"We've caught a couple of the rebel leaders, Intendant." Garak's voice carried through the door to her office, where she sat facing the wall. She turned and looked up at his looming figure in the doorway. His arms were clasped behind his back, a gleam in his eye.
The Intendant looked up at him and smiled slowly. "Really?" she drawled. She leaned back in her chair, lazily putting her feet up to rest on the desk. "Bring them in."
Garak nodded once and turned to go, but stopped short. He glanced back at Kira. "You will be...pleasantly surprised." He left.
Intrigued, the Intendant sat up in her chair, bringing her feet back to the floor. She stretched her wrists as she waited, examining her nails but not really seeing them. All she could think about was how finally, finally, they had caught some of them. This was a step forward for the Alliance, and the execution of two rebel leaders would be a huge factor in securing their impending victory. She looked forward to looking down at their dirty faces.
The door slid open and Garak stepped back in. "The rebels, Intendant." He motioned towards someone outside the door, and a Cardassian guard came through, dragging the arms of two men with their hands bound behind their backs. He shoved them forward, ignoring when they tripped on the threshold. The Intendant smiled oily at them, but when one looked up her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Well! If it isn't Mister...what does Sisko call you? Smiley O'Brien..." She stepped toward him and lifted his chin with her finger. His eyes, burning with hatred, met hers. "I can't say how...glad I am that you're here with us today, Smiley...you will oh so enjoy your visit."
The other rebel scoffed. Kira glanced over at him. His longer hair was tied back into a ponytail, some escaped strands concealing his face from her view. The Intendant turned to him.
"And who do we have here?" she asked, curiosity piquing her interest. He looked up, jerking his head back to get the hair out of his face. The Intendant stepped back in shock, bumping into the desk behind her. Deep, hot hate rushed through her stomach. The rebel's hazel eyes glared back at her, matching the look Smiley was still aiming at her. Oh, how she hated those eyes.
Garak chuckled to himself. "I told you you'd be...surprised."
The rebel glanced at Smiley, confusion taking over his expression. Smiley met his eyes for a split second before he looked back.
"You," the Intendant breathed, trying to remain composed. The rebel looked back at her, still obviously puzzled.
"Well, it's not really him, you know, Intendant," Garak felt the need to point out. "But he would provide an excellent...substitute, if I may make the request."
The Intendant nodded. She looked away from the Terran. She was practically shaking now. "Yes. He would." She glanced at O'Brien. "Take Smiley to the brig. Interrogate him."
A look of fear briefly crossed Smiley's face. The Cardassian guard dragged him out of the room. The other Terran watched them go, resentment marring his face, but he said nothing.
The Intendant walked slowly towards the man. He turned to meet her eyes again, and that hatred sprang back up through her veins. "You...I have other plans for you."
The rebel just looked back at her, uncertainty beginning to linger behind those damned eyes.
"Garak. Leave us."
Garak's face fell. "But Intendant—"
"Leave us!" she yelled. Garak stared at her for a moment before abruptly turning and leaving. When he was gone, Kira's attention turned back to the man in front of her.
"Bashir," the Intendant stated.
His eyebrows rose slightly. "So you do know my name," he spoke. His accent only reassured her of his identity. Her blood ran hot.
"Yes," she spoke, and began to walk around him. "I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting your counterpart. Let's just say..." She leaned up by his ear. "I didn't like him," she spat.
Bashir flinched slightly. "Oh?" he said.
The Intendant walked back around to pace in front of him. "Oh, no. Not at all. In fact, he disappointed me...deeply."
Bashir said nothing, only looked at her with a steely gaze.
"Before I could give him what he deserved, unfortunately, he escaped." She stopped and turned to face him. "How lucky I am that you came along."
Bashir's gaze faltered slightly, but didn't break.
"Now I have someone to take the fall. It's very convenient, really. You are him, aren't you? In a sense."
Bashir stayed silent, much to Kira's chagrin. She took a step towards him. "Answer me!" she screamed.
After one agonizing second, he murmured, "In a sense."
The Intendant smiled threateningly. "Good," she said, her tone much softer now. "How fortunate for me. I hope you don't mind...I could really use this right now. This being your torture and execution, of course."
Bashir continued to stare back at her unflinchingly, but noticeably swallowed. Kira felt a rush of sadistic pleasure. She laughed.
"Oh, how lucky I am! You two really look so much alike."