Chapter Twenty-Five
Main Control Room
Cold Station Twelve
Stardate 57079.9
Worf watched Lieutenant Taurik’s hands fly across the console trying to prevent the release of the pathogens and turned to glance at Doctor Kelos as he lay Commander Uhnari on the floor. Doctor Crusher knelt by her and began to wave her tricorder across the young woman’s body. Kelos, now relieved of his burden, immediately went to Taurik’s aid.
‘Well?’ he asked impatiently.
Taurik straightened and Worf could see through his Vulcan stoicism. He was defeated. ‘If I had more time I could disable the life support system.’
‘There’s nothing we can do,’ Kelos added in plain language. ‘Whatever the Changeling did is preventing us from venting the station.’
‘Madden to Enterprise, you need to beam us all up, now!’
‘Stand by,’ the transporter operator replied.
Taurik raised an eyebrow and moved to the console. ‘There is now an isolation field protecting this room. We are in no danger. However, the Enterprise will not be able to beam us out, nor will we be able to contact them.’
Worf turned to Kelos. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Making sure that even if this station is completely infected, the Augments will not be harmed.’
‘I thought the embryos had all been taken?’
‘They have. My children, however, remain here. Hercules, step forward.’
From a hidden doorway, a young man stepped forward. He wore the uniform of a Starfleet officer, and filled it out well, with muscles across his arms and chest clearly showing through. His expression was undeniably non-Starfleet. Behind him, five more Augments stepped through and took flanking positions around Kelos.
Ignoring the Augments, Worf continued to glare at Kelos. ‘Who took the embryos?’
‘The Changeling, at my request. She has the last of them now.’
‘And what do you plan to do with these?’ he gestured around him.
‘Teach them the way of the galaxy. Where Khan and Soong failed, I will succeed.’
‘Did you create the Bloodfire virus?’ Madden asked, feeling useless.
‘That’s what the Kevrata call it?’ Kelos asked. ‘How delightful. No, I did not create such a weapon, it was designed at my request.’
‘By whom?’ Crusher asked. ‘No sane person would create something of such destruction.’
‘I can assure you, Doctor, whoever released it on Kevrata was not working for me. I would never use such a fine piece of art as a blunt instrument, only as a precision laser scalpel.’
‘You’re stuck here with us,’ Lopex weighed in, moving toward the Augment closest to him.
‘That is where you are mistaken,’ Kelos replied. ‘I have an escape route.’
Hercules stepped forward with a smile on his face and activated his comm-cuff. ‘Energise.’
The seven of them vanished in a Dominion-style transporter beam.
‘They could be anywhere within twenty light-years,’ Lopex muttered.
‘The isolation field is down and we have eleven seconds before the pathogen is released.’
‘The transporter chief...’ Worf began as he felt the familiar tingle of the transporter beam take hold.
‘Has a lock on all of you,’ Picard replied as they materialised in an isolation ward, just by sickbay.
‘Captain, a shuttle fled from the station earlier, were you tracking it?’ Madden asked.
‘Yes, it ignored hails and jumped to warp before we could tractor it,’ the captain replied. ‘Who was on board?’
‘A Changeling, and Augment embryos,’ Worf added and filled Picard in on the rest as Crusher scanned them all for the pathogens known to be held at the station.
‘We’re all clean,’ she announced and deactivated the seal.
‘Have Commander Uhnari cleaned up,’ Picard ordered. ‘I want to know how this could have happened.’
‘Aye sir,’ Crusher replied.
‘Commander Worf, a moment please,’ Picard asked, moving away from the others. ‘Do you think Madden knows what he is doing?’
Worf glanced at the new security chief. ‘Yes sir, he is far more suited to this role than that of first officer, in my opinion. He would have been a welcome addition to my team were I still security chief.’
‘Thank you, Commander. Dismissed.’
‘Commander Madden.’
‘Sir?’
‘As of stardate 57079 you are hereby assigned to the USS Enterprise, NCC 1701 E, as chief of security, with all that entails, is that understood?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Excellent, dismissed.’
Picard walked over to Crusher who was injecting Uhnari with a hypospray. He didn’t need to look behind him to see that both Madden and Worf were still there, even though they had been dismissed. Inwardly, he smiled. It was clear that both accepted the roles they now played as part of the new crew. With Riker and Troi gone, and Data dead, he wondered if it was time to retire, but the universe just kept reeling him in and with a synergy beginning with both the old crewmembers and the new, he felt that now was not the time to hand over the reins.
Uhnari woke and looked up at them. ‘What happened?’
‘We were hoping you could tell us,’ Picard said softly as Crusher helped the commander to stand up.
‘The last thing I remember was a security officer telling me something about the Augment embryos and then nothing.’
‘That wasn’t a security officer,’ Madden told her. ‘It was an Augment. Your predecessor allowed several to be grown to term in incubation chambers and then born, so to speak. They were raised on the station and took over its security.’
Worf raised an eyebrow. ‘How did you learn this?’
‘It is a hypothesis that fits the facts of the case and the personalities of those involved. The database will probably confirm it.’
‘I know the incubation chambers had been used, but I was assured that no living creature had been born.’
‘You were lied to, Commander,’ Picard said. ‘I’d like you to give Commander Madden a full report on everything you know about the Augments and the embryos. We’ll see about getting you and the rest of the scientists some help, and reassignment.’
‘I’d like to stay on board until we catch them, Captain,’ Uhnari replied, her eyes hard. ‘This happened on my watch and it’s my responsibility to see that those responsible are punished fully under Federation law.’
Worf saw Picard hold her gaze and then nod. ‘Very well, Commander. Once you’ve been debriefed, please join me in my ready room.’
‘Aye sir.’
‘Now, all of you, dismissed.’
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