Part 19 (1/2)

”Gel wasn't a man who understood subtlety, Nerys. And he was given an opportunity. I don't know how many of us, having seen our loved ones die horribly and knowing that everyone we love might suffer the same fate, would let such an opportunity pa.s.s us by.”

Kira stood slowly. ”You're scaring me, Chamar.”

”I scare myself sometimes, Nerys. But I have had years to think on this, and every time I do, I realize that we are not as n.o.ble as we believe.”

”I would never kill my own people to get rid of the Carda.s.sians,” Kira said.

”I don't think Gel would have either,” Chamar said. ”Which is why I believe there was an outside agent. Think on it, Nerys. The promise of no Carda.s.sians, a fanatic like Gel, and a weapon. Only what the creator of that weapon doesn't say is that it is a two-p.r.o.nged weapon, which kills both sides.” ”That's too hideous to contemplate,” Kira said.

”Yes, it is,” Chamar said. ”Which is why I hope you-or someone-finds the creator of this disease.”

She nodded. ”First we have to stop it. I need to get a message to Kellec Tom on Terok Nor. Do you still have communication equipment?” ”In a safe place,” he said. ”Let me take you there.” He got up slowly. Kira watched him. The information she got wasn't much, and yet it felt like a lot. Almost too much. She thought she was used to the lengths people went to, used to the cruelty in the world. And then she was surprised, like this afternoon, when she discovered that someone could go a step further.

Chamar made his way to the door. Kira followed him. She would send the message to Terok Nor, and then she would go back to her own work. Before she joined the fighting, though, she had one more task. She needed to round up the sick and get them closer to the medical areas, to make sure they got treatment when treatment was available. And she knew the treatment would become available. She had to believe Pulaski and Kellec Ton would find a solution. They had to.

She sighed. Why was it so easy to destroy? And so very hard to rebuild?

She didn't know, and she doubted she ever would.

Chapter Twenty-seven

PULASKI STOOD AND FORCED HERSELF to move a little, loosening tight and tired muscles. She was sweating slightly in the heat of the contained room, and her eyes felt strained from far too many hours staring at data. ”Got to pace yourself,” she said to herself.

She did a few slow stretches, then moved over toward the door. Through the window of the office she could see most of the medical section. Her team had been the only ones still working in the area since Kellec and Narat had left, a few hours before. Pulaski hadn't wanted them to, but they'd both felt it was important to distribute the temporary cure to their people, keeping each side at least going for the short term.

But that left all the research on her. And she had felt the weight of it the moment Kellec left. Ensign Marvig bent over a Bajoran, carefully monitoring the progress of the three prions with a medical tricorder. Her hair was pulled back and Pulaski could see a rip in one leg of her uniform. Marrvig hadn't had time to go back to her quarters in the last thirty-six hours. None of them had. And with the fighting going on around the station, Pulaski doubted they could even make it now.

After getting the information from the Enterprise, it had taken them only a few hours to discover that it was three prions forming the virus that had cause this epidemic, too. Pulaski knew that was too much of a coincidence. More than likely, the same virus designer who had created the Archaria III plague had created this one. Who this designer was had to be solved later, although she wished it could happen now.

Who would do such a thing?

And why?

But she couldn't focus on that. Right now the focus had to be on stopping the virus's formation here and now.

Nurse Ogawa moved from Carda.s.sian patient to Cardasian patient, doing basically what Ensign Marrvig was doing-monitoring the progress of the three prions to see if they formed the virus again. Just twenty minutes ago they had decided to try the same idea Dr. Crusher and the Enterprise crew had come up with at Archaria III. They would know shortly if the Enterprise cure, as they were calling it, was going to work or not. For some reason she didn't think it would this time, since this was the work of the same designer. If she were designing a virus, and she hoped she would never go that crazy, she would make certain it didn't fall prey to the same cure a second time.

Still, she had to try. Maybe this one had been unleashed at the same time, but took longer to incubate.

Or longer to reach Bajor.

Although she doubted it.

Two of the Ferengi were still in the medical area, sitting on a lab table. The older one, named Rom, looked nervous while his young son seemed both defiant and very interested in everything around him. Ensign Governo was monitoring them for the same prion reformation. Somehow, Pulaski knew the answer was with the Ferengi. She just didn't know how they were involved. She knew the Bajorans infected the Carda.s.sians with the prions that caused the virus. But who had infected the Ferengi? And why did it only give them blisters instead of killing them?

She shook her head and then stretched again. Too many unanswered questions.

A faint explosion lightly shook the floor, and Marvig glanced up, a look of fear in her eyes. Pulaski nodded at her in a rea.s.suring way and Marvig half smiled and went back to work. Too bad it wasn't that easy with all these patients.

She just hoped Kellec was all right. She had no idea how bad it was out there, but at the moment, as long as the fighting didn't come in here, she didn't care. None of it was going to matter unless she found the cure for this virus.

Nurse Ogawa glanced over at her and shook her head no.

Pulaski moved out into the patient area. ”Not working?”

”Virus is forming. The Enterprise cure isn't stopping it or even slowing it down.”

”I'm afraid it's the same with the Bajorans,” Marrvig said.

”And the Ferengi,” Governo said. But he didn't take his eyes off his medical tricorder.

”You mean we're still sick?” the older Ferengi asked, clearly panicked. He put his hand to his ears, as if he could protect them from the infection. The younger Ferengi put a hand on his father's leg to calm him down.

”I'm afraid so,” Governo said, still studying the tricorder intently. ”But just stay put and don't worry. We'll find the cure.”

Pulaski wished she could be as sure as Governo sounded.

”Dr. Pulaski,” Governo said, his voice sounding unsure, ”this is really odd.” ”What is?”

She was about to step toward Governo and the Ferengi when Narat stumbled through the door of the medical area, another Carda.s.sian slumped over his shoulder.

Narat looked faintly green and very weak. And it took her a moment to understand who the other greenish-tinted Carda.s.sian was. Gul Dukat.

Acting like a well-trained trauma unit, her crew sprang into motion. She and Governo went to help Narat and Dukat while Marrvig and Ogawa helped two Carda.s.sians who were not as sick off the biobeds.

She took Dukat and levered him over and onto his back on the bed. He tried to help, but was clearly so weak his effort almost made it more difficult. Carda.s.sians were heavy enough.

Governo grabbed Dukat's legs and lifted them onto the bed as Pulaski started the scan. The virus was throughout his system, extremely far advanced.

”Why didn't you come in here earlier?” she asked.

The look of terror in Dukat's eyes surprised her, but he said nothing.

”Have you been injected with any of this cure before?”

He shook his head no, then closed his eyes for a moment at the effort.

She upped the dosage slightly and injected him. ”Now stay still and try to rest.”

His hand came up and grabbed her sleeve. ”The permanent cure?”

”I'11 find it if you let go of my sleeve,” she said. ”Now rest. And that's an order.”

For a moment she thought he was going to get angry, then he nodded, let go of her, and closed his eyes.

On the bed beside Dukat, Narat had just gotten his injection of the temporary cure from Nurse Ogawa. He looked up at Pulaski. ”Anything?” She shook her head. He sighed. ”I was hoping.” Then he closed his eyes. She stared at the two Carda.s.sians for a moment, then turned to Ogawa. ”Monitor them closely. I want to know the moment the virus is clear from their systems.” ”Understood,” Ogawa said. ”Crystal, you continue monitoring the Bajorans.” ”Yes, Doctor,” Marvig said.