"Where is she? What happened?

Can somebody tell me what's going on?

Somebody better tell me what's going on before my next security shift or I'll I may have to bring in everyone for questioning.

BASHIR!

GET OUT HERE!".

Odo barked at the chaotic crowds scampering about the sickbay and then hollared out to Bashir which ripped through the air like the growl of a lion.

"Odo, Would you keep it down please?

Egads I wasn't aware you were the only one capable of disturbing the peace around here.

You could have hailed me at anytime Odo, rather than shouting at me across a whole room of people."

"Aw I see you've come out from under your hobbit hole finally Doctor, I've been trying to hail you for the last 30 minutes, that's why I had to resort to yelling for you, please do forgive me Bashir.

Next time, I'll whisper to you instead.

What the blazes is going on around here anyways?

Everyone looks as if they are in a state panic.

It's absolute chaos in here.

It's not usually like this.

Was there a crisis situation in here that I don't know about?"

"No crisis, just choas, plain, pure unadulterated and unexplainable choas.

The lights all started failing, more than half of my equitment refuses to work either due to power failure or to some weird brief Tachyon burst, that apparently had popped out of nowhere.

Even most of my handheld medical equipment has been rendered useless and I'm having a bit of an issue with ghosts apparently".

"Ghosts? Please don't tell me there is such a thing, Bashir and please don't tell me that you believe in them".

"Obviously not, Constable.

Of course I don't believe in them but there are several of my employees that would like to disagree with me.

That's why everyone's in a rush, they all claim they either saw something, heard something or felt something near to them.

Then everyone got super paranoid, they began huddling together like conspirators and then suddenly they all just ran off in different directions, claiming they all would be sending in their resignations in the morning.

So really I haven't a clue what in hells name is going on, I honestly have as much of an idea as you do Constable."

"What of Ensign Nollo?

Where is she?

I heard she was beamed in with Captain Sisko".

"Yes Sisko was beamed in here at my request after he reported that Taya was unconscious and apparently unresponsive.

Then all this trouble started happening.

My intercom signal became scrambled as well as everybody else's communicator, so I was only receiving a few of the hails that were coming, that's probably why I couldn't answer any of your hails.

I couldn't leave Taya all by herself ,so I couldn't go out and call for help and when I asked my staff to help they'd run away from me in a extreme state of terror and panic.

So I was literally stuck here, that is until you got here."

"Well in that case I apologize for being so... flippant and brusque as well as loud.

How is she is?

Is she alright?"

Odo was so concerned it took Bashir by suprise because normally Odo was never this concerned over anyone unless they were Lwaxana Troi or Nerys Kiras.

"She's stable but still unresponsive as before, when Sisko first brought her in.

I've tried every kind of stimulative medicine, I can think of and none of them has worked.

She has a very unique filtering System, it seems every kind of medication that I've given just becomes instantly absorbed by her liver enzymes but instead of being processed through the bloodstream, it just breaks down at such a accelerated rate that it gets completely depleted.

It's almost like it was never there to begin with.

The truth is I just don't know what to do at the moment, I'm her doctor and I don't have the answers that could help save her.

She's not dying, at least not yet but at her brain activity is not promising, Constable.

Strangely enough she's hardly showing any life signs right now in her brain.

She's still functioning upstairs so to speak but it's happening a lot slower then it should.

As far as those readings tell me back there, she could either be in a coma or in some sort of deep sleep.

Sleep would be more likely but even then the blood flow is so sluggish it almost doesn't match with any normal REM cycle pattern at least not of any human".

"You forget She isn't human Doctor, she's from Yandera.

May I see her?"

Bashir pressed his fingertips together and hunched his shoulders and gave Odo the expression of a guilty child in fear of being reprimanded.

"Um...I suppose it wouldn't hurt but the lights are a little low back there since we're still on emergency power right now."

"Is that happening throughout the entire station or just here?"

"No,Just here, Odo.

I don't know how to explain it.

It just happened".

"Yes it just happened.

I'll gladly tell you what happened, I happened to show up just in time to solve your emergency crisis situation because I just so happen to know exactly what's going on".

"Oh you do? I thought you were in the dark about this just like I was.".

"I am never in the dark about anything Bashir, you should know this by now".

Odo feigned that cocky attitude that he often used to reveal his playful and humorous side to people.

"Alright Mr. Morningside, right this way".

"Thank you.

Really, I can fix this situation in a jiffy. Don't you worry, you'll have your power on in a matter of minutes.

Wait here.

I'll let myself in".

Odo strode into the dimly lit medical observation room like an old Bard entering the King's Palace.

Odo approached the cushioned examination table to where a sqare patch of light perfectly illuminated her face.

"How convenient, the light hitting you just so.

Was that done on purpose or was that just happy accident?"

Taya said nothing in response but remained absolutely motionless.

"We'll call it a happy accident for now, just like everything else that's occurred here in sick bay.

Look, I'll tell you what, Taya, I'll overlook all of this panic, chaos and confusion if you could do me a favor.

It's not for me, it's for Bashir, he needs his medical equipment, handheld devices included to be fully operational and he needs power the restored as well, also could you perhaps do something about these lights?

Emergency power really doesn't have quite the allure especially in this lighting".

Odo was talking to her as if he expected her to talk back.

The lights started to flicker and then buzz to life, the rest of sick bay he could hear hum with new power, Odo smiled at this in confident contentment.

"Thank you, Ensign.

Now are you going to tell me what happened?

Not what happened here but what happened in my office.

You know I have ways of finding out, Taya.

I wasn't bluffing when I told Sisko I have camera's set up, I really do and yes I'm really that paranoid and nosy.

You can tell him I said so."

There was still no response.

"What happened in there Taya?

Sisko didn't really perform a mind meld did he?

I know that's not funny.

I'm not trying to make light of this situation.

Did he at least help fix the problem?"

Odo saw the hologen lights overhead get 10 times brighter, there were several surges of energy that were brought forth in tiny short spurts.

"I'll take that as a yes.

Well since he did help you out I suppose won't be quite as cross with him the next time I see him.

You probably expect me to angry with you, I'm not.

I'd rather not be angry anyways, I'm sure you couldn't help having any of this happen.

You were unconscious after all.

I am just a tad bit angry with Sisko right now.

He comes into my office accusingly interrogating you about whether or not you're going to be the next Project Genesis.

It was ridiculous.

I mean I know he doesn't have the advantage that I do, the advantage of spending as much time as I do with you, so he doesn't know you in quite the way I do.

He hasn't learned the things I've learned about you.

I sound so conceited and arrogant.

What am I even saying?

I have no clue how you even got here into the ICU in the first place but I claim to know all the answers.

I don't know everything, I like to profess I do but I'm just as clueless as any humanoid out there.

I seek answers in the stars kind of like you and Sisko do.

What did you see in the stars this time Taya?

I don't usually make requests for your stories because I've seen how people treat you whenever they ask you for one.

It's sickening how Sisko treats you like some sort of child's plaything, a antique doll that should be restored and then savored afterwards behind locks and glass paneling.

Now he thinks you're going to burn this station down to the ground which is preposterous isn't it?

I mean you would never do anything to endanger this station at least not intentionally but even then you'd never destroy anything vital now would you?

I act like I'm not sure but I am sure, I'm absolutely certain and I've never been so sure in my life, you are actually trustworthy aren't you?

Why do my statements keep coming out as questions?

I'm just going to say it.

I trust you Taya.

I don't know why I do but I just do for some extraordinary reason, perhaps you could explain it to me sometime in one of your famous sagas you love so much to tell, Taya".

Odo caught sight of that scar, it was extremely visible now that all the light were on full power.

He had this dangerously edgy urge to run his finger across the delicate indentation that corrupted her porcelain complexion.

Odo touched the scar with one of his nicely formed fingertips.

That one touch sent a tremor through him, a surging tremor that made him quiver, not in a chill this time but rather he felt a odd sensation of warm flood through him.

Odo leapt back and shot his hand back to his side because he saw Taya's eyelashes flutter ever so slightly.

"You trust me now do you?

Does that mean I'll be getting that promotion soon?"

Taya smiled blissfully up at Odo.

"Yes you are one step close to that promotion but don't get ahead yourself, just yet.

You still have a lot to learn about security on Deep Space 9.

Besides you only just got here and I just gave you a promotion not too long ago.

Don't you think it's far too early to be planning for yet another promotion?"

"I suppose so."

Taya sounded remorsefully tragic as she slid her legs off to the side so they dangled on the the edge of the observation table.

Bashir at that raced in at such a speed that both his legs flopped sideways like a uncoordinated toddler.

"You're Awake I see and the power is back on.

You probably already know that.

Anyway um how did you do that exactly by the way?'

"Simple. I asked her to and I asked her nicely and then she restored the main power as well as the rest of the medical equipment."

Bashir ogled at Odo in a comically disbelieving manner, his nose scrunched up and then his eyes opened at full capacity which always made Odo chuckle because he the face he made reminded him of a frustrated goldfish.

"Did you say you asked... her nicely?

You aren't suggesting she was the cause of all this?"

"Yes, I asked nicely, Bashir.

Is it really that hard to believe that I'm actually capable of being nice?

I can be nice when I have to be and I am capable of asking nicely if it is needed and not to mention necessary.

No I wasn't suggesting anything Bashir, I was telling you.

I made a statement, I stated it as a fact, a certain unmistakable truth if you will.

You know full well she's capable of manipulating technology at will.

That's why I made her my official technical advisor."

"I thought that was a joke or a myth, mind you

Not the technology stuff but the bit about her being your technical advisor.".

"Have you ever known me to makes jokes concerning the members on my staff, Bashir?"

"I wasn't implying that Constable.

I know you rarely joke about anything or anyone for the matter if you can help it

I just heard whispers here and there about her technical advisor role and I just thought Quark was joking. Quark is notorious of telling so called tall tales. So I thought that was just another one of his mythological stories he loves to ramble on about.".

"Quark doesn't tell tall tales or stories, he spreads misinformation disguised as folklore.

If you had bothered to ask Rom he would have confirmed the validity of that particular bit of information."

"I must say that is surprising news.

Imagine that, Quark actually told the truth this time".

"Yes imagine that.

Quark has his moments of truthfulness, as brief and rare as these occasions may be, he certainly is capable of honesty but I warn you Bashir, don't hold your breath.

You'd soon run out of oxygen before he a actually got around to telling you the truth.

He's funny like that".

"So anyways How is my favorite patient doing today?

Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you, Taya.

It's been a very eventful evening and the morning wasn't much better.

It's been absolute madness out there as of now I have no staff on board and I'm having to run sick bay completely by myself but other than that I'm just fine."

"I'm doing quite well, Doctor.

I'm still not sure what happened."

"Well the question what were you doing before you got here?"

Bashir made his massive eyelids fall to half mast so that he had a rather lazily sedated expression on his face.

"She was in my office as I attended to my duties up in Operations".

"I know this, Constable.

I got the call and everyone knows where you were, there is no mystery when it comes to knowing where you are at any given time.

You're the kind of person that's hard to miss and you do have a rather distinct presence, not to mention domineering.

I was asking her the question, so it would be nice if you allowed her to awnser it".

Odo narrowed his eyes to form a venomous glare but he said nothing to this, he only remained silent as he crossed his arms to demonstrate his considerable displeasure with Bashir.

"I was in the Constable's office just like Odo said and Sisko was there of course as you know and I was consulting his spiritual advice.

I am rather spiritual myself and I was consulting him regarding a few highly disruptive and reoccurring nightmare that I've been having over the last 5 weeks of my stay here.

I thought that these dreams possibly had a meaning, so I was hoping he could interpret them and eventually he did.

I had this great sense of peace fall upon ny shoulders and then my whole vision of the world went black and I woke up to the reassuring voice of the Constable here.

That's all I know".

"Spiritual sessions I see, well that's... healthy.

No really l, Spiritualism has a incredible impact on mental health yet I wasn't aware that seeking spiritual guidance from Sisko was that demanding.

May I ask what exactly you were doing right before the incident?"

Taya peered up at Odo almost fearfully to which he nodded in approval as if to say to her "Go on ahead. You have my permission"

"I was discussing the prophets with him, the work whole aliens you know.

I was discussing them at great length in fact.

Sisko was greatly intrigued and fascinated by this, it really sparked his interests so to speak, so I continued and I think it served as a real bonding agent for our relationship, our friendship so to speak.

Then I must have passed out shortly after that".

"What were you discussing about the wormhole aliens that was so interesting to him?

I mean what struck him as so fascinating and intriguing?"

Odo's eyes flared up like two blue flames at this and he stepped forward and he took over the conversation before Taya could even respond.

"Taya dose not need to answer that especially to you, Bashir.

Those spiritual sessions are private and they contain highly personal information, information I'm sure she is not that eager to reveal to anyone just yet.

Sisko and myself are only ones that know the existence of these sessions and only Sisko and myself are allowed to attend.

They do not concern you Bashir."

"Actually they do concern me since these so called spiritual sessions could be responsible for this little mental episode.

I'm her doctor and it is my business to know the contents of these sessions if I am to acertain the exact cause of this mental collapse of hers.

There are 3 types of people you should never lie to, Your Spiritual Leader or spirit guide, you know pastor, priest, vicar or emissary.

The police or those that keep the law and order, the chief of security, being you of course and then Lastly your Doctor or your personal medical provider or your present medical physician meaning me.

So I have the right to know exactly what went on during these sessions, Odo and you know it".

Odo was getting to so frustrated with Bashir that he was very close to the point of anger.

"First of all Bashir, I know that it is never wise to trust someone who is too eager to help the police and I know for a fact that even those that maintain law and order, are hardly above reproach thenselves, they can prove to be very dishonest and even disreputable.

There is no law in any society or culture that I know that clearly states you it is absolutely mandatory to tell everything to a police officer.

That is a myth and it is also myth when it comes to telling everything to your doctor.

There has to be some boundaries or some type of reserve.

You forget Doctor that not everyone is as brutally honest about everything like you are on a constant basis.

So what she confesses to you is entirely up to her.

I think personally we should allow her to decide, don't you so Doctor?"

"Yes I suppose what she tells to me is entirely her up to her snd yes it should be her decision, which means you should allow her to speak for herself without any interruptions.

If you don't mind I'd like you to leave this room for a moment, unless you insist on invading her privacy, I suggest you wait outside, Constable.

Thank you for your invaluable assistance, Odo but your assistance is no longer required."

Odo huffed hoarsely as he marched out of the room angrily.

"Now you were saying?"

Bashir batted his eyelashes casually as if nothing had ever happened.

Taya let out a short quiet laugh.

"He's quite the protector that Constable.

I've never seen this worked up over anyone since...well since Major Kiras.

She was a Colonel before she left, she was even a Commander a couple of times.

She'd fill in for Sisko occasionally whenever he went off on missions with the Defiant.

She was the next in line, that's the way the chain command goes.

I do hear that Sisko is taking the chair yet again with the uniform and the stars, the whole deal.

Is that true or is it just another one of Quark's rumors?"

"No, that bit is true.

It's official he's going to be the commander yet again and Odo is actually quite happy with that arrangement.

He was shocked at first but I don't think he had much objections in the end.

It was kind of bit too much for him handle but you probably already know that".

"Yes I've seen Odo overwhelmed before.

I assume they'll be a ceremony."

"Yes of course and we'll all be invited, at least that's what Sisko says."

"Yes I can see him now, raising his glass high and then conducting a 3 hour speech about the history of Deep Space 9 and every commander that came before him.

I know how these ceremonies go".

"Well this one is going to be different.

Rumor has it that Sisko won't be making the speech this time".

"Phew! That's relief.

So who's making the speech this time, O' Brian or you?"

"Neither, Odo is going to conduct the speech instead".

Bashir froze and then loosened his lip, he wet them slightly and then sneered in displeasure after hearing this.

"Odo.

Well that's a bit insulting.

I'll have you know I make fantastic speeches by the way but nobody ever asks, so nobody ever knows if I'm good at it or not.

It's sad really but I'll recover.

Why did it have to be Odo of all people?"

"Because Odo was the former Commander so it only seems right that he should pass the torch over to the next Commander in charge and Sisko did ask him to do it after all."

"He asked him? He actually asked him?"

"No it was more of a request then a question but same difference I suppose".

"I mean I'm not being sore about it, really I'm not.

I'll be a good sport anyday and I don't care much if the Constable and I are at odds but it is rather awkward and uncomfortable to be at odds with Sisko as well.

He apparently thought I was out of bounds for forbidding you to continue those vigorous training session in the holodeck.

No because of Odo, Benjamin will hardly talk to me, he thinks I'm a meddlesome man child now".

"Did he actually say that to you or was that just picked up between the lines?"

"There was nothing inbetween the lines about this one, he actually told me to my face that I was a meddlesome manchild and I quote "Constable Odo was right about you, Bashir, you are nothing but a whippersnapping meddlesome man child.

Please do grow up".

That was last time I actually had a decent conversation with him and thats was nearly a month ago."

"I'm sorry, I can't help but feel responsible for the rift between you and Sisko.

I tend to overly complicate things for people.

I even complicate things for Odo although he'll probably never admit it, at least not now.

You know he said to me right before I woke up in here, that he actually trusted me.

Even after causing all the havoc with the power and the other vital equipment here in Sickbay."

"Oh no it's not your fault.

The bit about the power and the equipment wasn't intentional, so I can hardly blame you for that one.

I mean I can blame you but there's no reason to be angry about it.

I would however like to know what you did to the rest of my staff and I'm wondering could you possibly bring them back?

I do need a staff to run this place so I hope that wouldn't be too much to ask right now".

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know I had scared your staff away.

They'll be back tomorrow morning.

They won't be sending in their resignations tomorrow morning, they'll come in for work as usual.

I believe they've all gone to sleep off the adrenaline and paranoia.

You should probably do the same, you are no doubt absolutely exhausted having to run this place all on your own.

You really rest Bashir.

There's no reason keeping sickbay open if there's no staff present anyways".

"Yes I suppose there really is no point keeping it open yet I'd really like for you to remain under observation for a little while longer, I'd like to be able to monitor you, check your life signs and such.

I also want to be absolutely certain that you won't have another episode like this again."

"But you're tired Bashir.

You should rest.

You need your rest.

I don't think I could stay here knowing that you're only running on adrenaline and Raktajino".

"I did have a few cups here and there.

Perhaps there's someone that could check up every once and awhile on you after you've returned to your quarters".

"Oh I have just the man for the job".

"Really? Who?"

"He's on the other side of the door.

You sent him out of here about 10 minutes ago."

"Oh...yes I'll go talk with him.

He's such a joy that I simply have to speak with him again.

Excuse me".