…somewhere he was unsure of. He would have to wait to find out.
(-|-)
“But if she’s not from this universe, then it means she’s come from the same universe as…” started Julian.
“…as Odo went to,” finished O’Brien, tapping some more buttons on his tricorder.
“You know Mr. Odo?” asked Jatira.
“Yes. Do you?”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Bashir.” She nodded emphatically. “He was staying with us, but he left at dinner one day. Guess he must not like Kadellan sauce when it’s been watered down.”
“Ka…kadellan sauce, did you say?” asked Bashir. Jatira nodded again. “Jadzia, it must have been unbearable for him, seeing Bareil…seeing Bareil with Nerys after all these years of being with her himself…and the sauce…”
“What about it, Julian?”
“Odo was trying to get Nerys to eat some rice with Kadellan sauce the morning she died.”
“…and he always has to water it down.” Dax shook her head in pity for her friend and his torment.
“What do you mean by all these years? Mother insisted she’d only met Mr. Odo a few days ago.”
“It’s a long story…um…oh, dear. What is your name?”
“Bareil Jatira.”
“Well, Jatira, I’m Doctor Julian Bashir. This is Captain Jadzia Dax of the Federation Starship Galen, and this is Lieutenant Miles O’Brien of the station Deep Space Nine.”
“Deep Space Nine?”
“Near the wormhole.”
“He works for the Cardassians on Terek Nor?! Wait a minute. What’s goin’ on here?”
“It’s a long story, Jatira. Maybe we better get you back to the ship. You see, you’re in another universe…”
Dax rolled her eyes. If she let Bashir explain this, Jatira was going to be one confused girl.
“Um, Julian, maybe you better let me handle this. Dax to Galen. Four to beam up.”
(-|-)
The room he was in was dark. A shallow access light cast shadows before his eyes. The place looked vaguely familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere else in another, better light. Then it hit him. There was really only one place he could be: on the station. But where?
He shifted back into himself, discarding the Cardassian facade he had used a few moments back. Where on the station was this? The high ceiling, the stark walls, the thrum of the constant power being fed to the hungry beast as it hung in space.
I haven’t been gone that long. Come on, Odo, think!
He searched the walls for any hint at all…the pit. That was it. The pit. It was the very bottom of the station, save the lower pylons. The access to the core generators.
He stepped forward. He must find the Kai and Nerys. He found himself stumbling on uneven ground. And yet, not ground. But rather…
There were thousands of them: dead Cardassians. Their bodies lay limply on top of each other, and Odo could already see the signs of decomposition becoming evident. They were Garak’s crew and the crew of Terek Nor. Apparently Odoital hadn’t been in a very patient mood.
A slim tentacle, glimmering through the darkness, reached high and pulled Odo up the distance to the access tube. He watched a moment as some of the bodies settled, and an uncontrollable shudder ran through him. He had to find the Kai and Nerys soon…before the pile below him had more reasons to settle.
(-|-)
“At least she’s asleep,” conceded Julian.
“Yes,” agreed Jadzia, softly tucking a blanket in around her. “She handled the whole ordeal fairly well.”
“The sedative helped, too.”
“She needed the rest.”
They quietly left the room, allowing Jatira to adjust to the alternate place she had found herself in.
But somewhere, underneath the affects of the sedative, a small voice inside of Jatira was crying.
(-|-)
He had successfully masked the communique using an old Resistance technique Nerys had taught him. None of the station’s sensors had detected it. Now he had less than two hours to find them and make it to the Docking Ring, without getting caught. Hopefully the Sisko of this universe was as reliable as the one Odo knew. He continued towards the Habitat Ring.
(-|-)
She paced nervously across the room. A difficult situation, if she had ever known one, was facing her squarely in the face. Bareil was resting, the first rest he had known for a long time. She silently thanked the Prophets that they were granting him the time to build his strength back up.
A light kick in her abdomen prompted her to sit down and rest herself. She tried to coo the small life forming within her. Turning to face the stars seemed to help.
Bareil stirred slightly, but the anguish in his face seemed to be lessened. Nerys turned back to the stars to avoid becoming cold as iron as each time she saw him in such pain she steeled herself. The forcefield burns had become infected, by fault of the Cardassians, no doubt. Something stirred in her to cause the thought of taking on all the guards, to make them pay for what they had done to her husband.
Nerys shivered. These thoughts had been coming to her more and more ever since that day back at the house when Odo had left. She had never seen Bareil so…so…so un-Bareil. She couldn’t explain it. How many days had that been? Or maybe even weeks?
No, she knew it had only been a matter of days. To Bareil, it probably seemed like months, possibly even years. Funny how one’s life could change in the blink of an eye. The past few days had turned her life upside down.
She had never really faced such turmoil except for when she had met Bareil. They had had a perfect relationship until Winn had started to interfere. Winn had claimed that she had held Bareil’s best interests in mind; that getting involved would impair his role as Kai. There had even been an attempt on Kira’s life, and she had been more frightened then ever before in her life.
Finally, Winn’s opinions had been subdued and Kira became Bareil Nerys. Things had progressed slowly, what with Bareil assuming all of his duties as Kai. But Jatira had soon been born, and Nerys was happy.
And even more frightened than when it had only been her life at stake.
Now, Nerys faced that same situation, and she feared for her growing family.
Jatira. Rjand. Kerjio. She had been so worried about Bareil, so angry at Odo, that she hadn’t even had the time to worry about them. Terla would take care of them as soon as she got word. But would they be in any danger? What was the extent of Odo’s plan? If he even tried anything, hurt one hair on her children’s heads…
Bareil was muttering something, but it was in the Old Bajoran, and Old Bajoran was not one of Nerys’ strong points.
He must be trying to learn from the Prophets what we’re to do. She kept the silence that would allow him to do so.
And prayed to the Prophets herself.
(-|-)
He had managed to make it to the Habitat Ring without getting caught. Most likely this would be where the Kai and Nerys were being held. He emerged from the grate into the corridor, where he was surrounded by shadows as the lights glowed dimly in the darkness, barely showing him the floor. But he knew the shadows well.
Odo moved through the hallway silently, listening carefully for any noises to indicate where they were. Nothing. He continued walking, praying to the Prophets, as his Nerys had taught him, that he would find them in time. After another hour of searching the Ring, slowly pacing the corridors waiting for anything, Odo gave up.
They aren’t here, he thought. They may have already been added to that pile. If only I had had more light… He started to ooze through the grate…
(-|-)
She paced the quarters. She was scared, very scared. She didn’t know anybody here, and she was worried about her parents.
A chime of the door announced someone’s arrival. It was probably Dax, as she was sharing her quarters.
“Come in.”
“Hello, Jatira. Are you feeling better?”
“A little, I think, Doctor Bashir.”
He motioned for the two of them to sit down on the couch.
“So, what have you been doing?”
“Well, I woke up a few hours ago. And I had something to eat. And…I guess I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”
“Well, that’s understandable.”
“Captain Dax has been real helpful, too, Doctor Bashir. She’s tried to introduce me to some other children, but I haven’t felt much like socializing.”
“Well, I do have some good news. Lieutenant O’Brien has almost fixed the transporter, and we think we’ve figured out a way to send you back home.”
“That’s wonderful!…but, what about Mr. Odo?”
“Well, that’s part of the plan. When he comes here is when we can send you home. But first, we have to get you back down on Bajor, to the field where you first came through.”
Jatira nodded in acknowledgment. Captain Dax had taken great care to explain what had happened to her. When O’Brien had tried to reactivate the transporter, so Odo could return the next time he tried, she had been pulled through the universal barriers along a thread that was linking the two universes. Dax had said that Odo’s transporter didn’t completely close the window, and that was what weaved the thread. Dax had also told Jatira that she had weaved her own thread, linking her to her own universe.
“My link’s not strong enough, is it? for me to be anywhere and still have it work.”
“That’s what Jadzia said. That’s why we want to get you back down on Bajor.”
“Dax to Bashir.”
“Bashir here. Go ahead.”
“Julian, the Chief’s all ready to reactivate the transporter.”
“Acknowledged. We’re on our way. Bashir out…Ready?”
Jatira nodded, swallowing hard. Julian held out his hand, and she gripped it tightly in her own.
“Let’s go,” she said, mustering up her strength.
It was time to go home.
(-|-)
…when he heard a faint crash. He quickly reformed himself and made his way towards the sound. A stifled yelp led him the final distance.
He made his way in through the door, preparing himself for any possible attack. Once through, however, all Odo found was a shattered pitcher of water and who he had been looking for.
“Ne…” he started by the appearance of the room stopped him. He drank in the scene, and did not notice the move Nerys made to protect her husband. My quarters, he thought. And yet…No, not my quarters. The room was devoid of any adornment. The standard issue Cardassian furniture had been removed, forcing both the Kai and Nerys to reside on the floor. Finally, Odo turned his attention back to Nerys.
“Nerys…”
“Don’t come near us.”
“But, Nerys, please. You have to listen to me. Let me explain.”
“Explain?! You want to explain? Fine, explain why you tortured my husband to the brink of death, allowed these infected wounds to progress, made me sit and watch as he was tortured…”
“Sounds like you’re madder at Garak. Or, at least, you should be.”
Nerys remained silent and in a defensive posture.
“May I explain?”
“By all means.”
Odo tried to ignore the sarcasm seething from the woman in front of him.
“I am not who you think I am…”
“You’re right. I thought you were someone I could trust.”
Odo eliminated those words from his mind and continued.
“You see, I am from another universe, one where you and I have been friends for many years. I came here to search for you because my Nerys had died. I found you, but in doing so, realized that I had lost my Nerys forever to the Prophets.”
Nerys sat in stony silence, but allowed her posture to slacken slightly for the earnestness with which Odo told his story tugged at her heart. She almost felt herself pitying him.
“I tried to leave when I realized I wasn’t helping your life any. But I can’t get back.”
“Why tell me all of this?”
“Because I need you to understand this.”
Nerys seemed to sit and consider his words. Finally she nodded in acceptance. Odo sighed deeply in relief.
“I only ask one more thing of you, Nerys. I need you, if only till we are safe, I need you to trust me.”
Nerys seemed to think about this. Odo fidgeted. He had already wasted precious time, but he needed Nerys to trust him again.
“Very well.”
Odo snapped out of his reverie at her words. It was clear she still despised him with every bone of her body, but that wasn’t important.
“Good, then we need to go. Sisko should be here soon.”
“Sisko?”
“He’s a freighter captain, been working for the Ferengis mainly. But, he got sick of taking orders for the Grand Nagus. She’s very picky.” Odo hefted Bareil carefully over his shoulder. “He’s agreed to take us a safe distance into Federation space.”
They started to make their way to the Docking Ring, hoping that the shadows were the only things watching.
(-|-)
He could hear the docking clamps engaging as they rounded the corner.
“We’d better hurry. He won’t be able to stick around very long.”
“I’m surprised he was able to make it close enough to the station to dock at all.”
“Apparently the captain was able to acquire a cloaking device through one of the Ferengis he was working for. She concluded that it would be a most profitable investment.”
The docking doors slid apart before them and a weathered version of Benjamin Sisko stepped up to the front of the doors.
“Ready?” asked Sisko.
Odo nodded. Nerys stepped through towards the ship.
“This man needs medical attention.”
“The Eminence?”
“He’s unconscious. He’s suffering from plasma shock, infection of his wounds, and fatigue.”
“Well, I don’t have a doctor on board. They’re too expensive…”
“Captain Sisko,” came a familiar voice from just inside the ship, “I suggest we be on our way. Your engineer advises me the cloaking device will only hold out for another fifteen minutes at the most.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bashir,” Sisko replied, acknowledging the one passenger he had managed to acquire. Then he turned back to Odo, “Ready?”
Odo nodded, as he shifted Bareil on his shoulder. It was his rejuvenation time, and the added mass wasn’t helping.
“Prepare to seal the airlock and depart,” called Sisko to his crew. But a sharp cry cut through the corridor first.
“Garak,” whispered Odo. He laid the Kai down on a nearby bench. “Tell Mr. Bashir to tend to him. Trust me when I tell you I know he can. I’ve seen the doctor in him on many occasions. Make him believe you.”
Sisko nodded.
“Give me as much time as you can spare, Captain. I need to help out a friend.”
“I can’t wait forever, Mr. Odo!”
Odo took off down the corridor, ignoring the disapproving looks of Captain Sisko.
(-|-)