Scene 15

            When the prisoners had been led out by real Enterprise security guards, Jarod followed them slowly out. Deanna met him in the corridor outside, smiling broadly. She spread her arms wide, and he stepped into them and hugged her.

            “Congratulations, Lieutenant Westmore,” she laughed. “The children are safe. Their parents have been contacted and are on their way to meet them.”

            His eyes were bright with tears and joy at the same time. “Someday that will be me.”

            “It will be. It must be. Come on. You’re due for a debriefing.”

            As they walked, Jarod said, “Thank God Starfleet was willing to act on my evidence and go in search of the children when we got them the location.”

            Deanna grinned. “I understand there was a considerable uproar, Jarod, but there was enough evidence there—particularly the recordings from Sirok—that they were willing to forestall committee meetings and follow the evidence. They had ships and security teams ready to go anywhere. They did not expect them to be in Australia! Some remote asteroid outpost, maybe.”

            “They were playing it very close to their chest.”

            The door of the briefing room swooshed open, and Jarod was met by cheers and applause. He blinked, taken aback and strangely moved. Many times he slipped out of a Pretend before anyone could think to thank him. On rare, cherished occasions, he received a tearful hug from a family member. He had never received a standing ovation.

            The officers crowded around him. Beverly gave him the same sort of hug Deanna had. Geordi pumped his hand. “Brilliant, Jarod! Brilliant!”

            Worf growled at him in Klingon, “wa' Dol nIvDaq matay'DI' maQap,” an expression of honor loosely translated, “We succeeded together in a greater whole.”

            Data said formally, “Congratulations on your success, Lieutenant.”

            And then Riker was holding out his hand with a grin and saying, “Well done, Jarod.” Jarod squeezed his hand with a smile.

            “Acting-Lieutenant,” Picard said over the noise. Jarod came to attention. “You have an odd way of accomplishing things, Jarod, but we are all thankful you have accomplished them. Now have a seat. We have a debriefing to do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scene 16

            Jarod went down to the brig for the last time. He was carrying his silver briefcase of DSAs that Angelo had hidden away for him. It also contained the formula Doctor Crusher had come up with. Now he only had to find a way in which his world could isolate the serotonin isotope and deliver it to Angelo’s brain.

            Sydney met him with a smile. “You did it, Jarod. They let us watch your mission.”

            “I know. I asked them to.”

            “You did it!”

            Jarod smiled. “Yes, I did.”

            “The holodeck was a brilliant idea,” Broots said. “I’d never have thought of that. But I don’t understand—”

            “Later. We have to go now.” Jarod released their forcefield.

            “Go?” Miss Parker frowned.

            “Before Starfleet Security arrives to collect the prisoners. Technically Captain Picard should turn us all over to them, but he is delaying his complete report until we’re safely gone.”

            “Breaking a rule?” Sydney asked.

            “Circumventing it. Be grateful. We won’t have to spend any more time in Starfleet brigs.”

            “Where are we going?” Miss Parker demanded.

            “Home, of course.”

            “Home? But you said we couldn’t go home! Angelo had the recall device, and he took it with him.”

            Jarod grinned. “All it requires is a very complex transportation formula, and that I’ve got in my head.”

            She wheeled on him. “You mean we could have gone this whole time?”

            He shrugged. “Sorry. I couldn’t risk it. Now go.” Something silver in his hand pointed at her.

            “That’s my gun!”

            “You’ll get it back, Miss Parker.”

            Broots was looking hurt. “My little girl’s going to be frantic. I’ve been gone nearly a week. You—you shouldn’t have done that, Jarod.” He flinched as Jarod put out a hand to his shoulder.

            “Don’t worry, Broots. I’ll get you back before she even notices you’re gone. Now come on!”

            In the elevator, a Vulcan joined them. Miss Parker glared at him, but he didn’t even look at her. “You wished to see me, Jarod?”

            “Yes.” Jarod handed him a small package. “A young doctor named Julian Bashir works on Space Station Deep Space Nine. He will need this information in 2374. Will you see that he gets it?”

            “Yes.”

            “Thank you, V’Lan. It has been an honor working with you.”

            “And with you.” V’Lan spread his fingers in the Vulcan salute. “Live long and prosper, Jarod.”

            “Mene sakhet ur-seveh, V’Lan.”

            The Vulcan stepped off the elevator. Broots looked wide-eyed at Jarod. “Doctor Bashir! You’re going to give him the evidence to take down Section 31?”

            “From the most recent episode, we know Section 31 survives at least another seven years, long enough to try to get him involved. Well, maybe now he will have a chance to do something about it. Here’s our deck.”

            A number of people awaited him in the transporter room. He had already said goodbye to Data, Geordi, Worf (who had told him seriously, “Dajonlu'pa' bIHeghjaj,” a wish that he would die before he was ever captured, a wish Jarod echoed), and Guinan, as well as the children he had briefly taught. Now Picard, Riker, Beverly, and Deanna stood waiting. He nudged Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots onto the transporter pad with the gun, which he then tucked into his waistband. Broots showed Parker and Sydney where to stand.

            Picard had dismissed the transporter operator. Jarod entered the coordinates, so complex an entry that Riker stared. Then Jarod turned to his friends.

            Beverly came and hugged him for a long moment. He put his face on her shoulder and pretended, for a moment, that he had found his mother. Sydney raised an eyebrow and smiled a little.

            Riker put out his hand. “It’s been an adventure working with you, Jarod.”

            “With you, too, Will,” Jarod said with a smile.

            “No hard feelings?”

            “None. You do your job well. Captain Picard is fortunate to have you for his Number One.” He put out his hand to Picard. “Captain, thank you for trusting me.”

            Picard shook it. “Thank you for teaching us our job, Jarod. You are officially relieved of duty.”

            “Thank you, sir.”

            He turned to Deanna last, sighed and shrugged a little, at a loss for words.

            She smiled at him. “Goodbye, Jarod.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips.

            With one of his painful smiles, he stepped up on the transporter pad. He raised an eyebrow and held up his hand in the Vulcan salute, directed a smirk at Miss Parker. “Back to life as we know it. May you live long but not prosper, Miss Parker. At least in catching me.”

            Riker activated the transporter.