- Chapter 8 -

Cautiously, Miles O'Brien let the light of his wrist beacon wander through the thick darkness around him. The smell of mold and dust hung like an impenetrable veil in the air, filling every remotest corner of the desolate main reactor room. The air ventilation support system must have broken down a long time ago, for the only fresh air came curling down in sporadic gusts along the small tunnel they had just laboriously crawled out of. Aside from a few regularly up-flashing lights on a control panel somewhere at the far end of the room, the place was bathed in utter darkness. A quick look at the tricorder readouts told him that they were alone.

"How long will it take, Chief?" Still positioned motionless on the very spot where he had first set foot into the small chamber, Nog didn't bother to hide his nervousness.

"Depends on how tricky this baby is," the Irishman replied and handed the flashlights to the young Ferengi. Then he squatted down and opened his metal tool box with a soft click. The sound reverberated in the silence with an intensity that made Nog flinch.

It wasn't difficult to get off the protective cover beneath what seemed to have been the main console of operation with its display dull and black with the grime of the past years. Leaning the heavy metal plate cautiously on the dusty floor next to him, O'Brien directed his gaze at the tangle of humming, luminescent circuits that appeared behind it. He couldn't help a smile at the familiar sight. Starfleet technology was the very contrary to the nightmarish Cardassian thing called space station back home. It shouldn't be too difficult to override the security system for a short moment without anyone noticing. Not if you knew what you were doing.

"What about the other teams?" O'Brien asked absently as he slid his hands into the humming guts of the main console.

The Ensign glanced at his tricorder. Nervously pressing his lips into a tight line, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking in the shadows behind his back. Down here, deep below the surface, it was as if the darkness around them was like a living thing. He could almost feel its breath in his neck, making an unpleasant chill run through him. He tried to ignore it. This wasn't the time for jumping at shadows, not for a Starfleet officer anyway. But still - had he always been this afraid of darkness? He couldn't remember. For as long as he could think back, he had never given much thought to what would await him when his uncle had sent him off every now and then on secret Ferengi missions. He'd crawled through tiny tunnels, had sneaked into desolate cargo bays on behalf of his uncle more times than he'd been able to count. Never had he felt uncomfortable in any way. Never in those days had the thought crossed his mind that not everything would end as mere child's play. When exactly had it been that he'd become warier of things, less adventure-seeking? He didn't know. The only thing he now knew for sure was that he would give about anything to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

Trying to put these dark thoughts out of his mind, he shook his head and quickly sorted through the data the tricorder was offering. "Captain Sisko and Major Kira have given their OKs." Hesitating he added: "But – there's still no sign of Commander Dax and Dr. Bashir."

Surprised by the unexpected news, O'Brien paused and cocked up his head. He only hoped that Dax and Bashir hadn't encountered any unforeseen problems. There wasn't much time left and now that they had made it into the main reactor room, they couldn't risk waiting any longer. He told himself that the two of them were okay – even though he was very well aware that they should have long since arrived at their expected position...

"As soon as I tell you, Ensign, transfer the start signal to the other teams. I'll disrupt the security system for exactly one minute, but that's all we can do. We need to get done with it before the system runs another security sweep..."

Nog looked up, not sure if to give voice to his concern. "But what about team number four? We haven't received any message yet." He hated himself for his own anxiousness. He'd been trained for situations like this. He'd been trained for what it meant to be a Starfleet officer. But still - this here was different. This was not the academy. This was real life. And in this moment he couldn't help wondering if he was the only one not feeling the confidence everyone else was obviously sharing about their battle against an enemy that seemed way to powerful.

"We cannot take any chances," the chief said firmly. "First of all things, we have to get Captain Sisko and Major Kira into the complex. It's of top priority." For a short moment he locked his eyes with Nog's. "The control room for the security backup system is situated outside the complex. Even if Dr. Bashir and Commander Dax haven't sent the signal yet, there's still time. I'll have to cut off the energy supply before we're discovered. If we don't do it now we won't get a second chance. The system runs a security check every 15 minutes and believe me, you don't want to be here when it finds out what were up to." O'Brien once again turned toward the circuit, sticking his hands deeper into its luminescent guts. "On my sign. Three. Two. One."

As soon as O'Brien had counted down the seconds, Nog punched in the signal for the rest of the away teams. With a slight frown he finally looked up. The mission had started.

Waiting exactly 60 seconds, O'Brien once more combined the severed circuit and with only a few more movements he had worked the protective cover back in place and retrieved the flashlights from the young Ferengi. "Everything else is beyond us, Ensign. Let's wish them good luck," he solemnly said.

Then he climbed back into the vent, Nog following behind him with a dark frown that was swallowed up by the thick darkness around them. Crawling along the tiny air tunnel, it was for the first time that Nog almost unconsciously wished for the lights to go back on.

Captain Benjamin Sisko pressed himself close against the cool metal bulkhead, his narrowed eyes fixed on the corridor in front of them. The bag he was carrying was heavy and unhandy, cutting unpleasantly into his shoulder, though he tried to ignore the pain and focus on the task at hand. It wouldn't take them long. He cast a swift glance back at Evans who was still kneeling in some distance on the dim-lit floor. Evans had taken off the cover of one of the control panels on one side of the corridor, the exposed circuit's light enveloping the older captain in a soft blue glow while Evans tampered with the mess of technology under his hands. Aside from the meager light of the control panel, the corridor was bathed in a murky twilight with only some standby-lights running along the length of the ceiling.

"How's it going?" Sisko didn't dare raise his voice to more than a whisper. And even this whisper reverberated far too loud in his own ears.

Evans lifted his gaze for a moment. A slight but confident smile crept across his shadowed features. "Not bad so far. I'll set the explosive charge on remote control. As soon as we've installed all three at the right spot, the whole place will be razed to the ground."

He wasn't sure if it was only his imagination but he thought he heard some tint of irony in the elder captain's voice. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, when Evans put the panel's cover back in place and got to his feet.

"Any sign of Jem'Hadar?"

Sisko drew his own tricorder and skimmed through the readouts. "They're on their way to the main complex. I get the signal of five guards on an interception course. Let's see to it that we get out of here before they get any closer."

Nodding in acknowledgment, Evans once more took the lead, swiftly vanishing without another word in the corridor's dim light ahead. With a last checking look over his shoulder, Sisko followed.

If he was true to himself, Sisko had to concede that the whole mission wasn't nearly as difficult as he'd imagined. Of course he'd been told by Starfleet Intelligence that the complex' reconstruction was far from being completed and that the past three weeks were hardly enough time to bring the whole site back to its former security standards. The planetary defense station orbiting Atholes III was supposed to report any enemy contact that occurred in the planet's vicinity and inform the Dominion about any unusual activity. However, nothing like this had happened in their case. How was the Dominion supposed to know that they'd managed to find a unique loophole that had led them straight to the threshold of Atholes III? The transporter scramblers as well as the energy barrier outside the complex were nothing more than a last firewall in the case of impossible odds. He felt a rush of adrenaline at the mere thought of this special chance fate hat granted them.

An ironic smile crept across Sisko's lips when he followed Evans through the winding tunnels of the former ore processing facility, all bathed in the same dim gray. Should it really be this simple? Was it just about strolling in, distributing some explosive charges and make a bolt for it? Not even the internal monitoring system was online, as if one was thoroughly positive not to be vulnerable so deep behind one's own lines. He couldn't help wondering if the Federation was as negligent within their own boundaries...

But still, somehow he couldn't shake the feeling that things wouldn't go that easy. They'd led a tough war against the Dominion so far and he just wasn't ready to believe that victory could be bought so easily. No, things never went this way. Yet he wasn't able to find any flaw in their well-thought plan. Perhaps he was just too pessimistic?

When Evans abruptly stopped, he almost bumped into the elder man. "What is it?" he asked in alarm.

Evans turned, his face suddenly paler than minutes before. "That was the easy part, Benjamin. The bomb at the reactor distributor junction was the remotest from the center of the site. In order to get to the open-air grounds to place the next device, we'll have to make it through the main hall."

Sisko's face grew dark when he grasped the meaning of Evans' solemn words. "And that's exactly where it's literally teeming with Jem'Hadar soldiers…"

"We don't have any other choice. We need to place the remaining two explosive charges on the connection to the main hall and the access door to the open-air grounds," Evans stated, letting his gaze wander along the corridor ceiling. "But we can use the ventilation conduit. They will probably have a hard time to track us down there thanks to the security grid enveloping the tunnels. Too much interferences," Evans chuckled humorlessly.

Frowning, his face took on a faraway look as if he was deep in thought. "We just need to find an access to the air ventilation system."

Sisko nodded and readjusted the strap of his bag. "Let's go then."

"Fernandez!"

His cry was a mixture of anger and worry. He still couldn't believe that the young woman had run away in the face of combat so easily. He couldn't just leave her behind but at the same time he was painfully aware that he was running out of time. The delay with the Jem'Hadar had cost them precious time. If he wasn't able to find her very soon, he would have no other choice than to head alone for the control room...

Keeping to the shadows of the tall buildings around him, and casting a wary glance into the deserted hallways on both sides of the small cobblestone street, he felt the queasy and oppressive feeling in his stomach grow. The pain was almost physical. He wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that he'd been mostly running on adrenaline ever since they had come down to the planet or if the unnatural stress of the last days was finally claiming its tribute. With every step he took he felt uneasier, as if he was intruding into things that were never meant to be uncovered. Things that had long ago become a part of history. The whole town still seemed so much alive after all those years of oblivion. Northport felt like a ghost town. The quietly purling river winding its way like a throbbing vein through the city, the leaves of the trees gently swaying in the wind. He didn't even have to close his eyes to see the former city so full of life before his mind's eye. It was as if the picture was already there in his mind – just waiting to be called forth by the lonely sight that was surrounding him now.

He finally found her leaning crestfallen against the wall of a small overgrown building, her face as white as chalk and her shoulders trembling heavily. Apart from the dust that was covering the upper part of her body and must have come from their short encounter with the Jem'Hadar, she seemed unhurt. She suddenly lifted her gaze when she heard him approach, looking at him with an expression of pain and fear. Slowly he tried to near her, shoving back his own initial anger about her sudden flight. She was still fairly young and perhaps it was one of her first assignments.

"Ensign, everything's okay now, you're safe," he tried to calm her, raising both hands so as to underline his words.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she managed with chopped breath, reluctantly turning to face him. "I didn't want to run away but – there were the first shots and … I'm so sorry." Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. She let her gaze drop back to her feet, staring numbly at the dusty ground.

"Just calm down," Julian tried again with as much sympathy as he could muster. "We're safe. The Jem'Hadar who attacked us are dead." At least he hoped so. For the both of them. He kept his thoughts to himself, though.

"We have to get to the control room. The others are already waiting for us. Are you hurt?" Julian gently urged and took a step closer.

Her sudden cry of pain made a jolt of horror surge through his veins when a disruptor bolt hit her all at once square in the upper part of her body, burning a fist-thick hole through the young Ensign's chest. Staring incredulously back at him, eyes wide with fear and disbelief, she immediately sagged to the ground, her head hitting the ground in a fashion that would have made Julian's stomach turn if he'd had the time to dwell on it much longer than a second. It was exactly one split of this second that saved Julian his life when he instinctively whirled around, already anticipating what was going on around him. Before another bolt could slam into the only living target left, Julian threw himself into the door frame to his left, blindly firing into the direction from which the first shot had come.

Obviously one of the Jem'Hadar had followed them and opened fire as soon as Fernandez and Bashir had given an easy target. He scolded himself for having let his guard down in the wrong moment and fired once again at the scaly alien enemy. His shot hit the building's outer wall in the Jem'Hadar's back, leaving behind an ugly black hole in the once white plaster.

Hastily Julian's eyes darted to where Fernandez had gone down. The young woman lay motionless on the other side of the street, the blood gushing out of the jagged hole in her chest already forming crimson puddles around her unmoving body. Closing his eyes for only a short moment, Julian's jaw tightened. He was no longer able to help her. She was already dead.

With a cry of rage he aimed another shot at their attacker. His mind raced. He had to get out of here. If he didn't get out of his cover he wouldn't have any chance of winning this fight and if he was trapped in here any longer he wouldn't make it to the control room in time. He knew that the others relied on him. He didn't dare imagine what would happen if he wasn't there for keying in the security code.

He desperately spun around to search for a way out – and found one. Another door was leading out into the courtyard behind the small room he'd retreated into. If he was able to find a way round his enemy, he stood a good chance of ambushing the Jem'Hadar soldier from behind.

Julian scrambled to his feet and with another last shot from his vantage point he sprinted for the back door of the desolate room, turning right as soon as his feet hit the solid ground of the cobblestone alley. If he made it round the block he'd come out exactly some meters behind the Jem'Hadar's current position. Without hesitation he began to run, ever following the street until a sudden and unexpected disruptor bolt churned the spot his boots had passed only seconds before. Instinctively he whirled around, firing blindly in front of him while in the same time he let his body drop to the ground and roll to the side to evade another hit. Staggering up to his feet he squinted into the direction the energy bolt had come from – and could discern a sunken down figure at the far end of the street. He didn't even have to have a second look to know that his shot had hit home. The Jem'Hadar worrier was a dead as Fernandez.

Still panting heavily for breath, he propped himself on his knees, trying to get his thumbing heart back under control. Clearing his forehead of sweat, he tried to organize his tumbling thoughts. With Fernandez dead and Dax and the others already on their way to the control room there weren't many alternatives left. He had to get to them. As quickly as possible.

Padding off the dust of his uniform, he suddenly paused for a moment, a dark shadow crossing his pale features. His combadge was missing. He'd probably lost it during the chaos of the first attack, most likely when one of the disruptor impacts right next to him had hurled him to the ground, before Julian had noticed Fernandez running away and followed her. But there was nothing he could do about it now. There wasn't much time left and going back was out of the question.

With a last assessing look around, he slung the phaser rifle over his shoulder and set off for the control room.

Cautiously she neared the group of prisoners sitting in a semi-circle on the dry ground in the warm and dazzling morning sun. She tried to make herself as small as possible when she ducked behind a pile of ore stacks, counting the seconds until the guard patrolling the area in some distance would turn his back on her and march off in the other direction. None of the guards had noticed them so far. The Jem'Hadar strolling now away from her had not the slightest idea of what he was in for. With an ironic smile, Kira peered back in the direction Commander Worf had vanished into some time earlier, not sure if he would be able to manage to warn the other prisoners in time.

She scanned through her tricorder readouts and exhaled a short breath of relief when almost all prisoners showed up within a radius of only 500 meters. That made things easier. The red point moving in a circle about the small display, however, still set her teeth on edge.

One of the other Jem'Hadar had detached himself from the rest of his group and was heading directly toward her. She clamped down on the growing urge to jump up and burn a nice little hole into the soldier's chest. They still hadn't received the signal that Sisko and Evans had been successful. As soon as the bombs were securely set within the complex and the first one of the explosive charges went off, severing the open-air grounds from the rest of the facility's security system, it would be on her to bring all prisoners safely back home. With another glance at the chronometer she tried to calm her breath. The show was about to start every minute now.

Making sure that no one was watching, she left her cover and ran over to the small group in front of her. Not sure if it was pure luck or irony of fate, she silently thanked the Prophets for the small gathering to be held in a rather remote part of the open-air grounds. At least for the next few moments she would be able to have a secret talk with the people sitting down at her feet.

She wasn't even surprised at finding the faces of all assembled men and women turn to her, a quizzical look on each of them. Slithering to a halt, she suddenly felt short of breath, though a knowing nod of one of the Vulcans told her he already knew why she was here.

"We're here to bring you back home," she finally managed between clenched teeth.

Jadzia Dax anxiously paced the deserted control room.

It hadn't taken them long to find the right place in the northern part of the city – aloof from the rest of all the other buildings. Although the door had been locked at the time of their arrival, they had managed to pry it open with one of the phaser rifles, firing their way into the control center. Inside, yet another layer of dust was covering a large array of flickering monitors and displays, making the young Trill wonder how much of the technical equipment was still functioning after all the years.

Jeffrey sat on one of the few swivel chairs, his face devoid of any emotion, whereas Robinson cast anxious glances toward the entrance every now and then.

"What if they got them?" The young woman asked in concern.

Dax cast her a reproachful look but realized then that the Ensign's question wasn't actually that out of place. What if really something had happened to Julian and Fernandez?

"If Dr. Bashir isn't able to key in the code for the security backup system, everything will be for nothing." Jeffrey's tone was as emotionless as his face, though Dax was sure that inside he felt no less agitated than Robinson.

The young Trill decisively shook her head. "I'm sure they're well."

"But why aren't they here then? It's been already more than twenty minutes that we lost them. The control room isn't that far away from where we got separated. Ensign Fernandez and Dr. Bashir ought to be here by now!"

She was right. And Dax knew it.

"What do we do now?" Robinson's words reverberated unpleasantly in the empty control chamber.

"Try to pin down Dr. Bashir's coordinates," Jadzia replied. She knew that the position scramblers were making it almost impossible to get a proper scan of the area. But what else could she do? Go searching for both officers when she not even knew where to start?

Shaking her head with a slight frown, Robinson stared down at the tricorder's blinking display. "It's not working. I can't locate him." She bit her lower lip.

Dax knit her brows. "Try cutting down the sensor range. They cannot be far."

"I don't get any signal. I can't fix a position. Either his combadge is malfunctioning or…" She let the rest of the sentence taper off, though the young Trill knew what she was alluding to. Either he'd lost his combadge during the fight and it had been damaged on the way – or he'd still worn it when it had been taken out. She clung to the first explanation.

Without another thought, she sat down in front of the main console and let her fingers dance over the black display. Behind her, Jeffry drew himself up.

"You don't intend to type the security code in by yourself, do you?"

Without looking up from her work, she kept staring at the monitor and the endless row of numbers rattling down in front of her. She at least had to try. Even though she knew that she would never be able to imitate Julian's skills, it was their only chance.

"The mission hasn't failed, yet. I'll try and override the sub-system by myself."

Jeffrey and Robinson both shot her a disbelieving look.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but honestly, you'll never be fast enough." She knew that Jeffrey's words weren't meant as a reproach. And she knew that he was probably right.

Dax finally looked up and met his eye. "I know. Let's hope that Dr. Bashir and Ensign Fernandez make it here in time."

Benjamin Sisko literally felt the sweat pearl on his forehead. This was the last bomb, on the access door to the open-air grounds.

After they'd installed the second bomb in the ventilation conduit right above the connection to the main room, the whole mission would have been doomed by a hair's breadth. Thinking back at those few decisive moments, he still felt the hairs of his arms bristle up. They'd squeezed through the small and narrow vent and had finally gotten to the position of the access point to the open-air grounds. Evans had attached the explosive charge while Sisko had dared to take a glance through the ventilation grid into the main hall.

The sight had made him gasp for breath. He just couldn't recall having ever seen so many birthing chambers in one place before, a loyal worrier of the Dominion arising from each of them in only a few weeks. It wasn't but a matter of time. How were they supposed to prevail against such superiority? No matter how bad Starfleet's position to win the war over the last months had been, if fate didn't lend them a helping hand very soon, Starfleet and the whole alpha quadrant wouldn't survive the next years.

It was so startling but nevertheless real a thought that it made Sisko involuntarily doubt they were able to manage what they were about to do. Destroying another Dominion weapons factory and cloning facility, most likely killing some hundred worriers along the way, wouldn't but delay the production of new clones for some unknown amount of time. But what then? What after some weeks, months, years? How many facilities were out there, existing without Starfleet or anyone even knowing? It was like fighting against impossible odds.

A sudden commotion accompanied by low and unpleasant voices deep down below the ventilation grid had torn him back from his thoughts at that time. Snatching Evans' uniform sleeve and bringing his attention to what was going on below, Sisko had held his breath.

Hearing the quiet beeping of the sensor device in the corridor below, Sisko had pressed himself flat against the floor, although he'd known that it wouldn't save them from being detected. The Jem'Hadar's gaze had wandered up along the ventilation conduit and then remained fixed on the tiny ventilation grid. It was exactly in that moment that Sisko had known that the queasy and anxious feeling in his stomach had been right all from the beginning. Tightening the grip around the phaser, his eyes had been fixed on the Jem'Hadar, waiting for any suspicious movement that told him that the enemy was aware of their being here. Only seconds before the Jem'Hadar soldiers could have opened his mouth to doom their fate, the First, an Alpha and thus outranking the other one – most likely a Gamma – had come marching over from the main hall in big determined strides. With only a few steps he'd positioned himself right under the air vent, pointing the tip of his weapon at the Gamma's chest and berating him for his lacking will to make himself useful in their mission. With another bark, he had ordered him back to the inspection of the malfunctioning birthing chamber he had been supposed to work on when the First had run into him. How could the First have known that his subordinate had almost saved their all lives with his sensor scanning. The Gamma had obeyed the Alpha's instructions without comment and only a few seconds later they'd marched both off into the direction of the main hall, though the shock of the short encounter still gripped Sisko to the marrow.

"That should be enough. Let's signal to the others that we're ready," Evans grinned, bringing Sisko back from his thoughts.

Sisko returned a subtle nod. "Acknowledged. As soon as we're out, the party begins."

Hurrying along the silent streets of Northport, his phaser rifle pressed determinedly against his chest, he only realized that he had lowered his tempo when he found himself slightly out of breath in the middle of what must have been one of the main streets leading up to the center square of the former settlement. Panting, Julian propped himself on his knees and squinted up against the dazzling morning light bathing the scenery around him in a warm and soft ember glow. He wasn't sure why exactly he had stopped. He knew that the encounter with the Jem'Hadar had cost them precious time and that time was exactly what he didn't have right now. He had no doubt that Dax and the rest of the team had already made it to the control room, most likely already waiting impatiently for his arrival. Counting back the hours since they had separated from O'Brien and the others in the south of Northport, his calculation told him that Sisko and Evans must have already gotten down to work with setting the bombs inside the facility.

At the thought, he felt his heartbeat anxiously quicken. At the same time he was painfully aware that if he didn't hurry and made it to the others in time, he'd seal their all fates - and the mere thought of it made a wave of nausea wash over him. The image of Ensign Fernandez going down right in front of his eyes, her crimson blood sputtering out of the ragged hole burned through her chest without him being able to help the young woman still made him shiver with horror. Suppressing a shudder at the memory, he tried to pull his thoughts back to the here-and-now. No, he had no desire to see the rest of his comrades being sent to heaven's gates in the same ugly fashion. Not if he could prevent it. Turning round back the way he had come, he quickly scanned his surroundings for any sign of pursuit, realizing with relief that he was alone. No trace of any Jem'Hadar. Apart from the rustling of the trees and the faint morning breeze, the street was filled with utter silence.

His fingers tightened unconsciously around the shaft of his weapon when he drew a long breath to calm himself. Was this why his knees felt like rubber, as if they refused to support him much longer? Why he felt very much like he was about to redo his medical finals? He knew that slowly but surely he was running out of adrenaline, the effect leaving him light-headed and dizzy. Shaking his head to banish the haze out of his mind, he slowly started walking again.

He didn't make it far, though.

Almost against his will, he once again came to a halt, only realizing that he had stopped after a few more seconds. Unsure and slightly confused about his own behavior, he turned yet again to take a checking look around – and suddenly cringed when a gust of wind whipped at his uniform sleeve, making him stumble back in surprise until he found his balance again. Perplexed, he blinked several times. The street around him was empty. He absently rubbed his arm and stared back in the direction from where he had come. It must have been his imagination. But still, he could have sworn that he had just felt someone run by, brushing his arm while passing him. And... he could have sworn that he had heard voices.

It sounded like... the laughter... of children?

He felt the fine hairs of his arms bristle up, not sure what to make of the situation. Either his mind was playing tricks on him due to the unnatural stress he'd been suffering from lately – or he was about to lose his mind. He clung to the former. Turning in circles, he suddenly couldn't shake the feeling that something was sneaking up on him from behind his back. It was a dark and frightening feeling, making him wish he weren't all alone out here. He couldn't explain it – but it was unsettling all the same. Pull yourself together, Julian. This is not the right time for jumping at shadows. Hallucinating or not, the last thing he wanted to do now was to stand still. Or to turn his back on the lonely part of the street where he had come from.

Squinting anxiously at both sides of the street in a futile effort to prepare himself for whatever might be lurking in the shadows, he awkwardly stumbled a few feet on – just to stop again dead in his track. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to the shadow towering right in front of him.

It was one of the many vacant houses that were lining the street. Its ocher paint had come off at some places, its window panes covered in dust. Some moss-covered stone stairs led to a weathered brown front door. Right next to the entrance was a tiny garden that was now almost overgrown with wild flowers and thick tufts of fern. One single tree stood firm and solid in the garden next to the door, the saturated green of its entwined branches a stark contrast to the earthen color of the building's walls behind it.

Rooted to the spot, Julian stared numbly at the old house, a strange feeling gripping his guts at the sight. He couldn't quite place it. But there was something... something about this place... He wasn't able to put his finger on it. But somehow he had the feeling that it was important. It was like a fleeting thought in the corner of his mind, popping out of reach as soon as he tried to grasp it.

Frowning, he absently lowered his weapon and ventured closer.

The place was as deserted as the rest of the city, enveloped in an eerie quiet. The only sound disturbing the silence came from the rustling leaves above his head.

Ignoring the urging voice in the back of his mind that kept admonishing him that he was running out of time, he started walking toward the house before he was even aware of it. His eyes narrowed as he tried to discern what it was that was so special about the place. Hesitantly he climbed the overgrown stairs of stone until he stood in front of the old door. When he gingerly pushed it, he wasn't even surprised at finding it unlocked...

The door swung open with a soft creak, revealing the outlines of a staircase in its murky shadow. It was like a silent invitation to enter. Slightly unsure, Julian squinted against the unnatural darkness, trying to see through the black veil in front of him though his gaze met only blackness. For a short moment he was hit by an overwhelming sensation of falling down the black void gaping in front of him, making him involuntarily reach out for the door frame to support himself until the dizziness had passed. Then he slowly poked his head through the gap in the door – and reluctantly entered. He more felt his way along the cool and uneven wall to his right than he actually saw anything, the wall beneath his palm surprisingly cool to his touch. Taking one cautious step after another, he felt his stomach tighten painfully the farther he made it into the darkness. At some point he wondered what he was actually doing here, remembering that there was something else he needed to do. Something important. But his mind was in a fog that made it so hard to think. When he got to the second floor he numbly stared at the door he'd reached. It felt so unreal. Like in a dream. His hand almost automatically reached for the handle. When he pushed it, the door gave way with a loud squeal.

The apartment inside was remarkably brighter. Light spilled in through the old, grime-covered windows and bathed the whole room into a soft, golden twilight. Even here time had left its traces. Both floor and furniture were thick with dust, the air carrying a stale and moldy smell. Julian shoved himself deeper into the room, holding his breath at the sight.

Everything lay scattered the way one had left it.

It hadn't been much the colonists had taken with them. Many things that weren't worth much but surely had been held dear by the inhabitants still lay on their places, like silent witnesses of an age long gone by. Yellowed pictures, hardly visible under the veil of dust, still hung at the walls, an old-fashioned clock, its hand frozen in time, stood silent and forgotten on one of the shelves at the far end of the room. The carpet that must have been running the length of the floor was barely recognizable as such, crumbled to dust under his feet. Letting his gaze wander in awe about the ghostly scenery that unfolded in front of him, he felt queasiness settle in his stomach. Unable to move, he just stood there, sucking in shallow breaths while time around him stood still.

It was disturbing a sight. So many abandoned hopes and dreams. So many things left undone. What he saw here were the silent remains of a world long gone by. A world abandoned to its fate. A world no one was ever supposed to come back to.

And he felt so sad. He felt so sorry for all the lives, for all the hopes and dreams that had to end here. He couldn't tell why. He just felt a whirl of emotions surge through his stomach at the sight. Swallowing hard against the tightness in his throat, he finally managed to tear his gaze away – at the same time awaking from the stupor his mind had been in for the past several moments. Blinking, it was like reality was slowly seeping back into his consciousness again. He needed some more seconds until he realized where he was and that he was far from being on his way to the control room. The realization made him flinch. What on earth was he doing here? Berating himself for his foolishness, he took a deep breath and suppressed the subsequent cough at the dust and decay that hung in the air. With all his remaining strength, he turned his back on the scenery. He was running out of time.

It was the moment when he was about to step over the threshold back into the shadow of the stairs that his gaze fell upon yet another door to his left. Pushing the handle, he found it locked.

He shouldn't have bothered and left immediately for the control room, but still - he couldn't will himself to move. Something held his mind in an iron grip, knocking out whatever smidgen of rationality had been left. He once more shook the door knob, this time harder. When the door wouldn't give way, he all at once threw himself with all his weight against it, breaking it open by force. The door finally burst open, Julian stumbling in, driven by his own momentum. Struggling to find his balance, he tumbled a few steps into the room, whirling up a cloud of dust in his wake.

The room wasn't very big. A single bed was standing right under the only window of the room, the blue bed covers neatly arranged over once-white sheets. On the upper end he saw some piles of what must have been plush toys. Taking one of them in his hands, his eyes met those of a smiling fluffy brown teddy bear.

Paralyzed and suddenly unable to move, Julian stared at the old bear in his hands, the bear's eyes stabbing right through his very self. He... knew these eyes…

…do that now of all things…

Startled, he spun around, the sudden movement drowning his vision in blackness for a moment. He squinted against the ever growing queasy feeling in his stomach and tried to blink the little stars away, quickly scanning the room for intruders. Bars of sunlight cast through rents in the old window made motes of dust glitter where his footsteps had whirled them up in the air. Aside from the few furniture in the room, he was alone though. No trace of Jem'Hadar – or any other living person.

The teddy bear carelessly slipped from his grip, when his gaze fell on the wooden desk next to the door of the tiny room. Unable to tear his eyes from the sight, he was propelled forward by some inner voice, until he numbly came to a halt in front of it. Some stationary lay still scattered on its top, the surface of the dark brown wood chipped at some places, though it was the square picture hanging not far above it that held Julian's attention. Hesitantly, he took it off the wall. His heart was pounding up to his throat, his slightly trembling fingers clamped around the small frame as if life itself depended on it. Gingerly, he passed one sleeve of his uniform over the dusty glass.

A child's picture.

...His picture...

The tree, the quietly purling river, the green meadow with the tree people. And the raven she'd never seen. It was all there, covered under the layer of white dust, preserved like an insect in ember.

Taken aback, Julian stared blankly at the frame in his hands. It took him some moments until his dizzy mind caught up with the situation. But there was no doubt. He knew it with a dead certainty and the realization made his heart stop dead in his chest. It was the picture of his dreams. The picture of his nightmares. He felt the blood in his veins run cold, an icy dread washing over him at the sight of the thing he had least of all expected to find here. Here of all places. Here in the unlikeliest of all situations. It was impossible, yet at the same time so terribly real. The knuckles of his fists turned a pale white when he stared in horror at the small frame in his hands. It felt as if he had just come full circle to his darkest nightmare, staring once again into the black abyss on whose rim he had been balancing all the last days. The black abyss with its impenetrable darkness that had haunted him throughout the meager hours of rest he had granted his exhausted body, and the long hours of wakefulness when he had tried to run from it, never able to escape its clutches completely, never able to hide from himself.

And within an instant, he was there again. The darkness, the loneliness, the despair. It all came rushing back like a torrent that broke through a dam, filling his mind with images and emotions he had so desperately tried to suppress. Nothing could have prepared him for the surge of dread that came with it, flooding every corner of his strained body until he shook with fear.

…you know what we've given up for you…

With a loud and ugly chink the glass frame shattered into a thousand of glittering pieces the instant it made contact with the floor. And with it, so did something deep within Julian. Unable to tear his gaze away from the mess of broken glass and paper at his feet, his eyes grew wide with disbelief and denial.

It was impossible. They were only dreams after all...

His trembling grew heavier. His whole body was so tensed up that it felt as if it would shatter under the enormous pressure. With clenched fists he shook his head in bewilderment, trying desperately to awaken from the nightmare, the rational part in him struggling to convince him that this was not real. That this could not be real. He felt like he wanted to cry.

No, something was utterly wrong here. Stumbling awkwardly backward, he didn't dare take his eyes off the broken glass, at the same time feeling the walls around him coming closer. Feeling the dark shapeless blackness building around him. He didn't know what was going on. He only knew that he had to get out of here. Now. Everything in him was urging him to run for his life and he would have done so weren't it for the overwhelming dread that made it impossible for him to move. He knew that his life depended on it. But he just couldn't will his body to obey.

Nausea hit him.

Throwing the back of his hand over his mouth, he staggered back. He couldn't think. His mind was racing. But he couldn't find any clear thought. Get out of here. He choked helplessly when another surge of queasiness washed over him. He felt so sick. So sick to his bones.

His vision started to blur, the ground to his feet lurching this way and that while he desperately tried to find his way out. His head felt as if someone was giving him a beating with a club. At the same time his heart was pounding so painfully as if it was going to burst. It hurt so much. Grabbing at his uniform shirt, he squeezed his eyes shut. God, why did it hurt so much?

…stop it…will you stay here…

Pure instinct made him whirl around at the sudden voice and jerk both arms protectively in front of his face with a terrified cry. Only faintly was he aware that his legs were no longer supporting his body, the floor coming crashing toward him. The breath was knocked out of his lungs. His whole world spun in a blinding whirl of shapes and colors before his vision was drowned by the searing pain in his forehead. Unable to comprehend what was going on around him, he flailed out against the sudden sensation of falling. Panic seized him. A panic so deep and consuming, so terrifying and overwhelming that it made him sob with torment. Make it stop! Make it stop!

...everything you can do is ruin...

Go away! Leave me alone! He no longer felt his body. Sucked down ever farther into the darkness, there was only one thing his mind was able to grasp through the thick cloud of despair. This time it wasn't a dream. It was terribly real. They were coming. They were coming for him. And he cried out against the dark mass that instantly collapsed down on him, drowning him in its icy floods.

…naughty and ungrateful…

Her grip was as hard and unyielding as iron, yanking him relentlessly toward his room. His arm was on fire where she had seized him, his cheek burning from the slap she'd given him. He cried. He'd put so much effort into drawing the picture for her. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't like it. She was so mad at him and he just didn't know why. But he didn't need to. She mustn't hurt him again. As long as she wouldn't hurt him again, he'd stop crying. He knew that his crying just furthered her anger. But it hurt so much. Deep down in his heart it hurt so much.

She knocked him into the children's room. He didn't dare move, just burrowed his face between his arms while she kept yelling at him.

"How dare you? Don't you think we already have enough problems without you?" Her voice was almost cracking. She was standing motionless and with trembling shoulders in the door.

"Every day we're reminded. Every single, damn day!"

Her voice calmed down a bit, adopting a tinge of bitterness when she finally said: "But not today, Jules. Not today. It's enough. Today is my day. A day without you and your existence. The only thing you bring us is trouble. You dashed all our hopes the day you were born!" Tears were running down her glowing cheeks. "I never asked for it, Jules, and I'm not willing to bear this burden for the rest of my life. Today is my day. Only today I can pretend to lead a normal life. A life without the constant care. A life without you."

He heard the bang of the door and even though he didn't understand the meaning of her words, he knew that he'd deeply hurt her. He couldn't stop crying. Hot tears were rolling down his face and he buried himself under the blue bed cover, spasmodically clinging to the brown fluffy teddy bear in his arms.

##########

He wasn't hungry but he knew that she would get angry if he didn't eat. Drumming up all of his concentration he tried to lift the piece of cake onto the fork. Even before it reached his lips, it once again fell down on his plate. He tried a second time but he just didn't manage. He didn't even have to look up to feel her piercing stare.

He hadn't wanted to come to the table but she hadn't given him any choice. The pain was still ablaze in his chest though he somehow managed to hold back the tears. She'd forced him to sit with them and eat. But why had she locked him into his room in the first place? Why was she so angry with him and wanted him to sit in front of her now?

When he finally dared to lift his gaze, the unknown lady smiled at him. She was so different and nice. Sheepishly he almost automatically returned the smile before he focused back on his plate.

He didn't know what they were talking about and no one was talking to him. He sat there, trying to lift the piece of cake to his lips but never quite succeeded. Why didn't he manage? He didn't know.

It was again the unknown woman, helping him with a smile to pick up the cake. He knew that one. It was one of his favorite games. With the strange woman holding his fork he managed to finally get it into his mouth, grinning happily.

The sudden clatter next to him made him wince. He knew this expression of hers. So she still was angry with him…

He never spoke a word and kept staring at the floor beneath his feet. Suddenly something furry streaked his legs. Instinctively he reached out for the fluffy thing. It felt comforting and soft, purring as he gently stroke its back. Smiling, he picked up a piece of cake for it.

"Jules, that's enough now! The cat has his own food." The voice was cold and resolute.

Jules didn't dare look up, his gaze following the furry thing that slowly padded away. "My I?"

He didn't even wait for a response, setting off behind it into the corridor and into his room, though the fluffy thing never dwelt long at the same place. He finally gave it up and went back to his room. No one would miss him. He knew that they were glad not to have him with them and the long suppressed tears once again rolled down his small cheeks.

##########

The sudden cry made him wince and quickened his heartbeat. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting alone in his room. Had the strangers already left? Hastily he ran over to the door, reaching for the handle to peek through the small gap in the door.

She was standing in the adjacent kitchen, holding the furry thing seized in one fist above the ground. She was hurting it. He was sure. She was hurting it.

The meow made him finally fearfully leave his room. She had to stop!

"Damn, Jules, look what your cat's done! He ate the food!" She was seething with rage, casting him an angry and reproachful look while she continued to shake the furry thing by its neck.

It was too much for him. Screaming, he ran over to her, batting her legs with his small fists. She had to stop. She was hurting it.

Even before he knew what happened, the thing jumped from her grip, rounding the corner as fast as lightning.

She jerked him off her, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Don't you dare touch me, Jules!" Then she seized his wrist, pulling him behind her once again into the children's room. Her face was contorted with anger when she finally shut the door and turned the key. Once again he was alone in the darkness.

##########

An eternity went by before he heard footsteps again. Fearfully, he pressed the teddy bear closer to his chest. He knew that they were coming. He had made them angry and now they were coming to punish him. Trembling heavily, he curled deeper into the darkness under his desk.

When a burly figure appeared in the door frame, his first instinct was to run over to him. He loved them so much, what did he do wrong? Why didn't they love him the same way. His heart was aching for an embrace but he couldn't will his body to move.

"Get out of there, Jules!"

He wanted to answer but couldn't bring forth a single word. Frantically, he pressed himself deeper into the shadow under his desk.

"Get out of there, I said!" Roughly the figure snatched his arm, pulling him out of the darkness. Jules couldn't but stare in bewilderment at the huge figure that kept him in his iron grip. He didn't dare put up a fight.

"What was that with your mother supposed to mean? She's been looking forward to this occasion for days and everything you can do is ruin it?" The voice was cold and punishing.

Jules shook his head. "I…"

"Do you know what we've given up for you? Do you know how much we had to sacrifice for you? And this is your way of showing your gratitude?" His composure was slipping with every second. "Naughty and ungrateful you are! But be sure of it, Jules, I'll have you learn your lesson. If not with reason then with other means."

The moment he let go of him, he instantly broke into tears. He couldn't think of anything else but what they were going to do to him – and all of a sudden he panicked. Haggardly he yanked his arm free and started to run. Blind with fear he dashed into her, feeling her strong hands on his shoulders though his fear lent him powers he never knew he had. He flailed out, biting and kicking. Her slap in the face made his head fly to the side but he kept screaming in tears and finally made it out of her grip.

He tripped, crashed to the floor and staggered up again. They were going to hurt him. It was his only thought. They were so mad and they were going to hurt him so much.

The only thing he could concentrate on was the door. He would make it if he got to the door in time.

He hit the wood full-force, his hand touching the handle though his trembling fingers just wouldn't work.

Turning round in fear, he saw their angry faces. He frantically threw both arms up in protection when the first blow sent him to the floor. He didn't have time to brace himself for the pain that was coming. He lashed out with all his might, screamed and cried, when blows followed blows, until his vision coalesced into a meaningless mass where there existed nothing but pain, tears and despair. He barely felt being lifted up and being pushed back against the wall when his consciousness went astray in the chaos of pain.

"Captain Sisko has sent the signal!" Robinson was nearly panicking when she read out the tricorder's data. Against all hope, Dr. Bashir hadn't come to the control room which meant that he was hurt – or much worse: even dead.

Dax didn't look up, her fingers dancing over the control panel. "How long, Ensign?"

"A few minutes I guess."

"Sir, the security patrol hasn't reported back, yet."

The Jem'Hadar was standing off to the side, waiting for a reply from the First who was still busy with inspecting the newly constructed birthing chambers. Turning back to his inferior, his scaly face drew into a grimace of pure anger.

"What do you mean by the security patrol hasn't reported back, yet? What happened?"

The other stepped nervously closer. "We haven't received any status report yet. They might have been attacked. We should send reinforcements."

The First's lips curled up into a sneering grin, as he kept the other fixed in his stare. "You Gammas aren't just poor fighters but also cowards. What kind of resistance is there to meet? Ghosts?"

The other Jem'Hadar didn't dare defend himself even though he detested the First with all his heart. Presumptuous and arrogant. That was a trait of character that had never been part of the design of the Gammas.

"Than send two of your men to check it out. And now don't you dare bother me during my work again, Gamma."

Without another word the inferior saluted and hurried out of the main hall.

"Sir, I'm picking up an increased radiation on the access point to the open-air grounds!"

The First spun around. "Cause?"

"Unknown, but it looks like the energy supply is leaking," came the immediate reply from the Jem'Hadar bending over his console and intensively studying the readouts.

"Then see to it that it gets repaired!" the barking voice of the elder resounded from the walls.

"It's not possible, Sir. The cause seems to be external, but…" A rolling thunder cut off his words in mid-sentence.

"Security alert!" the First roared, but too late. The floor's trembling grew heavier, throwing them off their feet even before anyone had the chance to realize what was happening. With another skull-rattling thunder, a blast of fire erupted from the corridor only seconds after the explosion had gone off.

When a group of shadowy figures on the other side of the open-air grounds drew themselves up, Kira knew that Worf had been successful. With a swift nod of encouragement toward the group of prisoners, Kira tightened the grip around her phaser rifle.

A dozen Jem'Hadar guards against seven. The odds were in their favor.

Decisively, she beckoned the others to keep their heads down. And no moment too soon.

The explosion that followed only seconds later almost threw them off their feet. Thunder roared through the air, the whole ground shaking and lurching like under a painful moan. The impact was stronger than she'd expected. Squinting against the black rain of soot that fell down all around them, her eyes caught the thick black column of smoke that was sneaking up toward the blue and cloudless sky. Immediately the shrieking of sirens filled the air. This was the sign they'd been waiting for.

She urged the others to hurry, hastily counting their number to make sure that no prisoner would be left behind. Then she started off behind them toward the direction of the main gate. The energy barrier should have been taken down by the explosion. They just had to make it there.

The first shot hit the ground only a few meters next to her, whirling up dust and smoke, though she'd already reckoned with as much. Spinning round, she opened fire at the enemy, taking out one scaly alien after another while she tried to give the prisoners as much rear cover as possible. Shouting over the din of weapons fire, she urged them to hurry. At the same time she realized that the energy bolts had changed their direction. She found herself now in the middle of it, the chaos of smoke, fire and lightning painting a vivid picture of what so many peoples would call hell.

It wasn't very different from back in those times. This here was her element. And today she'd win.

Sisko couldn't hear what exactly Evans was shouting behind his back, though he didn't even have to in order to know what the older captain was saying. They'd scurried out of the now smoke-filled hallway shortly before the first bomb had detonated and had hurried toward the spot where the security force field had once cut off the open-air grounds from the rest of the city.

Slithering to a halt, Sisko struggled to regain his balance when he suddenly felt Evans grab his arm. Following the older captain's gesture, he wasn't prepared for the shock that felt like a slap in the face.

The force field was on again. Its flickering shimmer in the air was hard not to notice.

"That's impossible!" His voice barely made it over the din around them.

No, it shouldn't be. Bashir should have overridden the security sub-system by now. Unless…

"Dammit! Something must have gone wrong. Dr. Bashir didn't get the code in in time. We're trapped in here!" Evans shouted, cursing.

There wasn't much time left. He didn't know what exactly had gone wrong. But somehow Bashir hadn't managed to override the sub-system in time. As soon as the power grid of the whole complex had been jammed by the first explosion, the security backup system had powered in, lending the leaking grid the necessary energy it needed. And now they were trapped. In only a few more moments the last explosive charges were due to go off, not only taking with them the rest of the complex but also every living being within their reach.

"Damn!" Sisko turned in frustration. Not far away, he could see the group of huddled prisoners coming closer in a desperate run.

His bad feeling had proven true. Running a sweaty hand over his head, his vision filled with the sight of black smoke, billowing heavily up into the morning sky. He clamped down on the urge to utter another blunt curse. No, things never went that easy…

'

=/\= To be continued... =/\=

2012 by Mijra