Helix By Todd Kelley EPISODE 9 "Interview With A Vulcan" TEASER: FOR THE GOOD OF MY PEOPLE Section Chief, Walter Chapel had a dream. A dream, where the citizens of the United Federation of Planets lived in a universe that knew nothing of war, terrorism, or outside aggression. A universe, where, military skirmishes, racial and territorial indifference, had been replaced with diplomatic actions and joint explorations into the unknown. A universe, that would no longer need an Obsidian Order, or Tal Shiar… …or Section 31. But, Chapel isn't a stupid man. He knows that true 'peace' can never be obtained through diplomatic channels. Hate, distrust and ‘fear of the unknown' are native instincts to all species. Many would disagree with him--- saying that the advancement of technology had been fueled by simple curiosity, possibly a yearning to better our selves for the good of all beings. But the truth is that war--- in all it's ugly forms, had given biological species the greatest motivation for improving ourselves. 'The meek shall inherit the earth?' Chapel always laughed at that one. It wasn't 'the meek' who halted the Borg's many attempts to assimilate the Earth. It wasn't 'the meek' who kept the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians in their place all those years. And it wasn't 'the meek', who now thrashed with the Dominion for the preservation of the Alpha Quadrant. It was 'the bold', 'the arrogant', maybe even 'the conceited'. But never 'the meek'. It was the savage truth of the universe--- 'survival of the fittest'. With strength, came dominance, and with dominance, came self-preservation. And it was 'self preservation', which drove the Cardassians to align themselves with the Dominion. In a way, Walter respected the Dominion. 'Order through conquest' truly was the only solution. And it was a solution, which he would make the Federation understand. With the fall of the Dominion, they will understand why his extreme actions were the means to the ultimate end. They will all know…     Sorann wasn't a big fan of Earth. He had visited Starfleet Command only four times before, and every time his trip was an unpleasant one. This one was no different. Being the consummate Vulcan, he knew it was illogical to have such feelings about a place that has done nothing but shown him the utmost respect. But he still didn't like the place. And after he completed his last assignment for Starfleet, he would be free to return to his home world. As he reached his destination, he surrendered to habit and straightened his civilian uniform and activated the entrance hail. "Come." He heard from inside, and the door slid open to reveal a modest-sized office with a sparse assembly of furnishings. He stepped inside and walked to the foot of the desk. "Greetings." He said without faltering. "Hello, Commander." Chapel answered. "And how are we fairing today?" "We… are fairing well, Sir. And it is former Lieutenant Commander, now." A tinge of distaste could be detected in his voice. "As you know, my enlistment with Starfleet has been terminated." "Yes." Chapel added, rising from his chair. "I received word. What did you do?" "I do not know. I was not given a reason for my termination." "And you're not going to fight it?" Sorann saw that the Director was unusually interested in the strange twist his life had taken. "No. I trust that Starfleet has an appropriate reason for my…" "With all do respect, Sorann. Your actions aren't logical. I mean, you serve as an Ambassador for fifty-two years, and then you resign and join Starfleet as an enlisted officer for the next ten. Now call me crazy, but that sounds like a person who took his tour of duty importantly." "Begging your pardon, Sir. My reasons for not contesting my discharge is my concern." Chapel ignored his words. "I think your not fighting because you feel there's nothing left to fight for anymore. I think you're dissatisfied with the direction the military has taken. You didn't let Starfleet down. It's the other way around, isn't it?" Sorann's eye's fixed intently on Chapel's. If he were human, his face would be red with anger. "It was… you who cause my termination from Starfleet, Sir?" Chapel smiled. "Color me guilty. It was only a matter of time before you resigned, and I needed to talk to you before that happened." He sat down and accessed his computer terminal. "Stardate 48521.5, you were pulled from your duties aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to transport a serial killer back to Starfleet Security for trial. "Yes. Kroft Handroff was the leader of a Pah-Wraith cult, which killed 72 Bajoran settlers to take their land. We manage to stop them before they killed others." "Uh huh. Well, in my records it says that three days into your shuttle trip back to Starfleet, Kroft tried to attack you and make his escape. You had no choice was to try and restrain him. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken neck in the scuffle." Chapel glared at the Vulcan. "Is that the way it happened?" Sorann stood firm. "My account of that incident is on record." "I'm not talking about the crap you put on record. I want the truth." The Vulcan stood silent. "Right, right. And tell me, Sorann. What would've been the logical chain of events if Kroft survived the trip to Starfleet Security?" Sorann paused, but knew he had to answer. After all, he yearned for another person's acceptance of his actions. He did the right thing. "Upon his entrance into custody, it is logical to assume that Kroft would order his disciples to… purge the settlers from their land, which would give them excellent tactical positioning for terrorist attacks in Bajoran space. Fortunately, the Pah-Wraith followers would not act without word from their leader." "A fortunate coincidence, wouldn't you say, Mr. Sorann?" The Vulcan seemed uneasy. "Is there a point to this questioning, Director?" Chapel turned off the view screen. "We'll get to that, in good time. But first…" Before he could finish, Sorann handed him a miniature message pad. "Here are the psychological profiles you ordered." "What's the verdict?" "You will find it in my report." Sorann stood and headed for the door. "And that, Sir, will complete my duties to Starfleet." Chapel stood. "Not just yet. I'd like you to come see me before you depart for home. I have a few things to discuss with you." "Very well." Sorann agreed reluctantly. "I plan to leave when the Enterprise departs the day after tomorrow. I will come see you before hand." With that, the Vulcan took his leave quickly. Chapel smiled as the door slide close. "I got you." He whispered to himself as he stared at the psychological information on Sorann's message pad, preferably the entry titled: Mia Gan-An'War. He tapped his comm-badge. "Chapel to Ensign Hillary." "Hillary here. Go ahead, Sir." He smiled. "Patch me through to the warden of the New Zealand Correctional Facility."     ACT 1: DISSIPATING SHADOWS Kai Rhynelle stayed fixed on the life form, which had called himself Alex Garrett for the past year. She studied his movements in the holodeck as he skillfully sparred with half a dozen holo-creatures. His technique was fluid and deadly-- every creature within range was immediately treated with the deadly force. It had taken him almost a month to gain his strength back, since his fall from grace. And that's how she viewed him--- a fallen angel, who was ready to earn his redemption. He was cast out of the demigod, AXIS's alternate universe and plunged into the jungles of Bajor in a biologically crafted cocoon. Since the incident was foretold in ancient Bajoran prophecies, her deciples were able to retrieve him and now aids in his ascension to the next level. Rhynelle motioned to Parnell, the assigned cataloger of Alex's progress. "What setting is this holo-program running?" she asked the cataloger. He smiled. "Level 13." She looked at him confused. "But, if I'm not mistaken, it only goes to level 9." "It did--- until he grew bored by it's limitations and reprogrammed the computer to release the safety protocols. It's fascinating. His body has been going through a molecular transformation for the past several months. Our last examination showed that he's developed all the vital organs consistent with the Earth-terran species. But the actual chemical make up of his body is completely unknown. He has red blood, a heart, lungs, and all the other organs, but the chemical make up of them is complete beyond our understanding…" At that moment, Alex caught the site of Rhynelle out the corner of his eye. It was the first time he had seen her in weeks. "Computer, save and end program." Alex called out and his opponents promptly disappeared. He quickly made his way over to his mentor. "Kai, you grace me with your presents." She almost blushed. "It is also good to see you, Mr. Garrett. How are we coming along?" "You tell me?" he grabbed his towel and wiped his face. "I've been cooped up in this facility for a year and a half, even though I feel great." "Patients is your task, at this moment, Chosen One." She smiled and squeezed his ear. "Soon all will be revealed to you." At that moment, Rhynelle's personal assistant, Nassi entered the room and quickly made her way to the group. The Kai turned to greet her with a smile, but saw the look of fright in her eyes. When she approached the group, her gaze quickly darted away from Alex, who had now left to gather is equipment. "Nassi? What is wrong?" Rhynelle asked. The young apprentice took a deep breathe to gain her composure, but her body was still shaking. "Ma'am, we need to talk…" she took a quick look over at Alex. "Alone in the Gathering Hall." Rhynelle motioned for the Cataloger to leave them. "Why? Have the Interpreters found more information concerning Alex's quest?" "Uh…" she had to choose her words wisely. "…yes, but not the way we hoped. Please, Kai. We must speak…."     COMMAND JOURNAL: Section Chief Walter Chapel Recording . . . With Section 31's major offensive against The Founders and the Dominion nearing completion, I am now able to turn my attention towards rebuilding my support teams. Since the liquidation of Admiral Cynthia Porter and THE PROGRAM, I have been forced to take on her primary duties. And to do so, I will require her greatest weapons... END TRANSMISSION   She was led through the corridors of Starfleet Headquarters, flanked by four armed Security Officers. Others promptly stepped aside and watched the prisoner being led to the section of the building, which was off limits to all, except for a select few. The only thing they knew was, it was usually considered a one-way trip. It had been close to two years since Mia Gan-An'War and Team Helix had been incarcerated. After saving the Universe from AXIS, who use to be their Captain and friend Alex Garrett, they were placed under arrest and, later sentenced to life in prison. Her brother, Tash was sent to a Correctional Facility in Australia. Kyle, K'Nar was extradited to Trill to face anti-trade crimes from a decade ago. And she found herself in a New Zealand Prison Camp performing remedial tasks for Starfleet. Out of all the incidences, which had happened to her since coming to Earth, being led through Starfleet Headquarters in shackles had to rate the most dehumanizing incident she could remember. She ran interesting scenarios through her mind on different ways she could overpower her guards and make her escape. She was up to 25 ways, when she reached her destination…     Chapel heard the entrance and straightened himself in his chair. "Come." He called out. Four security officers quickly pulled back and let their prisoner step into the room first. The site of Mia Gan-An'War in her current state was slightly shocking the Chapel. Although she tended to wear her hair unusually long, her dress and demeanor was always explained as premium Romulan soldier. The person in front of him, at that moment was the complete opposite. Her prison uniform was clean, yet tattered the point where it seemed to be rags hanging off her body. Her hair hung down to her chest and was thick like a feral animal. Although her face was almost completely hidden beneath it, he could still see her eyes staring directly at him. After reading Sorann's psychological evaluation, he knew he had to proceed with caution. "Hello Mia." Chapel greeted her with a grin. "My name is Walter Chapel. Would you have a seat please?" She slowly raised her wrists up to show him her shackles. He smiled at her and then motion to one of the security detail. "We don't need to keep those on her. I'm sure she won't bite me." From the corner of his eye he could almost see her grinning under that mass of hair. The security officer quickly tapped in a code on right wrist shackle and the phaser tether, which held her hands together, dissipated. She flopped down in the nearest chair, as Chapel motioned for the security guards to wait outside. Grabbing his message pad, he scrolled through his official files, until he found her bio. He glanced up and watched as a few strands of her hair fluttered every time she exhaled. "Why am I here?" she said in a quiet, raspy voice. Chapel's eyes grew large. "Wow! It speaks!" he chuckled. "After spending 45 long days in solitary confinement, I was starting to wonder if the power of speech had escaped you." "Why am I here?" she repeated, void of any emotion. Chapel's scanned his message pad. "In the 18 months since you first entered the New Zealand Correctional Facility, you've been involved in 27 acts of disturbance, 13 attacks on correctional officers…" he paused for the big finish. "and 1 act of attempted murder." Mia grinned. "The Klingon tried to touch me." "Touch you where?" Mia grew aggravated. "Where I didn't want to be touched." "But that didn't warrant trying to take his life, did it?" He could see her grinning now. "I guess you had to be there." She replied leaning back in her seat. "I'm almost certain you're not here to discuss life in prison." Chapel stood from his chair. "Certainly not. I brought you here to get some answers. I've become the caretaker of Admiral Cynthia Porter's caseload and ‘The Helix Project' is the only dossier I haven't been able to close." "Why don't you ask her?" "Cynthia died 16 months ago, from an accident at a mining facility." Chapel lied. "She was my right hand for a number of years. I still miss her." Mia smirked. "How sweet." "Anyway, her projects with THE PROGRAM have been consolidated within my operation." "You mean Section 31?" Chapel found himself at a loss for words. "How much do you know?" Mia sighed. "We were able to figure out that THE PROGRAM was a branch of the Section, and that the Admiral worked as its facilitator." "Very good. Did you also know that Cynthia used your team for her personal agenda and not just PROGRAM business?" Chapel activated a holographic representation of Admiral Porter's mission file. "I have 102 missions, which Team Helix completed for THE PROGRAM. But the Admiral logged 173 missions." Mia grew curious of the mystery. "173 was our number also. What were the other mission linked to?" "We don't know. That's what I was hoping you could tell me." "Fine." The Vulcan woman got cozy in her chair. "What's in it for me?" She knew where the conversation was leading. Years of training with the Romulan Tal Shiar taught her how to ready people--- especially those, who attempted to manipulate her. "How about a conditional pardon for you and your crew?" She leaned forward. "Can I get it in writing?" "Already done." Chapel answered before she was even finished. He handed her a message pad. "All it requires is your thumbprint and my acknowledgment that you aided me in closing these cases." He could tell she didn't trust him. Everyone she had put her faith in had betrayed her eventually. He had to win her trust. "Listen, Mia. You've spent over 20% of your time in that Correctional Facility in solitary confinement, due to unruly acts. You're like a caged wild animal. If you don't have freedom, you won't survived." He found his way to his chair and lean on the desk. "I know you and your team didn't commit treason against the Federation. I know you don't belong here. I won't lie to you, my motives are completely selfish. I need to clean up Admiral Porters loose ends, before my superiors get wind of what she was doing. And if that means giving you and your team freedom, than that's what I'll do." For about a minute, it was a stand off. They stared at each other, try to guess what the other's next move. Mia knew she couldn't trust Chapel. Everything within her was screaming that Chapel was bad news. But, to be honest, she didn't have anything to lose. Sometimes to have to take a leap of faith. "We have a deal." She said, wipe the hair away from her face to reveal her beautiful face. "Where do we begin?" Chapel grabbed his tricorder and began to record the conversation. "Where else, but the beginning…"     ACT 2: SUMMATIONS & REVELATIONS Rhynelle and Nassi entered the large cave-like room called the Gathering Hall. As they entered, they were greeted by an emissary from the group of Changelings, calling themselves, the Covenant. Rhynelle was ready go give them a happy greeting, but she could feel the grim tension in the room. "Greeting, my friends. What have you brought?" The Changeling spoke. "Revelations, Kai. News that casts a shadow on everything that we've worked for." Nassi accessed the message pad she got from the Changeling. "As we all know, the ancient scrolls which we base our religion on, were deciphered using a partially readable primmer. Using it, we were able to decode the ancient prophecy and be ready for the coming of the ‘Anomaly', Alex Garrett. It also stated that we were to train him in battle and in the purpose of his mission. And when the time was right, he would seek out and destroy Cain, the warrior of the Pah-Wraith." Rhynelle nodded in agreement. "Yes, and in doing so, would usher in a golden age for the galaxy. We know this to be a fact. Why do you bring this up now, child?" The Changeling stepped forward. "Three days ago, a Starfleet archeology team uncovered another artifact from the ruins of the ancient temple. It was a complete primmer, which apparently predates the ancient scrolls by almost a century." The Kai was shocked. "By the Prophets. Why was I not notified?" "We weren't sure of the findings until this morning." Nassi handed Rhynelle the message pad. "We compared it to the old primmer we've been using. I'm afraid we made a few… mistakes in the translation." "What type of mistakes?" Nassi took a deep breath. "The translations concerning Alex's coming were, obviously correct. The problem lies in his destiny." The Changeling continued. "It seems that the ‘Anomaly' has not come to us as a savior… but a harbinger." Rhynelle opened her mouth, but no words came out. Nassi continued. "Alex isn't a warrior of the prophets, but an emissary of the Pah-Wraith. The sacred scrolls weren't a prophecy. They were a warning of our impending doom." "This cannot be!" "It is the truth! The scriptures say that He will journey into the unknown, in search of the one called Cain. But his destiny isn't to fight him, it is the merge with him. They are both two halves of the same whole. When they a joined, they will usher the return of the Dark One…." The Kai bowed her head in disbelief. She realized at that moment, her entire life was a lie. "Axis. They will…. recreate the Axis Experiment". She braced herself against the cave wall. "I must have time to assess the problem. Please leave me." Nassi wanted to comfort Rhynelle, but she knew the look in her eyes. She was a million miles away, and the fate of the quadrant would hand on her decision. "Cynthia, I wish you were here…."     Mia tried her best to organize the past decade of her life. In those ten years, she has jumped between three separate realities, traveled back and forth in time, battled her own doppelganger to save the Earth, visited the Q Continuum, and killed the only man she's ever loved, on two occasions. Throw in a few dozen skirmishes with the Borg, and you've pretty much got ‘The World According to Mia'. For the past hour, Chapel listened to the Vulcan tell the tale of how she and her team crossed to this reality and became Admiral Porters top operatives. Unfortunately, he already had that information in his records. What he was looking for was something obscure, which could lead him to Admiral Porter's true intentions. "Let's talk about AXIS." Chapel Mia leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. "It started two years into the Assimilation Wars, roughly three and a half years after the Borg had conquered Earth. Alex had finally managed to unite the different resistance factions across the galaxy and we were ready to make our first offensive." "Against the Borg?" "Yes. Telemetry from long-range spy-probes pinpointed their major research facility was a cluster of cubes in orbit around, what use to be Vulcan. We concluded that if we were going to gain any type of advantage, we had to have that facility. The plan was simple: re-tune the shield harmonics on a couple of Bird Of Preys to masks them from Borg sensors, get inside one of the cubes and plant a newly created nano-virus to infect the collective. The facility, then goes off-line, and we send an armada in claim the spoils of victory." Chapel grinned. "I'm guessing to didn't go according to plan." "No. We got in and managed to plant the virus, but encountered a lot of resistance during our escape. Hundreds of drones were roaming the facility, looking to assimilate us. When we reached he beam-out point, Alex knew the Borg would reach us before we could transport out." Mia folded her arms and squeezed tight, as if a chill ran down her back. "He grabbed my phaser rifle and barricaded us in cargo bay, while he stood at the entrance holding them off. We manage to beam out, just as the drones overwhelmed him." Stared at her and watched the layers of emotion run across her face as she relived those terrifying events. It was strange to see a Vulcan showing such emotions. She continued. "We thought he was dead. We hoped he was dead." She closed her eyes tight. "We were wrong." "What happened next?" Her eyes opened and fixed on his. "A week later, the unthinkable started to happen. All of our carefully, hidden tactical outposts, were systematically taken out, by Borg drone spheres. Our numbers went from a few billion members, to less than a million, and we knew we had Alex to thank for it. You see , he was transformed into a Borg, specifically to head up one of their theoretical projects to reach perfection. They designated the project and him, as AXIS." "So, he wasn't just another drone?" "No. You see, the Borg realized the only way they could possibly reach perfection, is if they were created that way. And to do so, do so they would have to find a way to rewrite their own evolution." "They would have to change history." "More like change the laws of the universe themselves. In their perfect reality, there would be no other species. There would just be… Borg. With Alex gone, I was tactical commander, and I knew there was only one way to stop the madness… kill my best friend." Chapel was confused. "But how would that change anything? If he was part of the collective, then any of them could continue the operation." "THE AXIS EXPERIMENT was different. It wasn't part of the Collective. The parameters of the testing were so unstable that they had to keep it as a separate entity to keep the rest of the Collective from being at risk. They commissioned Vulcan and the systems around it to be AXIS DOMAIN. And we knew that the only way to we were going to come out on top was to retake Vulcan for the resistance, and destroy AXIS." She looked away in shame. "I should have followed the program we planned." Chapel raised from his seat and went to the replicater. He ordered two hot chocolates and place one on the table in front of Mia. He knew from her files, that she was a big fan of chocolate. She took a sip and continued. "We staged a full assault on the facility. Since the Axis Domain was separated from the Collective, they wouldn't be able to get reinforcements. We managed to get a team inside the facility and into Axis' lab." "Then why didn't you just kill him?" "We should have… I should have. But Alex had save my life more times than I could count. And I thought that we had no right to let him go." She took another sip. "I knew he was violently allergic to a Terran virus called Pheta-3029. He almost died from it when he was a child and there was not cure for it, so I injected Axis with and waited. Almost immediately, his cybernetic implants began to reject his infect biological organs." "So, you actually did kill him." "Yes… technically. He was dead for about 45 seconds, before a medical staff was able to revive him under my orders. In doing so, he was separated from the Axis Experiment. We managed to secure the Vulcan facility and it took several months before they could remove the Borg implants and revive him." Chapel smiled. "You saved him." Mia didn't. "Yeah, and I thought that we destroyed any access he had to the Axis Experiment. But it was actually contained in his brain--- just waiting to get out." "And it did." "Yes. And that was the whole Axis Power fiasco. Luckily Kyle was able to crossover to the other reality and retain his memory. Otherwise, Axis would have succeeded." Chapel thought for a minute, and then accessed Admiral Porter's records on his terminal. "Take a look at this." He swiveled the computer screen around to Mia. She scanned through a series of personal log entries with shock and horror. They contained detailed information of Alex's transformation and his attempt to change reality. "When did the Admiral write this?" "Three days after you signed on to THE PROGRAM. Apparently, she knew what Alex was and what he was going to become." "How is that possible?" Chapel shook his head. "I don't have a clue. And I'm hoping you're as curious as I am." Mia finished her chocolate. "How so?" Chapel smiled. "I have another proposition for you…"     ACT 3: IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING At first there was only darkness. And then he noticed the steady beating of is heart. Still with the darkness, he felt 'things' prodding him. Fingers and cold objects brushed against his exposed skin. Panic overwhelmed him. He struggled for his first breath of air. It came to him in a painful rush which filled his weak lungs with life. After a series of gasps, he felt the habit returning to him. 'OPEN YOUR EYES...' Something inside of him spoke. His eyelids opened and images in colorful brightness burned in his retinas. He tried to squint, but realized something was holding his eyes open. He struggled for mobility, to find himself constrained. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing happened. 'OPEN YOUR MIND....' The voice said next. Alex struggled even more to no avail. As his vision began to clear, he began to see objects; shapes in motion before him. 'OPEN YOUR MIND....' He struggle feverishly because he knew all of it was wrong. This was not to 'good place' he usually would come. 'OPEN YOUR MIND....' He tried to scream, but he had no voice. He had no freedom. 'OPEN YOUR MIND....' More voices joined in. It was a universal voice- the thoughts of a thousand beings. He opened his mind, and reached out with a thought of curiosity. "Who are you?" ‘I AM YOU, JUST AS YOU ARE ME, MY BROTHER. WE WILL BE AS ONE.' His heart stopped when he realized who 'It/They' were. Somehow, he was talking with himself, yet he was someone else. He tried to close his mind, but it was too late. 'It/They' had already entered and were at work. He could feel a million mental fingertips caressing his brain, molding his thought patterns into something different. "Please, I don't want this!" he mentally lashed out The intruders showed no pity. 'WANT IS IRRELEVANT...' Then all at once, it stopped and there was once again darkness. Alex could no longer hear is heart or his breathing. Everything had changed. 'RESPOND...' The voice(s) commanded, and Alex felt a need to. The voice(s) was no longer terrifying, but more commonplace. It was the voices of oneness. 'RESPOND...' Alex felt his lips move. He opened his mouth and spoke: "AXIS EXPERIMENT: FINAL PHASE, COMPLETE. RESISTANCE TO FUTILE. . ." Alex woke up with in a wrenching spasm, that knock him off his bed, and onto the floor. It was a dream which he had a million times before. Each time it seemed to be slightly altered in some way. But the outcome was always the same. He would be re-assimilated by the Collective… and the universe would die. He reached for his communicator to contact Kai Rhynelle, but he promptly stopped. He didn't want her to know that something was wrong. She had put so much faith in his abilities, and he didn't want to disappoint her. He would have to deal with this on his own. "Oh God, what the hell am I?"     Mia laughed outloud, to Chapel's dismay. "You want Team Helix to work for Section 31?" "Yes, at least temporarily. I need to find out what Admiral Porter was up to. And the only lead I got is you and your team." Her laughter ceased when she saw he was deadly serious. "So how is this suppose to work?" Chapel accessed the proposal and displayed it on his desk's holographic display. "Officially, Team Helix would be Contractual Diplomatic Security Officers, working under the auspices of the United Federation of Planets. Unofficially, you'd be employed by the Section, working on the remaining caseload that Admiral Porter left behind. There are currently four open assignments that she didn't get around to closing. As soon as I get more information on the subjects, I'll pass them over to you. Until then, you'll work for me on minor Section 31 assignments." "And when those four cases are finished?" "You'll be released from your parole status and be free to do whatever you want." Again, she stared into Chapel's eyes. She knew he was lying. She knew he wouldn't let them go afterwards. She'd heard too many stories of Section 31's tactics when dealing with matters of secrecy. But working for them would be a lot better than prison. He was right about her being a caged animal. For the past eighteen months, she'd lived in hell. Maybe, she could buy enough time to permanently get her people freedom. She smiled. "Get me another cup of chocolate, and you have a deal, Director." She leaned back in her chair and exhaled. "Now lets talk starships. I was thinking, maybe an Intrepid-Class ship with all the fixings. Maybe, a minor crew compliment of 60--- just enough to…." "I'm sorry, Mia.." Chapel interrupted. "…that decision has already been made for you." He accessed his computer terminal, once more. "After the big Axis Power fiasco, I sent a team to try and salvage anything from the battle wreckage. I was hopeing to find some Borg fragments to turn over to the R & D department. To my surprise, we found this…" The holographic object of charred ship slowly rotated in mid-air. It was severly battered and unrecognizable at first, but soon Mia recognized some of the markings on the fractured hull. "The Helix! You found her!" "At least, what was left of her. We thought we could salvage some of those ‘secret' weapon systems we heard so much about, so we towed her back to our nears research facility to pull her apart. But something strange happened." He changed the holographic image into a schematic view. ""We detected some strange readings from the ravaged internal structure. Altough we detect no power output from the ship itself, there was definite movement within the reckage's internal framage." "The nanite repair system." She tried to explain. "Theres a population of nanites which exists inside the ship--- kinda like a blood system. They regulate and diagnose all the ships hardware and software systems and repair any damage accrued." Chapel smiled. "Your telling me you had a million little robots running around your ship repairing things?" "More like a few trillion. Borg technology at it's best." Mia grinned widely. "Wait, let me guess. You tried to run scans on the wreckage and they came up blank. Then you tried to beam people over, but the signals bounced back?" "Yes, at first. When we finally managed get people on board, we found out the the interior suffered little damage. Life support was damaged and most of the system consoles were blown, but the main internal structure was intact." Mia nodded her head. "No, the ship was complete thrashed. The nanites have slowly been reconstruction the internal systems. They're programmed to automatically rebuilt the ship when taken offline. They're self-replicating, and they created enough of themselves to get the job done. You've been supplying them with power and raw materials?" "Yes, but something is… different." He updated the ships schematic and showed her the Helix's current status. Mia stood and got a closer look at the new ship. "That's a Cheyenne-Class ship. It was one of the designs we wanted use in our initial construction, but we didn't enough material on-hand." "Well, it's up and running as we speak. They finished the ship four months ago, but we have no way of accessing the systems." Mia smiled again. "It's programmed to only recognize the teams presence. It use DNA information, retna, heat, and brain activity to recognized authorized crewman." Chapel stood up and held out his hand. "Well, she's all yours now. You pardon is effective now. Welcome to the Section." She shook his hand. "Thanks. When will my team be released." Chapel accessed his systems. "Tash and Kyle have been released and will rendezvous with you at Deep Space Nine in a week. Jann Jaxa and Ian Rojeti are working for the Bajoran Militia at the moment. They're on the frontlines of the war, so we haven't been able to get word to them, yet. They should be on DS9 when you arrive." He shut down his display. "One of the officers will show you your new quarters, where a uniform and equipment will be available." Again, Mia shook his hand and exited the office, leaving Chapel with a smile on his face. "I got you…"     EPILOGUE: THE ART OF RESETTING THE PLAYING FIELD It had been two days since Nassi had consulted with Rhynelle. After hearing the devastating news, she exiled herself to figure out what their next move would be. She found herself standing in front of the Kai's quarters, staring at the door for almost ten minutes. When she did get the nerve to ring the doorbell, she held her breath in anticipation. The door swung open and Nassi entered, stepping lightly. "Kai, are you all right?" she asked her friend, who was tending to her plants. "I have come to a decision." Rhynelle said, void of emotion. "We will continue with the plan. Alex will be told of his prophecy, the way we planned." She stopped her trimming and approached Nassi. "Alex doesn't know of his true destiny. So, we won't tell him. As far as I'm concerned, he's still ours. And he will fulfill our dreams." "But Kai, we will be playing with fire! If he realizes what he truly is, then…." "Then we will not find out!" Rhynelle snapped. The tension was getting to her. "I will not have all our plans crushed by the Evil Ones. We will use their own weapons to destroy them." "And once Alex completes his mission?" The Kai turned and returned to her plants. "Then we will do what is right." She paused. "Destroy him."     "Come in, Sorann." Chapel called out from behind his desk. The Vulcan entered with an assortment of baggage in tow. "I am about to leave, Sir. You wanted to discuss something with me?" "Yes." Chapel stood face to face with him. "What if you had a chance to make a difference for the Federation? What if I could give you the knowledge and power to protect your people and the Federation for outside aggressors, as well as themselves?" Sorann raised his eyebrow. "I am intrigued by your question. I am not familiar with any process, which would merit your question." "I represent an organization who believes in preemptive damage control. We seek out possible threats, analyze their intentions, and implement contingencies to protect the people of the Federation. I know you are frustrated with red tape of Starfleet regulations. What I'm giving you, is an opportunity to serve something greater than all of us. Section 31 first and best line of defense. And it needs people like you." Sorann stared at Chapel. "Hypothetically, what would be my duties if I agreed to join your organization." Chapel smiled because he knew he had him. "Officially, you would retain your Starfleet enlistment, and promoted to the rank of Commander." "And unofficially?" "You'd act as my right hand. You would be entrusted with highly classified operation information and aid me in processing orders to operatives." He knew he had Sorann on the ropes. He had to pull off one of his motivational speech to tip the scales in his balance. "Sorann, the Dominion War has left our military forces depleted. When it's all over, there could be a number of races who try and take advantage of our weakness. Section 31 is in place to deal with those threats. We do the righteous dirty work so that Starfleet and the Federation can prosper. They need us… and we need you." Sorann turned away and headed for the door. As it opened he paused for a second and spoke without turning around. "I will alert the Enterprise that I won't be going home anytime soon. We will talk of this further, once I am situated." As the door closed, Chapel flopped back in his chair and exhaled in relief. He knew that Sorann wasn't everything he seemed. He also knew that the death of Kroft Handroff wasn't an accident, but an assassination… ordered by Cynthia Porter. The fact that Sorann was an agent of THE PROGRAM didn't' bother him. It just reaffirmed that Sorann was a patriot, willing to do whatever it takes to preserved the ideals and principles of The United Federation of Planets--- even at the cost of his own soul. He replicated a Cuban cigar and lit it. He leaned back in his chair as look and took a big puff. "People one and all, welcome to the Section…"   THE END   NEXT Team Helix reformed under Section 31? Alex Garrett: The Savior AND the Harbinger? A Starship reborn in the Section's image?   Witness a new direction for Team Helix In: "VIRUS"