meadowlarklogs | (no subject)

WHO: Garak and Bashir
WHERE: The Congregation getting towards the inner circles
WHEN: The day of the Quarry
WHAT: Julian needs to get to the Arena to enact the Kestrels' plan and runs into someone unfortunate.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, guns

It only makes sense for Julian to be the one to plant to the bomb.

He works for the Company, knows the challenges to come, understands exactly where the weak points in the arena will be--not to mention he's willing to do it and unwilling to leave it to others. It's the least he can do for being culpable. While he can at least work to knock down some ideas for the worst challenges, he still makes suggestions that are unconscionable, just to keep up appearances as he secretly works to undermine those around him. He at least owes the arena participants that have died by his suggestions in the past. This is the least he can do.

Armed with a small pistol in his jacket pocket and a backpack with the bomb in it, he does his best to seem calm, collected, and not suspicious. Julian is the worst liar there is, so he simply needs to escape suspicion. His eyes dart around him, hoping beyond hope that he runs into no one, especially no one he knows.

He checks his watch. He has ten minutes to get to the Arena to put the backpack into position. He makes a right down a sparsely used corridor adjacent to the main road, thinking how he's almost home free. Most people are inside glued to their televisions as the Quarry begins, so he stops dead in his tracks when he not only sees a figure in his path, but a familiar one.

His heart pounds into his ears.

"Garak," he begins, willingly his voice to stay even through the adrenaline rush--there's no hiding now. Why did Garak of all people have to show up now?

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He takes the waterbottle in shaky hands, incredulous. It requires a little fumbling to open, he's getting clumsy, but he manages it and takes a drink. There's really no reason not to. Julian likely still has his gun and he's tending to the wounds he's caused, the chance of this being poisoned or drugged is close enough to zero to be insignificant.

"You shot me without hesitation," he says, trying to make sense of this. He can't. And he can't tell if that's because of blood loss or because Julian just doesn't make sense. "Why are you bothering?"

Every move the doctor is making is confident and precise. It's the opposite of the nerves he'd shown just a handful of minutes ago. Had there been something else going on that Garak hadn't noticed?

"You sound shocked." It's a terrible joke, considering everything happening right now. Garak knows as well as Julian that he hadn't known he was going to shoot until he actually did. It was a split second decision.

Julian also takes out an energy bar from his bag--bland, but calorie and nutrient dense, perfect for a situation like this--and hands it to Garak.

"I had zero intentions of killing you. I'm a physician. If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead right now." His expression is grave. He'd very purposely chosen to shoot where he did.

Gingerly but efficiently, Julian works to wrap the other leg and get pressure on the wound. Once he's done, he undoes both tourniquets and sits back on his heels to monitor his patient. His friend. His friend that he shot without hesitation for the greater good.

He fumbles open the snack too, even though he's not hungry. He wants to live. Which is why Julian's made such a massive error here.

"And in tending to me you've signed your own warrant." The anger has faded. He hurts, he's worn out, but he's got a path to survival at least. The unfortunate fact is that the path runs through this man. "One of us winds up in the Quarry from this. There's no chance me being incapacitated for a few days around the time of the explosion is missed, and I will not protect you when you shot me." No, apparently a spark of the anger is still there. But just as it flares up it's gone, because there's only one ending if Julian goes to the Quarry.

"You will die for this, because I refuse to." He regrets it. Regrets that it's necessary, at least. Life will be a little emptier and lonelier without the doctor in it but he hadn't made the choice that lead them here.

"Only if I'm caught," he replies simply. Chaos is no doubt descending upon the Arena and that means more time for him to get away.

"I didn't expect you to protect me. I'm not asking anything of you for tending to your wounds." He swallows hard. He should have been gone a few minutes ago. It's positively asinine that he stopped to do this, and for anyone else, the choice would have been clear what they had to do. Not for Julian. He could never just leave someone behind like this--especially when it's his fault in the first place.

He takes a towel out of his backpack and uses it to clean his bloodied hands and shoves it back into his backpack. Lastly, he hands Garak a small, sealed pouch.

"Painkillers."

What is it about this man that makes Julian want to stay at his side, despite the seconds spent here ticking down to his own demise? This enigmatic, frustrating man that challenges him at every turn, that's on the opposite side of him in this war--because make no mistake, what Julian did was trigger a war. A war that would cost lives but would be for everyone's freedom. A war that more than likely would cost his life.

But at the very least, he hasn't lost his soul or moral compass along the way. Yet.

He closes his eyes and sighs, knowing he should leave.

"I'm sorry, Garak," he says once again.

The reply makes the packed supplies clear. They had been intended for Julian, for his getaway. The doctor had returned and used things he'd gathered and hoarded for himself on Garak instead. Why? This frustrating, infuriating man who shot him had come back and deliberately lowered his own chances of survival. And Garak doesn't want to see him go.

"What did you do?" He has to know. Maybe there's some other way out of this, something that can be used for Julian's sake even as Julian has clearly done something against the system that keeps everyone alive. Can he really prioritize one man over justice for this? Over stability?

"What did you destroy, or who did you kill?" Can there be recovery? And if he finds some way to help Julian, what about the next time the doctor attacks? Anything Garak tries would be untenable. Julian is almost definitely already dead and Garak hates everything about today.

Julian shakes his head.

"I never intended for you to personally become entangled in this." His face is pained. Of course, eventually Garak would have heard what happened and if he'd been spotted, perhaps Garak would know then. Or maybe Garak would notice that Julian was not haunting their usual table at the bar and he would put two and two together.

"The less you know, the better." And Garak would be able to truly claim innocence if the higher ups came for him, or somehow got wind of this encounter.

Every logical fiber of his being is screaming at him to get up, turn and run. But they aren't what keeps him sitting here, trying to make Garak understand. Wishing Garak could understand.

He closes his eyes, leaning against the wall. Pushing would be a mistake of his own in so many ways. Julian made this choice and helping him would only endanger the state further. That was something the Kestrals couldn't seem to grasp, that breaking down the system would doom everyone. No, life wasn't easy for many here, but at least people were still alive.

While apparently he cares for this man more than he'd known, it doesn't matter. He has to remember why he serves and who he serves.

"Run, doctor." His voice is barely more than a whisper. After a beat Garak opens his eyes again to look at Julian, quite certain that this will be the last time he'll see him alive.

"What you have done has likely cost more than you understand. But I hope you find somewhere safe to hide."

He's not sure what possesses him to do it but Julian reaches out, grasping Garak's free hand. If there was only a way to make him understand--

But there's no time for that. Remembering himself, he releases the other's hand. He hates this.

"Take care of yourself, Garak. I'll miss you and our lively debates." He even manages a wry smile as he stands up and puts his pack on. Julian looks like he wants to say more but he's already dawdled enough. His life is now on the line. And as a doctor for the rebellion, if his life is on the line, his future patient's lives are on the line as well. Garak is safe and will be safer when he's gone.

With that, Julian turns and exits the alleyway at a light jog, unable to look back one last time.

The touch had been so brief and then Julian's gone. Garak watches him go, at a loss for anything else to say. Several of the arrests of late have made his life smaller and emptier, and now this. He wishes he'd realized how close to going extreme Julian was and had somehow managed to stop him before today but it's far too late. It's far too late for a great many people now.

Clumsily he takes painkillers and then waits for someone to pass by because even with them, he's not going to be walking out of here on his own. Not like Julian did.