was anyone here?" Riker asked quietly.

"Just Mr. Homn," Lwaxana answered sadly, already missing her old friend.

Bra'tac levelled his gaze at his wife. "He shall be avenged, Lwaxana."

"Who was Mr. Homn?" asked the Klingon commander.

"My wife's trusted servant of many years," the Jaffa answered.

Mek'tor turned to Lwaxana and said formally, "vaj boQ, 'ej jIH neH bortaS pup."

"I'm sorry, Mek'tor, but I'm not sure what that means."

Bra'tac inclined his head to the Klingon. "Roughly translated, it means, 'I offer my assistance in exacting revenge.'"

Lwaxana thanked the commander, who stood up straighter and saluted her. Then he tapped his communicator and said, "Connect me to General Kang." When he heard the general's voice come on, he said, "yISam 'ej bortaS nojtaHghach 'ay' targh quy'Ip 'Iv yuQvam Qaw' HIboQ ghIgh yu' jIH."

There was a pause before they all heard Kang say, "Very well. Qapla'!"

"He just requested permission from General Kang to be assigned the duty of seeking revenge on Khan." Deanna translated for her mother.

"Close enough," Riker agreed, smiling.

Lwaxana turned to Bra'tac and demanded, "What did he say, exactly?"

The old Jaffa gave her a smile and explained, "Deanna was correct, although he made reference to Khan being a 'filthy piece of targh vomit'."

Avalon...

Joachim awoke with a start. He wasn't sure what had triggered his wakefulness. He sat up and looked around. It was dark, but the glow of the force field gave enough light for him to see inside his cell.

He stood and walked to the field and stared across to Khan's cell. It was empty. He considered what to do. Should he inform the Starfleet personnel, or give his friend time to escape? He thought about it, then went to lie down again. He wasn't sure why Khan was acting erratically, but he wasn't going to turn him in to Starfleet either.

It was close to an hour later that Joachim heard someone walking down the corridor. It was the guard checking up on his prisoners. Joachim simply continued laying on his 'bed', his eyes closed, listening for the sound of the guard discovering that Khan wasn't in his cell. He figured it would be an interesting few moments, and he wasn't disappointed. To his credit, the guard didn't open the apparently empty cell. Joachim had assumed that he would. Instead, he hurried to his post at the door into the corridor and hit an alarm control. A moment later, Tea'c was marching down the hall, with the guard hurrying to keep up.

"What is going on?" Teal'c demanded.

"Khan does not appear to be in his cell," the security guard reported.

"Indeed." The big Jaffa stopped at the field, still glowing in the doorway to Khan's cell. "This field has not been turned off?"

"No, Sir."

Teal'c closed his eyes and Joachim had the sense that he was searching with his mind.

"He does not appear to be on Avalon. What time did this occur?"

"I have neither left my post, nor slept, Master Teal'c," the guard said. "I did not notice when it happened."

"I believe you," Teal'c affirmed.

"Almost an hour ago," Joachim said, his eyes still closed. If Khan wasn't on Avalon, there was little reason to hide the fact that he had been gone for an hour. He could literally be anywhere now.

"And you didn't report it?" Teal'c asked.

"I know that Khan has been acting strange lately, but I see no reason to report his escape. What possible motive could you offer me to do that?"

Teal'c nodded. "You are a man of honor, Joachim," he said, using the blonde man's name for the first time. "I understand your loyalty."

With that, Teal'c turned and walked away, leaving the field still glowing in front of the empty cell.

A/N: Please, we need reviews before the next story is written completely!