"Transporter Room 3 to Bridge! Captain, I've just lost the lock on the Away Team!"

Picard reacted to the transporter officer's outburst. "Can you re-establish the lock?"

Lt. Graham's fingers pressed every button and control on the console in a futile attempt to regain the lost signal. "No sir. It's as if they've ceased to exist."

On the bridge, the officer at Tactical checked the sensors. "Captain, there appears to be a scattering field around the alien ship. The signature is similar to the alien vessel that attacked us."

Picard absorbed the information coming in. "Send all the information to my Ready Room," he said, crossing the bridge.

=======================================================================

A few hours later, part of the Away Team regained consciousness. Riker rubbed his temples and blinked his eyes several times, trying to adjust to the dimly-lit room they were in.

In the low light, he could see the immobile form of Data. The android officer lay on the floor, eyes staring blankly into oblivion. Riker reached behind Data and flipped his switch. Seconds later, Data sat up.

"Greetings, Commander. What has transpired?"

"Apparently, we've been gassed and locked in a room," Riker said. "Can you tell what type of gas that was that hit us?"

Data sat motionless for a few seconds, analyzing the gas traces that lingered.

"I am detecting ozone, oxygen, nitrogen..."

"The knockout gas, Data. What was it?"

Data sat motionless again. "I am detecting a trace of trimethrazine. As you would say, it is a 'particularly nasty' immobilizing gas, commonly used on Cardassian warships," he said.

"Tell me about it. I have a headache the size of the Horsehead Nebula," Riker said, checking his uniform. "And, apparently, our friends don't want us calling home," he added, noting that their communicators, and other equipment, were gone. He winced in pain from the phaser hit on his shoulder.

"I believe you have what is called a 'hangover', sir," Data said.

Riker rubbed his temples again. "Remind me to bring along some aspirin on our next Away Mission," he said. "In the meantime, let's find a way out of this room and locate Worf and Cwick." He was looking at the door, trying to locate its power source.

Data had crossed the room and began examining the door, as well. As he applied pressure to it, the door slid open slightly. "Apparently, this door was left open by mistake, sir," he commented.

"I don't trust 'mistakes', Data, but let's take advantage of this one," Riker said.

The android officer pushed the door open, revealing a dimly-lit corridor, and several other doorways identical to the one they just opened, as far as they could see.

"Looks like we have a big search ahead of us," Riker said.

=======================================================================

The news of the Away Team's disappearance spread through the Enterprise like wildfire.

In her quarters, Cassie reacted rather suddenly. Commander Data and Lt. Paul Cwick were a couple of her real friends on this ship, so, naturally, she was very concerned for their well-being. She looked out the window at the alien ship, the one that had been quietly orbiting below them for hours now.

She began to devise a rescue plan...one that might get her thrown out of Starfleet, but one that she felt she needed to do.

"All I need to do is get off the Enterprise somehow, without anyone suspecting," she said to herself. "I could use the transporter, or one of the shuttles..."

She went to the computer console, and began accessing the sensor logs and ship functions. She discovered that there was a scattering field around the alien ship that Sciences and Engineering were working on overcoming.

"I just bet, the way that I am now, I could beam through it without a problem," Cassie said to herself, remembering she was invisible. "The real problem would be getting the transporter to go through the field, and not alerting anyone."

From that moment, everything seemed to go on auto-pilot.

Cassie stripped down, letting her uniform drop to the floor. She then crossed to the console, input a few commands, then exited her quarters. Since the ship was on Yellow Alert, most of the crew would be busy doing other things, so she could, hopefully, slip off the ship.

A few minutes later, Cassie found herself in Transporter Room 3, where the transporter officer was busy checking and re-checking the transporter logs, trying to find out how he had lost the transporter lock on the Away Team.

"Ahhh! I need a break!" Lt. Graham said.

"Why don't you take one?" Cassie said. "I'll watch the Transporter for you."

"Good idea," Lt. Graham said, looking up toward the source of the voice...

...and seeing no one.

Cassie suppressed a giggle as she saw the look on Graham's face.

"Damn...I am working too hard. I'd better get to Sickbay," Graham said, quickly crossing the room toward the exit.

Cassie waited a few seconds for the door to close, then set about on her rescue mission. She saw that there was a .0087 phase differential between the Enterprise and the alien vessel, according to the transporter and communications logs. She programmed the variance, manually activated the transport sequence, then jumped onto the transporter pad as the phase transition coils began to glow. The familiar buzz grew in intensity...

On the bridge, a sensor began chiming, indicating an unauthorized transport.

The Tactical officer noticed this. "Captain Picard, report to the bridge," he said.

Seconds later, Picard emerged from the Ready Room. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Sir, we just had an unauthorized transport," he said, checking the sensors. "It looks like someone just beamed over to the alien vessel."

"Who was it?" Picard asked.

The lieutenant looked puzzled. "I can't tell, sir."

"Picard to Transporter Room 3."

"Graham here, sir."

"Lieutenant, what did you just beam over to the alien vessel?" Picard was becoming annoyed. First, he loses an Away Team, now one of his transporter officers was sending something or someone over to an alien vessel...

"Nothing, sir. I'm in Sickbay."

Now, Picard was very confused. "Then who is in the Transporter Room?"

"It sounded like Ensign Duncan to me, sir. I don't know for sure."

Something clicked. "Computer. Locate Ensign Cassandra Duncan." Picard hoped it wasn't her that just beamed over.

"Ensign Cassandra Duncan is in her quarters," the computer responded.

"Picard to Ensign Duncan."

A few seconds passed. No response. "Picard to Ensign Duncan." Still nothing. "Security Team to Ensign Duncan's quarters," he ordered. The Tactical officer headed for the nearest turbolift.

A few minutes later, the security team called the bridge. Her uniform and communicator were there, but Ensign Duncan was not in her quarters.

Picard looked toward the alien vessel. He uttered a silent prayer for his newest officer.

=======================================================================

The Transporter effect faded away as Cassie took stock of her situation. She noticed that the interior of the vessel was dark, and extremely warm...almost like a Cardassian warship.

Someone was approaching. Out of instinct, Cassie ducked into an open doorway as a large Cardassian walked past. She silently cursed herself a few seconds later. Dammit, no one can see me! she thought. Cassie heard something that sounded like a tricorder scanning.

"There is no one here, Gul Kamet," the Cardassian said.

"You will check again...the sensors are showing a Federation transporter signature there," the Cardassian gul said.

The Cardassian soldier gave the area a token glance, knowing full well his personal sensing device would have located anyone nearby. He loitered for a few more minutes to satisfy Kamet.

"I have completed my scans, Gul Kamet. There is no one here," the Cardassian said.

"Very well. Return to the Command Center," Kamet said.

The Cardassian turned to leave...

...Cassie saw an opportunity to grab his weapon...

...the Cardassian felt his weapon being removed, and grabbed for it...

"What in..." he began...

...and stood transfixed as his weapon floated in the air.

He stood, mouth agape, his eyes bulging...

...the weapon discharged, the beam striking him squarely in the chest.

Seconds later, he dropped to the floor, dead.

The sensing device joined the floating weapon, and began moving down the corridor.

Cassie checked the Cardassian tricorder, hoping she could decipher the strange symbols. She had a rudimentary understanding of the Cardassian language, so she could make the tricorder work.

A few decks below her, Cassie determined, was a single life form, moving along the corridor. Maybe it's Lt. Cwick or someone on the Away Team, she thought. She had to get down there.

=======================================================================

"His weapon has been fired, sir," the Cardassian soldier said.

Gul Kamet glared at the screen. "I will have him executed for this! He said there was no one there!"

"He's already dead, sir," the soldier said. "Perhaps it is this alien technology..."

"Enough!" Gul Kamet said firmly. "I will not tolerate this! You will all double your efforts to get this ship operating! I want to be underway in one hour!"

The Cardassians flinched from the outburst. This wasn't the first time they had seen Gul Kamet this angry. Maybe it was the political pressure from Cardassia Prime, perhaps he was just overly obsessed with this alien technology. Either way, they knew they had better figure out how to make this ship work.

=======================================================================

Cassie had made her way down to the deck where she noticed the life form moving. As she approached, she could make out a distinct outline...not one, but two people here. As she drew closer, she noticed a unique pallor to one of the people...

"Commander Data!" she said.

Riker and Data both reacted. They looked toward the source of the voice...

...and saw a Cardassian phaser and tricorder floating in midair.

Riker paused for a moment. The voice sounded familiar. "Ensign Duncan?" he guessed.

"Yes, sir," Cassie said.

"How did you get here?" Riker asked.

"It wasn't easy, sir, but I'm here." Cassie handed the tricorder to the first officer. "Maybe you can make this thing work...I can't understand the text," she said.

Riker took the tricorder, then handed it to Data. He then noticed that he could barely make out Cassie's outline, much like the outline of the vessel when they first approached. She was still invisible, though.

"Data, can you locate the others?"

Data was deciphering the Cardassian text on the tricorder. "They are approximately 100 meters in this direction, sir," he said, indicating the corridor. They all covered the ground in mere moments.

Upon arriving, Data tested the door. "This is one door they did not 'forget' to lock, Commander," he said.

"Cassie, give me that phaser," Riker said.

Cassie handed the phaser to Riker, who blasted away the locking mechanism.

Inside, they found Worf, Geordi, and Lt. Cwick, bruised and battered, but otherwise okay.

"You missed a hell of a party, Commander," Cwick said, holding his ribs.

"Can you walk, Lieutenant?" Riker asked. It sounded more like an order.

"Yes sir. They broke a couple of my ribs, but I've had worse," the lieutenant said.

"I'm gonna have a problem, sir. They took my VISOR," Geordi said.

Cassie broke away from the group for a moment, noticing a large console at the intersection they had just came through. She touched the panel...

...and felt a mild shock.

A few moments later, the Away Team emerged from the holding cell...

...and saw Ensign Duncan's bare backside.

She turned around, and noticed their stares. She had a sinking feeling something was wrong...

...then noticed she could see herself.

Before she could react, Riker had his jacket off and was handing it to her. It was just large enough to cover her body like a mini-dress.

"Thank you, Commander," she said, embarrassed.

"You're welcome. Now, let's find a way off this ship."

"Just a moment, sir," Cassie said. "I think I've determined how many Cardassians are on this ship."

"How?" Riker asked.

"This console. I recognize these symbols and text. This is Iconian technology," Cassie said.

Data examined the console. "Ensign Duncan is correct, sir. It would appear the Cardassians are trying to access the technology for their own use," he said.

A door hissed open...

...and Cardassian phaser fire erupted around them.

The Away Team dove for cover, with Riker firing back. Two Cardassians fell, as four more advanced on them.

In the confusion, Cassie had a brief thought about being invisible again...

...and no sooner had she thought it, when she faded from view.

She dropped Riker's jacket and dove for the deck. Over her head, phaser fire flew wildly. She low-crawled toward the dead Cardassians, retrieving their weapons...

...and began firing at the four that were trying to kill the Away Team.

Two dropped, and the other two shot themselves in the confusion.

The Away Team ran forward and retrieved the dropped weapons. Cassie picked up Riker's jacket and put it back on. She then went back to the console...

...and faded into view once again.

"It would appear you have solved your invisibility problem, Ensign," Data said.

Lt. Cwick, in the meantime, could only stare.

"Yes sir, Data. Hey, Paul. It's kinda neat, isn't it?" Cassie asked Lt. Cwick, noticing his stare.

Lt. Cwick could only nod.

"There will be more Cardassians here in a few minutes," Worf said.

"Not likely, sir," Cassie said. "I've determined there's only four more on board, and they're on the bridge."

"Maybe we can immobilize them," Riker said.

"And maybe I can sneak up there and scare the bejeezus out of them," Cassie said.

Riker thought about that for a moment. "I can't ask you to take that big of a risk, Ensign."

"Then I volunteer, sir. I'm probably the best chance we have of getting off this ship. Besides, the orbit is decaying." She indicated a reading that looked like a countdown, and a trajectory plot.

Data checked the information. "It would appear we have 42 minutes, 15 seconds before this ship enters the upper atmosphere of the planet," he said.

Riker weighed his options. "Okay, Duncan, get going. We'll be right behind you."

Cassie stepped away from the console...

...and noticed she was still visible.

"Well, so much for Plan A," she said. "How come I can't turn invisible again?"

At that second, she faded out of view. Then it hit her. Just think about it, and it happens, she thought.

Riker's jacket dropped to the deck. "Good luck, Ensign," he called after Cassie.

=======================================================================

"Sir, the security team is dead, and the Federation team is making their way to the bridge," the Cardassian soldier said.

Gul Kamet paced angrily. "Incompetence! I simply cannot believe..."

"It does not matter any more, Kamet! We must leave...now!"

The Cardassian gul gripped his subordinate by the throat. "You will not address me in that tone again. Is that clear?"

The soldier gasped for air as he tried to answer his commander.

The doors to the bridge slid open...

...revealing nothing.

"What is this nonsense?" Kamet said, releasing his grip on his subordinate.

The soldier dropped to his knees, gasping for air and rubbing his throat.

The other two had drawn their weapons and were crossing the bridge...

Instantly, they dropped from the weapons fire coming through the door.

Kamet raised his own weapon and fired. A panel near the door exploded.

"Nice shot, Cardassian You killed an innocent panel," a disembodied voice said.

Kamet was enraged. He fired again, striking another panel.

"Keep up this target practice, Cardassian, and you won't have anything to fly," the voice said.

The subordinate was crawling out the door...

...right into the waiting arms of the Away Team.

Cassie kept taunting the Cardassian gul, and having fun. This was the most enjoyable time she'd ever had on an Away Mission.

Soon, Kamet's phaser had drained completely.

"On your knees, Cardassian." Cassie suddenly felt very powerful as she aimed her captured weapon at Gul Kamet.

Kamet defied the order. "I will not be chased off by a Hebitan spirit," he said.

The weapon drew closer to Kamet's face. "I said, on your knees!"

Riker and Worf stood just off the bridge, their own weapons leveled at Kamet. "Better do as she says, Cardassian. I don't think we can contain her any longer," Riker said.

Cassie then faded into view. "I am Ensign Cassandra Duncan, of the Federation Starship USS Enterprise, and I order you to surrender."

Kamet suddenly felt very humiliated. Surrendering to a naked, lowly ensign in Starfleet. He would never live this down.

=======================================================================

In Ten Forward, there was a party going on for Cassie. She had been promoted to Lieutenant, Junior Grade, and received a medal for bravery. She was instrumental in exposing the Cardassian intrusion aboard a neutral alien vessel, and had assisted in deactivating the artificial singularity that had trapped the Enterprise.

She danced several dances with many of the male crew members, and had just sat down to take a breather when Guinan walked over.

"Looks like you're having fun, Cassie," she said.

"Pretty much," Cassie said, taking a swig of Aldebaran Whiskey. "I've got a date tonight with a certain Astrophysics lieutenant. Seems he likes invisible girls," she said, giving Lt. Cwick a wink.

He smiled as he headed off to duty, a spring in his step. At that moment, Ensign Ali entered, with a different officer on her arm.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Cassie said.

"What's doesn't surprise you?" Guinan asked.

"Nikki. She's got a different man with her tonight."

"Oh, that," Guinan said.

Cassie downed the last part of her drink. "Well, Guinan, if you'll excuse me, there's

a certain ensign I have to pay a visit to!"

Guinan chuckled. "You just stay out of trouble, Cassandra!"

"Oh, I will...honest!" Cassie winked, her flesh becoming transparent...

The End

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