Sounds that were muted on land carried loudly over the water. Tena Lin’s screams rose above the roaring fire, assaulting Jake’s ears. Forced to row with careful, deliberate strokes, the slow journey to the bridge tried his patience. Dip. Pull. Up. Back. He didn’t dare go faster. The slightest ripple would send the blue frogs leaping in a frenzy. And surely Dr. Bashir was healing Lin’s burns as quickly as they appeared back in the Infirmary. Dip. Pull. He had to stay in one piece if he was going to help her. Up. Back. He steered toward a portion of the structure that wasn’t in flames.
Finally the boat glided between two sturdy pillars supporting the bridge. Jake stared at the overhead planks and guided the boat toward the center of the span. Jumping into the water was no longer an option, either. The frogs would make short work of the tasty Bajoran girl. There had to be another way.
When he reached the burning span, Jake saw the trapdoor. It was open, and a ladder led down the side of a huge support pillar. Grabbing the ladder to anchor the boat, Jake hollered. “Tena Lin! It’s Jake! Down here!”
Lin, her face covered with red blisters and black soot, peered through the square opening. “Jake! Thank the Prophets!” Without another word, she scrambled down the ladder.
“Carefully, Lin. It doesn’t take much to set off these frog things.” Nodding solemnly, Lin slowly stepped in and sat on the bow seat. The red blisters on her face and hands vanished, but the black soot remained. “Don’t make any sudden moves, okay?”
“Okay.” Lin exhaled softly. “Thanks for saving me, Jake. Rotor and Nog didn’t even try. They just rowed to the other side of the lake.”
Jake felt obliged to defend the two boys. “They thought this was just a game, Lin. They didn’t know you were really trapped here. I did, and I could barely see you in the fire. I don’t think they ignored you on purpose.”
“Well, maybe not.” She paused with a questioning frown. “You came here just to rescue me?”
Jake shrugged. “And Rotor and Nog. They’re stuck in this game, too—somewhere.”
“That was a brave thing to do.” Lin smiled, then cocked her head. “How did you ever get past that terrible Cardassian?”
“What Cardassian?” Jake asked, puzzled.
“The one guarding the dock.”
CHAPTER 10
Jake beached the boat on the far side of the lake. Anxious to leave the vicious blue frogs behind, he jumped for dry land, then took Lin’s hand to help her out.
“So—you saw a Cardassian guarding the dock.”
Lin shivered and scowled with disgust. “Yes. That’s why I decided to take the bridge over the lake. Bad move, I guess.”
Jake nodded, but said nothing. Tena Lin had seen a Cardassian—the feared and hated enemy of all Bajorans. And he had seen a Borg, a being Jake dreaded more than any other creature in the galaxy. Nog and Rotor had probably faced frightening beings, too, but they had overcome the dangers and moved further into the game. This put a whole new perspective on the rules. The game modified the program for each player.
Another trail angled across a rolling meadow toward a rocky ridge. Leading the way, Jake reflected on his new information. The game drew on a player’s emotions and experiences to design specific traps for each individual. Knowing this might make the difference between winning and losing.
The meadow path was smooth and flanked by clumps of bright flowers. A golden sun shown in a cloudless sky, bathing Jake in a relaxing warmth. By the time they reached the base of the sheer, vertical cliff, he felt refreshed.
“I can’t climb that,” Lin said.
“Why not?” Jake looked up. The top of the flat rock wall couldn’t be seen from the ground.
Lin’s jaw locked defiantly, then she sagged against the rock. “I’m afraid of heights.” Her face paled and she began to shake.
Jake had not anticipated this problem. He wasn’t thrilled about making the dangerous climb, either. He’d do it because he had to finish the mission and escape the game. But how could he force Tena Lin to attempt something that frightened her so badly?
“We have to move forward to win the game,” Jake said.
“I don’t care. I’ll fall.” Lin crossed her arms stubbornly.
Desperate, Jake’s mind raced. He couldn’t leave her behind, and he wasn’t about to stay. He tried another tactic. The Bajoran girl did not know how the Zhodran device really worked. “This cliff is just another obstacle in a stupid game, Lin. Your body is in the Infirmary. If you fall, it’s no big deal. Dr. Bashir is standing by to fix any injuries. But if you don’t go on, your mind will be trapped here—forever.”
Lin’s eyes flashed. “I’m not climbing that cliff.”
“Okay.” Jake shrugged, smitten with a sudden brainstorm. He had to make Tena Lin mad enough to forget her fear. “Wait till I tell Rotor and Nog you gave up on a game without even trying! They’ll never let you live it down!”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Lin stood up, furious.
“Won’t I?” Laughing, Jake scrambled to the first ledge. Above him, he spotted hand- and footholds. Below him, Lin exhaled in angry frustration and started up after him.
Jake scurried up the rock wall, staying just out of Lin’s reach. The holds chiseled into the rock made the climb easy and safe. Even so, the Bajoran girl would probably stay angry for a while, but she was still with him. They both had a chance to get out of the treacherous game, and that was all that mattered.
That and being stranded in the middle of a cliff.
The handholds gave out fifty feet from the top. Jake waited for Lin on a wide ledge. Flat rock rose upward on either side of a jagged cleft cut into the mountain.
“You did that on purpose!” Lin scrambled onto the rocky shelf and collapsed to catch her breath.
“Guilty.” Jake grinned sheepishly. “The good news is—we don’t have to climb to the top.”
Puzzled, Lin looked up at the smooth rockface and gasped. “Don’t tell me have to climb back down this mountain!”
“No, we’re going through it.” Jake turned and ducked into the narrow passage. Lin stayed close on his heels as he felt his way through the dark corridor. When they emerged on another ledge, Jake stopped suddenly.
Lin bumped into his back. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Jake scanned the rugged, familiar terrain. He knew from Bokat’s recording that Rotor lay at the bottom of a deep canyon directly in front of them. The cliff wall that towered around them was just as steep and impassable as the one on the far side of the passage. However, two paths led off the ledge.
The left trail connected to a sturdy land bridge that spanned the chasm a short distance away. The right side of the shelf fell away in a sheer drop, and a rope bridge stretched from the ledge, across the ravine, to a flat mesa. The mesa stood alone in the center of the canyon, and the sides of both formations were as smooth as the cliff. The topography looked like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon back on Earth.
“How are we going to get down there?” Lin peered down at the unmoving Selay boy.
Jake shook his head, looked up, and stiffened.
“What?” Lin asked, alarmed.
Jake didn’t answer. He was totally focused on Tommy Watson.
“Hey, Jake! Wanna fight?” The blond boy stood on the distant mesa. “Naw, guess not, huh? Daddy’s little boy can’t take a little pain. Right, Jakey-poo? Sissy Sisko!”
A year older, six inches taller, and forty pounds heavier than Jake, Tommy had made life miserable during his three years on Mars. Like Jake’s father, Tommy’s dad worked at the Utopia Planitia Yards rebuilding the fleet destroyed by the Borg. They lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, and hung out on the same playground. Tommy bullied everyone smaller than himself, but he had taken particular pleasure in picking on Jake.
And Jake had taken the abuse, day after day after day.
“Jake! What’s wrong?” Lin asked nervously.
“Tommy Watson, that’s what!” Jake clenche
d his teeth.
“Sissy Sisko, make a fist so—I can kick your butt!” Tommy laughed, then wagged his fingers. “Come and get me, Jake!”
“Who’s Tommy Watson?” The small ridges on Lin’s Bajoran nose pressed together in a bewildered frown.
“That kid over there!” Jake snapped and pointed to the isolated mesa. The rope bridge was the only access to the butte.
“What boy?”
Jake was seeing red and didn’t hear Lin’s baffled question. For three years Tommy had ridiculed, insulted, and threatened him. Smaller and younger, Jake had never fought back.
“Hey, Sisko! Whatsa matter? Chicken?”
But Jake had changed since moving to Deep Space Nine. He was older, stronger, and more confident. Tommy Watson couldn’t insult him now and get away with it. Jake didn’t care if Tommy landed a few painful punches. It was time to strike a blow for dignity.
“That’s right, Jake,” Tommy jeered. “Come and get me!”
Jake put one foot on the rope bridge and froze. Tommy Watson was back on Mars. The boy on the mesa was an illusion the game had fashioned from his memory to trick him into doing something dumb—and deadly. He stepped back and took a deep breath.
Back on Mars Jake had been afraid of Tommy. Hard to admit, but true. He wasn’t afraid now. The insults were just words, spoken by a boy who used brute strength and intimidation to mask his insecurities. Jake didn’t need to prove anything to anyone, especially himself. His dignity would survive Tommy Watson, and Rotor would survive the game, but only if Jake refused to fight.
Lin stared at him, confused. Jake realized she had not seen or heard Tommy. Unaware of his problem, the girl could not influence his actions. She and the others had had their chance and failed. Now they were just passengers on Jake’s solitary quest.
“We have to go this way.” Jake turned away from Tommy and headed down the left path.
On the far side of the land bridge Jake saw the steps. Invisible from the ledge, the carved-rock staircase curved down into the ravine. They reached Rotor in a couple of minutes.
The Selay boy was asleep. He awakened with a start when Jake shook him. “Jake! Lin! Am I glad to see you!” Rotor moved his leg carefully, as if he expected it to hurt.
“Dr. Bashir’s already fused the bone, Rotor,” Jake said.
“Is he here?” Rotor stood up, testing his healed injury.
Jake quickly explained the situation. “We have to find Nog and play to the end of this game before we can leave.”
“You find Nog,” Rotor said. “I’m getting out of here now.”
“I don’t think so.” The carved steps had recessed back into the canyon wall, and a rock slide blocked the canyon under the rope bridge, leaving only one path open. Jake turned and headed deeper into the winding canyon. Lin followed immediately. Rotor caught up a moment later.
“Who did you see on the mesa, Rotor?” Jake asked.
“An arrogant, stinking Antican. He dared me to fight him for the mountain. I could not refuse the challenge.”
“Maybe you should have, Rotor. You ended up at the bottom of a canyon with a broken leg.” Lin paused thoughtfully. “I was almost incinerated because I didn’t face my fear of Cardassians.”
Rotor shrugged. “The Anticans are the mortal enemy of Selay. Honor must be defended at all costs.”
Honor was just another word for dignity and respect. Jake knew that sometimes people had to fight back, as when the Borg attacked the fleet on their way to capture Earth. But sometimes honor was better served by turning away. The Selay and the Anticans had been denied membership in the Federation because they could not settle their differences. There was no honor in that.
“Defending Selay honor almost cost your life, Rotor.” Lin shook her head. “If you had just ignored him and walked away, you might have won the game. The Antican would have lost.”
Rotor hesitated, troubled by Lin’s observation. “This is true, Tena Lin. I will think about it.”
Jake smiled as he led them through the twisting, rocky maze. Rotor had learned a valuable lesson. Maybe someday, the young Selay would help stop the war between his people and the Anticans.
Provided, of course, that Jake managed to free them from the Zhodran game.
CHAPTER 11
The canyon walls gradually receded, and Jake led his companions onto a vast desert. The dry, sun-baked plain was not flat and lifeless like he expected. The rolling sands were littered with scrub brush and strange, grotesque trees with twisted branches and spines instead of leaves. Blue and gold lizards scampered into the brush as they passed. Large birds with leathery wings soared overhead, and a huge tortoise ambled on a slow but steady trek across a dune sprinkled with flaming orange flowers. Piles of massive, balanced rocks dotted the expanse.
“There’s Nog!” Lin pointed excitedly.
Jake’s gaze flicked toward a large mound surrounded by a sea of blue and gold flowers. Nog was flopped over a rock at the top.
Lin started to run.
“Wait!” Jake grabbed the girl’s arm and dragged her to a stop. The game could fabricate dangers without warning, and they had come too far to take unnecessary chances. “We have to be careful, Lin.”
Nodding, Lin fell back and let Jake move ahead. Nothing threatening popped out of the sand to stop them, but they were hot and sweaty when they finally reached the edge of the flower sea. However, a stretch of moving sand separated the thick bed of blue and gold flowers from the rocks, and a stepping-stone path connected the flowering bank with the mound.
Anxious, Lin rushed forward again. Jake lunged to stop her, but she eluded his grasp. As she cleared the blanket of flowers, a sand-colored snake with a red crescent on its head struck out, missing its mark. Squealing, Lin jumped back, turned, and ran. The reptile slithered away into the swirling sand.
Jake stared at the spectacle. Thousands of sand-colored snakes wiggled over and under the desert floor. He glanced at the stepping stones. The rocks were not level with the terrain, but rose three feet into the air. Nog must have used them to cross to the mound in hopes of getting the gold ball. Looking up, Jake did not see the huge viper that had bitten Nog, but he knew it was there, camouflaged in the rock.
Like the canyon mesa, the mound was set off from the main route. If Nog had just kept walking, he would have stayed safe. Jake could not ignore the dangerous detour, either, but for different reasons. Nog had been lured into the trap by the gold ball and greed. Jake had to rescue Nog.
Easier said than done, Jake realized when he called Nog’s name. The snake’s head rose from the rocks above Nog. The Ferengi boy’s only response was a slight flick of his finger. Dr. Bashir had neutralized the poison, and Nog was conscious. But he was afraid to move because the giant viper continued to attack, preventing his escape. Somehow, Jake had to neutralize the snake.
Jake glanced back at Lin and Rotor and blinked in surprise. The Selay boy was lying in the sand by the edge of the flower bed, and Lin was kneeling beside him.
“What happened?” he yelled.
“I don’t know, Jake. He just collapsed.”
Jake glanced at the sand-snakes, tracking their movements as they skimmed through the sand. None of them crossed the line between the sand and the flowers. He shouted to the Bajoran girl. “Move him away from the flowers! Far away!”
While Lin dragged Rotor clear, Jake picked a bunch of blue and gold blooms. Squatting, he held them over the sand. The ridges formed by the reptiles suddenly radiated outward, away from the flowers. He looked back at his friends.
Lin had managed to pull Rotor a good distance away, and the Selay was slowly coming around. Rotor sat up, shook his head, and gripped his midsection. The flowers made the reptilian boy sick.
Jake picked as many flowers as he could hold in two hands and raced to the stones. However, crossing to the mound was not going to be as easy as he had thought, either. There was barely enough room for one foot on each narrow top. The stones were also spaced about three
feet apart, the length of Jake’s stride.
Clutching the flowers, Jake spread his arms for balance and mounted the first step. Wobbling, he quickly placed his other foot on the next step. Arms flailing to keep from falling, he knew that any hesitation would send him sprawling into the wiggling mass of sand-snakes. He sprinted, leaping with one foot, then the next. It was an exercise in blind faith as much as athletic ability. One of the stones might be loose. One of the gaps might be too wide. A single slip could end it all. Jake jumped from stone to stone, trusting that the Zhodran programmers believed in fair play. At last, he planted both feet on solid ground. Safe.
Above him, Nog opened his eyes, but he did not speak or make any sudden moves that might provoke the viper hiding in the rock. Neither did Jake. He gave Nog a silent thumbs-up. Still gripping the flowers, Jake climbed quietly upward.
Then, at the top, Jake forgot all about Nog. Nothing could bring his mother back, but he had other, more realistic desires. Jake saw what he wanted most in life. He did not see a gold ball, the symbol of wealth that no Ferengi could resist. Jake saw Earth. Wisps of white cloud encircled a brown-patched, blue globe spinning in the rocky depression. The promise of an impossible dream beckoned. If Jake had the globe, he could go to Earth.
“Jake,” Nog hissed through clenched teeth.
Jake ignored him. Earth called, a whisper in his mind. Dropping the flowers, Jake reached for the blue ball. His father had promised to take him to Earth to live. They had come to Deep Space Nine instead. Jake had agreed to give the station a chance, partly because of Nog, but mostly because Benjamin Sisko wanted to stay. Deep in his heart, Jake still wanted Earth. No matter what, no matter how selfish, that was all he really wanted—
Jake snatched his hand back and quickly gathered up the flowers. The viper was coiled six inches from his foot. Venomous fangs gleamed in its open mouth. Poised to attack, the monstrous diamond-shaped head drew back as Jake shoved the flowers in its face. The reptile retreated a few feet, then stopped to wait.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Young Adult Books #5: Arcade Page 6