A Last Friendship: Several Years Later

by kalinda001

Due to numerous requests, I am finally providing a sequel to the "A Last Friendship" story. As with the original, this story has been stripped out of the Perceptions series of PGP stories. This one doesn't work standalone so some dtls have been provided.

This is a continuation of the "A Last Friendship" story. Most of it occurs approximately two years later.

The original "A Last Friendship" story was stripped out of the larger Perceptions group of stories. This one is as well. The other one worked as a stand-alone piece with no explanation. This one requires a bit of set up for those not familiar with the New Patterns and Old Friends or Perceptions series of PGP stories.

Background

This story contains several old friends, Avon, Vila and Cally. Avon, of course, survived the massacre at GP and became a prisoner of Servalan for three years. During that time he experienced terrible things, no the least of which were physical, mental and emotional torture. As a result, he is in bad shape now. Vila was the only other one of the Scorpio crew who survived GP. Servalan had him healed and he also spent some time in her prisons. But Vila, being Vila, escaped. After a few years living as a thief, he has once again found himself involved with a group of rebels. Cally is also back and is involved with the same group. She never died on Terminal. Avon was mistaken when he thought she had died. In reality, she had used an Auronar ability that slowed down her metabolism so that her body could heal itself.

There are three new characters that need to be introduced. Argus is the new leader. He is a former Commander in the Federation special forces but defected and joined the rebel alliance. Reya is a woman from one of the warlord territories in Sector Ten. She is a soldier and a security specialist. Sester is a psychostrategist working for Servalan. He is stationed with the crew because they currently have a temporary alliance with Servalan in order to defeat a dangerous common enemy that wants to destroy humanity. No one trusts Sester and is wary of him. There is also a medical profession, Healer Garett who is providing assistance in this story.

Scene 1 : Shortly after "A Last Friendship"

"Do you remember this man, Avon?" Servalan was holding up a small holo-cube which projected a picture of a man. A fat, balding unpleasant-looking man with the look of madness in his eyes. Avon's lips curled in distaste, he recognized him alright.

"Egrorian. You used him to try to trap me."

"Yes. And it almost worked," said Servalan.

"You tried to kill me," said Avon dispassionately, as if it was an everyday occurrence; which of course, it had been for those months before Gauda Prime. Servalan's obsession with using and killing him, matched his own hatred for and obsession with killing her.

"I never tried to kill you, Avon. That was never my intent."

Avon was about to demand what her intentions were, because from his perspective, she had done a very good job of trying to kill him; when she said, "But you did try to kill Vila."

Avon couldn't believe his ears. "What are you talking about? I never tried to kill Vila. What reason would I have to do that?"

"But you did, Avon."

"You're being delusional again. You really should get that examined by a professional."

Servalan smiled. "No delusions. I told you that I have the power to make anything happen. When I am finished with you, you will know that you tried to kill Vila."

"You're dreaming Servalan."

"You think so? Vila already believes it."

"No. That's not possible. We may despise each other, but Vila knows he's safe with me."

"You're the one dreaming if you continue to hang onto that delusion, Avon. I told you that I would make Vila hate you. It was actually much easier than we thought. You have a very flawed way in relating with people. I find it endearing. You have a complete inability to express that you care about someone. Even after all the things you've done for Vila, he still doesn't know if you did it because you care or for some obscure reason which only benefits you. I think he actually wanted to believe it. But you don't make it easy for anyone, do you? In a way, you did this to yourself."

"Don't try to psychoanalyze me, Servalan. You're…"

"I'm not very good at it?" she asked, interrupting him. "I believe you've said that before. But we've both proven that is not true. I am very good at analyzing you. Vila is almost ready but we're going to need your help in completing his conditioning."

"I will never help you."

"You don't have to do anything. All you have to do is stand. Get up, Avon. If you don't, you know that it will be even worse for you. Do you really want to test how cruel I can be?"

Avon got up slowly off the sleep platform; every movement brought fresh agonies. There was an unpleasant scowl on his face. He stood swaying on unsteady feet.

Servalan smiled and went over to the door. She used her wrist comm and said, "Bring him in."

The door slid open. Vila.

"Hello, Avon," said Vila cheerfully as he stepped into the cell. Two familiar interrogators and a criminotherapist came in behind him and stood off to the side, watching.

"Vila." Avon never thought he would be as glad to see anyone but he kept his face neutral. Servalan was much too interested in their interaction. She was watching them intently from the doorway.

"You look terrible," said Vila.

"You still haven't lost your knack for stating the obvious," said Avon. The ease at which they had slipped back into their old behaviour patterns was comforting.

"And you still haven't lost your gift for being a murdering bastard!" Vila suddenly crossed the distance between them, grabbed Avon by the collar and slammed him against the cell wall. "How does it feel to be helpless, Avon?"

Vila! No! Avon realized with shock that Servalan was not lying. The look in Vila's eyes told him, there was a deep hatred there. Vila slapped him across the face.

Vila was about to strike him again but Avon intercepted his hand. He leaned forward and whispered, trying to break through the other man's hatred; without letting Servalan or her underlings know what he was trying to do. "Vila. Remember. You're always safe with me."

"Safe? I used to think so." Vila yanked his hand away from Avon and punched him in the stomach. "But I was a fool, wasn't I? We were all fools to trust you." Avon doubled over in pain and started wheezing. Vila pulled him up to face him again. "I want you to know what it feels like to be helpless, Avon. Really helpless." Vila hit him again. "Hiding in a shaft knowing your friend was trying to kill you!" Vila continued hitting him, knocking Avon's hand away when he tried to protect himself.

The fury of Vila's hatred shocked Avon, even though he had been expecting this, even though Servalan had warned him. He had not wanted to believe it; had not understood the full impact of what it meant to have Vila hate him. His mind knew that it was a lie; that this was something Servalan had done. But seeing the deep loathing in Vila's eyes; it was as if Avon had found and lost a friend again.

The knowledge that Vila and the others were dead had brought an empty irony to a life he no longer valued. The knowledge that Vila hated his very presence, ripped open emotions he thought he no longer had. It was shattering to feel again. Even more devastating because Servalan had been right, he had helped make this possible.

Avon was barely standing now. If Vila had not been holding onto him, he would have fallen. Through a haze of pain, Avon remembered a saying Cally had once told him; it was an Auron curse. May you die alone and with no one to mourn your passing.

Cally. She was another one of the greatest regrets of his life. Too many regrets.

"Why don't you say something, Avon?" said Vila sarcastically as he punched Avon in the face again, trying to get a reaction from him.

Blood streamed down like tears from a cut that had opened up on Avon's cheek. This was worse than what the interrogators did. Looking into the eyes of someone he had considered a friend, and seeing nothing reflected back but hatred, affected him in a way that no amount of torture and drugs had been able to. He fought the sense of growing anguish as Vila continued to strike him relentlessly, not caring that Avon could barely breathe now.

Servalan finally spoke, "Enough, Vila."

Vila smiled and kneed Avon in the groin before letting him go. Avon gasped in agony and crumpled to the ground.

Servalan said, "You may go, Vila. You've done a very good job. Did you enjoy that?"

"Yes. When can I do it again?" There was a look of triumph on his face as he looked down on the man who was moaning and gasping on the ground.

"Soon. Vila. But we have to let Avon recover for now. Trust me; it will be more fun when he's had some rest. You should go get some rest too."

"Alright," said Vila with disappointment on his face as the interrogators led him out.

Servalan knelt down after Vila and the others left. Avon was still breathing in painful gasps. She put her hand on his head and stroked his hair. "Breathe, Avon. Just relax and breathe. The med-techs will be coming soon," she tried to comfort him.

He tried to brush her hand away but she grabbed and held onto his hand. "You should have believed me. Everyone can be made to betray you in the end," she told him. "You of all people should know that.

When Avon's breathing was less pained, he looked up at her and said angrily, "You did this to him."

"No. Avon. You did this. You tried to kill him. Don't you remember?"

"No!" Avon grabbed for her throat. Servalan twisted the wrist of the hand she was still holding. Avon cried out in pain and reached for his wrist instead. She let go of him. Avon held his sore wrist and glared at her. "You will never make me believe that I tried to kill Vila."

"We shall see," said Servalan. At that moment, the door slid open and several med-techs and guards entered.

---

Remainder of scenes occur two years later.

Events leading up to this scene:

It has been two years and Avon has already been rescued from Servalan. He is in very bad shape, both mentally, physically and emotionally; often experiencing horrifying nightmares because of what Servalan had done to him.

Both Avon and Vila have been reestablishing their friendship. Both are determined to be the friends they should have been to each other but recently, they have been having nightmares about the terrible events that happened in the shuttle over Malador. It is an incident that will always be between them. It remains an unpleasant spectre standing between them.

Avon and Cally have a close relationship now. They both want to explore what might have been between them.

In a conversation between Avon and Vila, Vila inexplicably attacks him. Vila doesnt remember anything afterwards and Avon falls into a coma. A Healer named Garett, who has helped him before, suggests that Avon is experiencing something that was caused by the breaking down of a memory block none of them realized he had. He is reliving the events of his past and seems to be trapped in the memory. Nothing they do seems to be able to bring him out.

Sester, the psychostrategist, in order to exhibit some goodwill, has persuaded Servalan to give them access to the imaging chamber technology that is used by criminotherapists. They all hope that through it, they will be able to help Avon and Vila.

---

In the medical unit, Cally, as usual, was by Avon's side. The healer's assistants had set up a bed for her next to him so that she could rest more comfortably. She was talking softly to Garett as Argus and Sester came in. Avon seemed to be sleeping a little easier now, though he still moaned occasionally.

"What is he doing here?" asked Cally in an unfriendly voice.

"He says he wants to talk to you and the Healer about the machines coming tomorrow," said Argus.

She addressed Sester, "It's about time. What did Servalan do to Avon?" Her voice was like sharpened steel. Argus had never heard this quality in her voice before. He had not thought she was capable of it.

Sester almost winced; he replied, "Honestly, Cally. I don't know. It's not something Servalan will tell me. But the imaging machines should be able to help."

"How?" she asked with naked suspicion.

He explained to them the capabilities of the imaging chambers and said, "They're normally used to implant memories but they also are able to read them; and project them so that they are visible. You should be able to see where in his memories he is and to influence them to some extent. Help guide him if he begins being overwhelmed."

"These are dangerous machines," said Argus, not liking what he was hearing. "If they're able to do what you say, then nothing is safe from the Federation interrogators. If they can access anyone's memories, then they can obtain everything."

"Technically, yes. But in reality, they can only access event-level memories that reside at the near-conscious level. Information such as scientific formulae and detailed technical information are too complex for the machines to pick up. They can also be blocked to some extent, by a mind that is strong and disciplined. That is why the machines are usually only used to implant memories, not extract them. I suggest using it on Vila first. That way you can familiarize yourself with the machine's capabilities."

Argus said, "Vila's not going to like that."

"If he wants to break through his own memory blocks, then this is the only controlled way to help facilitate it."

Vila was still under observation in one of the smaller rooms. He was immediately against what was being proposed.

"No way! There's no way you're going to hook me up to some Federation mind bending machine," said Vila. "Look what it did to Avon."

Argus sighed; he knew this was going to be difficult. "But this is may be the only way you will be able to find out what really happened. Do you want to go through the rest of your life being afraid of small, dark places?"

"I've had that fear all my life. A few more decades won't make much of a difference. I'll just stay away from small, dark places," said Vila.

"And what about Avon? This memory concerns both of you. Don't you want to resolve it? For both your sakes?"

Vila looked down and fell silent while Argus gave him time to think. The child in Vila feared the small, dark places; the adult in him had a much greater fear.

After awhile, Vila said in a quiet voice, "Truth is I'm afraid. I'm not sure if I want to find out. It may be better for all of us if we don't."

"Do you have so little faith in Avon?" Argus asked. Unlike his gut-feelings about Sester, Argus had the opposite instinct about Avon.

"I don't know. I used to have faith in him. Sort of. We could always depend on him to save us. And then this happened. And everything changed. I'd like to believe that it was different. But…" Vila fell silent. There was anguish and uncertainly on his face; and an ever-present fear.

Argus said in wry understanding, "He doesn't make it easy, does he?"

"He never makes anything easy," said Vila.

"Avon would want to know," said Argus.

"He always wants to know everything," said Vila.

"What if it didn't happen the way you remembered, Vila? What if it was all a lie perpetrated by Servalan? Remember that she tried to make you believe that Avon had betrayed all of you at Gauda Prime."

Vila lifted his head. There was part hope, part fear and part uncertainty in his eyes. "That's right. She did. Could it be possible? Maybe what happened was something good? She wouldn't want us to remember that." His face began to take on an angry expression. "If she did, then she tried to take everything away from him."

Argus felt uncomfortable. He still had to deal with this woman, he couldn't kill her yet. He said adamantly, "If that's what happened, then we'll deal with her. She won't get away with it. I won't let her get away with it."

---

Cally, Argus, Reya and Sester watched with curiosity as the equipment was turned on, Vila was readied and a large flex screen was placed into a better position for viewing. The imaging chamber had been placed in a large room adjacent to the medical unit.

"Wouldn't it be better if we did this tomorrow?" asked Vila as the technicians strapped him to a bio-bed.

"It's already tomorrow," said Argus dryly. "You've been saying that since yesterday."

"Don't be nervous, Vila. Sester assures me that this is not a painful process," said Cally.

The technicians slid Vila into place in the chamber. As his head passed the enclosing unit and he could no longer see the others, he said nervously, "And you believe him?"

"It won't hurt," reassured Sester. He added, "At least, not physically."

Cally looked sharply at him. He shrugged, "It depends on the memories he will be accessing. We can assume that they will be difficult ones for him. Otherwise you wouldn't need the imaging chamber."

Healer Garett switched on the comm mike used to communicate with Vila in the imaging chamber, said, "Just relax, Vila."

They could all hear Vila's response on an audio speaker, "That's easy for you to say. Did I say that I don't like enclosed, dark places?"

Garett replied, "It's not dark. It should be well-illuminated in there."

"Oh. Yes. Uh, can we hurry up with this? Or maybe not do this at all?" They could hear his increasing nervousness.

"Remember why you're doing this, Vila," said Cally.

There was no reply to this from inside the chamber.

"Vila? Are you alright?" asked Cally.

"I wouldn't be here if I were," said Vila. "Avon and I wouldn't have to do this if everything was alright. Cally."

"Yes, Vila?"

There was a pause. "Nothing. Just do it quick will you?"

Argus said to Garett, "You heard him."

Garett signalled his technicians. The control panel lights changed colours as the healer's assistants began to enter in a sequence of codes. "Start the drug flow." He had a running commentary to explain what he was doing. "The drugs will encourage his mind to enter the first stage of unconsciousness. That state between waking and sleeping."

Using the comm, Garett said, "Now, Vila. We're going to start on something simple. Just so that we can all get used to the operation of the chamber. I want you to close your eyes and remember what you had for breakfast this morning."

They could all hear a sleepy voice reply, "Didn't have breakfast. Couldn't eat."

"Alright, Vila. I want you to remember what you did after you woke up this morning."

"Right," was the dreamy response.

On the large screen, there was darkness and then images began to focus to that of Vila's observation room. The view concentrated on the attendant sleeping in a chair. They could all hear light snoring coming from him. The view shifted towards the door.

"Why can't we see him?" asked Argus.

Garett looked up from the monitors and replied. "You are. Or rather, you're seeing out of Vila's eyes. You're seeing what he was looking at this morning when he woke up." They could observe Vila's hand push open the door. The image was moved along the corridor until it reached the entrance of the medical unit.

Garett and the technicians were excitedly working away at the control panel, matching the readings on their monitors with what they were all seeing on the screen.

Vila's hand pushed open the door a fraction until they could all see inside. Avon was lying on a bed and Cally sat beside him, holding his hand and looking worried. The image had stopped moving.

"He was watching Avon this morning?" Cally asked astonished. "I didn't even notice. I should have sensed it."

"You've been preoccupied lately," said Sester.

Cally gave him a look that said that she preferred if he kept any comments to himself. Sester took the unfriendliness in his stride. He knew that he had to get used to it; it was hardly likely to stop regardless of what he did to help.

"Alright. That's enough," said Garett. Using the comm, Garett instructed, "That's good, Vila. Just rest for a bit." The image on the screen faded.

He turned to Sester, "This is an excellent machine. The degree of monitoring allowable is quite impressive."

"Yes. Central Security has access to the most advanced technology," said Sester.

"No one has this technology," said Garett. "Not that I'm aware of. It's much more sophisticated than the mind-mapping machines. And I thought those were already top-line."

"For everyone else perhaps. But not where CS is concerned," replied Sester.

Argus wondered what else CS had, that no one else had access to.

Garett spoke into the comm again, "Now, Vila. I want you to remember the shaft on Pleasure City. The small and dark space you were in with Ture."

They could all see several readouts begin to spike upwards immediately. The image on the screen cleared. It was still dark, but they could make out that Vila was in a cramped and enclosed space. To one side they caught a partial glimpse of a body, a hand and a leg bent in an uncomfortable position. They could hear a voice, "Watch it, Vila." The screen image panned right and they could see Ture pushed painfully against a protruding energy regulator. He grimaced. "You keep doing that and I'll have to start over again."

Garett told Vila, "That's good, Vila. What are you feeling?"

Vila replied, "Scared. Trapped. There's something coming…" They could see the fear and stress levels increase on the monitors and heard his voice rising in alarm.

Garett reassured him while he signaled to the technicians, "It's alright, Vila. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Garett turned to the others and explained, "We're going to give him a drug which will counteract the chemicals in his body which stimulate a fear reaction. That way he can be encouraged to continue without the fear causing him to panic and lose control."

The Healer spoke into the comm mike again, "Now, Vila. I want you to follow those feelings and impressions back to when you had them the strongest; and I want you remember a period just before those feelings began."

"I'm scared," said Vila reluctantly. His voice was like a little child's now.

Garett told the technicians "Increase the suppressant." He reassured Vila, "It's going to be alright, Vila. Just keep listening to my voice. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Alright." Vila's voice was thin and sounded like a frightened child.

Instantly the image changed. They could see the face of a young man in bright location. It looked like the deck of a ship.

"That's Tarrant!" exclaimed Cally. The image panned around to reveal other faces.

"Do you remember this?" asked Argus.

Cally studied the moving images on the screen. "No. I don't know where this is. And I don't recognize the woman. This must have happened after they thought I was killed."

They all watched as Avon and Vila made their first trip down to Malodar to see Egrorian. Argus looked puzzled as Avon revealed that he had stowed a weapon onboard the shuttle.

The events continued to unfold. Avon and Vila came back onboard the Scorpio. Vila was telling the others about their meeting with Egrorian. The medical unit group all watched with amusement. Some of Vila's recollection of events and his explanation to the Scorpio crew afterwards were very funny.

One of the technicians caught Garett's attention. They could all see that some of the readings were changing. They all paid even more careful attention to what they were seeing.

On the screen, Avon and Tarrant entered the flight deck.

Avon said, "Orac is loaded, Vila, and we're ready to go."

The dark complexioned woman, Cally had identified as Dayna said, "Oh, Avon, is it really worth losing Orac for this new weapon?"

"It's not about the weapon," said Avon.

The woman whom they still did not know the name of asked, "I don't understand. Then why are we even here? Unless there's something you're not telling us." There was suspicion in the woman's eyes.

Avon replied, "After Egrorian contacted us and specifically asked to meet me, I had ORAC do a little digging in the Central Security records. It made for some very interesting reading. After Egrorian vanished, they started finding the bodies. He was obsessed with power from his earliest days. He was at the center of a conspiracy to take over the Federation. There is also something very interesting about his assistant, Pinder. He was a mathematical prodigy. He was eighteen when he disappeared with Egrorian ... ten years ago. That should make him twenty-eight." He said that piece of information and then looked expectantly at Vila.

They could hear Vila's voice exclaim in shock, "But the man we saw…"

Avon's lips parted in the semblance of a smile. "He didn't look a day under seventy. Interesting, isn't it? Not quite the simple scientists they profess to be."

Vila's voice said, "Then what are we doing? Let's get out of here, Avon. Before he turns us all into old men too." The image panned to show Avon's face. "Or even older men."

Avon replied, "I don't see that we have a lot of choice. If we say no deal, Egrorian can destroy this ship faster than you can snap your fingers. And if there is any chance that this weapon is real, do you want to leave it in the hands of someone like Egrorian?"

The unidentified woman said, "And how do you guarantee he won't destroy us anyway once you've delivered Orac?"

Avon replied, "Oh, we know he will. It's very clear from his reputation that he can't be trusted."

Dayna said, "Then its suicide to go down there. And he won't let you bring any guns."

"What are you up to, Avon?" asked Tarrant guardedly. "It's not like you to take this kind of risk without making some plans first. Care to tell us what they are?"

Avon said, "Just stay alert and keep in close orbit."

The view now shifted. Vila and Avon were seated next to each other in what appeared to be a shuttle.

Avon told Vila, "Somehow, some way, he is going to double-cross us."

Vila's voice replied, "Then let's not give him the chance."

"What's in your mind?"

Vila's voice said, "Hit first. We carry Orac in, then jump them. We break their necks, grab the tachyon funnel, and out." The view on the screen shifted to a side view of Avon.

Avon said, "He will have thought of that. We touch that thing before it's disconnected; it is liable to blow up in our faces."

Vila said, "Do you have any better ideas?"

Avon faced forward again and said, "Not at the moment."

Vila said, "Then start thinking. We touchdown in four minutes."

Avon looked at Vila briefly and got up. The image tracked him as he crossed over in front of the flight control station. He thought out loud, "The last time we landed, we came in on the ancillary pad. The main pad is on the other side of the dome."

Vila's voice said, "So? Nearly all these survival stations were designed with two pads."

Avon continued speaking, "But the main pad is more convenient. Especially when handling cargo."

Vila's voice asked, "What are you getting at?" They saw the view shift upwards as Vila stood and walked over to Avon.

Avon said, "I'm just wondering if the main pad is already occupied. That could account for the fact that we were directed to the ancillary."

Vila's voice replied, "Well, if it is, you won't see much. These things kick up far too much dust." They could no longer see Avon as they were both standing side-by-side now. Suddenly the view panned right to reveal Avon's side profile. Vila's voice said, "You're thinking of Servalan again.

There was a grim look on Avon's face as he said, "SHE is never far from my thoughts."

As the scene shifted again to Egrorian's base, Argus asked with a puzzled tone, "I thought that Avon and Vila didn't get along. They sound like they're working well together. This must be one of the memories implanted by Servalan."

"But why would she implant that?" asked Cally. "What purpose would that serve if she wanted to make Vila hate Avon?"

They continued watching as Avon and Vila obtained the tachyon funnel and returned to the shuttle.

They could hear Vila's voice say, as he faced the front screen of the shuttle, "Mach six and rising. Dammit, Avon, we've done it, we've done it!"

They heard Avon said in a pleased tone, "Yes, I really think we have!"

Vila's voice said, "I'd have given odds Egrorian'd try to pull something! What's the escape velocity of this thing?"

Avon replied, "I don't know. Why don't you ask Orac?"

The view suddenly shifted left as Vila looked at Avon. "Eh"

Avon could be seen reaching down beside him and opening a panel, revealing Orac.

The observers in the medical unit gasped in amazement. Argus muttered, "Very sneaky, Avon. As always."

Vila's voice asked, "So what was that we gave to Egrorian?"

Avon replied, "Orac mark two. Just a replica I made a few months back. Contingency planning, Vila, and the contingency arose."

Vila's voice said, "But the thing worked!"

Avon said, "Well enough to fool Egrorian, anyway. It was fitted with a voice box and a relay station, so that the real Orac could run it."

Vila's voice said, "You could have got us killed! Why didn't you tell me?"

Avon responded, "Well, I didn't want to make you nervous, Vila. I was nervous enough for the both of us."

A different voice spoke up. Argus and Cally both recognized it.

ORAC said, "The escape velocity of this vehicle is now confirmed at Mach fifteen." The scene lowered as both Avon and Vila went back to their flight seats. ORAC spoke again. "And unattainable."

The screen shifted to a view of ORAC.

Avon asked in a voice that was taut with tension, "What do you mean, 'Unattainable?'"

ORAC responded, "Mach fifteen is unattainable on the present flight configuration."

The scene seemed to jump again to a different time; but they were still in the shuttle. Vila appeared to be staring straight ahead at the shuttle screen. The screen seemed to be shaking, indicating that the shuttle was straining.

They heard Avon's voice, "What's the position now, Orac?"

ORAC responded, "Escape velocity still unattainable. Elapsed flight time: nine minutes. Remaining flight time: twelve minutes."

Vila's voice said in alarm, "Twelve minutes?"

Avon said, "Fuel!" At the corner of the screen they could see Avon's hands flick some switches.

Argus remarked, "He's dumping the excess fuel to lighten the shuttle."

The saw Avon again as Vila's voice said, "It's no good. We're not going to get out of this one. Egrorian set us up."

Avon asked angrily, his lips were tight, "Yes, but how? HOW did he do it?"

Avon and Vila were facing each other now as Vila said with fearful realization, "Avon, we're going to die."

ORAC told them, "Remaining flight time: ten minutes."

Vila's voice said, "And another five minutes before we hit. How do you spend your last fifteen minutes?"

Avon said in a voice behind Vila, "Working. Working like we have never worked before, Vila."

Vila turned to look at Avon and asked in a confused tone, "Eh?"

Avon voice was tight with stress and determination, "It's gravity that is holding us, right? We haven't enough engine power to lift us free. We must lighten the load somehow. We'll have to strip this shuttle down to its frame." Avon's hand grabbed Vila by the arm and pulled him up. He said, "Come on!"

Vila asked as he stood to face him, "Where do we start?"

Avon said, "You start in the cargo hold, I'll start up here. We have to jettison every last nut and bolt. NOW, VILA!"

They could see the screen move faster as Vila ran to follow Avon's instructions. For the next few minutes, they saw Vila down in the cargo hold, grabbing random objects, throwing them into the airlock and jettisoning them.

Vila rushed back to the flight deck of the shuttle in time to hear Avon ask, ""What's the position now, Orac?"

ORAC responded, "Remaining flight time: five minutes and forty seconds."

Avon asked, "How much more weight must we lose before we can achieve escape velocity?"

ORAC replied, "Seventy kilos, Avon."

They could see the tension in Avon's face as he said, "Only seventy kilos... Vila, strip off the insulation material in the cargo hold." The screen shifted as Vila turned to exit again. They heard Avon's voice shouting, ""Vila!" Avon handed a small cart to Vila, who took it.

Vila whined, "But that's plastic. It weighs nothing."

Avon said, "Get rid of it anyway."

Vila said, "A kilo and a half if we're lucky."

Avon said in the hard and determined voice of a man who refused to give up, "Do it! We've got five minutes." The screen turned as Vila headed towards the door again. They could hear Avon's voice behind him, "Not enough! Not nearly enough! Dammit, what weighs seventy kilos?"

They all saw the door opening and Vila stepping past it.

Just as the door closed, they could all hear ORAC saying, "Vila weighs seventy-three kilos, Avon." For a moment the screen seemed to pause. Then they saw it move quickly, and Vila's hands rung-over-rung as he descended the ladder to the cargo area. They all watched in shock as Vila dropped the object Avon had given him, and then he hid.

"Avon tried to kill Vila to save his own life?" asked Argus in shock.

Cally said, "That can't be. That must be Servalan's doing. That must be what she tried to implant into Vila to make him hate Avon."

They all watched in horrified fascination as Vila curled up in the shaft. Avon's stressed and determined voice could be heard calling out to Vila.

"Vila. Where are you? I know how they did it. I found what they hid onboard. They must have used an automatic loader. But it's too large for me to move. I need your help. Vila. WHERE ARE YOU?"

After a few moments, a panel slid open and light flooded into the crawlspace where Vila was hiding.

Avon's cold voice said, "Come out, Vila. And keep your hands where I can see them."

They could all see that Vila was not moving.

"Don't make me come after you," Avon's voice was icy and menacing.

They all saw the screen move slowly towards the opening. As Vila left the crawlspace, they could see Avon standing there with a gun in his hand.

"Avon. Can't we talk about this?" Vila pleaded desperately. "You said that you found something. We could move it together!"

"I lied," said Avon. There was no expression on his face, only an unreadable darkness in his eyes.

That darkness sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the medical unit. It didn't seem human.

"There is only one chance for survival. And I'm going to take it. Move towards the airlock, Vila," Avon gestured with his gun.

They could hear the fear in Vila's voice as he backed away slowly, "Why should I? You're only going to kill me."

"Yes. But do you want to die a quick death? Or do you want to be alive when I activate the airlock? The choice is yours." Avon's lips had tightened in determination.

They could see the viewscreen image start to move slowly and as Vila backed away into the airlock. Avon stood in the doorway, his gun pointed at Vila. "Don't move, Vila. It will be easier for you, if you don't."

"I can't watch this anymore," said Cally, turning away. Argus put his arm around her to comfort her.

They could see the whole scene shake abruptly. The viewscreen moved to reflect Vila's confusion. Avon looked around perplexed, and then his eyes widened and he said, "ORAC must have landed the shuttle!"

Everyone in the medical unit continued watching the flex screen and Vila's terrible memories. The scene now showed the flight deck of the shuttle. It was deathly quiet as Avon and Vila sat side-by-side, waiting for the Scorpio to pick them up. The flex screen was focused on Avon most of the time. Avon did not once face them. The only talking they engaged in concerned the docking operation with the Scorpio. The view on the screen faced forward again and they saw the ship coming in for a landing.

Back onboard the Scorpio, Avon emotionlessly recounted the events down on Malodar and in the shuttle. The screen was focused on Avon again, this time Avon was speaking and staring straight at the screen. The people in the medical unit noticed, in the periphery, that the other members of the Scorpio crew were glancing at each other. They were obviously noticing something wrong between the two men, but it was hard to tell as the observers could not see Vila's face. It was not hard to imagine though; the looks of anger and hatred which Vila must have had.

They all heard Tarrant asking Avon, "So ORAC saved the day? And what were the two of you doing?"

Avon gave Vila a hard and challenging look, "We were trying to lighten the ship. But fortunately it wasn't necessary."

Tarrant said, "Pity about the tachyon tunnel though."

Avon did not take his eyes off Vila's as he said, "We had no choice."

Vila's voice said, "It's a trip I won't forget, Avon."

Avon said with a snarl, "Well, as you always say, Vila: you know you are safe with ME."

The images on the screen faded to black. They all continued staring at it, dumbfounded.

Garett cleared his throat and used the comm mike, "That's good, Vila. You can rest now."

He instructed his assistants, "Shut the chamber down and bring him around."

Everyone else was avoiding looking at each other. No one wanted to be the next one to break the silence. They all watched as the assistants entered the chamber to release Vila.

Finally Reya said, "That was horrible."

"It can't be true," said Cally, refusing to believe it. "It must be the memories Servalan had implanted."

"It sounded like Avon. But I don't believe it either," said Argus. "It has to be Servalan's doing."

"There are some things which do not make sense," said Sester. They all turned to look at him. He explained. "First of all, the gun."

Argus interjected, "Yes. I was wondering that myself. Why would Avon hide a gun onboard the shuttle? Vila was right, if he needed it, they would have to run all the way back to the landing pad, get the gun, then run all the way back to the biodome; which has a weapons' scanner. And Egrorian warned them what he would do if they crossed him. It's useless bringing a weapon. Why would Avon have done that? It's doesn't make any sense."

Sester said, "Agreed. It is not logical. The next point is, why didn't Avon think to land the shuttle? It's an obvious solution when they couldn't make escape velocity. Why waste the time throwing out random space debris? They had enough engine power to leave the planet's surface. Their speed was increasing but not enough to break orbit. But that meant that they had enough power to make a controlled landing. All they would have needed to do then was to contact the Scorpio to be picked up. Even if Avon had decided to try reaching escape velocity first, at five minutes remaining, they still had 70 kilos to dump. At that point trying to land the shuttle gave them much better odds. Something Avon should have known."

Everyone was thinking.

"Those are good points," said Garett, joining their conversation. "But I also have something interesting to add. Take a look on screen." He gestured to one of his assistants. Several of the readouts and charts from the monitors were projected onto the screen.

Garett continued, "When I asked Vila to trace his mind back to when these feelings and impressions were the strongest, he came back to here." He used a pointer to indicate a spot on a gridded wave pattern. "This is like a memory timeline. The point which Vila is accessing occurred just over two years ago."

"Then these are the memories which Servalan implanted because it's been over three years since she captured Avon at Gauda Prime," said Cally. Even though she had refused to believe what she had seen, there was a look of relief on her face.

"That is a strong possibility," said Garett.

"Then it didn't happen?" A weak voice asked them. They all turned to look at Vila, who was being supported by two of the assistants. He shook them off and came towards the group.

"They were most likely the implanted memories," Garett told him. "How are you feeling?" Garett gave him a brief examination.

"A bit woozy. But if this is true, then I've hated Avon for nothing?" asked Vila. There was an ill look on his face. "And beating him up…what about those memories?" Vila's hand went to his head. He had a headache. "He's never going to let me forget it." He suddenly put his hand down and asked, "Then what really happened? Did we even go to Malodar? Is there really an Egrorian and Pinder?"

"That's not something we can determine at the moment," said Garett. "But my guess is that the images you saw were based on actual events and people but the memories were altered. That way you could not tell the real memories from the implanted ones if the blocks began breaking down."

"These are the ones that Avon will remember too?" asked Cally.

"It would make sense to match both their memories," said Sester. "There was an Egrorian, by the way. He was a brilliant and controversial scientist who disappeared a long time ago."

"There is another strange thing," said Reya. "The object which Vila dropped. The one Avon handed to him. That was very near where Vila was hiding. Now I don't know you well enough yet, Vila. But would you do something like that? I'm assuming that was how the Avon in your memories found you so quickly."

"I'm not sure. Maybe, if I panicked and wasn't thinking straight. But I can't believe I would do something that suicidal if I was trying to hide," said Vila.

"There's also something else very strange," said Cally. They all looked at her now. "Avon and Vila were trying to lighten the shuttle. They were both frantic. But I only saw Vila going to the airlock and throwing items out. We watched him. Where was Avon? He seemed to be on the flight deck the entire time. Just standing and talking to ORAC? That doesn't make any sense if their survival depended on reducing the weight of the shuttle as quickly as possible. Even if he needed to continue thinking, Avon can do that and throw things out at the same time."

Sester's mind had been busy calculating and finding possibilities to understand what they had witnessed on the screen. He said, "It's as if, the things which don't make sense, were deliberately designed to force this sequence of events. The gun which has no purpose. Except inside the shuttle. Because Avon would need it to force Vila into the airlock. The landing of the shuttle. Avon suddenly not being able to think of an obvious solution. Because if he did, then there would be no need for the confrontation. And assuming that Vila would not do something so suicidal as to advertise where he was hiding. A deliberate pointer so that Avon would find Vila quickly within the limited time frame they had."

Cally studied the psychostrategist. For the first time there was no suspicion in her eyes when she spoke to him. "A fabricated scenario, designed to make it seem as if Avon tried to kill Vila?"

"She's evil," said Vila. He wanted to say it angrily but his head hurt. No one needed to ask who the 'she' was.

"Yes. She is," said Argus angrily enough for both of them. He said to Sester accusingly, "And you're working for her."

Sester looked uncomfortable as everyone stared at him. He had always known what Servalan was capable of; he had even helped her achieve her goals. And except for Avon, it had never really bothered him. Psychostrategists were trained to think on an impersonal level. Human beings were little more than puppets to them; pieces to be moved in a game, to achieve an end.

But this had to do with Avon. Sester gave a slight grimace and said, "Let's leave me out of this, shall we? I believe you have more important matters to discuss."

"Yes, like how to kill Servalan," said Vila.

"We can't yet," said Argus. There was great frustration in his tone. He was as angry as the rest of them. Argus was feeling increasingly trapped in an arrangement which tied his hands. Servalan had left him no choice and he hated her. As the leader, he had to think of the big picture; and that picture did not involve killing Servalan yet.

"How can you say that?" said Vila, his voice rising in anger. He groaned and pressed his hand against his temple. "I've got to lie down. Or get a different head."

Garett checked Vila's eyes. "You've got a headache?"

"A big one. Any chance of some soma?" asked Vila hopefully.

"Not soma. But something that will help." He spoke to one of his assistants.

Garett said, "It's a result of the breaking down of the memory blocks."

"It is," Sester confirmed. "You will also experience periodic flashes of conflicting memories and strong emotions tied to those memories; until your mind settles and processes the fact that the implanted ones are not real. There is still another problem after that. You will have memory gaps since the blocks on the real ones are still in place."

"If being in the crawlspace with Ture triggered this memory, why wouldn't it trigger the other one too?" asked Cally.

Sester said, "My speculation would be that the real memory did not involve a cramped and dark location. Something else happened during that period of time."

"No small, dark place?" asked Vila.

"That would be my guess," said Sester.

For Vila, one less memory which touched on his childhood fears was always a good thing. "Then let's get rid of this block too." Vila said this enthusiastically and then there was a reaction of, "Oh my head!" Vila groaned and put his hand to his head again. "I must remember to speak softer."

At that moment the assistant came back and gave Vila an injection. Vila's stressed and pained face began to relax, replaced with a big and happy smile. "Oh. That's just as good as the soma. What's the name of this wonder drug?"

Garett said, "You should get some sleep, Vila. Sester is right. Give your mind time to rest and process what has happened." He gestured for two of his two assistants to bring Vila back to the observation room. Vila was very cheerful now.

After the successful testing of the imaging chamber and the others left to do other things, Cally returned to sit by Avon's bed. He was moving restlessly again, but at least he seemed to be resting now. She knew it wouldn't be long. Whatever was happening in his mind, he was never allowed to rest for long.

Cally wet a cloth and wiped his face. Other than trying to reach him unsuccessfully with her mind, it was the only thing she could do for him.

Avon, you're not alone. Keep fighting. What you are seeing is in the past. Find your way back. She kept trying, hoping that something would get through to him. She projected reassurance and hope; and her own feelings for him. She looked up as Reya came into the room.

"How is he?" she asked Cally.

"There isn't any change. He's not showing any signs of regaining consciousness yet," said Cally. She returned to wiping Avon's face.

"Argus has been talking to Healer Garett and they want to put Avon into the imaging chamber tomorrow," said Reya.

"That's good."

Reya studied the younger woman; Cally looked tired and worried. "How are you doing?" she asked her.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," said Cally. She put the cloth on the table beside the bed and sat down again.

"How much rest have you gotten since he was brought here?" asked Reya.

"Enough."

"I'm betting that it's only enough not to fall over from exhaustion?" said Reya wryly.

"I can't sleep," acknowledged Cally. "Not when he's like this. And with what we learned today, I'm not sure I can sleep."

"But we know that Servalan was the cause of those memories. It wasn't Avon we saw." Reya tried to remind her.

"I know. But that means that Avon has been living with those memories. I can't imagine what it's done to him to think that he has that in him. Despite how he acts, most of the time, he has an even more cynical attitude towards himself than he does to others. Sometimes he doesn't even think he's human." There was a troubled anguish on her face.

Reya could see that it was painful for Cally to talk about this. The other woman's love for Avon meant that his pain was hers. Reya touched Cally's elbow in sympathy, "Then it's even more reason to make sure that you take care of yourself. How do you think he's going to feel, when he regains consciousness, and finds that you collapsed from exhaustion; because you were looking after him? He'll feel that he's become even more of a burden to someone he cares about."

"He cares about…" Cally repeated this absently; and then she looked directly at Reya and said with certainty, "I know he cares."

"Knowing Avon though, he's probably never said it."

"No. He would call it a display of sentiment. He's doesn't believe in them. But he suffered two years for me. He knew when he came to rescue me, what kind of risk he was taking. He knew what that woman would do to him if he fell into her hands again. But he still did it. And then after we rescued him; he knew he had to go back. Servalan must have been furious. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for him. I knew he had been tortured. I knew what she forced him to do. But this. This is infinitely worse. How could anyone do this to someone?" As she spoke, the anger in her voice rose. "It's entirely my fault! If he didn't care about me, this would never have happened." The anguish turned to tears. Reya hugged Cally and held her as the other woman cried. This was something Cally needed even more than the rest. Guilt was a heavy burden to bear.

---

After what they had discovered the previous day with Vila, everyone was nervously waiting for Avon to be brought into the imaging chamber. They all readied themselves for more of the same. No one had gotten a good night's sleep. Everyone seemed to have experienced their own nightmares.

Vila, Argus and Reya waited while the Healer's assistants readied the equipment again. Argus was speaking with one of the assistants.

"I don't know if I want to watch this," Vila said uneasily to Reya. "It would be like watching my own funeral."

"You don't have to do this, Vila," said Reya.

Vila said with a troubled but determined expression on his face, "I want to be here. But I don't want to be too. If you know what I mean. I don't want to be here, for me."

"You want to be here for Avon," Reya said with understanding.

"Yes." Vila looked embarrassed.

Reya touched him on the arm, surprising Vila. She told him, "You're a good friend, Vila."

Vila managed to look even more embarrassed. "I want to be this time."

"This time?" asked Reya, not understanding.

"It's a long story."

At that moment, Avon was wheeled into the room and put into the imaging chamber. Cally watched carefully as he was readied and strapped in.

Vila and Reya saw her arguing with Garett and Argus. Then Cally she shook her head and came over to the observation area.

"What's wrong? How is he doing?" asked a worried Vila.

"I don't know if I want Avon to do this now," said Cally. "He's exhausted. I don't think he got any sleep at all. Not in his head. Whatever is happening to him, he's not being allowed any rest." Neither Vila nor Reya said anything but Cally looked exhausted too; it was doubtful that she got any rest either.

Sester slipped into the room while the others were occupied and stood out of the way. Argus noticed him out of the corner of his eyes but didn't say anything. Reya also saw him and other than a brief nod, did not pay any further attention to him.

There was distress in Cally's voice as she said, "He was screaming last night. I didn't know what to do." She did not look very steady on her feet. Reya put her arm around Cally's shoulder to support her and said, "Vila, get a chair."

"Right." Vila located one and came back with it. "Here, Cally." They encouraged her to sit.

Argus came over with Garett. Upon seeing the distraught Cally, he asked, "Is she alright?"

Reya said, "Can't we do this tomorrow? Cally said that Avon had a bad night."

"We can't, Reya. It has to be now," Argus answered.

Garett said to Cally, "I know you don't want us to do this, but we don't have a choice. Avon's mind is not giving him one. He is experiencing these memories whether he wants to or not. But…" Garett had a thoughtful look on his face.

Argus asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I was wondering if this is really entirely out of his control," said Garett.

"I don't understand. You just said that he doesn't have a choice," said Argus.

As he thought out loud, Garett crossed his arms over his chest and occasionally he would look towards the ceiling as he remembered. "Something he did during the mind mapping. Some of the readings we are getting now are similar. I think he was learning to gain a measure of control over the memories; enough that his mind would not shut down. He didn't explain what he was doing, but I think what is happening now, may actually be a good sign that he has not lost control."

Cally stood up. She demanded, "I don't understand. How could this be any better than collapsing? He's suffering now. How can that be better? And if he is in control, then why doesn't he wake up?"

"I'm not sure. It may be partial control. Or perhaps, he doesn't want to regain consciousness yet. For some reason, he wants to follow this memory. Regardless, we are not the ones in control here. He will continue this trail of memories until they are finished. The only thing we can do is monitor him. Interfere if he is having trouble physically and try to reach him with the imaging chamber technology. If he wants to pursue this, I would like to give him a chance. He must have a reason."

"He wants to understand everything," muttered Vila to himself.

"What was that, Vila?" asked Argus.

Vila repeated, "Avon. He always wants to understand everything. He never rests until he does."

"Yes. He's infinitely curious," said Cally. For a moment, there was a lighter look on her face as she remembered something.

"Then you're not opposed to us continuing?" asked Garett.

"I still don't like it. But you're right, there is no other choice," acknowledged Cally.

With that everyone moved into a better position to watch the screen. For the next few hours, they all watched a re-enactment of the memories which Vila experienced; but from Avon's perspective.

Afterwards Vila sat down and said, "I think I'm going to be sick." One of the assistants quickly handed him a large metallic pan. "Not that kind of sick." He handed the object back.

"You were right about the matching of the memories," Healer Garett turned around and addressed Sester, who was still standing unobtrusively a distance away.

"It made the most sense." Sester came over to join them.

"Then it's over. He should be coming out of it," said Cally hopefully.

Garett went over to the imaging control panels to check. He used the comm and said, "Avon. Can you hear me? It's Garett." He looked down at the monitors. There was no change in readings. "Avon, the scenario is completed. You can come out of it now." There were still no changes or indication that Avon was regaining consciousness. "I don't understand it. He should be coming out of it if the memories are over."

"They must not be finished then," said Sester. "If you are right and Avon is partially in control of what is happening, he obviously doesn't consider it over yet."

As if on cue, one of Garett's assistants called for his attention. "Sir. We're getting more images."

They all turned towards the screen. Familiar faces appeared on the screen. Vila, Tarrant, Dayna and Soolin. Vila found it strange watching himself on the screen.

"We must be seeing their attempts to implant the memories," said Garett. "Normally it would be repeated many times until they become ingrained in the subject's mind."

The screen was showing motion along a corridor and then onto the flight deck. Tarrant was walking beside Avon.

They heard Avon's voice say, "Orac is loaded, Vila, and we're ready to go."

Dayna said, "Oh, Avon, is it really worth losing Orac for this new weapon?"

Avon voice replied, "I don't see that we have a lot of choice. If we say no deal, Egrorian can destroy this ship faster than you can snap your fingers."

Soolin asked, "And how do you guarantee he won't anyway once you've delivered Orac?"

Avon's voice replied, "We have no guarantee. But if he tried that he must know that we would kill them."

There was stirring among the medical unit observers.

"This is different," remarked Argus. "I don't remember the dialogue being like this."

"You're right, some of those lines were said by someone else before," said Cally.

They were all puzzled but continued watching; trying to pay even closer attention, trying to spot any other differences.

They all heard Dayna say with concern, "But you've no guns."

Avon's voice did not contain any concern. "You haven't seen those two. They are old and they are decrepit, especially Pinder. Vila could handle him on his own."

Tarrant asked, "Pinder's old?" There was a puzzled look on his face.

Vila said, "Late seventies. Why?"

Tarrant replied, "After you'd gone, I got Orac to do us one last service. This is a printout from Central Records, all that's known about Egrorian."

Avon's voice asked, "Interesting reading?"

Tarrant said, in a superior voice, "Yeah, very interesting. After he vanished, they started finding the bodies. He was never a simple scientist, Avon."

Vila asked, "What was he?"

The real Vila asked loudly and with great confusion. "WHAT?" Everyone stared at him. Cally was looking increasingly confused.

The Tarrant on the screen replied, "Power mad from his earliest days. He was at the center of a conspiracy to take over the Federation."

Avon said, "This is the man who says he wants to spend the rest of his life in the advancement of science."

Tarrant added, "The other interesting thing is Pinder."

Vila asked, "What about him?"

Tarrant replied in that superior tone again, "He was a mathematical prodigy apparently. He was eighteen when he disappeared with Egrorian ... ten years ago. Now I'm not a mathematical prodigy, but it seems to me that makes him twenty-eight."

The real Vila began giggling. They all looked at him again.

"Would you like to share the joke with us?" asked Argus.

"That's exactly what it is. A joke. It has to be," said Vila, trying to giggle and talk at the same time.

"Vila?" Reya asked. "Would you like to explain it to the rest of us?"

Vila said, "Explain…" Then he burst out laughing again while Cally asked, "Vila, when did Avon stop doing his own research? And when did Tarrant start doing any? Did something happen after I was gone?"

"That's just it," said Vila. "It never happened that way. I mean. What I remembered. The memories they implanted in me, made much more sense."

"I'm inclined to agree. It doesn't seem to make any sense with what we know of Avon," said Sester. "I am not familiar with Tarrant but, we all know that Avon is almost paranoid about safety. Servalan had been hunting him for months; setting traps for them, trying to kill them. Then out of the void, Egrorian requests a meeting? Only with Avon? And he offers them the ultimate weapon in exchange for ORAC. Avon and ORAC. Now who else does Avon know who would want that combination together, alone and somewhere where they are vulnerable? What is the possibility that Avon would not research everything he possibly could before even considering going to Malodar?"

"And Tarrant having to do math for Avon…," Vila was laughing so hard now that he was almost reduced to tears.

"Now that you put it that way…it is very funny," said Reya.

The images on the flex screen had continued. The rest of the scenes were very similar to the ones they had seen in Vila's memories. The interaction between Avon and Vila on the first trip to the planet. The meeting on Malodar with Egrorian and Pinder and then the second trip to make the trade. As Avon and Vila returned back to the Scorpio with the tachyon funnel safely in the cargo hold, the observers in the medical unit all unconsciously leaned closer towards the screen.

Everything happened as before in the shuttle, up to the point when ORAC fatefully proclaimed that the speed required to break orbit, was unattainable. Avon again stayed in the cockpit of the shuttle talking to ORAC while Vila rushed around lightening the ship.

Vila rushed back to the flight deck of the shuttle in time to hear Avon's stressed voice ask, ""What's the position now, Orac?"

ORAC responded, "Remaining flight time: five minutes and forty seconds."

Avon's voice asked, "How much more weight must we lose before we can achieve escape velocity?"

ORAC replied, "Seventy kilos, Avon."

Avon's voice said, "Only seventy kilos... Vila, strip off the insulation material in the cargo hold." There was a slight pause then they heard Avon's voice shouting, ""Vila!" Avon handed a small plastic trolley to Vila, who took it.

Vila whined, "But that's plastic. It weighs nothing."

Avon's voice told the onscreen Vila, "Get rid of it anyway!"

Vila said, "A kilo and a half if we're lucky."

Avon's voice was frantic, "Do it! We've got five minutes." Vila disappeared from the screen as he ran to follow Avon's orders. They could hear Avon saying frantically, "Not enough! Not nearly enough! Dammitt, what weighs seventy kilos?"

ORAC responded, "Vila weighs seventy-three kilos, Avon."

In the medical unit, everything was deathly quiet as everyone prepared themselves to watch the next few disturbing scenes.

For a moment there was a pause then they heard Avon say in a quieter, determined voice, "Vila." They all saw the screen lower and then Avon opening the panel to take out the gun.

"This scenario has the gun too," remarked Argus.

Sester said, "Yes. I had noticed that."

The next few minutes they saw the screen moving slowly through the ship and then down the ladder into the cargo hold.

Reya asked, "Why is he moving so slowly? And why isn't he looking in things if he's trying to find Vila, instead of just wandering around the corridors?" No one had an answer.

They heard a calm and persuasive voice saying, "Vila? Vila? Vila? Vila, are you here? I need your help. Vila, I know you're here, come out. Vila, I know how they did it, but I need your help. Please help me."

The moment they had heard this voice, there were many looks of confusion in the medical unit.

"Who's voice is that?" asked Garett. "Is that supposed to be Avon?"

"I think so," said Argus looking very confused.

Vila started giggling the moment he heard this voice coming from the Avon on the screen and then he muttered in disbelief, "Please help me?" Vila started laughing again. He had to hang onto a desk.

Cally said, "I don't understand. Why is Avon sounding like that?"

The screen stopped abruptly and panned down. There was a plastic box. It seemed as if Avon had just kicked it accidentally with his boot.

"What is that?" asked Reya. "I don't remember seeing that in Vila's memories."

Vila shrugged, "No idea."

Argus asked with confused incredulity, "Is that THING in the MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR?!"

They all stared at him and then at the object on the screen again with increasingly mystified looks on their faces.

They heard Avon's voice again, identifying the object, "Plastic. High tensile plastic. Vila?" They saw his foot try to kick the object away. It didn't move.

Avon's voice said, "Couldn't possibly be that heavy. Unless there's something imbedded in it, and there isn't. Unless it's very tiny, in which case it wouldn't have... the weight!" The tone of Avon's voice changed again. He sounded more like he did in the cockpit, before ORAC told him about Vila's weight. Avon's voice said with more energy, "Vila, I really do know how they did it! It's a speck of neutron material, but I need your help to shift it." The view lowered and they saw Avon pick up the small cart he had handed to Vila earlier. Avon's hands use the little trolley to push the heavy plastic box to the airlock.

"I thought it was supposed to be a really heavy object. So heavy that it was preventing the engines from reaching escape velocity. Should he be able to move it like that?" asked Reya.

Vila couldn't stop laughing. He was laughing so hard now that he had to sit down, or be rolling on the floor.

Avon said frantically, "Vila, help me! Vila, you have GOT to help me, come on! Vila! Vila, WHERE ARE YOU?"

As the rest of the scenario played out, everyone was either smiling in amusement or joining Vila in laughter. It was hard to take anything they saw on the screen seriously now.

After the images on the screen faded, everyone looked at each other. There was a light mood, unlike the time when they had finished watching Vila's memories.

"Well, now that was interesting," said Sester. He had been silent so far; quietly thinking and about the improbable things they had been looking at on the screen.

"I haven't seen anything that funny since…" Vila stopped. His brow furled in thought. "Since watching Delta vids when I was a kid. None of them made any sense either."

"These vids, they were entertainment?" asked Reya.

Vila replied, "Yes. The government Delta channels have them. All kinds of things. Comedies, romance, action stuff."

"But why would they make anything that didn't make any sense? Wouldn't people find that insulting to their intelligence?" asked Reya. She didn't understand. There wasn't anything like this in Athol culture.

"Well, it was meant for the Deltas. We don't get much education. And when you're life is rough anyway, even a little mindless entertainment is good. It's free and it takes your mind off things," said Vila.

"But this doesn't just take your mind off things," said Cally. She had never understood this aspect of Terran culture either. "I imagine it would encourage people to turn their rational minds off, in order for it to be entertaining."

"Exactly," said Sester.

Cally looked at him. "You're saying, it's deliberate?"

"It is the Federation," he responded.

They all absorbed this piece of information.

"The more interesting question is, why would Avon remember this? And why does he have two different sets of memories?" asked Sester.

"Well, this one can't be true. It doesn't make any sense," said Cally.

"And we know that the other one isn't true either," said Argus. "So what really did happen?"

They all looked at each other.

"For that answer, we would have to break the memory blocks hiding the real events," said Garett.

The flex screen began showing images again. They all looked at it.

"It's repeating," remarked Reya.

"It's the first set of memories. The ones Vila has," said Cally.

Garret said, "That would make sense. It reflects the implantation process. They would have to feed Avon the images repeatedly until his mind accepts them as part of his own."

Avon began screaming in the chamber. They all reacted in shock. Garett immediately checked the monitors.

"What's happening?" asked Cally. There was great concern on her face. She made moves to go into the chamber.

"Something is causing him a lot of pain," said Garett.

"We can see that!" said Argus. "But what's causing it?"

Garett said, "We're checking." He worked quickly with his assistants to find the source of the problem. The images on the screen continued.

The screaming stopped abruptly. They all continued staring at the chamber while Garett and his assistants continued trying to find out what happened.

"It looks like…" began Garett but he was interrupted by the sound of a weak and hoarse voice, "Cally?"

Avon! Cally projected to him. She ran to the chamber and tried to open it. "Get him out of there!" she turned to the assistants. Everyone ran to help. When the door was finally opened, Cally rushed in and hugged Avon. "You're awake!"

Avon said with tired amusement, "Yes. I do appear to be." His voice was barely audible.

"How are you feeling?" asked Garett.

"I have a headache," replied Avon. His throat was scratchy. "Throat is dry."

"I'll check you over," said Garett. "And we'll get you some water." Cally let go of Avon reluctantly and let Garett do his job.

"I'll get the water," said Reya.

There was relief on Vila's face and a grin. "No one hugged me."

Avon looked over at him and said lightly, "That's hardly surprising."

Vila was about to respond when Avon said in a more serious tone, "We have many things to discuss."

"Not right now," said Garett as Reya returned with the water and handed it to Cally. As Cally raised Avon's head, Garett said, "You need to rest. There will be no talking until tomorrow."

Avon was sleeping now and of course, Cally was with him. The others were sharing a meal as they talked about what just happened. There was a lighter air and lots of laughter as they each tried to poke holes into the scenes they had just observed. Even Sester seemed to be accepted in the merriment.

Vila had just put a fork of something sweet into his mouth and was busily chewing and talking at the same time. "My favourite part is still, Tarrant doing research. And Avon not being able to do simple math."

Argus took a drink out of his cup, grimaced and put it down again. "Vila, does ORAC have the ability to know how much you weigh? Does it have external sensors?"

Reya switched cups with his. "Here try this."

Vila tried to think, "I've never asked the little bugger. I think it can use the ship's internal sensors."

"Or perhaps it accessed your medical files on the ship?" remarked Reya as she watched Argus try her cup. He nodded in appreciation.

Sester added, "If ORAC is able to interface with any computer or ship and use its sensors, then it didn't make sense that it didn't detect the neutron material."

Argus said, "Or that it didn't notice someone or something gaining unauthorized access to the shuttle and loading something on. I assume that you don't normally leave the shuttle unlocked? I can't imagine Avon would do that. It's too dangerous and especially when he knows they're in a hostile environment. And that he can't trust Egrorian."

"And that thing in the middle of the floor!!" Vila was starting to laugh again. "I went to the airlock half a dozen times throwing stuff out. But that thing was in the middle of the floor! Even if I was blind, how could I not trip over it before or even notice it? I was trying to throw things out."

Sester picked up a piece of fruit from a bowl in the centre of the table and studied it. He added, "Speaking of 'things in the middle of the floor'. It would be a poor murder plan to kill someone by weighting the ship, but leaving the object where even a blind person would trip over it and be curious."

"That's true…" said Vila. "It would take a really stupid evil genius. Oh, there was an episode of….. You know what? Avon caught me looking through the Liberator's archives once. There were all kinds of useless information there, including loads of files on old Delta vids. I wonder if that has anything to do with it."

"You're conjecturing that Avon's mind may have used information from the vids to alter his own memories?"

"Well, I don't know how long he had been standing there watching me watch the vids. Then he said something about wasting my time on sop for the masses and left."

"That sounds like Avon," said Argus. "What we saw didn't."

"Yes, it is completely inconsistent behaviour. Even within the scenarios we saw," said Sester. "Did you notice?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Argus.

"Avon's behaviour. He doesn't do research on Egrorian. But throughout all of the other scenes we saw, Avon is continually thinking and planning. As Vila said before, Avon has a need to understand everything. He takes pre-emptive measures such as building an ORAC Mark II, just in case they might need it. This is an overly cautious man. He is obviously obsessed about safety and is constantly planning and plotting. To not do detailed research on Egrorian is just not plausible for Avon."

"That's true," said Vila. "He may not always tell us, but he's always doing research about things."

Sester continued, "Another inconsistency. ORAC tells them that escape velocity is unattainable. Avon wonders how but he never tries to find out? He never checks the ship status or asks ORAC if there is something wrong with the ship? That is a normal thing to do."

Reya added, "Yes. There seems to be many things the Avon in that scenario didn't ask. Even if there was nothing wrong with the ship. Why didn't Avon ask ORAC why the ship is too heavy? It's their second time down to the planet. This didn't happen before. It's obvious something has changed."

Sester had been thinking while the others continued to poke holes in the scenario. He said, "Vila. How much of those Delta vids did Avon watch with you?"

Vila replied, "I don't know. I didn't see him until he spoke. Nearly jumped out of my skin when he did that."

Reya could see that Sester had something on his mind, "What are you thinking?"

He replied, "It doesn't make sense for Servalan to implant two different sets of memories for the same series of event. And you would have to be insane to want to implant ones that make so little sense."

"Yes, we know that. Get to the point," said Argus.

Sester stared at him and then he said, "We know that Avon would have fought them doing this. And we saw Vila's set of memories being repeated several times with Avon. That is consistent with what is done with the implanting of memories. Repetition until the mind can no longer resist. But I think that Avon's mind did resist, even after they thought he couldn't. He could not stop them from implanting the memories but I think that his subconscious mind continued to reject them the only way it could. It forced chaos on them. After the criminotherapists finish a session, they test the success of the implantation by having the subject recall the memories. That must have been the second set we saw."

"They must have been surprised," said Reya.

"I'd have loved to see the look on Servalan's face when they had Avon repeat the memories and they found that," said Vila.

"Yes. And that would also explain the pain when the first set of memories began again. They realized what Avon was doing and was trying to break him down further."

Vila had not thought about this aspect of it. "Poor Avon," said Vila. "He didn't want them to give him this memory. And I…." He looked depressed.