Ship in a Bottle
What's In a Name
In my opinion this show is the best sci fi show on TV right now and if I had been writing fanfiction back when it was on live I would have probably written something back then but as it is I'll just have to settle for filling the wait for season two. So this first chapter is a sort of alternate take on Two and Five's conversation in Episode 2. It also examines the idea of them being different people now, an idea that I think wasn't explored enough in the show so far. I hope you like it.
Two sat in the cargo bay trying to get her breathing under control but she just couldn't calm down. She had lost control and mentally cursed herself for being a terrible leader, leaders weren't supposed to let their emotions and personal feelings get in the way of their leadership. It had been the android and of course Two knew that she shouldn't have gotten as angry as she did, she was just stating what she viewed as the facts after all, but still the sudden flash of anger had jolted through her and it was all she could do not to punch the wall right then and there.
It had all started when the android had initially pulled up the files that revealed that the crew were the infamous mercenaries of the Raza sent to the mining colony to kill all of the innocent people that called it home by a bunch of suits who were too cowardly to get their hands dirty. That had immediately left a bad taste in her mouth and a sick feeling in her stomach. She had still managed to maintain an outward appearance of calm and remained an active part of the conversation that followed.
"No one's killing anyone," she had said in an agitated tone when One and Three had started having one of their spats over the situation.
She stood listening only mildly interested in the conversation that followed, too distracted by the picture of herself staring back at her and the strange feeling welling up inside of her that was becoming more and more intense by the minute. Four spoke up and she found herself turning around with everyone else interested to see what the man of few words had to say. He said something to the effect of "it doesn't matter" and she found herself silently agreeing. The others slowly filed off of the bridge after that but she found herself rooted to her previous position, unable to move and still staring at the picture of herself unsure of what to think.
"Portia," she had called her as if that name was supposed to mean anything to her.
"Don't call me that," she ground out and then proceeded to make it clear to the android that she wanted to be referred to as Two making a swift exit afterwards.
She had contemplated going back to her room to think but quickly thought better of it, people would look for her there and she didn't really want to be around the others right now. She figured that the cargo bay would be most likely empty and provide her with the time to herself that she desperately needed in order to sort her thoughts out.
She wasn't sure how much time she had spent just looking at her hands wondering how many people those hands had killed, wondering if she had enjoyed watching the life drain out of those people's eyes as they took their last breaths. She decided that she didn't really want to know the answer, it was making her sick just thinking about it.
She felt the presence of another person standing over her and immediately felt nervous about one of the other crew members finding her in such a state. One would probably try to get all touchy feely about it and she wasn't really in the mood for that right now and if it was Three who found her down here she wasn't in the mood to deal with his distant and unfeeling tone right now either. She looked up hesitantly trying to work her features back into a more professional look but quickly softened again when she saw that it was Five looking down at her with a concerned look on her face.
"Hey," she said nervously as she felt the Raza's youngest crewmember look her over.
"Hey," the young girl said back. "I just wanted to tell you that I took another look at that console on the bridge but it's fried until we can get some new parts."
"That's ok," Two said in a comforting tone. "You did your best, that's all that counts."
"Are you ok," Five asked her with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Just thinking about some things," Two said vaguely.
"Like what," Five said as she sat down cross legged in front of where Two was.
"It's just, I don't know," Two found herself saying. "That woman in the picture is me but she isn't me at the same time, you know."
"Yeah," Five said.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with that," Two said after a short silence.
"Would you want to go back to not knowing if you could," Five asked.
"No," Two admitted. "Not knowing would just make me want to know again and then we'd be right back here."
"Then you should just be you," Five said. "And if this Portia isn't who you want to be then you shouldn't feel obligated to be her."
"You make it sound so easy," Two said.
"It is easy," Five said. "If the information we have on Portia is true then she would have just let those miners die down there, probably even killed them herself, but it's like Four said, none of what we did in the past matters; we're different people now and you shouldn't feel tied down by a past that you don't even remember."
"Maybe getting our memories wiped was a blessing in disguise," Two said with the hint of a smile on her face.
"Maybe," Five said. "We need to talk about that too."
"About our memories," Two said questioningly. "It was an accident, nothing we can do about it now."
"No it wasn't," Five said. "Someone stole them and we need to find out who."
"Why do you think that," Two said.
"I don't think, I know," Five said.
"How do you know then," Two said.
"I remember," Five said. "Uploading the program into the stasis core and venting the virus while everyone else was asleep, but not me; it's like I'm remembering it for someone else."
"Why would someone do that," Two asked.
"Because we're dangerous," Five said ominously. "Whoever it was that did it though, they aren't that person anymore either.
"I know," Two said.
"What are we going to do about it," Five asked
"I don't know but we'll deal with that after we help these miners ok," Two said as she moved to get up.
"Ok," Five said.
"Thank you," Two said.
"For what," Five said.
"For talking some sense into me," Two said.
"That's what friends are for," Five said.
Another smile crept onto Two's face at that. She turned to leave and go talk to One knowing that she was going to do this her way. She may have Portia Lin's face but she wasn't Portia Lin and she was going to prove that by helping these miners in any way she could.