*** Inside Unit 3 * Einoften Complex *** The group found themselves in a long room that gave the impression of being recently vacated.Tools and equipment that would usually have been stored safely away were set out as though the user might return at any moment. The ODA pair soon established that the place was safe and Rangi, Lieutenant Terek and Ensign Nejor began to look around. Terek spotted a door at the far end of the lab and with Rangis agreement, went to investigate it accompanied by one of the marines. Nejor and Rangi remained in the lab. each working their way around on opposite sides of the room. "Commander." Nejors voice caused Rangi to look around at him, then, as he gestured her to join him, she carefully set one of a set of vials into its place. She crossed the room to where he stood next to what appeared to be a wall of drawers. He pointed to one of the lowest which was open by a fraction. They exchanged a look that said they both knew this was a morgue. Okrin bent forward and seizing the inset handle, pulled the drawer which slid open with a quiet hiss to reveal, amidst the dry ice like vapours, its content...a tall and muscular body of a Jem'hadar. "Ohhhh..." Rangi murmured to herself inside the warmth of her orange suit. She looked at Okrin who was studying the body thoughtfully. "First job then." she said to him as he looked at her. "Find out why he died..look for..something...anything...everything." "You mean 'do what a doctor does'?" he asked his tone part joking. "Exactly" she replied with a smile, seeing the conspiritorial wink he gave her. "Corporal..please help the doctor lift the body onto that table?" Weaver set his rifle against the wall and together he and Okrin lifted the lifeless form onto the narrow green covered table. Okrin set to work at once. Rangi watched him for a few moments then returned to her former place where a collection of test equipment had caught her attention. Weaver, who had seen more than his fair share of bodies in his time, followed Rangi, thinking it might be of more interest. He leaned against the bench, watching her lift first one and then another test plate, her gloved hands surprisingly accurate in handling the delicate samples.She lifted one to the light and he saw her peer up at it. Setting it aside, she moved to activate a magniroscope set into the bench top and placed two plates into it which she studied carefully. "These are coronal sections."she said after a few seconds had passed, then glancing at him added "...brain slices." She bent to the instrument again and he craned his neck in effort to see what she was looking at but with little success. "Mmmmmm, thats interesting....." she stated and Weaver took a half step forward to see what engaged her attention. She suddenly straightened up. "What was that?" she asked quietly. Weaver had already lifted his rifle and she saw he looked towards the nearest door which was marked: 'LC3/1-5' .. information which meant nothing to either of them. "Wait there." he answered, his concentration soley on the door as though he could see through it. Rangi glanced back to where Okrin was engrossed in his work and Terek had disappeared into the adjoining room. She stepped after Weaver who stood beside the door listening. "Is there someone there?" she whispered. He gave a barely perceptible nod and Rangis gaze moved to the door panel. "I'll check it out" he said, half statement half asking for the order. "Right." Rangi replied, activating her own phaser. The small room was automatically flooded in a bright light when the door opened. It was a store room, with fully laden shelves floor to ceiling along the walls and also in a centre section. Weaver raised the rifle ready to fire and Rangi, taking a breath of surprise said. "Wait." "Put down your weapons and come forward." Weaver said, his eyes rivetted on the person cowering in the corner, who had one arm lifted across his face in an effort to shield himself from the sudden light. Rangi stepped to Weavers side, her phaser raised too. "Dont hurt me...I'm defenceless." the person replied quickly. "Come forward..and dont move fast." Weaver responded. The person lowered their arm, squinting to see who had entered the room and Rangi felt her heartbeat increase when she recognised a Jem'Hadar. "Slowly!" Weaver warned, his fingers tightening on the rifle. "Drop your weapons." "I have no weapons " the Jem'hadar repeated. " I am unharmed...dont fire." Uncertainly he got to his feet and took two hesitant steps towards them. "Thats far enough" Weaver said. The Jem'hadar stopped at once and slowly raised his hands to show he concealed nothing. Rangi could not believe what she saw. {He's almost afraid} she told herself but the idea itself was absurd.That a Jem'hadar would know fear or even be placid when faced with one marine and a woman was something she could not reconcile herself to. "Who are you?" she asked suspiciously. "What are you doing here?" He met her eye, recognising that of the two, this small woman with a phaser was in command of the larger figure holding the rifle. He made to move forward and immediately Weaver stepped sideways in front of Rangi. " Stay where you are!" he warned. The Jem'hadar drew back, raising his hands as before. "I am N'et'vor" he replied looking from the marine to Rangi."I am from this place." He waited motionlessly. "Are you alone? Why are you in here?...what are you doing?" Rangi asked. "I am alone now." he replied, still unmoving." The others are dead.I am hiding here." "From whom?" Rangi asked. He shifted his eyes from her to Weaver and back. "Marduk" he replied. Rangi took a deep breath and after a moment lowered her phaser."Tell me more about this." she said. N'et'vor looked at Weaver and pointed at the rifle. "Can you put that down? Its worrying me." he said. Weaver grinned and gave a chuckle but remained as he was with the rifle aimed at the Jem;hadars head. "Its alright Corporal" Rangi said and he glanced at her quickly as though he thought she might have gone crazy in the last minute. She nodded to him. "Lower it." He did as he was ordered but his expression clearly said that he didnt trust the Jem'hadar any further than he could throw him, which, given the Jem'hadars stature, wouldnt be far. N'et'vor walked towards Rangi eyeing the rifle as he did so. "We were brought here some weeks ago. " he said. "...and many of us were changed." "How 'changed'?" Rangi interurrupted. "Physically...and here too." he said tapping a finger against his head. "Explain." she replied. N'et'vor thought for a moment. "We look different..we can be anything...Klingon, Trill, Bajoran, Vulcan...even human. You would not know to look at us...we became 'Marduk'..originally the name of the experiment but then the name for us who were treated with experimental medicines...chemicals. They wanted us to be more clever brighter.you would say and to remove the wish to destroy.." Weaver shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly not believing a word of the tale. "Go on." Rangi said quietly. "Some of us were sent away...to live peacefully in other worlds. But some, though changed a little, remained the same inside. They took control of this place and killed those of us who resisted them." {That's more like it} Weaver thought. "What about the scientists?" Rangi asked. "They too." N'et'vor answered. "Some are alive and held captive and the Marduk have a plan." "What plan" Rangi asked, interested that he could answer so much.. "I do not know exactly. But you must leave here, that I 'do' know. How many are you?" He looked towards the door. "There are a few of us. " Rangi said. "Take me with you when you leave. " he said almost eagerly. "We can go now" "No." she replied. "I want to find out more about this place." Her words had a dramatic effect on the Jem'hadar.He stepped forward but, finding a rifle squared at him, stopped and stepped back. "You do not trust me" he said to Weaver. "Well thats right!" Weaver replied in sarcastic tone. "It is not safe here...they will know you are here and will find you." N'et'vor said, looking at Rangi again."If you take me with you I will show you a safe escape." "You're in no postion to make bargains N'et'vor" she said evenly."You're asking me to trust a Jem'hadar...who tells me a fantastic tale...and who asks to accompany me to my ship." He nodded slowly breaking the gaze of the grey eyes that held his levely. "Then I will show the shuttles." he said after a pause. "...and you can decide then to take me or not." {Shuttles?} Rangi raised her chin and stared at the passive face opposite her not letting him see the chill that had spread through her as his word sparked a thought. {He knows where there are shuttles..the 'Marduk' have them..they can go where they want..'do' what they want..' when' they want....We have got 'altered Jem'hadar on the lose! Oh Gods... have they found Chimera?} Rangi looked at Weaver who gave a small shrug and remained standing with his rifle pointed at N'et'vor. "Where are these shuttles?" Rangi asked. "In an underground complex. " N'et'vor replied. "Well hidden...you will not detect them. If you transported here, you cannot leave the same way. By now there will be dampening fields in place cutting off your contacts...no communications or transports will be possible to or from Sidos." Rangi considered her options which, as far as she could see, were few. It was true the team had been detected early on and most likely their whereabouts were known now. The malfunction in the door lock could well have been a trap. If they couldnt transport out or raise Chimeras awareness to their situation, then a shuttle would be the only way and with the new 'improvements' the Marduk were potentially a worse threat then the Jem'hadar had ever been. If N'et'vor really was telling the truth then he could help them. If he wasnt then they had little to lose, for a confrontation with the Marduk would be inevitable. "I can take you to the shuttles." N'et'vor reoffered, seeing her consideration. Rangi looked at Weaver. "Alright." she answered, remeeting N'et'vors eyes. "But first my team has work to do. When that is completed, you can show us the way." *** End Log *** Commander rangi Summers XO USS Chimera & Corporal Weaver ODA (npc) & N'et'vor former Jem'hadar (npc)