Out of the Cavern and into the Catacomb.

As they began to move again, Rashad carefully pondered what the Security Chief had just told her. She found herself in agreement: the boy was indeed very strange, but for some reason she did not seem to recognise what about the boy set off the alarm bells in her subconscious mind.

"Guard the Captain, Lieutenant Dakul." She half-wispered an order to the Security Chief, with one of her Vulcanoid eyebrows slightly risen. "He may be in serious danger. I have to confer with Ensign Morriden. If the boy does so much as look at the Captain in a threatening way, do what is necessary to eliminate the threat."

"Aye, Commander." Replied the Cardassian, almost smiling at the realisation that he had finally earned the Romulan-Bajoran's trust and respect.

As the column moved forward, Rashad fell back until she came in stride with Sq`uerei and Ensign Morriden.

"Ensign, we need to talk." She said rather sternly.

"I know, Commander." Replied Morriden as they continued on their way through the underground tunnel. Somehow the Intelligence Officer appeared completely unswayed by her authority.

*He's one of the Section 31 operatives like I am.* The thought slipped through her head. *What is his rank in the Section, though ? I must review his file once more and see if I can crack some more information from the database.*

"Morriden, I suspect your creation has mutated once more." She addressed the Ensign. "The Captain is in imminent danger and we must eliminate the threat, but I'll need your help. I am also capable of debugging this holodeck, but as you were the one who programmed this thing, I am not willing to risk the Captain and everyone on this ship by attempting to eliminate it myself."

"Yes, Commander" Nodded Morriden almost sensing her Romulan-style indignation from the way Rashad spoke to him.

"Sq`uerei, here is a sword." She gave the large alien one of her weapons. "Guard the rear. Ensign Morriden, you are with me, let's go." With that she moved forward through the column with Ensign Morriden following.

"There you go." Said Miko to the Captain as they reached an opening with a trickle of light reaching the ground from somewhere above. "This leads to one of the dungeon corridors. Now give me my shuripen, `cause I am not going there with you..."

"But we need you there with us, Miko." Captain Devore looked the boy straight in the eye. "You are the only one here who knows the way around the castle. Besides, don't you want to rescue your parents ?"

"Uhh... no, I am not going back in there." The boy stepped back slightly. "Now GIVE ME MY SHURIPEN as you promised !" He now almost yelled.

"Shut up, before you compromise us !" Lieutenant Dakul momentarily pointed his weapon at the boy.

"Alright, Miko, I will give you one of my shurikens." The Captain reached for the martial arts weapons strapped to his belt. "After all, you have earned it... Here take one," he took out one of the stars and held it out to the boy.

"Captain, no! It's a trap! He will kill you !" Yelled Rashad at that moment as she and Ensign Morriden reached the front of the moving crew.

She drew her weapon, but too late, the boy already had the shuriken in his hand. "You are all very dumb." Sounded the voice of Darwin as the boy spoke. "I will be glad to eliminate you all as part of natural evolution... starting with your Captain !"

He roared with laughter and was about to through the shuriken straight at the Captain's head, when, with a smooth swoosh of his sword Eran Dakul cut off the boy's arm.

The throwing star missed the Captain's head and got imbedded in one of the supposedly stone walls of the catacomb.

Surprised, the boy looked at the stump remaining of his right arm and then...roared with laughter. "You may kill me, but I am not as easy to defeat as that !"

This time Rashad and Morriden were close enough, and the Romulan-Bajoran drew her sword straight through the boy's midsection. Miko fell to the ground and then immediately dissipated, but strangely, the laughter continued to reverberate through the tomb as, suddenly, Sq`uerei, with the drawn sword that Rashad had given her, appeared straight in front of the Captain...