Chapter Text
The next day, you're back to reality. You wake up, staring at the ceiling. Muffins and wine are on your nightstand, as well as a note.
Good job, sexy. I'm glad you enjoyed myself. Call me sometime, all right? - Dax
You smile, eating the muffins. They're delicious. After downing a glass of wine to ward away any potential hangovers, you make your way to the shower. The water feels good on your skin. You stand there, allowing the water to wash away all the secrets that were shared last night. After an hour or so, you get dressed and head out the door.
You make sure to take Dukat's decapitated head with you, heading to the docking bay to the Defiant, where everyone is waiting; Captain Sisko, Bashir, O'Brien, Nog, Worf, and Jadzia Dax your new lover. Garak is nowhere to be seen, but then, he tends to be on the sidelines. You board the ship and head to your new command, the bridge.
"Welcome aboard," Captain Sisko says. "So, do you want to tell me what happened with Dukat?"
You tell him what happened. When you're done, he stares at you in disbelief.
"And you're sure it was Dukat?" he asks. "Not some sort of shadowclone?"
"I'm positive."
He sighs, shaking his head.
"I can't believe it," he says. "I had such faith in that man."
Bashir steps forward.
"It is, quite frankly, disgusting," he says. "But then, the worm has always been a demihuman, so it's not that surprising."
"We'll get to the bottom of this," Sisko says. "But we have more important matters. The Dominion is on the verge of invading the Alpha and Beta Quadrants."
"What?" you ask. "How do you know?"
"We're getting reports of warping ships. They must have figured out how to go faster than warp," Sisko explains. "And while they may have entered the war through the quadrant entry, they'll be coming through here."
"Through the wormhole?" you ask.
"We can't let them!" Dax says. "They'll destroy the galaxy!"
Sisko smiles a bit.
"Well... maybe they will and maybe they won't," he says. "But either way, you're not going to help them. You're part of a secret project. One that could change the tide of this war."
"What is it?" you ask.
"It's a... I don't even want to call it a weapon, because it isn't really. It's a vessel to be used in case of a no win situation. It's called the Archangel."
"What is it?" you ask again, this time more firmly.
"It's a machine that wipes out the singularity powering the weapons of the enemy fleet."
"Sounds a bit.. extreme."
"But effective," Sisko says with a shrug. "The enemy has an overwhelming advantage in ships and weapons that could destroy entire worlds. We need to do something to balance the playing field."
"What do you need me for?"
"You're the commander of this vessel. You'll be flying the ship, as well as leading the mission to carry out this plan."
"OK," you nod, accepting your new position. It's a lot to take in, and you have a bad feeling about it, but you don't have much of a say in the matter. You're just going to have to deal with it.
You start rolling a joint on the bridge, like Dax taught you how, as you prepare to smoke some weed with your new friends.
"Hey," you ask O'Brien, who is standing by the railing, looking out into space. "Do you believe in God?"
"What?"
"I said, do you believe in God?" you repeat, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm an atheist."
"Ah. Do you have a Godless heaven? Do you get to shag a sexy supermodel in the abode of eternity?"
"No?"
"Me neither. So, do you take this position that after you're dead, you're dead and there's nothing else? No eternal paradise, no reapers, just nothingness?"
"I don't believe in heaven," O'Brien says. "Or hell."
"So there's nothing after we die?"
"I didn't say that," O'Brien says. "I believe that there's something. I just don't believe in any gods."
"That's why I asked you if you had a Godless heaven," you smile. "Thank you, Mr O'Brien."
You finish your joint, and pass it to Nog, who takes a long drag and sighs happily.
"Oh, that's good," he smiles. "Uh, sir? Could I have some more?"
"No," you laugh, passing it to Dax. "Go on, have a hit. We'll be arriving at the wormhole in a few minutes."
Dax smiles, taking a long drag and handing it to you.
"Thank you."
You smile, taking a drag. The ship quickly enters the wormhole, which makes an obvious twisting sensation, as you begin to feel slightly dizzy.
"Here comes the other thing," you say. "Give it a few seconds."
Sure enough, as the ship rapidly dials through the wormhole's various sizes and flavors, you begin to feel sick.
"Computer, play Au Privave by Sonny Stitt," you say.
The speakers begin to play the seemingly chaotic but yet orderly skronk of the legendary saxophonist. As you spin the wine glass on your neck, you watch the stars outside your window, as they twist and turn while you travel through the endless void of space. The trip can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours, depending on how fast you're going, and it feels like you're in both states of being in the same place.
You've flown through a few of these things in your time, but you always find yourself getting a little paranoid every single time. You're always convinced that you're going to come out somewhere you aren't or that there will be some sort of safety issue.
Fortunately, that doesn't happen, and you arrive at your destination-- or rather, your intended destination.
"We're beaming up there now," Sisko says. "Be prepared for anything."
You grab your phaser, preparing to fire at any sign of danger. After a few minutes, you beam up, finding yourself in a beautiful blue planet with lush green plants. You see three cylindrical objects on the ground, looking somewhat like large versions of the trunks of palm trees.
"We're on Obsidia," Sisko says. "This is the first time any of us has beamed down here. Let's see how this turns out..."
You watch as he takes out his tricorder, scanning the objects.
"Unknown material, impossible to scan," he says. "It's like a super-tough metal, but it's definitely not any sort of metal that we're aware of."
"Well, it can't hurt to check them," you say.
You approach one of the objects, running your hand against it. It's as hard as any metal you've ever felt, almost as if it was carved from a giant rock.
"This one's locked," remarks an Ensign. "I'm not getting anything from the keypad."
"Just guess," you say. "The password must be something easy."
"Guess again," she says.
A well-dressed, mustached man appears from behind the three containers, pointing a small, energy-neutralizing weapon at the three of you.
"Don't move a muscle, or you die," he says, walking forward. "I'm guessing you're the ones who found my lost property."
"What are you?" Sisko asks. "What happened to you?"
"A victim of the game, as are you," he replies. "And I'd advise you not to bother Mr Yiren with your small-change questions."
"Mr Yiren?" Dax asks. "What game?"
"It's a long story," he says. "In any case, I'd like you to place all of your weapons on the ground, in this case, please."
"We don't trust you."
"I don't trust you," he replies. "But I've found that in life, you can't trust anyone. That's why this game is so fun."
Hoping to buy yourself a little more time, you place your phaser on the ground. The man looks down at it, smiling.
"Smart," he says. "Now, step away from the weapon."
You step back, raising your hands.
"Turn around, march."
You turn around, and search for any sort of escape route.
That's when you feel something moving inside your satchel. Dukat's head...?
You pause, trying to find a way out of this.
"Open it," says the man, tapping his foot.
You reach inside your satchel, pulling out Dukat's head.
"Ah, good find," he says. "I had no idea you'd acquired such a powerful creature. Certainly explains why you came back alive. What's its name?"
"It's... Dukat," you say.
"Ah, yes, I've heard of him. Powerful creature."
You try to think of a way out of this.
"What do you want with Dukat?" you ask.
"Simple. I like heads."
As he walks towards you, you hold Dukat's head in your hands, preparing to defend yourself.
Dukat's head begins to speak.
"I want to cut off your head and take it with me. It's always been my dream to be a collector." the head says.
The man stops, raising an eyebrow.
"I've tried that before," he says. "The man I was working for at the time... took my head and gave me three broken ribs as a consequence."
"Try it now," Dukat says.
The man raises his weapon.
"You won't get away with this, sir," he says.
"I already got away with it," Dukat says, "now, are you coming to me willingly, or do I have to take you?"
"I'll come with you," you say. "Just don't shoot me in the head."
The man nods.
"Good choice," he says. "Now, let's put this head to rest."
As you raise your hands, the man grabs you and twists your head around, jamming the butt of his rifle into the back of your skull. Your vision disappears in a spray of red as you fall forward, stopping at the feet of the man.
"The Territory Ahead is Clear," he says.
You hear a small chime as the rifle is dropped. You look up, to see the man smiling.
"Glad to see you understand your situation," he says. "I am Head Hunter. I am taker of heads. Now... sleep."
With that, Head Hunter turns, and walks towards the containers. He presses his hands against them, and with a flash, the three empty, broken metal boxes are gone, replaced with new, whole ones. He walks inside, and you hear a door close behind him.
You wait, as Head Hunter steps out of the container and looks at you.
"Don't worry," he says. "The cold won't bother you. It's nice."
You look up, to see yourself in an identical container. You're not claustrophobic, but this is still unnerving. Still, you can't waste the time.
"What's your name?" you ask.
"The same as my head," he responds.
"Oh," you say. "What's my job here?"
"I'm a processor. I take heads and turn them into meals."
You grimace.
"How long have you been here?" you ask.
"Longer than you," he says.
You pause, before raising a question.
"Do you ever get... lonely?"
The man pauses, before smiling.
"Never."
You pause, searching for anything else to say.
"So... do I get to meet all of you?"
"No."
"Just one at a time?"
"That's enough," he says.
"One head per day?" you ask.
"More than that," he says, "but not for the faint of heart. Let us return to work."
You see the man reach out his hand, and your mind goes blank. Your body, still sitting in the tank, follows his lead as he stands up and walks out into the fields of heads.
You watch him go, and wait for the door to open. It opens with a hiss, and Head Hunter enters, walking up to you.
"Hello," he says.
"Hello," you respond quietly.
"I trust you're ready for the day."
"Yes," you say.
"Then let us begin."
You watch as he places a large, rusted metal targe next to you. Then, he grabs a metal pole with two long blades on the end, a hammer, and several other tools.
"I need you to hold this."
He places the pole in your hands. You grip it tightly, and he fits the blades on either side of the pole, leaving you with a daggershaped weapon. Head Hunter grabs the hammer, and begins to tap it against the inside of your helmet. You watch as small springs inside begin to hum, and the inside of your helmet lights up.
"The more I tap, the more you bleed," he says. "It's almost like yours, but different. Try not to tap out."
"OK," you nod nervously.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"OK," you nod.
Head Hunter turns, and heads out the door. You wait a few minutes, before you realize that he must have left you alone. You climb out of the tank, feeling a rush of air hit your face for the first time in a week. You walk to the door, and look out.
You see a room with three large tanks. They're all filled with thick, green liquid. You stare at them for a second, processing what you're seeing, before looking at your container.
"Wait... this is a Re-Animator fanfiction?" you say to yourself.
You walk over to the door and pull it open. You step out of the tank, looking at the man standing nearby.
"Heads," he says, his voice monotone like Head Hunter's, "from a Corpse."
You stare at the pile of heads. There are dozens of them, all different shapes and sizes.
"Welcome, my name is Dr. Herbert West," he says, extending a hand to you. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
You look at his face, and realize that he's staring right back at you. He's looking at you intently, as if he could see everything about you, your secrets, your soul. He stares at you for what feels like an hour, before you realize he's not even blinking. Herbert West extends his hand to you again.
"It was lovely meeting you," you say nervously, taking his hand.
"You too," he says.
Herbert West stares at you for a second longer, before he lets go of your hand. He turns, and walks back through the door. You're left in the lab, staring at the piles of heads.
"I'm a doctor," he called over his shoulder, as the door closed behind him.
You walk over to the tanks, and stare at the contents. You watch as each one fades away, having absorbed the life essence of their former owner. You stare at the empty tanks, contemplating what you just saw.
Then suddenly, you're beamed back to the Defiant. You appear in the Captain's ready room. You find yourself sitting in the chair you were in before, with a couple of crew members you've never seen before standing beside you.
"You've been in a coma for weeks," the nearest one says nervously. "We didn't know if you were going to wake up."
"The alternate timeline we found you in was collapsing."
"What happened?"
You explain what happened as best you can, omitting no details. Sisko's eyes widen when you mention Herbert West.
"That blood-thirsty madman?" he asks. "He... he's the one who...?"
You nod, and Sisko covers his mouth.
"The hell is that psychopath doing here?" he mutters.
"Are you OK, Captain?" the other man asks nervously. "Do you want to go to sick bay?"
Sisko breathes deeply, then exhales.
"No, I'm fine," he says. "Just give me a second."
The two men go back to staring at their feet, and Sisko stares at you for a moment.
"Now that you're awake, we should have someone take a look at you," he says. "We'll get you to a real doctor, someone who can give you the treatment you need."
"I'm fine," you say. "Really."
Saying nothing else, he stands and leaves the room. The two men stay put. After a few moments, the door opens, and another officer enters, a female one. It's Dax.
"Ah, there you are," she said. "I was just coming to get you."
"What's going on?" you ask. "What's happening to me?"
"You're developing superpowers."
You stare at her, trying to make up your mind about what you just heard.
"Just take it easy for now," she says, noticing your tense demeanor. "We'll get you fixed up soon, I promise."
The two men lift you from the chair and carry you out of the room.
"What's... going... on..." you mutter.
They lay you on the bed in the sick bay, and the female doctor quickly begins checking you over. She glances at your chart.
"He's had a serious beating," she says. It's Dax, again, but this time in a labcoat with glasses. "Every part of him has been exposed to a wide range of dangerous substances and diseases."
"I guess you could say he's had a varied life," says Garak.
"We'll fix you up in no time," she says. "We have the material here to cure everything. Nineteen different drugs for nineteen different diseases."
"Isn't that a bit of a risk?" you ask.
"Life is risk."
The doctor finishes checking you over, and begins removing the tubes from your arm.
"Alright, Mr. sleeper." She smiles. "I'm going to pour some of these syringes full of this liquid into you. You'll feel a little woozy, but it's completely safe."
The syringes are full of green liquid. You try not to look as the doctor pokes and pricks your body with a few syringes. She dumps the contents of another one in your mouth.
"Hold him down."
"I'm not a fucking lab rat!" you yell.
"Easy! It'll all be over soon."
"Fuck off!"
You struggle, but two officers holding you down prevents you from breaking free. The liquid the doctor forced down your throat has kicked in, and your struggles weaken.
"Now," she says, grinning. "I'm going to remove these other tubes."
Soon, you're free of all the tubes in your body, and lying on the bed. Lying there, naked and helpless, you wait for your treatment.
The female doctor goes to work immediately, working quickly to treat every part of you. It's a long, painful process, and you get more horrifying visions as a result of the shots. Still, she manages to treat your body as best as she can.
She's in the middle of performing medical massage therapy, when her hand brushes a bit too close to your cock and it becomes erect. She looks surprised, and quickly removes her hand. She goes back to working on your muscles for a moment, before going back to check on the status of your genitals.
"Oh dear," she says. "I guess he is alive."
The doctor looks up from your crotch, and you see her wince. She quickly looks away, not wanting you to see the pain in her eyes.
"I don't like this," she says. "Whatever this... virus was, it's changed his genitals in some way I've never seen before."
"Is it treatable?" asks Garak.
"It could be, if we had more time. It's too soon to say. I'm sorry."
You can hear Oop-Bop-Sh-Bam by the Oscar Peterson Trio ringing in your ears. You begin to feel tired...
"No," you say, looking at your genitals. "I'm not going to have my dick cut off."
The doctor gives you a puzzled look.
"I'm not going to have my dick cut off," you say. "It's part of my body."
"Yes, yes it is," she says. "We have to remove it, and replace it with a dick from a jar."
"What?" you say. "That's not going to work!"
"It will have to," she says. "We have time for only one attempt. We'll keep the current size of your balls and your current..."
"No!" you shout. "I'm not going to have them removing my balls, or any part of my body!"
The doctor sighs, and shakes her head.
"I'm not going to argue with you," she says. "Lieutenant, restrain him."
Two security officers roughly grab your arms and legs, and force you onto your stomach. The doctor grabs some sort of medical tool, a large blade with a handle, and grabs your erect dick.
"I need to cut this off," she says.
"No!" you shout.
The blade cuts through the skin of your dick, and blood pours out. You scream in pain, as you feel your dick begin to disintegrate.
Soon, you're lying there, your dick nowhere to be found. You're dick has been cut off, and with it, your manhood.
The doctor grins as she holds up your member.
"It's good we got this off before it went septic," she says.
"What the fuck did you do to me?" you ask.
"We're applying a new process to you," she says. "Your body will be able to reproduce, like... like bunnies."
"No," you say. "I don't like this."
"Don't worry," she says, "you'll be able to get it up for the... host females."
"Fuck you," you say.
The doctor grabs your head, and presses her face against yours, kissing you and putting her tongue into your mouth. You love Dax, but at a time like this, it's questionable.
"It's a new age," she says. "A new beginning. Embrace it. Embrace me."
She smiles, and releases you.
"After all," Dax says, "I am the space worm."
Your security team grabs you, and drags you out of the room. All the way, you hear Oop-Bop-Sh-Bam playing. The song of the New Era.
The New Era is a new age of breeding. Dax proves to be a powerful leader, and as you settle on the planet, you find that you do, indeed, have a dick. It's surprisingly... functional. Sex is... fun.
How are the other changes? Nobody really knows. Nobody cares, either. You're here to breed, not think.
Life is good. The New Race is well under way. A new era of man has begun. The future is... bright.