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“Really, doctor? A spy story? That's hardly the bastion of earth literature. And surely you realize that those outrageous tales of intrigue bear no relation to reality.”Garak carries his tray to a table in the corner of the replimat.“It’s fiction, Garak! James Bond was a character in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, the first of 14 novels featuring MI6, a British intelligence agency. Bond’s mission was to take down Le Chiffre, an agent of SMERSH, by cutting off his funds in a high-stakes game of Baccarat.”“SMERSH? Do you seriously expect me to believe that this secret agent is swaggering around a casino, dressed in what is no doubt those tacky suits worn in your holosuites?”“I just thought we could read something a bit lighter this week. Meditations on a Crimson Shadow was a tad weighty for my tastes.”“I’m afraid I have to put my foot down, doctor. If you’re looking for lighter fare, perhaps we could try a cardassian enigma tale. Or one of your dreadful Sherlock Holmes stories.”Julian sighs.“If I can’t convince you to read Casino Royale, would you at least join me in a holosuite program? The movie adaptation was quite good.”“If I do, will you stop going on about it?”Garak gives him a long suffering look as Julian tries hide his smile.“All right, doctor. If you insist.”-------------------------------------Julian adjusts his tie for the third time, then walks to Garak’s quarters.“Come in, doctor.”Julian pauses for a moment in the doorway.“Is that what you’re wearing?”“What’s wrong with these clothes? My shirt is made of the finest tholian silk. Much nicer, by far, than that suit you’re sporting. The tailor who fit you deserves to be shot. Shoddy work, to be sure.” “Bond always wore a tuxedo unless he was in the field; he had an image to maintain. Well, except for the scenes in the Bahamas, where he dressed in swimming trunks.”“I do hope you'll be dressing in character for that part of the simulation.”They lock eyes for a moment, and Garak leans in to fix his collar.“I'll leave you to your poorly-tailored suit; you are the secret agent. I prefer to operate under the radar.”“Are you sure you want to be “M”? She's hardly a major player in this movie.”“Someone has to keep an eye on you. I intend to do a better job of it than she did. Maybe you'll even learn a trick or two."-----------------------------------------------Luther Sloan sat back, thinking about the scene he’d just witnessed. Most interesting. He knew, of course, that the good doctor liked his spy fantasies. The addition of Garak, though? Even section 31's intelligence network had been unable to fully reveal the secrets of his past association with the Obsidian Order. That he would be willing to join Bashir in a childish simulation of the adventures of a secret agent… well, clearly Bashir and Garak were more than mere acquaintances. It was always useful to know a potential agent’s trigger points. Sloan made a mental note to monitor their progress in the holodeck.
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Standing in the corner of a crowd in Madagascar, Julian waits expectantly to reenact the chase scene.“What are meant to be doing, doctor?”"We're conducting surveillance on a bomb-maker named Mollaka. Over there is another agent, Carter. He's checking in with Bond.”“Why does he keep touching his ear? Does British intelligence require no training at all?”"He's a little green, is all.”“What does that even mean? Green, blue, purple, he's clearly undisciplined. And look at how he's dressed! Are there any terrans in the 20th century with even an inkling of fashion sense?”“It's happening, he's been spotted.”Julian braces himself to take off after the bomb-maker.Carter falls into the pit, and Julian sprints after Mollaka. He knows the holodeck moves the obstacles out of his way, knows he can't really jump barriers and onto the top of cars. But it is exhilarating none the less. It feels like he is invincible, and he can't help showing off a little for Garak.Despite his best efforts, Mollaka is getting away. Julian jumps over another wall and keeps running. When it is almost too late, he races into the embassy, grabs a gun, and shoots the bomb-maker.Sweating, he stops to catch his breath.Garak seems to appear out of nowhere. Julian grins, and proudly walks over, a spring in his step.Garak's sharp voice brings him out his reverie. “What was that?”"What?”“That childish display of temper. What kind of spy pulls that kind of stunt? You might have started an international incident. Ten minutes into the mission, and your cover is already blown. And did it occur to you that Mallaka was more valuable alive? Why, I could have conducted an interrogation that would assure M16 some very useful information.”Annoyed, Julian said, “That's more or less what M says to Bond in the movie. Except he's broken into her house to have the conversation.”“At least someone in this so-called intelligence agency has some sense. Although how she let one of her agents breach her personal security-““She was fond of Bond. She had a bit of a blind spot when it came to his more questionable decisions.”“If you broke into my quarters-“"We'll skip that part of the movie,” said Julian quickly.“So what happens next?”“M suspends Bond and tells him to take the time to reevaluate his behavior.”“A sensible course. So how are we to spend our leisure time?”“Investigating Alex Dimitrios, one of Le Chiffre’s men in the Bahamas.”“Is this the scene that features your swimming trunks? I daresay I've been looking forward to that.”"Garak! The point is for me to seduce Solage, Dimitrios's wife. That's how I get the information to foil Le Chiffre's plan.”“Foil? A bit dramatic. Are we back to Julian Bashir, secret agent? Kiss the girl, get the key?”"It is a most enjoyable part of the program. You can wait for me at the bar; I hear they make an excellent Mai Tai.”“I can hardly wait.”The bartender brings Garak another drink, stops to flirt a little, and he engages in some mindless chatter, checking his watch. What is keeping the doctor? Surely it can't take this long to seduce one woman.The intercom beeps, “Bashir to Garak. I'm needed in sickbay. Feel free to enjoy the program a while longer. We have a suite in the hotel upstairs. Just close up when you're done.”Garak sighs. Enjoy the program? Really? Well, he'd at least finish his drink.
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Julian basked in the sun, enjoying the feel of the water on his back. He closed his eyes as the waves washed over him. Solage was on the beach somewhere; he would attend to that task in a moment. For now, he enjoyed the pleasure of swimming in the clear blue ocean, no distractions, no obligations.And there it was. A figure on a horse came into view, locking eyes with him."Garak?!”“I decided I wanted a more active role in the simulation, so I've decided to be Solage. Feel free to do whatever it was you planned to do with her.”“The plan was to seduce her for information!”Garak leans forward.“I fail to see the problem. I have more than enough information to satisfy you.”They look at each other for a long moment, then Julian breaks eye contact.“No matter. Dimitrios is going to Miami.”“I believe you are mistaken. While you were gone, I did some reconnaissance and his ticket was to an entirely different destination.”“Garak! You broke into their apartment? What is someone had seen you?”“I assure you, I was the soul of discretion.”“So what did you find out?”"Ah, but you haven't interrogated me yet. I was rather looking forward to that. And I must say, I like this outfit much better than your ill-fitting suit. You should wear swim trunks in all your holideck simulations.”Julian frowns.“Were the tickets really to another place? The movie doesn't play out that way.”“Perhaps whoever programmed the holodeck wanted to add an element of surprise, of danger.”“I suppose. Well, the safeties are on. I guess a little mystery isn't a bad thing.”“So where are we headed?”"Montenegro.”Julian, puzzled, says “Straight to the casino scene? I guess Le Chiffre abandoned his strategy to short sell Skyfleet."Garak opens a newspaper.“I'm afraid not.”The headline reads: Skyfleet prototype destroyed in explosion.Panicked, Julian reads the the article. Police are investigating. No suspects. Stock price has plummeted."So if Le Chiffre already has the money, why is Dimitrios going to Montenegro?”“Perhaps he needs more money?”“It was his entire strategy in the movie. The poker game was plan B.”“Perhaps Dimitrios talked him into it. You humiliated him at the last poker game. You humans have such fragile egos.”“Well, I suppose we'd better get tickets to Montenegro. Solage doesn't come along in the movie, so you'll have to keep a low profile.”“My dear, when have you ever known me to get in the way of a good story?”Julian looks incredulously at him, but can't keep from laughing.“Let's go.”
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Bashir reaches for his clothes, and sees a new suit waiting in the hotel suite.“Where did this come from?”“I took the liberty of replicating another suit for you. I couldn’t bear to watch you in that dreadful tuxedo another moment.”Julian tries on the suit; it fits perfectly. He gazes in the mirror and smiles. He certainly looks the part.Making their way downstairs, Julian sits down at the poker table. Garak heads to the bar, sipping a drink as the watches the play. The CIA has staked his rebuy, and if he loses this money, Bond will be in a world of trouble. Funding a terrorist with money from two intelligence agencies. Hand after hand is dealt without anything remarkable. Le Chiffre stares at him intently, and he returns the gaze, enjoying the part. Julian looks down at his cards and sees 57 of spades. Excitement courses through him, and he works to keep his poker face. As play continues, the bets become higher and higher until four players are all-in. One by one the cards are turned over. Ace-high flush. Full house. Le Chiffre turns over a higher-full house, looking smug and reaching to take the chips. Julian raises a hand, and turns over his cards for a straight flush. There’s no reaction, and he sees the player at the far end look incredulous. Julian looks down and sees his hand; the 5 is a five of diamonds. His heart sinks as Le Chiffre takes the money.Dejected, he and Garak return to the hotel room. Julian is ready to end the program.Garak looks concerned.“My dear, sit down. You’re sweating.”Garak guides him to a chair, loosens his collar, removes his gun.“Were you feeling ill? I daresay we should get you to sickbay.”“I was fine! There’s no reason for me to feel sick so suddenly-“Suddenly it hits him.“Unless I’ve been poisoned. Bond was poisoned by Le Chiffre to keep him from continuing to play. But I’ve already lost my money and my rebuy. There’s nothing left for me to play with.““Perhaps the program is malfunctioning. Doing things out of order.”“Why do I feel so weak? The holodeck safeties are on. And where’s Vesper? She’s supposed to save me. She’s been missing all along.”Confused, Julian calls out, “Computer, end program.”Nothing happens.“Computer, arch.”He look at Garak, expecting to see concern. Instead, there’s a gleam in his eyes. Panic flows through him.“Don’t worry, doctor. It isn’t fatal. It’ll just make you, shall we say, a little more cooperative.”Julian starts to answer, and then things go black.
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Julian wakes up tied to a chair, naked. He struggles to figure out what’s happened. It feels like someone took a hammer to his head. He was at the poker table, he misread his cards, went back to the hotel, and… and what? What happened at the hotel? All of a sudden it comes back, and fear courses through his body. Somehow the holodeck safeties are off. What happens next will be real, and unpleasant. And Garak? He tried to think, would Garak really do this to him? No, he must have been replaced by a hologram. Not the real Garak.“Dr. Bashir,” a sharp voice cuts into his thoughts. It’s the Garak hologram. The room is darker than it should be, and Garak’s men are holding something in their hands. He can’t quite make out what it is.And all of a sudden the torture scene in the movie flashes through his mind, and his heart races. His breath comes in shallow bursts, and he starts to hyperventilate. He strains again his bonds, trying desperately to free himself.“Save your strength, doctor. You’re going to need it.”“Please! Don’t do this. Garak!” He pleads, almost whimpering. He hears his panicked voice, and Garak looks at him, impassive.The blows start coming. He hears himself scream, pleading for Garak to stop. Julian loses all sense of time as the torture continues, unrelenting, until mercifully, he passes out from the pain.He wakes up to see Garak standing over him.“Had enough, doctor?”“Please, stop. Why are you doing this?”“We need information.”“About the money? It’s a holodeck program, there is no money. All the information you need is in the movie anyway!”“Doctor. Do you think I’d spend my time this way on a fictional story? Section 31 needs information from you.”All of a sudden he falls silent. Is this Garak a hologram? Or is section 31 using the real Garak’s talents for their own purposes? After all, this sort of interrogation had been Garak’s specialty. Betrayal and fear rise in him. No. It’s the pain talking. The real Garak would never do this to him.The hologram speaks again, “Do you remember the last mission we sent you on?”“What has that got to do with anything?”“We believe you are gathering information on that will destabilize the Federation-Romulan alliance.”“That doesn’t even make sense. I thought Sloan was already gathering information on the Romulans. To use after the war. Why would he-”“Now, doctor, I’ll ask the questions. What is your relationship with Admiral Ross?”Julian sat very still.“He’s a high-ranking admiral. Captain Sisko works with him. I barely know him.”“Come now, doctor. Stop playing games. Do you deny the knowledge of his involvement with us?”“I… we had a conversation after the medical conference. I raised some concerns, but he denied any association with section 31.”“And you believed him? You went to no one with your suspicions?”Julian hesitates. Garak picks up on this, and continues.“Did Admiral Ross speak to you about the mission?”“Of course not. He’s an admiral; he doesn’t share tactical information with me.”“What about information on biogenic weapons? Did you discuss that?”“We spoke about the conference. He seemed interested in medical information on the quickening.”“And did you share that information?”Julian was silent.“Did he give you any information about what he planned to do with the medical information? Or discuss the morphogenic virus?”“What? No. Is section 31 involved in-“Another blow, and pain flowed through him. He’d almost forgotten he was still tied to the chair.“All right, doctor, we have all the information we need.Julian looks up. His hands are shaking. “What are you going to do with me?”Garak points a phaser at him.“It’ll be quick.”
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Julian closes his eyes and braces himself. Nothing happens. He hears a sound and open his eyes. The holodeck is gone, and a figure sits in the darkness.“Sloan,” he says, and his voice shakes with fury. Or at least he tells himself it's fury.“Hello, doctor.”Julian lunges at him, and Sloan disappears and reemerges in the far corner of the room.“Doctor, come now. Surely after all this you’ve learned to recognize a hologram. I’d hardly risk my own safety for a simple conversation.”“Sloan, what was all that about? Why did you put me through that?”“Isn’t it obvious?”“No!”“You’re still so trusting. Tell me, did it occur to you at any point that Garak might betray you?”Julian was silent.“He was a member of the Obsidian Order, and yet you brought into your hotel room. Let him take your gun. Drank from a glass he got for you.”“He didn’t betray me! That was a hologram.”“Are you sure?”“Yes. The real Garak would never have done that to me.” “It doesn’t matter. Anyone could have easily used him against you."“But anyone didn’t. You did.”“You still have so much to learn. You’ll be hearing from us again soon.”Sloan disappears, leaving Julian alone in the room. -------------------------------------------------------“So when did you figure out it wasn't me?”“Garak! When you poisoned me.”“Are you telling me there wasn't a small part of you that wondered if I could be working for section 31?”Julian looks down. “When you pointed the phaser at me. You'd never go that far.”“No.”Garak remembers their last conversation about Starfleet intelligence.
“I hope you will come to see the universe as it truly is, rather than what you want it to be.”
“I will endeavor to become more cynical with every passing day.”
“If only you meant it.”
The words take on a new meaning; the memory is painful.Garak, pauses, then asks gently, “What did they do to you?”“I'd rather not talk about it, if that's all right.““I understand.”Garak places a hand softly on his, and Julian closes his eyes and surrenders to the comfort of the gesture.They sit in silence for a few moments.“I need to get some rest.”“Would you like me to walk you to your quarters?”He sees a flash of fear in Julian’s eyes, quickly replaced by exhaustion.“No, thank you. I'll be fine.”“All right. I'll check on you later,” he says, and Julian manages a nod.As he walks away, Garak seethes with anger and pain. Of course, it was an old trick. Looking for the weak link, the person an agent trusted the most. He’d used it himself many times. This time, though, Sloan had crossed the line. Sloan might be able to trap an innocent like Julian, but Garak had more than a few tricks up his sleeve. When he was done with him… well, let’s say that he would pay for this dearly. And Garak could be very, very patient.