Title: Short Circuit
Author: Marcel Bestebroer
Spoilers: Assuming you've seen the series and the mini, none.
Beta: Chaz
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Not mine and I make no money with this.
Notes: According to Chaz, who loves cute little stories, I'm a genius...
Aeryn sat silently in a corner of their quarters, looking at the scene in front of her. She had gone on a routine trip to a Commerce Planet to obtain food and other necessities. Upon her return, nobody was left alive. All dead. She'd been gone for less than an arn; she had contacted both Pilot and John less than a quarter-arn before she got back. Whoever had done this had killed her family and her home in that very narrow timeframe.
It had taken her half an arn to locate her husband and son, who were together when she finally did find them. It appeared as if John had attempted to hide their son before dealing with the enemy, but had been caught doing so. Winona hadn't even been in his hands.
After crying for her loss for perhaps another half-arn, she'd dragged her husband and child to their quarters, laid them together on the bed and moved to sit in the corner. And here she was. "I don't want to live alone, John. I can't live alone." She stood up and moved to the docking bay.
She powered up her Prowler and lifted off. Instinct steered her towards her destination. "I'm going to fix this, John." Unemotionally she watched the wormhole flash into existence. "One way or the other, I'm going to fix this."
She watched dispassionately as he was pulled away.
"You found that something special to single yourself out with. Congratulations, Aeryn. No ordinary Peacekeeper would have attempted this. I told you, you were special--" She watched him being dragged away and slipped into the quarters after Crais left as well.
Her younger self startled and got up, pointing a pulse pistol at her. "Who the frell are you?"
She smiled ferally. "I know I'm a few cycles older, but surely you recognize your own face?"
Her younger self swallowed. "How... Where... No! This is a trick! Who are you?"
Her smile vanished. "I'm you, some seven cycles into the future. I came back to prevent you from making a terrible mistake."
Her younger self shook her head. "If it's about having Velorek arrested, you're too late."
She raised her hand. "I know, I saw him being dragged away. It was the right decision. This is about something that will happen in a few cycles, something that will hurt you beyond measure. I'm giving you an opportunity to prevent the hurt. Listen to me."
She watched her older self slip out of the quarters. The tale had confused her, but she had become certain she had just talked to her older self. She'd known too many of her private thoughts for this to be anything but real.
The older woman had given her a private mission, one she should be able to execute without any of the other Peacekeepers ever finding out. The mission itself will be a simple one, even if no exact time and location information had been specified. "Kill the scientist named Jon Kryton and you won't suffer the hurt I've experienced." Those were the exact words the older Aeryn had used and Aeryn was set on executing that mission the moment she met him.
After all, what did she have to lose?
The End
Notes2: For some reason, people began screaming bloody murder when they read this. Oh, and Chaz pointed out to me that I wasn't normal genius; I was an evil genius.