Deep Space Guardian: Season II-Episode 23

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian, hearing the last thing Archer said, quickly responded to calm his friend down.

"Relax Jon," He said, "She just in the holodeck again. You know how she always goes there when shes off duty. She was worried about you and I told her to go there to relax until you were healed. You'll join her in no time."

He stood next to Ziona and gave her a curt nod, then looked back down at Archer.

[Lord Borg]

Archer nodded, accepting this.

"Hmmnnn... you're the only other person that she will let boss her around."

Archer chuckled.

"My counterpart...?"

[Ziona]

DSG, Sickbay

Ziona took a few steps away from Archer's biobed and kept her dark eyes down before she turned and walked towards another patient, checking on his progress. From the other biobed, she watched Ian and Archer.

Her eyes seemingly remained on Ian, watching every movement his eyes made, every muscle movement in his face. Things seemed ackward between them, again, much like they had when Tidus had been killed. Ziona was beginning to wonder if there was no hope.

"Hopeless hope and a world of traps." Ziona whispered under her breath as she administered a minor dosage to a patient to ease pain.

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian noticed Ziona turn and walk away without a word. She definitly did not want to talk and it was not something he would push. Not now while his friend was laying deliorous on a biobed. Ian looked back at Archer and smiled.

"I don'tk now pal." He replied.

The EMH who stood next to him supplied an answer.

"Gone." He said absent mindedly.

Ian looked up at the hologram waiting for a more detailed response, but got none.

"Um," He said, "Care to explain?"

The EMH looked away from his console and looked at him.

"Oh," He said, "He rushed in here before you called for a medical emergency. Took the strange device and what looked like, beamed off of the station."

Ian slowly nodded his head. Jones was dead. Daien fled like the coward he was. Wasn't there a third one?

[Ziona]

DSG, Sickbay

Ziona watched the trio of the EMH, Ian and Archer. She continued on to the next patient, her eyes still watching Ian as she went. Part of her wanted to go and talk to him and yet part of her wanted to just leave him be. If he wanted to talk to her, he would come and talk to her.

The logic seemed fine to her and yet there was something in her mind that told her it would never work. Even if he wanted to talk to her, he wouldn't. Would he?

Ziona sighed heavily and shook her head in confusion.

[Lord Borg]

Archer nodded then looked around. Where was Ziona all of a suden?

"Hey.... where did Ziona go to?"

Archer managed to sit up, only now being sore from being shot.

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian found it amusing how at one moment, Archer could be thinking about his wife and then another woman the next. He placed a hand on Jon's chest and gently pushed him back.

"Lay down Jon," He said, "Shes tending to other patients."

Ian looked behind and saw Ziona. They made eye contact, which Ian quickly broke.

[Ziona]

DSG, Sickbay

Ziona watched Ian and noticed him break their eye contact. She held back a scowl. The man could be so damn indecisive sometimes. With a sigh she crossed the room and stood next to the EMH.

"I'm right here, Captain Archer." She forced a smile.

[Lord Borg]

Archer nodded.

"That's good. Everyone is still here.... that's good."

Archer shook his head. Alot had happend in the last few hours.

"I owe you both a meal. What ya say?"

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian noticed Ziona come back to Archer's side. She did not hide her hostility what so ever. He looked back down at Archer.

"Sounds good..." He said.

Then looked back at Ziona.

"Commander?" He asked.

[Ziona]

DSG, Sickbay

Ziona looked over at Ian and nodded.

"That sounds fine, sir." She smiled a little and looked over at Archer.

[Valathous]

~ Deep Space Guardian, Sickbay ~

The EMH had been working on Blake for quite some time and had stopped working on him after the major injuries were healed. Cuts and bruises remained all over his body, though. Blake stirred on the biobed for a moment.

Once again, being no stranger to bilingual vulgarities, mumblings of words could be heard slightly as Blake sat up on the bed. He turned so his legs hang over the edge as he sat. Blake ran his hands over his face and then through his hair as he sighed. His ribs were aching despite being healed. He was wearing only a normal undershirt, which he promptly took off and looked down to see all of the various bruises. He rubbed his ribs and got to his feet. He knew the EMH would be rushing over to force him back onto the bed any second but Blake wanted to stretch as much as his injuries would permit. He still had yet to notice the Captain, Ziona, and Archer off on the other side of sickbay.

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

The secondary EMH looked up as Blake stood up and stretched. He rushed over to him.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, "Lay back down!"

Ian heard the ruckus and looked back at Blake. He walked over to him, relieved to see him more or less alive. Blake had tons of bruises and cuts running along his upper body. The EMH looked at Ian.

"Captain?" He said, "Please order him to lay down!"

Ian chuckled and shook his head.

"There are times that he won't listen to even me." He said.

The EMH tossed the medical tricorder into the tray with an exasperated throw.

"Oh when will it all end?" He said to no one.

Ian looked at Blake.

"How do you feel commander?" He asked.

[Valathous]

~ Deep Space Guardian, Sickbay ~

Blake held up a finger at the Captain to signify 'one moment'. He twisted around and leaned to the left and then to the right. His spin made cracking noises all the way up each vertebrae , more than likely making all medical personal cringe. He did the same to his neck as he rolled his head around slowly.

Blake put his shirt back on and looked at the Captain.

"...Like I got my ass kicked by a Cyborg," Blake laughed then winced slightly as the bruises on his chest ached as he laughed.

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian laughed in response.

"Word is that cyborg is now dead," He said, "Thanks to you."

He suddenly wondered about the unknown person.

"I fought Archer, or his counterpart Daien, and you fought Jones," He said, "Did you see any other counterpart? It was three people who beamed in...I know it."

[Valathous]

~ Deep Space Guardian, Sickbay ~

"I do what I can," Blake said in response to the dead Cyborg.

Blake thought for a moment. He knew the answer to this... He knew he did. A few too many blows to the head from Jones was making it difficult to remember. He looked around the sickbay as he tried to remember. He saw Lieutenant Commander Merik Naruul on a biobed and that's when it clicked.

"Commander Naruul had a counterpart on the station as well," Blake started, "Last time I checked he was in the brig. Although the last time I checked before I was attacked by 300 lbs of metallic flesh, Jones was in the brig, too, so I don't know how true my information may be now..."

[Lord Borg]

Archer sat there listining to the exchange between Blake and Ian. He nodded almost unnoticeible about hearing MU Jones defeat. Blake was tougher then he looked. Ian was tougher then he looked. His entire crew was tougher then they looked. Archer smiled at the thought of serving with everyone for some time to come. Now, for that meal he promised Ian and Ziona. He'd have to pull up something creative...

[Founder]

-DSG, Sickbay-

Ian was about to ask more on the subject of MU Merik, when the doors opened and two security officers walked in. One was standing in front of a hovering biobed while the other stood behind it. Both were carrying phaser rifle and were leading the bed into sickbay. Ian looked at the crumpled form in horror. It was MU Jones, or rather, his dead body. Half of a phaser rifle was inside of his skull. His head and chest covered in blood. He looked like he had been dipped into some strange liquid. His wires hung limply and were no longer lively. His mechanical eye was dim, and no longer blood red. His one eye, blood shot, was wide opened. Whatever Blake had done, it was a suprise. He was led through sickbay and left towards the back, out of the way. The doctor had to write up a report on the deceased and then bring his body to the morgue in another room. Ian looked away from the body. It was a disgusting sight to see. His eyes moved to Merik's form. He lay awake on the biobed, while his counterpart...was somewhere...possibly on the station...possibly not...

-Border Between Romulan/Nautolian Space, Nautolian Capitol Ship-

Admiral Ikrah Solar, commander of the Nautolian Dispatch Fleet, the fleet dedicated to random missions required of by the Empire, walked along the bridge. His long head tails hung behind his back and swung softly as he took each step. They were in a battle with Federation ship trying to flee a Federation colony, falling under Fito's rule. The fight was a success and the Defiant class ship exploded in a rage of fire. Ikrah smiled at the sight and took a sip of a Nautolian spice juice from a cup. A Cardassian officer looked over at him.

"Admiral," He said, "I'm detecting a Federation shuttle dropping out of warp near us."

The Admiral rose an eyebrow and placed the cup down on a console. At first he thought it was from the Defiant class ship trying to escape, but she said it dropped out of warp.

"Status?" He asked.

She ran a quick scan of it.

"Its registry says it belong to the space station, Deep Space Guardian." She replied.

His eyes widened with the news.

"Deep Space Guardian?" He asked, "The space station our wise leader comes from. Shields up."

He knew it was just a tiny shuttle, but didn't want to risk it having some kind of suicide run in mind. Why send a shuttle to face them?

"Shields up. I'm detecting one life form," She replied, "Half Human, half Romulan. The person is hailing us..."

The Admiral turned to where the viewscreen was.

"Onscreen..." He said.

-END EPISODE-