Stardate 52038.5

     The Captain was alone in his Ready Room contemplating the current 
situation, wondering whether he needed comforting by Ensign White, and whether
Ensign Bruder was actually gone for good.  He hoped so.  He picked up the PADD 
from his desk stating the current ship report.  This was all very stressful. 
He turned around in his chair and looked at the fish tank in the wall behind 
his desk.  He had never cared for those stupid things, he hated swimming or 
anything in the ocean.  That is, anything in the ocean that wasn't extinct on 
Earth yet.  He re-thought that.  Everything, he decided, past and present in 
the ocean he hated.  It was all because of that freak accident vacationing on 
Vulcan when he was a kid.
     He didn't want to think about that, so he swiveled back around, only to 
see Ensign Bruder.  He almost jumped out of his chair.  How had she gotten 
there?  Why didn't the ship tell him when she was detected on board like he 
told the computer to after she disappeared?  And he had excellent hearing, why
didn't he hear her?
     Ensign Bruder was different, Mason noticed.  An overwhelming presence of 
evil.  The thing that offset it all were the eyes, fixed firmly on him, not 
blinking.  The biggest thing about them was the color.  Normally Bruder's eyes
were hazel, a dull green.  Now they were a bright, almost fluorescent green.  
And then they did this weird sideways movement, almost mechanical looking. 
Creepy, to say the least.
     He couldn't stand it any longer.  If looks could kill, he would have just
died a painful death that seemed like it took forever.  His hand shot to his 
comm badge and he yelled, "Security!", or he was meaning to.  Nothing came out.
He was mute!  And then, he was on the planet, in the alien's workshop, with 
Etely still standing in front of him.  He looked around and saw the alien, now
in his original form since Chaz had died.  The real Chaz was nowhere to be 
seen.  However, Mason didn't know who this alien was, or that he had been the 
one firing on the Equinox, appearing as his son.  All Mason knew was that he
didn't like the feeling in his stomach.


     Lieutenant Alex Jarrod, who had been working the night shift in Sickbay 
with the EMH, pushed the doorbell to the ready room.  The doors opened at the 
Captain's affirmation.  Mason stopped looking at the fish and turned to the 
officer standing in his doorway.
     "Sir, I've got some disturbing news. We found a body in space 
approximately 27 minutes ago.  We didn't want to tell you until we had 
examined it to tell the status," he paused, "Sir, it's your son.  He's dead, 
as of five hours ago.  Cause of death by exposure to open space.  We thoroughly
examined him, and the only thing out of place was a strange mark on his 
forehead.  The EMH thinks it was where something was inserted.  The portion of
the brain it would lead to was the memory and personality traits.  Sir, we 
think someone may have imitated your son, like a shapeshifter, or put some sort
of machine in and that was what was causing him to act strangely."
     Mason continued to listen, seeming strangely unaffected.
     "Oh, and one other thing that stood out was a tiny chemical signature 
right at the mark.  We don't have any ideas on it so far, but the Doctor is 
examining it as we speak.  Here's the full autopsy report," Jarrod handed a 
PADD to the Captain, "I.. I'm sorry sir."
     "It's all right Lieutenant.  Dismissed."
     As the ready room doors shut behind the Lieutenant, Mason smiled to 
himself.  The chemical signature was untraceable, and it allowed the alien to 
extract a single DNA from the skin to change his body form to that DNA.  The 
mark was not from something inserted, but from a surgical tool copying the 
brain memories.  The humans were somewhat close, but they'd never figure it all
out.  They were just as far as he knew they would get.  He smiled even bigger 
to himself, thinking of the mark which was also on the real Captain's head,
slumped over unconscious in his workshop.
     Then, he visualized the Lieutenant again, he looked very fit and strong.
He might make an ideal soldier.  The alien had him beamed to the planet.  It 
would have been a piece of cake to do it even if he wasn't Captain of the ship
now.  He threw his head back and laughed.


     On the planet, Ju'el, no longer called Ensign Bruder, left her post at the
Master's command.  She had been dutifully standing at her post since the Master
repaired the damage to her, which didn't take nearly as long as expected due 
to the new Borg technology he had acquired.  A new soldier took Ju'el's place 
keeping guard of the workshop.  Consulting Bruder's memories, Ju'el learned 
this man had been on the Equinox.  A Lieutenant, as the imperfect mind seemed 
to think, and Jarrod used to be his name.  But the Master surely gave him a 
new, more perfect name.  In fact, her new name, Ju'el, in the Master's language
meant "The First Perfect One."  Yes, it was a privilege to receive her name.  
     She now heard the Master's voice again.  It told her to seek out and 
destroy the Equinox's away team on the planet.  Yes, she would obey her master,
die for her master.