 While relaxing in
Vic's Las Vegas holosuite lounge, O'Brien and Bashir are
surprised by the arrival of mobster Frankie Eyes, who announces
that he's bought Vic's hotel. After Frankie fires Vic, the crew
learns that Frankie was written into the holosuite program by
Vic's designer. Upset by Frankie's treatment of Vic, and by the
knowledge that the lounge's atmosphere will now change, the crew
decides it must rid the program of Frankie. But to accomplish
this task, they realize, he must be eliminated in a way that is
period-specific to Fontaine's era: 1962. The task takes on
greater urgency when Vic is beaten up.
Vic reveals that he was
assaulted by Frankie's bodyguard Cicci. Eager to discover
Frankie's weak spot, Odo and Kira go undercover in the casino to
do some research. Frankie takes a liking to Kira, and while the
two flirt, Odo learns that Frankie works for crime boss Carl
Zeemo, who expects to receive from Frankie a large skim of the
hotel's huge daily profits. The crew hatches a plan to rob the
casino, hoping it will cause Zeemo to "bump off" Frankie in
retaliation.
The plot is set in motion when the crew infiltrates the casino
staff, and Vic convinces Frankie to let him bring his high
rolling contacts into the casino — who, unbeknownst to Frankie,
are Starfleet officers! Meanwhile, Sisko resents Kasidy's
participation in the plan, admitting he hasn't visited Vic's
because of how blacks were treated in Las Vegas in the 1960s.
She urges him to reconsider, citing as reason the comfort she
and Jake have both felt in the lounge, and soon Sisko agrees to
play a pivotal role as a big-money gambler.
Vic walks the crew through their complex plan, to be executed
the following night while Zeemo is in town, and which allows
them only six minutes to pull off the heist. Though all crew
members are well-prepared for their roles, the actual evening
presents several glitches to the plan — most notably when Nog
discovers that the lock on the safe is of a different make than
expected. While he struggles to crack the lock, Zeemo arrives
early to pick up his cash.
Noticing Zeemo's premature entrance, Vic does his best to stall
him, while the other crew members fabricate enough stories and
distractions to allow a successful Nog and Odo to slip away with
the cash. After Zeemo discovers an empty safe, his thugs lead
Frankie and Cicci out of the casino — leaving Vic to his
cherished role as lounge owner and the crew to theirs as
satisfied patrons.
See Also: Image Captures |
