"Reporting for Duty Constable Odo".
Taya was looking up at him as if it was just an honor to breath the same air he was breathing.
"Don't mock Salute. It wa cute the first time, I don't need to see it for a 3rd time Ensign. I'm not a member of the Bajoran military, I'm merely associated with the Bajoran Government and thanks to the Federation I can remain in this position."
Odo was grim and professional which was very unlike the Odo that she had encountered yesterday.
"Yes Constable".
Taya's youthful face dropped to a lamentably remorseful expression.
"Don't look so glum I'm not angry with you, I'm just grumpy. There's a difference".
Taya's lips perked up to a smile.
"Now that's better.
Grab your engineering tools and a phaser, we are going back to that Holodeck".
"Do we have to?"
Taya sounded like a child that wasn't told they were getting a second shot at the doctor's until the last minute.
"You consulted the Prophets just to fix that machine. Did you fix that machine just for show now?"
"No but what if I said I did it just to impress you?"
She beamed up at him cheesily.
"I would not believe you although I admit that is a very convincing excuse".
Odo smirked slyly as he took long strides out the door onto to the promenade.
Odo noticed her face was disturbed by something.
"Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing sir".
She shrugged her shoulders and let her arms drop like a ragdoll.
"I don't believe that either. Ensign would you mind telling me exactly what's wrong?"
"Well it's just... Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"
Odo had to think this one through and carefully.
"I'll show you...later."
Taya winced at this.
"Now What? Why are you making that face?"
"It's just you told me the other day that you'd show me later and it just gave me a sense of uneasiness and I don't know why".
"Do I really make you that uneasy, Taya?"
"No, no it's not that, it's not you, it's just ever since I've connected with the prophets again, I've been seeing things, things I don't think I should see."
"Like what kind of things?"
Odo was now deeply curious.
"They aren't hallucinations if that's what you're worried about.I keep seeing people's DNA sequences, I look at people and I see the cellular structure like bones, muscles, nerve endings and organs. I've never experienced anything quite like this before.What is even weirder is sometimes when I touch certain objects, it's like I understand everything about it. I just seem to absorb the information from the object itself, its like it's speaking to me or downloading information into my brain.I can't seem to escape this especially when I'm patrolling around the station. So Don't be surprised if I look at you funny it's not you, it's me... right now".
"Well that certainly sounds... very unsettling. I'm curious though what is it that you see whenever you're with me".
Odo wore a secretive smirk of intrigue.
"You don't want to know".
Her voice was heavy with lamentable tribulation.
"And how would you know?"
He raised one brow to challenge her.
"Yet again this isn't so much About you, it's about me and frankly what I can see right now well it's just plain embarrassing".
"For you yes but I just so happen to have an open mind, a very open mind and I don't get embarrassed easily".
He was being unusually charming, coy and reflectivly playful.
Odo felt her discomfort as they entered the newly fixed Holodeck.
Taya's cheeks shifted to an angry maraschino cherry.
"Still I'd rather not describe it".
Taya's voice was soulful and contralto sounding very unlike the usual youthful quality that her voice normally had.
She sounded so mature and even though Odo only saw her as a friend he was surprised how alluring that voice was to him.
Odo thought about those journal entries of hers they were insightful and descriptive, the details graphically and realistically played out in his mind. He attempted to push them out of his mind but how could he not when looking straight at the author of these feverish fantasies.
Odo knew she had written them, no doubt this writing was used as a form of escape but still it seems the further he read into these journal entries, that all the stories came back to him and sometimes even Kira. There were several stories that included him and kira together in the same scene. The dialogue for these scenes never depicted the events in complete accuracy but rather it depicted the feelings emotions and thoughts that were happening in their heads. It was unsettling but he remembered every single scene and he marveled at the immaculate accuracy of how she described how he was feeling in those moments in time.
He was spellbound by the fact that Taya was literally telling his whole life story through thoughts and emotions.
It was like she had every thought that had gone through his head when he was on the station, when he was this Kira and when he was anywhere. How did she know so much? There was even a record of his time during the occupation when he was Interrogator working the hand if Dukat on what was known as Terok Nor, which later become Deep Space 9 after Bajorans and the Federation of planets overthrew the Cardassian empire and claimed the station as their own.
Every thought and feeling was so accurate it almost scared him.
How could she be so accurate about his thoughts and feelings? Some of the thoughts and emotions that she described in her journal were describing things he couldn't even admit to himself.
The question was what could she tell him that he hadn't heard before? He had had many experiences and talked to many different kind of people, after a while they all kind of said the same things and got to be very predictable. Solids were predictable, They had patterns patterns which they found were very difficult to break. life appeared to be an endless cycle of insanity but as complicated as life was, this insanity was addicting for these solids, so they creating creating more tribbles for the crib so to sleak who they hope that could potentially join the rat race of all humonid life thus continuing the cycle of life and death.
There was never any cycle for him, yes he had habitual patterns but they were often seen as superficial attempts of him pretending to be human, they were mere shallow grasps at what he thought what a true humanoid should be. In truth he had complex emotions, he had a inner hurricane of emotions and thoughts swirling around furiously inside him and they were always threatening to become a tsunami that would mostly likely swallow him alive at any time or anybody else that was in his way.
What was so refreshing to him was that Taya was completely aware of how complex his emotions were even if remained hidden from the rest of the universe. Maybe finally he'd get a deputy that actually understood him both mentally and emotionally.
This was a rarity, even Kira who is technically his boss at one time never truly understood him in that way.
Then again Kira understood only what she wanted to, nothing more and nothing less, usually this level of understanding never was enough for Odo. It seemed everything he touched and everyone he encountered in his life never satisfied him, no one was ever enough, no cycle, pattern or habit was enough to free him from insatiable unrest that lived inside him. There was satisfaction in much of his security work but the satisfaction was always short lived and he was always left feeling greatly unfulfilled. Even the great link hadn't filled his soul with complete peace.
Maybe she understood what he needed in order to have peace. She understood everything else about him so she surely she understood exactly what he was missing in his life.
"Suit yourself then. You know where I am if you ever need to talk".
Odo was attempting to be casual about this matter but his expression and the way his neck tilted slightly only made it look like he was arrogantly giving her some sort of cocky challenge.
Taya peered up from her downward gaze briefly and smiled half heartedly up at him.
The smile wasn't genuine and he saw the underhanded and subtle leer she was giving him.
"Shall I Initiate the program now, Ensign?"
Odo was attempting to make the atomsphere less awkward and uncomfortable.
"Do you have the coded USB on hand?"
"Do you think I ever come ill prepared Ensign?"
Odo's expression and decorum was now less playful and more on the charming side.
"No I wasn't implying that sir".
Taya returned her gaze bashfully to the ground yet again.
"It was a joke not an accusation Ensign.
Taya, you can stop with the eye contact avoidance maneuver, I understand that's what was expected of you back on Cardassia but you are not on Cardassia at the moment, you are on Federation and Bajoran Territory,Taya, so when I speak you, you will not look at the floor, you will look at me, directly, is that understood Ensign?"
Taya still had her neck pushed forward, her expression appeared angry and remorseful, yet when she lifted her chin up a glow of confidence spread over her face.
"Loud and Clear Constable."
Taya chimed back cheerily.
"Music to my ears Ensign." He smiled contentedly as he initiated the new program.
The holodeck melted to nothingness to reveal a Cardassian War Room, the same War room that Madred used back on Cardassia.
"Oh No".
Taya's eyes were wet with ominous dread.
"What's the matter Ensign? What's wrong Taya?"
Odo grasped onto to her shoulders in concern.
"I had a dream about this. It took place in the Holodeck and you were here with me."
"Oh don't tell me you can see into the future too?"
Odo looked greatly perturbed by this, the creases around his mouth wrinkled up in annoyance.
"Sometimes I can yes. I had a dream about this particular Holodeck program, there was a Cardassian War Room and it happens to be the same War Room that Mardred used back on Cardassia. So I'm going to have to face Madred now. I hope you understand when I tell you that I think I ought to face him on my own, alone."
"How do you know for Sure that you'll have to face him here?"
"I had a dream and then the Prophets confirmed it. Even Sisko was in agreement. You see I was told by the Prophets themselves that I will face Dukat in person but Madred I Will face on this Holodeck."
"Very Well, I shall wait outside."
Odo rolled his eyes in response to this and sneered as he exited the Holodeck.
"Let me know if... you need a hand Ensign".
Odo tried to show her that he wasn't really that bothered by this.
"Thank you for your understanding Constable".
Odo weakly tensed his face up so to form a firm grin in recognition since he didn't want to say anything in response to that because he knew it would come out wrong.
How could he say oh no that was the least I could do after all you're understanding for me?
Then he'd have to compromise compromise that he had read her writings and not just any writings but the writings she had written during her constant confinement and torture sessions she had while captive on Cardassia. She was being experimented on, she was in a dark place in her life and to read these writings from this time Almost felt like a betrayal to him.
He could tell her later of these journal entries but not now, now was not the time, now was the time to wait outside and read some more of her writing while he was waiting for her.
That was terrible logic but there was something strangely addicting about her entries, he was so absorbed with them that be almost didn't want to stop.
The next entry was far more personal not personal in the sense that it was centered on him but rather it was centered on somebody else and on their point of view. He was guessing it was his point of view.
He would have never noticed me in those days. Those bedazzling star light eyes never would have seen me not when Bajor was on his mind. Bajor blocked his view of all else and I often wonder if he would have taken note of me if Bajor was out of the picture altogether but Bajor wasn't the problem in this made up scenario. The Major was the problem and I didn't have the heart to eliminate her from the equation and Bajor served no threat to me. When I see him he is stark, immaculate in posture, the black shroud of Cardassia makes him appear like Death in contrast to his pale skin. I am terrified by him but I am also transfixed and absolutely fascinated by him.
I am absorbed by the sight of him. Why can't I keep him off my mind? Why is always waiting in the darkness of my thoughts? Why is his face always the one I see whenever I close my eyes?
I can't break free from him and I cannot escape him even in dreams. Sleep is no better, he walks in my dreams, he speaks to me in visions, he is in every crowd, he is in every Turbo lift, he is around every corner and he is with me wherever I go, a constant shadow of comfort and protection. He is like an angel and I feel like a demon in his presence.
The Cardassian guards throw me at his feet, his boots are so pristine I can see my own reflection in them. His face is unforgiving and hardened by extreme displeasure.
I want to shudder in fear but I'm surprised by the malicious smirk he has on his face.
"In trouble again I see, Taya. Tell me Why is it always you?".
"If I stay out of trouble however will I have any fun?"
I smile up at him secretly.
"Good point. Well you can start by having fun with the replicator at Quark's".
"But sir what about my work down here?"
"You've finished down here. I believe you've done quite enough down here don't you?
Look do you want to stay down here in the mines? Because I can have that arranged. You can stay down here permanently if you'd like".
"No sir that won't be necessary. I'll attend to the replicator... upstairs"
"Good and when you're finished report back to me. Got It?!"
"Yes Sir".
Why was he such an asshole in most of these entries?
Maybe because that's just what he was to most people especially to people who didn't understand his story.
Then a very intriguing thought came to him; what if this was a mirror universe version of him?
What if this was not just a work of fiction but actual accurate retelling of certain events not just in this reality but the next one as well?
He already knew that these were accurate depictions of real life events only slightly altered but it finally dawned on him that these entries weren't just sensual fantasies, They were predicting the future and not just the future but of the past as well.
She just now admitted that she could see into the future. He wondered what else she was capable of doing.
He almost desperately wanted to know what she was capable of but being a gentleman he didn't want to pressure her or push her into situations that would make her put these special abilities to use.
while he waited outside the holodeck, he could still feel that invisible and inevitable thread drawing him closer to her. She wanted to burst through this holodeck doors and help her protect her nurture her guide her maybe even love her.
It was still all too soon and it would be considered all too soon for her as well.
Those thoughts of merging with another and becoming one through the great link, kept pestering his mind. It had been so long since you're linked with anyone and the last time he had properly linked with another changeling he almost lost Kira in the process. Now she was gone forever.
Meanwhile Taya was was lost in her own apprehension until she finally gathered her thoughts and her courage to initiate the program.
"Computer initiate program".
Madred manifested in the middle of the Cardassian War room like a old fashioned dial up connection image on a computer.
"Taya. We meet at last. First I want to say how much I have missed you, your face, your form, your voice, everything about you I have desperately missed my darling. I almost wish I could reach out and touch you".
His voice was intellectual touchy eloquent with a dash of elegance.
"Don't you dare!"
"HA. I wouldn't dream of it. I've only come here to speak with you, nothing more".
"And why should I speak with you, Madred?"
Taya nearly spat those words out in disgust.
"Yes why should you? After all I was the one you called master yet I have fairly reasonable incentive for you. I know the truth, I know the truth that Dukat has been hiding from you."
Madred's eyes were moist with genuine compassion.
"Okay I'm listening".
"Hahahaha. I knew that would intrigue you, Taya.
I know you too well, that's why I loved you, Dukat never loved you at least not in the way he should have."
"ENOUGH! a
Are you trying to put more salt in my wounds, Madred? I know he didn't love me. In fact, the moment I came to Cardassia, nobody loved me, Not Even you!!!"
"You see that is where you are wrong. You really have it all mixed up. Your thoughts are all a jumble. Dukat and myself actually played two very different roles, opposite rules in fact. do let me guess Dukat told you I was hot on his trail, desperately searching the universe for you. It's not true you know. I have no desire to drag you back here to Cardassia but Dukat is currently obsessed with you, he's quite crazy you know, sadly he has been for quite sometime and unfortunately You lets all of that craziness out into the world. Of course I don't blame you, You were still quite spellbound by him, I'm sure you thought what you were doing was for the best.
You always had that habit of seeing the best of people, I never understood it until now. Dukat always had to be the hero and he always portrayed me as the villain. I knew him for who he truly was, I knew his character, I knew about you relentless madness and his undying lust for power.
I knew what he was capable of and I wasn't about to let him succeed in these plans of domination. So naturally I made it impossible for him to legally gain custody of you. I had to drive half of the jury, most of the judges and magistrates as well but I succeeded in thwarting his plans to claim you as his own."
"So you gave me this scar to discourage me? How generous of you".
Taya mocked him venomously.
"You still have that scar? How remarkable, it is very fitting on you though, makes you look almost dangerous."
"Enough with the flattery, Madred. What is it that's so Damned important that you have to send me coded message in a Holodeck program?"
"Fine! Dukat was grooming you, Taya".
"What do you mean grooming me?"
"He paid for your education, he provided you with everything you needed to know to conquer nations, overthrow governments and destroy whole planets.
I tried to keep him away from you but he was persistent and you were quite attached to him. You thought he was a hero, you idolized him, So I attempted to discourage you from going to him for help.
You didn't join the Obsidian Order to escape me, Taya, you did it to escape Dukat".
"NO I did not, Madred!"
" Alright, I admit that you weren't the one making the decisions. Garak and myself intervened, we convinced you to join the Obsidian Order which was his idea by the way. I didn't like the idea at first but eventually that was the only option I had left.
You see that's why I was so cruel, I wanted you to know that Cardassia was not your friend and neither was Dukat.
I wanted you to hate him but in my carelessness you ended up hating me instead. I really did everything I could to discourage you but you were stronger than I was Taya. Dukat never grasped that concept, he thought you were an idiot when all you were was naive.
Don't you understand he wanted you to be a weapon, not me.
He wanted to mold you and shape you into a Cardassian killing machine.
You even went as far as seducing you So he could have better control over you. "
" No, you're wrong! Dukat would never do that! NEVER!"
"Garak told me you almost went mad in your confinement. Dukat convinced Cardassian authorities to arrest you. You were transferred to a Obsidian Order solidarity confinement chamber. You're only hope was Garak who I sent to defend and protect you! I tried to protect you from the injustice, the tyranny and the treachery of Dukat and the rest of Cardassia!
I cared about you and I cared about what happened to you. When you finally escaped I was overjoyed, believe me! I never wanted a Yanderan slave but I kept you captive for your own good, Taya!"
"Ugh. Madred do you hear yourself right now? Do you understand how narcissistic you sound right now at this moment?
Your response to my suffering is such a typical textbook response for someone who is severely abusive.
You abused me. You hurt me emotionally, mentally and physically nearly every single day of my life.
There are things that you did to me that I will never recover from and there are wounds that you inflicted that will never heal all because of you.
I'm sure you see everything you did was some form of tough love. you know something that was supposed to make me stronger but that's not how it is. You have literally admitted to me that you abused me on purpose. So you can accuse Dukat of being the real villain of the story of my story. but you don't have that right to tell me how my story turned out or how my story gets to end. You are both villains, in my story and if you truly love me you would have never treated me the way you did when I was on Cardassia. It doesn't matter how bad you think Dukat is You are literally no better than he is.
Another thing is you have no idea what it's like, every day of your life to never be good enough for anyone. You killed my happiness,you stole my joy, You robbed me of my best years in life and what really astounds me is that even after over 40 years You never once attempted to free me. instead you made me fight for my life every single day. So no, I don't believe that you are the hero in my story. You will always be the villain and so will Dukat.".
"Dinally you speak sense, Taya. You know when you were a child I could never fool you into anything. I could never manipulate you. You were always too sharp, too smart too quick and too clever for any of us, Taya. So yes I am a villain and I always have been but I'm going to tell you something you may need me in the future as an ally."
" I don't want you as an ally".
" That may be the case, but I have vital information that may enlighten you and unlock the memories from your past.".
"That's very tempting but I'm going to have to refuse because I know your price will be too steep".
" There is no price, Taya. I'm willing to give you information for free. I designed this program to tell you everything you need to know about your life,your memories, your past, your secret abilities your work in the obsidian order and I can only tell you things about the Dominion, compromising things About Dukat, Garak, Evec, Enabran Tain and even Damar.
I can provide you with all the answers you seek, All you have to do is run this program and it will tell you everything".
" Yes but what's the catch with this? Why are you doing this for me?"
" I may be a villain that doesn't mean I don't have regrets. I have regrets about my past just as you do. I regret what I had to put you through, I regret keeping you captive and I regret giving you that scar. Let's just say I want to make it up to you."
"Okay then, did either Garak or Dukat ever betray me?"
"Garak never betrayed you, he's loyal to you even now but Dukat has betrayed you and abandoned you countless times. over and over again."
" I thought he was conspiriting with you."
" Oh dear, Your memories really have been tempered with haven't they?
I told Dukat not to place the neural disrupter in your brain but he didn't listen to me. He thought that he was being clever and that this little piece of tech would keep you in line. I told him you were immune to most technology as well as most radiation and poisons but all that little piece of tech accomplished was creating more inner turmoil, You became erratic, violent even and then you were delirious and feverishly ill,both mentally and physically. I hope you had that removed because if you haven't you're going to find yourself but it's very dangerous situation.
I presume there are doctors aboard DS9."
"Yes they are but Why all the experiments, Madred?"
Taya had a pained and heartfelt expression on her face as she said this.
" I want to know exactly what you were capable of and thankfully for you I now know everything, let me tell you this is very rare and scarce information, not even Dukat knows exactly what you're capable of I hate Dukat intensely, It will give me a perverse sort of pleasure knowing that the information that I'm giving you will be used against him."
Madred smiled wickedly at this.
" So you're only doing this to get back at Dukat?"
"Well yes but I also hope You could forgive me. perhaps one day you could even be my friend. I don't have high hopes for this but I do have dreams, dreams you will grow and flourish, hopefully evolve to the point that my actions will no longer haunt me and the wounds that I've inflicted upon you shall be healed.
It may be impossible but still I dream on".
" I'm wondering how do you know so much about Dukat's whereabouts?"
" I read your journal entries. I was one of the few that was actually allowed to read those precious pages. Dukat never read them thank goodness but those journals you wrote while in confinement literally have everything about DS9, everything about the obsidian order and everything about your the future, past and present which is why Garak attached coded files with each Cardassian Interrogation record he uploaded into the Cardassian Database.
Those were a lot of encrypted files believe me, however, I must congratulate the person that actually manages to cracks into those encrypted files.
They are either a worthy adversary or a very worthy ally."
" I don't think anybody has cracked into those encrypted files yet unless...oh no. The only person that has access to Cardassian records would be the Chiefs of Security.
Oh no, That is not going to be good."
"Whyever not?"
"Because It has sensitive information in it, sensitive information that's not just about DS9 but about me and my fantasies and obsessions. Oh My gosh this is going to so embarrassing.
I mean come on you read my journal entries, They are dark twisted explicit, even graphic. Goodness! if he reads those entries, he's going to know that I am not only dangerous and but that I'm freaking crazy. He's going to think I'm some sort of stalker."
" Who is this chief of security that you speak of? Surely he has a name."
" It's the same chief of security that has been on DS9 for the past 40 years. You've probably heard of him, his name is Odo Ital".
"I know of him and he appears like frequently in your journal entries I don't understand why he would be so embarrassed by him reading these journal entries? perhaps I'm missing something".
" You obviously don't know Odo Ital, He's stern, he's stoic,he's serious, He's well disciplined, prim and proper;heck he's even OCD. He doesn't sleep,he doesn't eat,he definitely doesn't drink anything and he's always watching me. what's even crazier is he lives right across the street from me and I work for him! So yeah It's going to be super embarrassing if he ever reads those entries at any time. He's also a very skeptical kind of person, always suspicious and I doubt if he's going to appreciate the fact that I have been literally stalking him his entire life."
"Going back in time and traveling to the Mirror verse doesn't count my dear".
"Whaaat? What are you talking about?"
"The obsidian order as well as Dukat, had you involved with a few interdimensional experiments. One of which took you to a alternate reality, another which sent you back in time, This is how you gathered so much information regarding the chief of security Odo Ital."
" So I wasn't crazy. I thought I was mentally transporting myself there, you know traveling their mentally existing as a ghost story. some weird formless energy being."
"You did mentally transport yourself back in time as well as into an alternate reality."
" How the hell was I able to do that?"
" It's a gift you have. it's something that's called
essokinesis. It is the ability to change, mold, shape and manipulate reality at will. I am aware that you can also create new realities as well as disrupting certain timelines. Actually, if you put your mind,to it you could disrupt any timeline within any universe. Now do you understand why Dukat is after you?"
"Oh no... so Dukat is coming here so he can take over the entire universe".
Taya's eyes froze in horrified recognition.
"Now would be the time to rely on those closest to you because if you don't, If you refuse to get help from anyone, you will fail."
"So I have to trust those on Deep Space 9. I have to trust him. I have to trust Odo."
Taya eyes lit up like two neon signs.
" Now you're getting it. Don't hold back, Taya. Be honest about yourself, take courage and don't allow a little embarrassment to keep you from living your life. You know eventually you'll have to tell him everything, even if it means compromising your own emotional comfort and who knows he may even save your own life".
"Um...Thank you, Madred, maybe I'll pay you back sometime but don't you count on it".
"Haha, Oh don't worry I won't hold my breath Taya".
Taya snatched the program from the Holodeck console and rushed out of The Air sealed doors.
