God Shuffled His Feet

by BKain390822

Buffy wakes up aboard the Raza as a member of its crew. Just like everyone else she has no memories of her life before waking up.

2. Celebration Day

Author: Bastille Kain

Title: God Shuffled His Feet

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters of any show or other medium; comics, movies, and books that are unfortunate enough to be used here all belong to other people. Again I own nothing and make no profit from these writings.

Spoilers: Anything and everything.

Summary: Buffy/Dark Matter Crossover. It is long and complex. The short of it is Buffy wakes up aboard the Raza as a member of its crew. Just like everyone else she has no memories of her life before waking up.

Pairings:

Rating: MA-18. Just to play it safe. Eventually there is going to be adult themed subject matter, gratuitous violence and explicit sexual scenes not to mention strong language.

Feedback: Is always appreciated.

Archive: If you like it that much, sure. Just be sure to let me know where it's going, and give me the credit, good or bad, for my work.

Musical Note: I like to use song titles or lyrics for story names and chapter titles. God Shuffled His Feet: The Crash Test Dummies. Celebration Day: Led Zeppelin. Paint it Black: The Rolling Stones. And When I Die: Laura Nyro (First heard this song at the end of an episode of Van Helsing and out of all the versions I've checked out since then Blood Sweat and Tears/Peter Paul and Mary/The Heavy. Laura Nyro is still the gold standard, although Alison Krauss does an excellent rendition even though it sounds completely different.) Won't Get Fooled Again: The Who.

Author Note: Not a big fan of author notes but here goes… Sorry for the long wait, but my editor/Proof Reader takes forever going over the chapters, reads it through once to get a feel, find little errors (Missed words or wrong words an a where it should be an I… That sort of thing). Then he goes over it again at a pace of two pages per day so about two weeks per chapter. While he isn't really the greatest when it comes to grammar, punctuation, and what not; he is very thorough. I've already got two more chapters completed… Come as You Are and a Buffy/Supergirl Crossover and I'm between halfway and three quarters of the way done on five other chapters; Chapter Three of God Shuffle his feet, Chapter Four of Come as You Are, Chapter Two of Buffy/Supergirl, Chapter One of a Buffy/Arrow crossover and Chapter One of a Buffy/Lucifer crossover. I'm also fleshing out Synopsis for a Buffy/Young Justice story along with a Buffy/Fallout4, and a couple… I'll just call them mega crossover story lines one centered in Justice League Unlimited, another in Once Upon a Time, and one set in the Wheel of Time. There are a lot of ideas just tumbling around in this crazy little mind of mine and if I don't get at least a brief little synopsis fleshed out they really will drive me up a wall. Anyway I've rambled on long enough so…

Enjoy the Story,

Kain

God Shuffled His Feet

Chapter Two: Celebration Day

Andi, she could become used to the name Eight had given her. It wasn't a name she would have chosen for herself, but when has any child ever gotten to chose their own name.

She observed the two teenagers, Five and Seven as they sat on the floor of the bridge. Five had her legs folded under herself while Seven had his splayed out in front of himself while supporting his torso on his forearms. The pair continued to stare at the screen displaying the still framed images of the Raza crew, six wanted criminals.

Marcus Boone had been correct in his observation. They did possess a rather diversified portfolio; everything from murder to kidnapping; piracy, trafficking, and smuggling along with arson, espionage and various acts of terrorism.

"I'm worried," Seven told Five. Neither of the two was aware of her presence. "We wake up from stasis, no memories. I've been shot –"

"And you think one of them did it?" Five asked him.

Seven lifted a rather expressive eyebrow as he gestured toward the screen. "They do sort of have a history of shooting people… And worse."

Five looked at him with dark eyed indignation. "You really see One shooting either of us?" She refused to acknowledge the names. "Or Six?" She shrugged slightly as she added, "Maybe Four if it was expedient? Three's just a loud mouth jerk most of the time but even he wouldn't shoot us. And you've spent as much time around Two as I have. Besides if they shot you, why go through the trouble of patching you up?"

"Maybe it's not so much who they are now as who they used to be and what happens once they get their memories back," Seven wondered.

"Perhaps," Andi started making her presence known and startling the two teens.

Five gave a slight start as she gasped while Seven twisted in the direction of the voice. He clutched at his side with a muttered, "Shit."

"I'm sorry," Andi apologized. "I did not mean to startle you."

"You didn't startle me," Five told her.

"Scared the crap out of, is more like it," Seven said trying to get his pulse back under control. Five shot him a look. Almost since the moment they came out of stasis they had more or less been able to approximate what the other was going to say and put it into their own words. "Sneaking up on us like that."

"My stealth routines are very efficient," Andi informed them sounding very proud of her abilities. If Five didn't know better she would say Andi was boasting, but androids didn't boast.

"Tone 'em down," Seven offered.

"Or dial them back," Five added.

"Maybe ring a bell…"

"Say something."

They shared a grin and said, "Whistle a tune," in unison.

Andi took in the smiling pair, an odd sense of wellness emanated from her core. No matter what else, they at least had each other. She would do her utmost to ensure that never changed. She sat between them, folding her legs much as Five. "Are you afraid of them now?" She inquired with an odd sense of curiosity.

Five glanced at Seven, she kind of knew he was concerned but he had felt that way even before Andi managed to dig up their history. "You think we should be?"

"They show a history of violence, mental instability, extreme antisocial behavior. Deceit –"

"What's important is who they are now," Five interrupted.

Seven didn't agree with her completely but so far they had been anything but violent or threatening towards them. Even Three, he was a jerk. Sure. Despite that he had never made him feel uncomfortable or even unwanted or that he should be afraid of him.

"An admirable attitude," Andi stated in a matter of fact manner. Then she added in the same tone, "Also, potentially a very foolish and dangerous one."

Five ignored Seven's I told you so smirk. "You're the one that tried to kill us," she said instead.

"The result of a programmed directive which has since been deleted," Andi replied.

"Same with them, maybe?" Five argued with quiet conviction.

Seven rolled his eyes but offered a semi accepting, "Right."

Andi paused for a moment, willing to entertain Five's logic even if it might be flawed. Nature versus nurture was an age old debate that had yet to be conclusively resolved. "If it is not fear, then why are you upset?"

"What makes you think we're upset?" Five asked.

"Not you as in both of you, Seven is clearly fearful having suffered a serious injury even if the memory of how or why he was shot is lost to him, discovering that a member of the crew is as likely a suspect as anyone else, has left him feeling vulnerable," Andi explained. She focused on Five and continued, "I can see muscle tension in your jaw and shoulder. I can hear a slight increase in both respiration and heart rate. I can smell a distinct increase in pheromone production –"

"Okay, okay… I get it," Five cut her off before she could add any more embarrassing little tidbits. She flashed Andi a brief flicker of a smile. "Look, if you want to know why, it's because we're the only ones not in the files."

"So we're not members of the crew," Seven jumped in. "So how did we get onboard? Are we stowaways? Did they kidnap us? Demand a huge ransom from our parents?"

"At least they know they belong here," Five said in a voice aching with uncertainty. "We're nothing but a pair of big question marks?"

"There may come a time that you'll consider yourself lucky not to be counted as a member of this crew," Andi replied in what Five considered to be a comforting tone.

"Well right now I just wished I was part of the team," Five countered with a melancholy sigh.

As she started to stand Andi said, "Perhaps you are recent hires," Andi suggested attempting to be helpful. She did not care for the lost quality in Five's tone. "Despite your youth you are very skilled with computers and electronics. Perhaps you were brought on for your technical skills and Seven is your fetcher monkey…"

"Thanks for that," Seven mumbled.

"It is something I heard Eight say. It is very descriptive is it not?"

Seven smiled at that with a, "Yeah. Descriptive."

Andi return her attention to Five who was now struggling to hold in a grin. "It is also possible that one or both of you have a connection to a member of the crew that we are unaware of at this time."

Five paused as Andi's words echoed in her ears. What sort of a connection could she or Seven possibly have with a member of the crew. It wasn't like –

It couldn't be.

A genetic similarity, Eight had told her earlier.

No, it couldn't be possible. She was a mass murderer. A terrorist.

Five felt sick. As if everything she's ever eaten was about to come back up on her. "I've got to go," she murmured to Seven and Andi and than bolted from the bridge.

Seven watched Five race away. He had never seen her in such a state. Granted he only had about a day's worth of memories to go by. He got to his feet much slower than Five had knowing there was no way he was going to catch up to her. "For the record, you might want to keep the whole smelling pheromones thing to yourself. Not going to make you very many friends."

"But I can smell them," She said as Seven exited leaving her alone on the bridge.

/ / /

Hacking into the Raza's medical files was far easier than Five thought it would be, not that there were any established security protocols in place and the information was simply there for anyone to peruse. Understanding the information was far more complicated but with the help of the computer she had finally managed confirming her suspicions.

Eight was her mother.

An assassin. A terrorist. A mass murdering psychopath.

She wanted to find a hole. Someplace dark she could crawl into, curl up and just wither away.

It was in her blood…

Worse it was buried deep down in her genes.

There was no running away from it. She couldn't hide from it. Couldn't scrape it away or bleed it out.

Mocking her, Four's genetic profile filled another monitor. According to the computer they shared a common ancestor. Eight, whose genetics filled a third monitor. Only he was much further removed, like seven to nine generations. Technically that made him, her nephew; with a half dozen greats thrown in there for good measure.

If nothing else, it proved her point. No matter how far removed he was Four was as much a cold blooded killer as Eight.

She didn't want to be a killer.

Maybe Two would –

The thought stopped before it could truly form. Two had known and said nothing. That was possibly the reason Two had sent her to Eight in the first place, which meant Eight knew as well and remained silent when they had spoken.

Five closed her eyes, took a deep breath trying to slow her racing mind.

How do you react when confronted with a teenage daughter and neither of you have any memories that are more than twelve hours old?

Only Eight said she did have memories. More flashes or images not really memory, memories. Maybe these flashes showed her things she didn't want to remember. That could explain the reason behind her clean slate comment.

She could stand here all day holding a silent debate and accomplish nothing. It was highly unlikely the DNA results were going to change any time soon. Like it or not there was only one person who might have answers for her.

It was time to have a conversation with her mother.

/ / /

Dawn sighed in frustration. Andi had been correct. Without a direct link to a Hab-1 Data port the intranet was worse than useless. Sure she could pull down general information; the standard… Should be considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach. Contact your local GA with current location. It even gave a greatest hits of their crimes, acts they were suspected of committing, wanted for questioning in. The least of their crimes carried a minimum life without the possibility of parole sentence.

Somehow it just didn't seem right that she could be tried and convicted in absentia.

She wanted to rip the terminal from its housing, only that wouldn't accomplish anything other than leaving her without a terminal until she could convince Five to fix it for her.

With a sharp jab of her index finger she shut the terminal down. It began to go black but after a second it flickered, as a familiar voice filled her quarters, "There is nothing wrong with your monitor. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission," as the monitor grew brighter to a near blinding whiteness that filled the entire screen, "We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical," before it shrank back down to a pinprick, like gazing at the sun from behind a sheet of blackness. The light stretched into a thin horizontal line that began to roll up the monitor as the voice went on, "We can roll the image; make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity." It was her voice, only it wasn't her voice. There was a cadence to it, a maturity and presence that she simply didn't posses.

On the monitor her face appeared in a sea of black nothingness. But again it was her, only it wasn't. She looked, not older but more mature with harder, colder eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and her ears lacked any sort of adornment, no earrings or clip-ons.

From somewhere off screen a male voice said, "I can't believe you're gonna Total Recall yourself." Green eyes, with all the warmth of a polar icecap, shifted in the direction of the speaker. "Right sorry," came the hasty apologized.

With a hard breath the green eyes returned front and center and Dawn had the feeling they were staring straight through her; as if she was something to be scraped off the bottom of her shoe. A functional combat boot if the severe image on the monitor was anything to go by. "That you're seeing this message, I can only assume the Android has retrieved the ship's data log and as usual curiosity has gotten the better of you. Just be mindful of what it did to the cat.

"You obviously have questions. Unfortunately the few answers you left me… To put it bluntly they're rather unenlightening. As is normal for us we have forever been a bit cryptic even with ourselves. Temporal paradoxes or what have you.

"To answer what is probably your most obvious question, we are not responsible for the memory wipe. If you ever did uncover the person or group behind it you never disclosed that information, at least not to me. You merely put yourself in a position to take advantage of the situation and infiltrated the crew of the Raza. No matter what you intimate, I do not believe they are the stalwarts you claim them to be.

"For the record, I do not agree with your plan to undertake this mission. With everything coming to a head, another agent, even a senior agent could have been made available at this juncture. We have duties and responsibilities. Everything we have done… And yes, no matter what you may wish to believe, everything in that file is true. It has been, always will be, are one redeemable quality. The preservation of life in this universe, our universe. We do what no one else can do, make the decisions nobody but us can make. We stopped looking for alternatives a long time ago and have committed atrocities to numerous to count for our cause, tried to wipe our sins away with the blood of the innocent. Perhaps that is the reason why you decided to take this course, a last chance to cleanse our soul.

"I do not know?"

She took a breath and appeared to lose the tension she had been holding. "Whatever happens, I wish you the best. God only knows we deserve a little happiness in our life. I don't know which of our girls is with you, I did all I could to protect them from people like us, from organizations that would try to turn them into us, hiding them so even I wouldn't be able to find them. Cherish them. Love them. And if anything… Anyone ever threatens them… Wipe them from the face of existence."

The screen went black.

"No!" She growled quickly turning the terminal on. There had to be more. If she was suppose to be doing something why didn't she just tell her? Why the cloak and dagger? The subterfuge? If the universe hung it the balance…?

It made no sense not to come out and speak plainly.

/ / /

Five backed away from the door, a numbness hanging over her as she stumbled into the wall directly across from the door. Eight had known, well not Eight but the person she had been before knew that they were going to lose their memories. She stood by and allowed it to happen.

All as part of some grand scheme to avert a universal disaster. So wrapped up in her great goal she abandoned her daughters…

She stopped as the words sunk in.

Daughters?

A sister. She had a sister out there.

She needed to talk to someone, but who? Who could she trust?

/ / /

Dawn stopped an inch or so before her door would automatically open. Catching up to Five would have been a simple matter, but then what? It wasn't like she had any sort of explanation for what the young girl must have heard.

And the message was gone, deleting itself after playing. Perhaps Andi could recover it, or some of it but that was doubtful. Her former self or more likely an underling… A minion. Had she been the sort of person who would have minions… Obviously they knew their way around a computer.

No, once she and the others returned from making their delivery there was going to be another meeting. First she'd talk to Two and Five, feel them out. Then she would take her chances with everyone else.

With luck they wouldn't try to space her.

There were still things that needed to be done before it was time for them to leave. It didn't take her long to reset the security parameters. No matter what she would prove to Five that she trusted her.

A thought had been bugging her since the message from herself. Opening the chest she quickly scanned the contents. She had seen it in here when she had been going through her things earlier and there it was again. She pulled the case from its place and gazed at it with curiosity, as if it were the clue to a puzzle.

The right side of a man's face dominated the case. The word Schwarzenegger was printed in large block letters along the top and Total Recall were in the bottom corner with a tag line of "Get ready for the ride of your life" just above it. She closed the case and leaned the box against the mirror attached to her vanity. Now she had a note to leave, just in case Five returned.

/ / /

"It also means you could spend the rest of your life doing good deeds and not even come close to making up for it," Two told One from inside the galley. There was a trace of infuriated anger brimming in her voice. She seemed to calm herself, at least a little. "Look I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. You don't want to believe what those computer files say you are? Fair enough. I don't much want to either, but I'm not going to kill myself trying to make up for crimes I don't even remember committing." Five heard the chair scrape back across the floor. "We stick to the plan."

"And who made you team leader?" One demanded like a petulant child.

"I did," Two answered. "By stepping up and so didn't all of you by not challenging me when I did." This time the anger was seething in her words as she crossed back to the table, her steps were heavier, filled with a rage. "Unless… Unless you've had a change of heart and think you can do a better job?" The question hung in the air a moment, the silence stretching out until Two finally said, "Didn't think so."

A few seconds later she exited the galley and spotted Five pacing across the hall a few feet away, the teenager was just about bursting with nervous energy. Moving toward Five, Two gestured and the young girl fell in beside her. It was obvious Five wanted to talk but she remained silent until they were out of earshot.

"You heard," Two finally asked.

Five shrugged as she said, "Just toward the end. You were kind of hard on him though, not that I don't agree with you," she said hastily but then added, "not that I don't agree with One either. I wish this was simpler?"

"You're not the only one," Two agreed. "You've got something else on your mind though?"

Five's gaze darted toward Two, her eyes so expressive and full of her emotions, but she quickly looked away. Two could see the turmoil on her face. It was eerie how similar to Eight she was, but while the blonde built walls to hide behind Five wore her emotions plain for everyone to see. Two wondered if Eight had ever been like Five once. If so she had been very different once upon a time. "It's Eight," Five said in a voice that was very conflicted.

Two exhaled, a tension she hadn't realized she was holding drained from her muscles. "She told you?" It surprised her that Eight had told Five now. After everything they had recently learned about themselves she had been sure Eight would have pushed Five even further away, attempt to shield the young brunette from what she was.

"That she's my mother," Five murmured with a derisive snort. She sounded irritated, bordering on outright pissed. "That, I learned by hacking the ship's medical log. You really need to do something about computer security aboard this ship," she added almost as an after-thought.

"Well, I think I might know somebody more than capable of doing the job," Two informed her as if they were involved in some great conspiracy.

For a moment Five almost forgot she was upset with Two. There would be time enough for that later. "I don't think we can trust her," she said quickly. For some reason Five couldn't comprehend, making that statement was almost physically painful.

Two frowned slightly as she came to a stop. Eight was one of the few people on board she did trust. Four had his own agenda, whether he remember it or not; Three she wouldn't trust if he told her water was wet, One wanted to make up for a lifetime of killing and thievery in a single day. Six… There was something too trustworthy about him. A man with his track record should set off some sort of warning bell, but he didn't. Five and Seven were just kids, possibly petty criminals… Street hustlers and grifters who might be attempting to go pro; or maybe they were just running from a bad situation.

Eight though, she was different… Sometimes maniac, other times she was cold and ruthless. Or she could be almost whimsical and carefree. That was just the surface, what she allowed you to see but underneath all those different mask there was a vulnerability, a deep abiding sadness she was hiding. Maybe from herself more than anyone else?

"Why?"

"I…" Five started. She stopped, tried to calm herself but couldn't. Her mind didn't want to be still. "When I went to confront her, I heard her. Only it wasn't her. It was her voice but it didn't sound like her. She sounded older, in command. Almost heartless. And some of what she was saying –" She stopped again before she lost sight of why she sought Two out. "She knew," Five finally managed to blurt out.

"Knew what?" Two asked, a speculative crease worming its way through her brow.

"About us," Five answered. "Losing our memories," she went on. "It didn't sound like she planned it but was willing to take advantage of a situation that was going to present itself. She didn't agree with the plan but mentioned something about temporal paradoxes. And…" She paused taking a breath and then went on in a soft hesitant voice. "She knew I was going to be here. I'm the reason she went through with her plan. So she could get to me." It hadn't so much been said but she knew it was the truth.

Two's frown deepened slightly as she thought. "Start from the beginning," she ordered. She needed to make sense of what Five was telling her.

Five nodded and started at the beginning or maybe even a little further back to when she first became suspicious during her and Seven's conversation with Andi on the bridge, to her checking the DNA profiles and discovering Eight was her mother, even the fact that she was distantly related to Four. Her confusion and maybe a bit of revulsion at being a blood relation to not just one mass murderer but [to] two, wondering if her genetics predisposed her to being some sort of natural born killer and her decision to confront Eight. Arriving at Eight's quarters only to discover the door closed and a moment from announcing her presence when she heard Eight's voice going on about controlling the image, but it didn't sound like the Eight either of them knew. She had sounded older, in control and confident. She sounded cold yet seething with a sort of anger at having to give up everything just so she could follow through on this plan.

Two nodded, it made a sort of sense, but it also raised more questions. "Can you get back into that file?"

"Yeah," Five answered quickly. "It's not like Eight is all that tech savvy," she added with an abundance of confidence.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Two said earning a frown from the girl but there was no way she was going into that explanation. "While everyone is planet-side make a copy of that file. We can have Andi go over it; authenticate and analyze it." Five turned but Two caught her arm preventing the teenager from leaving. "Eight is smart; she's cunning and ruthless and has probably been running these sorts of operations for a very long time now. She'll probably have contingencies in place to prevent what you're going to be trying to do. You may not like it but you're going to have to think like her and then be better."

Five swallowed, Two was right. She so didn't want to go there but it needed to be done and this was her being needed. "I'll get it done," she said.

Two flashed Five a quick smile and said, "I know you will," with no small amount of confidence.

/ / /

Like everyone else aboard the Marauder, Dawn watch with mild interest as Two took One aside. She wasn't intentionally listening but unlike Andi she didn't possess the ability to adjust her hyper acute senses. They were maxed out all the time. Then again it wasn't like Two meant it to be a private conversation. If she had they wouldn't have held it in the hall outside the open hatch.

"Look," Two started. "I may have been a little hard on you before. Believe me, I know how you feel. We all do. But ten minutes after finding out you used to be a villain is not the time to try to be a hero. There is no room for independent action. We need to stick together and watch each others' backs. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Withdrawing a modified revolver, hidden within a specialized holster built into her black long coat Dawn checked the weapon over. If you didn't know the holster was there it would be nearly impossible to find the holster or gun. She had gotten lucky, or maybe she had known it was there all along. It was one of five holsters hidden in the coat.

"Now that's a work of art," Boone admired the revolver. "May I?" He asked holding out his hand. Dawn passed it over.

With a grunted Three took the weapon feeling its heft, just another reminder of how different the tiny blonde was. "Thing's a beast. A little old fashion for my taste," he opened the cylinder. "Only five rounds," he noted.

"Modified load, a magnesium phosphorous compound. Packs a little more kick," Dawn explained wondering why she would need ammunition that would burn a hole clean through a person's chest. Or why each round was cast in silver and branded with a cross.

Boone grimaced as he handed the gun back. "Remind me not to get on your bad side?" He said as he flashed her a boyish smile. It didn't really make him better looking, but it did make him look less thuggish and a bit more rakish.

Dawn glanced at Ryo. "When we get back, you up for a little sparring? You set the bar," she offered.

"I think so," she heard Corso answer. He didn't sound all that certain.

"Once the weapons are delivered and that shuttle comes back. I want you on it, understood?" Two explained slowly. About the only way she could make it plainer would be if she spelled it out with big block letters.

Ryo nodded but said, "I don't expect you to take it easy on me. I'm not going to just be your practice dummy."

"Of course not," Dawn agreed.

"Yeah," Corso answered.

"That's what Three is for," Dawn agreed with a playful grin.

"Hey," Boone growled.

"You walked right into that one," Jones said with a smirk and a chuckle.

"I haven't said a word," Three complained managing an equal blend of annoyed and irritated.

"Alright," Two said stepping closer. "Safe flight," she added with a gentle slap to his cheek. Turning she started walking away. "Stop staring at my ass."

/ / /

The Marauder had only just launched and they were already at the open door leading into Eight's quarters. Five frowned slightly upon seeing that, it almost felt like Eight was giving her permission. Seven felt a tickle run up his spine and he whispered, "I don't like this." Breaking into someone's place wasn't supposed to involve open doors. It felt like a trap. The thought gave him a moment's pause as he wondered how he could possibly know that. Maybe Andi was right and they had more in common with the crew of the Raza then they first believed. Maybe they simply hadn't made it onto the GA's most wanted list.

"She told me if her door was open I could just go in," Five said crossing the threshold.

"What about your friend?" Seven murmured. "You know, the one that didn't receive an invitation?"

Five shot him a quick smile and said, "You could always play lookout?"

Seven gave her a partial eye roll. "She's on the Marauder making an illegal arms delivery," he reminded her.

"In that case you've got nothing to worry about," Five told him taking another step into the room. "Then again I'm pretty sure her stealth routines are even better then Andi's?"

He glared at her back for a second then said, "I just learned something new about you?"

"What's that?" Five asked in a distant voice as she picked up a note pad she noticed lying on the bed.

"Sometimes you can be a real…" His voice trailed off as he noticed Five wasn't paying attention to him as she read the note Eight had left. "Why use paper?" He wondered aloud. A computer, or even a data pad would have been more efficient.

"She doesn't trust the system," Five said handing the pad over to him. "Thinks it might be compromised by, well… Her. The person she used to be."

"What's a spidey sense?" Seven asked as he lowered the pad. "And why would it tingle?" Most of it read like some kind of cipher.

Five gave him a small shrug. "She also suggested we should record everything, preferably on something that isn't linked into the system as it might be compromised by the same program that deleted the original message."

"Andi," Seven suggested.

Five gave the suggestion some thought and murmured, "Maybe? Her neural link might make her vulnerable though."

"It's too bad we haven't gotten around to doing a complete inventory," Seven pointed out. An object on Eight's vanity caught his attention. A small, very thin rectangular case was leaning against the mirror. It was dark bluish fading into black with the right side of a man's stern face staring straight out. He was handsome enough, a lot of woman probably found him attractive. Along the top of the box was single word, maybe the man's name; Schwarzenegger. In the bottom corner were two words, Total Recall with a tag line of, "Get ready for the ride of your life", just above Total Recall. "What's that?" He asked with a gesture toward the box.

Five took a couple of steps and retrieved the object. "That's what the other voice said. I can't believe you're gonna pull a Total Recall," she told Seven.

"What is it?"

With an indifferent shrug Five gave the box a slight shake. Something inside rattled. "I think it might be some old fashion type of Vid?" She answered though she wasn't exactly sure.

/ / /

Andi had confirmed Five's original assessment. Total Recall was in fact a Vid. The one they discovered in Eight's room was formatted in a style called a DVD. "This," Andi said, "appears to be a highly modified version of the film. Unaltered, this film has a run time of one hour and fifty three minutes. The typical size of a high definition DVD of this type should be approximately three and a quarter to four gigabytes. My scans indicate this disc contains fifteen gigabytes of information."

"Eleven extra gigabytes," Two murmured thoughtfully.

"That's a lot right?" Seven asked.

"Not necessarily," Andi answered. "It could be one file or even just a fragment of a larger one."

"Like they're leading us on a scavenger hunt," Two commented as her temper simmered through.

"An apt analogy," Andi agreed.

"Probably just trying to keep our attention off whatever they're really after," Two theorized.

"Can you play it? Access the information?" Seven asked.

Glancing at the young man Andi said, "Easily. But the possibility exist that Eight is correct and there is some sort of virus infecting the system—"

"Can you and Five set up an isolated system?" Two asked. "In one of the unused rooms, we've got plenty?"

"We might have to scavenge components from some of the empty rooms. Run a diagnostic to ensure nothing is infected," Andi explained.

Five hung back as Andi and Seven left the bridge. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure," Two replied with only the slightest flicker of hesitancy. She was glad Five was still willing to treat her as a friend, maybe even a confidant.

"I know you didn't exactly get the answers you were looking for and this thing with Eight…" She stopped herself, trying to stay focused on the one thing and not head off on another tangent. "But if you could go back to when we first woke up and not know. Would you?"

Two exhaled, a little of her frustration leaking through as she dropped her head, taking a quick look at the floor before returning her dark eyes to Five. "I suppose I might but I have the feeling not knowing would just make me want to know all over again."

"Well," Five said slowly. "I guess the next big mystery that needs solving is who stole our memories."

"If anyone stole them it would've been Eight," Two said in a hard voice.

"I heard that message," Five said with an odd feeling of protectiveness for the blonde. "Eight… Elizza," she changed the name refusing to think of the two women as the same person. "She knew it was going to happen but didn't know who did it. At least that was what she told Eight." There were so many things about that message that bothered her. There were things she needed to research.

Two pinned Five with a concerned look. Despite her claims to the contrary it was becoming obvious that Five was developing an attachment to Eight. Not that she could blame the girl. "Alright, if it wasn't Eight, if she was just taking advantage of the situation then what makes you think it wasn't an accident?"

"In the message Elizza said, "If you ever found out who stole your memories you never told me."."

"Or Elizza was just screwing with her head," Two pointed out. It sounded like something this Elizza would be capable of doing.

Five took a slow breath. "I guess," she said after a moment. "If we manage to cobble something together do you want us to wait for the others or…?"

Two frowned at the question. She didn't really have an answer to give Five. "For right now, we just wait."

/ / /

Eight kept the back of the crate off the ground without any outward sign of strain while a pair of miners grunted with the effort of holding up their end. If it hadn't been so bulky she would have carried the crate herself and been done by now, although she was probably better served by maintaining a semi low level profile. Several of the miners were already looking at her oddly.

Mireille, the young blonde Dawn suspected of being second in command of the colony was approaching Corso, apologizing because they had nothing left to give them but they had sent everything off with Hrothgar. She was concerned with what they were going to tell their employer. Corso offered up a rather lame, "Intergalactic transports a risky business. Cargo gets misplaced or stolen all the time. Insurance will cover it."

Eight wondered if she had ever been such a horrible liar. Unlike the Vid she watched a few hours ago. That version of her had been a master manipulator and she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief she was gone. Hopefully forever.

"You're good people," Mireille said.

Dawn couldn't help but keep an eye on Corso as she set her end of the crate down. The older miner, his dark hair flecked generously with grey exhaled loudly as he stretched, bending back slightly while the younger brown eyed man started, "Damn girl. I don't think—"

"I makes sure to eats me spinich everyday," she cut him off. The very last thing she wanted to do was listen to some fan-boy gush about how special she was.

Corso was having a hard time maintaining eye contact with Mireille. The man was an idiot. He should just accept the compliment and bed the girl already. She couldn't have been any more obvious if she had worn a flashing sign proclaiming herself ripe for the plucking. Instead he said, "No. We're not," in about as morose of a tone as possible.

"Of course you are," she argued. "You've helped us. I mean you've probably saved our lives…"

"I'm beginning to think it's just the opposite. By giving you these weapons I'm afraid we're just giving you false hope," he said. "Look," he started stepping forward. "You can't win this. If you stay here and fight, you'll die."

"I'm hoping it's not going to come to that. We have help coming and more weapons—"

Boone strode up to the pair with a found and good natured, "That's the spirit. Don't let the bastards get you down. As for us," he gave a hooking gesture with his thumb, mouthed softly, "we gotta get," before adding volume, "back to our space ship." Corso at least had the good sense to nod. Perhaps Two's speech had sunk in. If not there were other options.

"Not yet," Keeley said. She was a tall, dark skinned woman with long black hair and brown eyes. She rested a hand on Boone's shoulder. "At least allow us to say thank you."

Boone flashed Keeley a charming smirk as he said, "That blood thirsty look in your eyes is all the thanks I need."

Dawn did her best to suppress the smile but she had the distinct impression her eyes were laughing loudly. She was actually beginning to find Boone amusing.

"With song and drink," Keeley added forcefully.

"Well, who doesn't love a good song," Boone replied.

Dawn let her head roll back as several of the locals strolled pass. There was the distinct sense that things were about to go sideways.

/ / /

After a single sip of beer Dawn decided she would forgo any more and instead made her way over to the raised stage at the back of the local bar where several instruments were located; a pair of steel string acoustic guitars, a small drum set, a large bass cello, a horn, a flute and an upright piano. Picking up one of the guitars she strummed the open strings and winced. She settled on one of the stools as she bent over the guitar and quickly tuned the instrument. Several of the locals took note of her but no one challenged her right to be there.

They had said song and drink and since she didn't like their drink.

She struck a single note on the thinnest string and it made a high pitch, keening wail that she allowed to ring out for several seconds before she struck a series of notes on the fret board in quick succession along the two bottom strings, holding the final note for several prolonged beats. Her fingers shifted smoothly pressing down on the second fret of the fourth and fifth string with her second and third finger of her left hand while her right strummed all six strings in a smooth, steady rhythm once, twice and on the third beat she sang out, "I see a red door and I want it painted black," as her fingers shifted forming a new chord and the beat picked up. "No colors anymore, I want them to turn black." Her fingers glided across the strings forming another chord and the tempo intensified, her words taking on an urgent feeling. "I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head away until my darkness goes." The tempo slowed again and her voice became laced with a moody undercurrent. "I see a line of cars and they're all painted black. With flowers and my love, both never to come back." The rhythm increased again. "I see people turn their heads and quickly look away. Like a newborn baby it just happens every day. I look inside myself and see my heart is black. I see my red door and must have it painted black. Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts. It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black. No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue. I could not foresee this thing happening to you. If I look hard enough into the setting sun, my love will laugh with me before the morning comes. I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore, I want them to turn black. I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes. I have to turn my head until my darkness goes. I wanna see it painted, painted black. Black as night, black as coal…" The strumming slowed, softened as she began to hum.

The pattern of her strumming changed and she sang, "And when I die." She held the last word for several seconds. "And when I'm dead, dead and gone, there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on." She held onto the word as she once again changed the tempo and rhythm of her strumming giving it more of a down to Earth, backwoods feeling.

"I'm not scared of dying and I don't really care. If its peace you find in dying, well, then let the time be near. If its peace you find in dying, when dying time is here, just bundle up my coffin cause it's cold way down there. I hear that's its cold way down there, yeah, crazy cold way down there. And when I die and when I'm gone, there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

"My troubles are many, they're as deep as a well. I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. Swear there ain't no heaven and pray there ain't no hell, but I'll never know by living, only my dying will tell, only my dying will tell, yeah, only my dying will tell. And when I die and when I'm gone, there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.

"Give me my freedom for as long as I be. All I ask of living is to have no chains on me. All I ask of living is to have no chains on me, and all I ask of dying is to go naturally, only want to go naturally. Don't want to go by the devil, don't want to go by the demon, don't want to go by Satan, don't want to die uneasy, just let me go naturally. And when I die and when I'm gone, there'll be one child born, there'll be one child born. When I die, there'll be one child born. When I die, there'll be one child born."

/ / /

"Take this," Five said handing Seven a set of cables and several junction boxes as she continued to strip out a second spare room of its terminal and several other key components.

Seven put them on the antigrav sled. "Why do we need so much?" He asked. He was sure he had asked before but with everything that had been going on better to be safe.

Five pulled another component out of its housing. "Better to get too much now than having to go scavenging for more parts later," she explained. "How are we doing?"

Taking a quick look at the data pad Andi had given them Seven said, "We need two more of those data hub thing-a-ma-bobs and a coil something or other." He glanced around the room and said, "I think we've just about stripped this place bare."

Five nodded as she agreed, "Looks like."

"Five, Seven," Two's voice cut over their comms. "Go to ground. Find a safe place to hole up and stay there until you get the all clear."

"What's…?" Seven started.

"Ferrous Corp," Two's voice cut him off.

"We'll get this down to the hold and then use the ducts to find a safe place to hold up in," Five suggested.

Seven nodded. The hold wasn't far and if anybody got snoopy all they'd see was a bunch of junk. He pushed the sled into the corridor as Five locked the door behind them. It took longer to get to the hold. Once there they secured the room and made their way into the Raza's duct system.

"Does this look familiar?" Five asked.

"It's a duct," Seven answered. "They all look familiar."

"No, look," she said pointing out a dark stain. "I think this might be blood."

Seven frowned. Maybe there was the possibility he needed to talk to someone. "Like from when we first came on board," he suggested.

"Stowaways," Five said.

It was possible, but there were other possibilities. "Or kidnapped and I got shot during an escape attempt."

Five turned slightly and he shrugged. It was possible. "Given what we know about who they used to be, do you really think if one of them shot you that you'd still be alive right now?"

She made a good point. "Fine," he said. "Should we try and follow it?"

/ / /

One listened to Eight as she played a rather upbeat song about death and dying and going to heaven or hell. He wasn't quite sure. Somehow it seemed wrong and yet oddly appropriate. "She's good," Six said. Like Two neither man was comfortable with the men they had been and preferred to be called by their numerical designation when the situation permitted.

"Two said she could play," One agreed. He watched, a sense of revulsion in the pit of his stomach, as Three swallowed a large mug of the miners self brewed beer. "We drink their drink, eat their food and then just…" he exhaled trying to rid himself of the wrongness of the situation. "Leave them here to die?"

Eight stood up as she finished one song and walked over to the piano. She slung the guitar around so that the body rested against her back. One hand began playing repetitive set of chords while the other began playing a quick succession of repeating notes.

"Hey," Six started, trying to calm One down. Talk him off the ledge as it were. "If you have another suggestion that doesn't involve us dying here with them I'd love to hear it." Like One he didn't much care for the man he learnt he had been less than an hour ago. Unlike his shipmate though Six had no plans to play martyr.

One breathed in, he could feel his pulse racing as he came to decision. "Maybe we should tell them the truth?" He suggested to Six.

"What that we're mercenaries sent here to kill them?" That had all the makings of a really bad action vid about a group of idiots forced to kill the very people they were trying to help.

"They should know no more help is coming," One argued.

After half a minute or so Eight brought the guitar back around and struck a series of deep notes on the thickest strings. One note at a time quickly became a pair played together and her fingers moved down the neck of the guitar.

Six gave a slight head shake as he said, "It won't make a difference."

"Maybe not," One agreed as he took a quick look around. "But we might."

Eight's voice added an odd counterpoint to the guitar's rough edge as she began singing. We'll be fighting in the streets. With our children at our feet, and the morals that they worship will be gone.

"Don't even think about it," Six warned him. Two had talked to him before they left. He was fairly certain Two had talked to most of them.

And the men who spurred us on. Sit in judgment of all wrong. They decide and the shotgun sings the song.

"We're very, very bad people," One started. He kept his voice soft, allowing Eight's music to cover what he was saying. "Who have done some very bad things."

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution.

"This is our chance to put our unique skill set to good use."

Smile and grin at the change all around. Pick up my guitar and play.

"We stand alongside these miners and when Ferrous Corp comes we hurt them. Hurt them so bad they think twice about bothering with this planet…"

Just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray.

Six chuckled. He couldn't believe how accurate Two had been. It was like she had been inside One's head all along.

"…What?"

We don't get fooled again.

"You are nothing if not predictable," Six told him. One looked away, humiliation or anger burning just below the surface.

The change, it had to come. We knew it all along.

Six went on, he ignored Eight's voice and the song she was playing. "Two told me you'd say all that, practically word for word."

We were liberated from the fold, that's all. And the world looks just the same.

One folded his arms as Six added, "She also said to do whatever it takes to bring you back with us…" He rested a heavy hand on One's shoulder.

And history ain't changed. 'Cause the banners, they are flown in the last war.

"…Including knocking you out and dragging you back if I have to."

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution. Take a bow for the new revolution. Smile and grin at the change all around.

"Now she did ask me not to hit you in the face though," Six finished with a gentle tap to One's jaw.

Pick up my guitar and play. Just like yesterday. Then I'll get on my knees and pray. We don't get fooled again.

One of the miners that was on guard duty burst into the bar with a harried shout of, "Ferrous Corp is here!" That cut off Eight's song almost mid word. "Ferrous Corp is here," he repeated with dread filling a voice that sounded decidedly sickly.

One stood, as did Three and Four but unlike the others there was a speculative look in his eyes. Six stared at him, hoping the man would see reason, as he gave his head a slight shake. "Hey, hey," he started but One was already darting after the miners. Six scowled darkly as he hefted his shotgun and stood. If One survived this he was going to shoot the man himself.

Dawn un-slung the guitar from her shoulders as she watched the others bolt from the room. "Now that's just rude. If you didn't like the song," she mumbled placing the guitar back in its nook, "you could've just asked me to play something else," she continued as she followed after the others. "Maybe hum a few bars?" She suggested even though no one was close enough to hear her.

/ / /

"Marauder," Two hailed the Marauder again, concern leaching its way into her voice every time she attempted to make contact and they failed to respond. "This is the Raza. Are you there?"

"We might want to consider they've already encountered the Ferrous Corp shuttle," Andi advised her.

Anger began to burn in Two's veins and she let the emotion wash over her. "Patch me through to the destroyer," she ordered Andi as she moved out from behind the counsel.

"Done," Andi replied after only a moment.

"This is the Raza, please respond." She waited a moment, swallowing her fear trying to force her emotions aside but her crew was in trouble. "This is the Raza, please respond," she repeated allowing a bit of her impatience to shine in her voice.

A pompous voice filled the bridge. "This is Commander Nieman of the FCS Destroyer Deliverance. Took you long enough," he pointed out to her. He did not sound like a very pleasant man.

"Apologies," she replied attempting to sound at least passingly contrite. But an idea was beginning to form in the recesses of her mind. A possible way to explain Five and Seven. "What can I do for you Commander?"

"Well you can start by telling me what the hell is going on," he ordered with quite a bit of anger simmering in his voice. "Why you didn't complete your mission, or update us on your status?"

"There were some complications we had to contend with but we have everything under control now," she informed Nieman. "Please have your shuttle fall back," she requested. He wasn't going to go for it but it was the first attempt. Who knows maybe they get lucky, he complies and her people get the hell off the planet and head straight into FTL.

"Negative Raza. Contingency plans have been enacted," he replied in his smug little voice.

How she wanted to choke the life out of him. Instead she responded saying, "Again that won't be necessary Deliverance. This is our show."

"Not anymore it's not," Nieman informed her. "Raza, I'm on my way over to take possession of the acquisition. Be sure it's ready for transport."

There was a certain finality in his voice. As if he had already decided what to do about them. He was going to try and attempt to kill her people on the planet and then kill the miners and play the evil mercenary raided the planet, killing everyone and they, The benevolent Corporation arrived just a little too late but the crew of the Raza was dead. Why the hell hadn't they come right back after making the delivery? That had been the plan… Drop off the guns and then get the hell out of there. She should have locked One back in a stasis pod. This entire thing was his fault. She just knew it.

/ / /

The Ferrous Corp Assault Team came to a stop as the high caliber round blew out a chunk of concrete in front of them. "That's far enough," Nassan warned the assault team.

"Is that any way to act?" the team leader, Sergeant Vlask demanded as he stepped closer to the miners pouring out of every little nook. "After Ferrous Corp made you such a generous offer," he didn't know what the offer was nor did he care. His orders were clear.

"Generous?" Keeley whispered in disbelief. "You'd make us slaves on our own land," she growled.

"One last chance to reconsider," Vlask offered. Truth was there were no more chances. These people were all dead.

"Whoa," One breathed out as he rushed between the two groups. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Hold on please. Hold up. No one wants a fight here."

Vlask narrowed his eyes as Corso stopped next to him. "You had a job to do Corso," Vlask said as Ryo came to within an arm's length distant. Boone stopped half a dozen meters away and Jones a hair or two further back. None of the mercenaries were going to leave this planet alive.

One looked to Four and the others. "Well we took some time to think things through and decided on a change of plans. Take your men and leave. Tell your bosses we're with these people now."

"You can't be serious," Vlask said in a deathly quiet tone. "What did they offer you?"

One kept his voice soft, full of menace as he said, "You know us. You know what we're capable of. Think of the losses."

Then Vlask saw Summer stroll out from behind the miners. There were rumors about the woman, but no one knew the truth. She had appeared out of the darkest depths of space, from a place nothing ever came out of, almost twenty years ago and started carving a bloody swath wherever she went. She left nothing but death in her wake.

"It's not worth it," Corso told him.

He knew enough about the original plan to know she wasn't supposed to be out of a stasis unit until after the miners were all dead. Then she would have been captured, charged and executed before any objections could be raised. After all, who was going to object to the execution of a mass murderer and known terrorist? Especially after they had just been caught, with the blood of hundreds on her hands.

"Find another planet," Corso suggested in a tone that wasn't really suggesting.

"What the hell is…?" Vlask grumbled under his breath. His job had just become infinitely more difficult with her presence here.

The man knew something about Eight, something that scared him. One could see the fear in the man's eyes. He probably knew a lot about all of them. "She's a member of our crew," One told him.

Vlask all but laughed as he said, "You're lucky she hasn't…" He took a breath to center himself. If they could take out Summer, than they had a shot at the others. Knowing how Command had procured her would have been a significant advantage. "This isn't my call," he told Corso. "I'll have to take it upstairs," he said with a shrug.

One gave it a moment's thought as he glanced toward the others, he nodded saying, "Fair enough." He turned away, offering Vlask his back.

The sergeant turned, hand going to his sidearm as he shouted, "Take…" As he began to Twist back around. "…Summ –"

Four's sword flashed in the dimness slicing most of the way through Vlask's neck in one swing. A pair of thin, six inch long needles that might have been used to hold a woman's hair in place, sailed through the air with pinpoint accuracy as both punched through the visor of the front two shock troopers and took up permanent residency inside each man's brain. The man on the left flipped over backward with the force of the impact while the trooper on the right staggered back a step before slumping to the ground.

Three grabbed Vlask's body using it as a shield to absorb half a dozen rounds as he sought better cover. One ducked and fired several rounds causing the Ferrous Corp troops to hesitate as he and Four raced across the open space before they were able to duck behind one of the unused ground transports. Six opened fire with his shotgun aiming over the heads of his shipmates but causing the shock troopers to stay low as well.

Dawn moved in the opposite direction hoping to draw a bit of fire away from the miners and the other members of the Raza crew and catch the shock troopers up in a cross fire. A round from her pistol took one trooper in the throat while her rifle put another round through the skull of a second trooper. Then she was sliding in behind a small stack of wooden pallets.

Undeterred the troopers advanced opening up on anything that looked even remotely hostile and a pair of miners went down. Three ducked out from behind his cover and aimed at the front of a large ground transport and opened up, drawing the attention of a trio of troopers, who returned fire and left themselves open to Four as he slipped out from behind the back of the same transport and put down two of the troopers before the third brought his rifle around. The trooper took a round in the knee and side from Three.

Another miner went down from a trooper's heavy weapons barrage as Dawn sprang up, a slim bladed knife slicing through the air, taking the trooper through the side of his throat. Her feet touched the ground just as Six stepped out from behind his cover, a shotgun blast took another trooper in the chest, blowing him back a good three feet. A second blast followed the first taking another trooper in the abdomen.

In those few seconds Eight had closed with a quartet of troopers, a pair of razor sharp nine inch blades against their heavy rifles, high powered pistols and modern body armor. The troopers didn't stand a chance as she cut them apart.

It was a reminder of their first encounter with Andi and Eight's insistence that if they hadn't been stepping all over her she could have taken the Android. He hadn't really believed it at the time, none of them had, but watching her now…

Like all androids Andi was faster and stronger than any human but when she fought it was still robotic. Her movements were still stiff, predictable. Guided by a robot's logic; B should follow A, which in turn should be followed by C… On and on.

Eight though, there was a grace and fluidity to her movements, something natural and a little predatory about the way she fought; not so much about winning as making sure her enemies didn't survive to threaten her again. Plus she was at least as fast and strong as Andi.

If he stopped and thought about it he would be truly terrified by the implications. As things stood now, he was simply glad she was on his side.

The last trooper didn't stand any more of a chance now that he was alone and wounded then he had when it had been four against one. Her physical skills and razor sharp blades against their high powered pistols and rifles. He was still on his feet despite the fact he was bleeding from a deep wound along his left thigh. Blood loss would probably kill him in the next few minutes, but apparently those were a few minutes Eight didn't want him to enjoy as she moved in. Her blades, slick with the blood she had already spilt, flashed in the dim light as she moved in opening up his left forearm as he made a grab for her. He pulled his arm back and she darted in, slipping under his right side where she opened a deep slice under his right ribs. Her foot lashed out and snapped his right knee as she twirled in a tight circle, her blades crossing under his throat and she jerked back hard, nearly separating his head from his shoulders.

From somewhere close by he heard someone empty their stomach. He turned away, in a far off corner of his mind he wished the display made him feel something even remotely close to uncomfortable, but the truth was he knew it was probably a better end then any of those troopers deserved, certainly better than what they had planned for the miners.

He turned back when he heard Three say, "Missed a spot." And saw him indicating a bit of gore still clinging to Eight's cheek. With a slight shake of his head he climbed up onto the roof of the troop transport and opened the hatch pointing his shotgun at the young trooper's head. Suppressing his desire to simply blow the man's brains out, who knew what intel he might provide, he said, "Shut the hell up."

He pulled the trooper out of the transport and shoved the man in front of him as the others began to gather around. Three looked around at the carnage with a wide smile and said, "That actually went better than I thought it would."

Eight had a second trooper's helmet off, her hatchet twirled in her hand before she brought it down and cleaved the top of the man's skull off. She caught the severed chunk of bone and brain before it rolled very far away then shoved her finger into the brain and rooted around for several seconds before plucking out the six inch needle from his skull. There was the sound of someone emptying their stomach as Eight glance at One. With a bit of a smirk she said, "Did you want to get it for me?"

One grimaced slightly as he answered, "No."

Eight placed the needle at the crease of the dead trooper's elbow, folded the joint and then pulled the deadly projectile through cleaning it off before she slide the needles back through her hair in a messy sort of bun.

/ / /

Five dropped down out of the crawlspace and into another small storage space. Quickly stacking a few of the crates against the wall so it would be easier for Seven to climb out of the vent; which he did less than a minute later. "Thanks," he said as she helped him down.

"You'd do the same for me," she answered. Five didn't know why but the comment, it felt right to her. Who knows, maybe they had been friends in a previous life.

Seven flashed Five a grin that made him appear even younger. His gaze fell on a leather satchel that must have been hiding behind one of the steel crates she moved. It wasn't much bigger than the Total Recall case they had confiscated from Eight's room. Only, how had it gotten there? Picking it up he showed it to Five. "Feels like there're tools inside," he said as he undid a pair of straps and flipped open the supple leather lid revealing maybe two dozen different sized gages and picks, from extremely slim and delicate looking to a few that were much more robust.

"Are those lock-picks?" Five asked.

"I think so," Seven answered as he knelt down next to one of the locked crates and pulled out a pair of the tools that simply felt right. He checked out the picks, looked over the lock with a faraway look in his eyes and then set to work. Within moments the lock clicked open and he stared at it.

Five stared at the lock, than at Seven. A broad smile blossomed on her face as Seven sat back on the floor staring at the lock he just opened. "I think we just found out something about you," Five said as she sat beside Seven as she draped her arm over his shoulder.

"That my name has a T and a J in it," he said showing her the satchel with the letters TJ burned into it.

"Okay, two things," Five correct. "Your name's TJ and you're really good at opening locks."

"Unless that was just beginner's luck?" Seven pointed out.

"Wanna find out?" Five asked as she got up and pushed another steel crate over to him.

He looked up at Five with a smile, than looked back down at the crate and his grin got even bigger. He quickly studied the lock and began manipulating the tumblers. In about the same amount of time he had another crate opened and he let out a short bark of a laugh.

/ / /

"You were hired to do a job," Nieman said in a crisp voice. His eyes were cold and hard, and his face was impassive but Two cold see the anger seething just under the surface of his impassionate veneer.

Unlike Nieman, Two didn't try to hide her anger as she said, "Like I said… Complications arose."

"So you already explained," he said. If the loss of his acquisition troubled Nieman he gave no indication of it. Two only wished the commander had given her some indication what else she might have been hauling for Ferrous Corp. They were going to have to pull the Raza apart from bow to stern to make sure there weren't any more surprises tucked away somewhere. "They have also continued to do so. Apparently on my way over here I received word that we suffered casualties on the planet," he informed her. His tone made it clear he didn't care about any of the men he lost.

There wasn't really much she could say to that but she still threw out a half hearted, "Yeah well, I'm sorry to hear that."

"And that your team was responsible." There was a smug quality to the way he just sort of dropped that in there. What she wouldn't give to wipe that arrogance clean off his face. "Ours is a… Cut throat business. In this sector alone I'm competing with six other multi-corps with planetary resources. Our major rival, The Mikkei Combine have been particularly aggressive. The discovery of that Terrarium vein is a major coup. One the company seeks to start exploiting immediately, that planet is the only hospitable world in range."

"Then maybe you should have started with a fair offer instead of trying to bully the miners into submission," Two snarled.

"I didn't come here to talk about what we can do for them. I came here to discuss what we can do for you," Nieman said with a predatory light in his eyes. He would have gladly slit her throat if he believed he would live through the attempt.

"I'm listening," she stated.

"You took payment in advance and then failed to complete the job," he said. Two scowled at the fact she had lost sight of that particular detail. Not having any memories was going to come back and bite her in the ass more often then she wanted to acknowledge. "That's bad business. Lucky for you I'm feeling generous today. I'm willing to call it even."

"In exchange for?" He didn't want to take on the Raza, not now when it was a straight up one on one fight.

"Turn this ship around. Leave immediately."

"That's it…? Just walk away?" Something bad was going to happen.

"What's about to happen on that planet… Well, it would be better if there are no witnesses," he confided as if he had all the answers.

Two hated the idea of what she knew was about to happen. Only there weren't any alternatives. Not now. Not that she could see. Five and Seven were going to hate her. The others, they would all understand. They would all make the same decision in her place. "I still have people down there."

"No. They made their choice. They opened fire on Ferrous Corp personal. They have to answer for that. I suggest you don't make the same mistake." He smirked at her. "If it makes it easier I'm willing to throw in a bonus. Just for you." As if he knew exactly what she would do.

It was time to play the part. "How much?" She would leave her people to die the day after hell froze over.

/ / /

Dawn followed the four men onto the shuttle. There was something gnawing at her gut, as if she should be doing something more. The miner… Nassan had called him Hagen, his words flogged at her. He had been wrong about her, she wasn't a coward. She faced death and worse, well more times than she could remember. But this also wasn't her fight.

"Let's get the hell off this rock," Three said as he dropped into the copilot's chair.

Six began flipping switches running what she assumed was preflight checks. After a moment he frowned. "Um," he started in a strained voice. "We've got a problem," he said.

"What?" One asked.

"The ship," Six said. "It's not there."

"What do you mean it's not there?" Three asked as One stood up, leaning over Six's shoulder to get a look at the display panel.

"I'm telling you it's not there," Six said again. Panic riding hard in his voice. "The Raza's gone."

"She wouldn't just up and leave us. Not without a good reason," Dawn told the others. She didn't know why she was so confident in her assessment of Two but she knew it felt right.

/ / /

"I am so sorry," Nassan said sincerely. The man truly felt guilt over the fact they were stuck on the planet with them. "We lead you into this. If you hadn't taken the time to give us those weapons you never would have been caught down here."

"We wanted to help," One said… Dawn grimaced at One's back as another fun fact about herself slid into place. She truly hated when she was right about people… "Still do."

"This isn't your fight," Keeley countered.

"It is now," Six disagreed.

Nassan still looked guilty as he glanced over at Keeley. "Well…" He began turning his attention back to the crew. "I can't tell a man how to live his life. I'm not going to tell him how to end it."

Hesitantly Keeley said, "Okay. So we can use some fresh eyes on the perimeter. Patrol's growing mighty thin. We have no way to anticipate when or where this next attack will come."

Dawn stood up. "Guess I've just been volunteered," she said. Glancing at the two leaders she added, "Your people will probably never even see me, but just in case make sure they know a friendly is out there." She headed for the exit without a backward glance.

"Shouldn't somebody go with her?" Keeley asked.

"Only if they want to play the part of decoy," Three told them. "Trust us. Ferrous Corp will never know she's there until they're all dead," he said with a smile thinking of all the different ways she was going to kill them.

"We need some fresh intelligence," Four said. He turned away, making his way to were the prisoner was being held. "I think I might know a way to get it?" He opened the door and entered the room stripping off his coat. Several others waited further down the hall.

The low ranking Ferrous Corp trooper sneered at Four. "Double crossing us was a big mistake. You and your friends are going to die." Four could see the fear in the man's eyes. Almost smell it on him.

"How?" It was a simple question asked without emotion. "How are we going to die?"

The trooper tried to maintain the fiction that he was in control, that he somehow had the power. "Choking on your own blood," he bragged.

If the trooper was expecting to see fear he was going to be disappointed. With a calm almost dispassionate voice Four asked, "Could you be more specific?" The question probably wasn't close to what the man expected from him.

"We're going to line you up and shoot the lucky ones. The rest, like you, we'll gut." He tried to keep his air of confidence as Four turned his back but Four could hear the cracks in his voice.

"No," Four said as he reached the wall. He turned back regarding the trooper with dark, curious eyes. "That's not it." Four stared at the trooper as if he were just beginning to see a puzzle that interested him. "You could have done that from the beginning. Stormed this facility, execute everyone in it. You have the men, the resources. But you didn't." He took a few slow steps back toward the door. "You hired us to do your dirty work instead. Plausible deniability?" He turned back, almost looking amused. "A mining colony wiped out by mercenaries. It's unfortunate but it's not surprising. A mining colony wiped out by a corporation, well that's scandalous."

"We can make a deal," the trooper declared sounding nervous.

Four stepped back toward him, anger in his posture. "You want the miners gone without being directly implicated in their deaths and you wouldn't be here unless you had a plan to make that happen."

"If you let me go, I can guarantee your safety," the trooper promised. Four drew his sword, the soft whisper of steel being unsheathed filled the small space. Turning toward the trooper Four allowed a half smirk to play across his lips as he tested the edge of the in front of the trooper. "I don't know anything," the trooper confessed.

"You were neither briefed nor giving orders, transported down here to the planet and expected to improvise," Four extrapolated. Some of it was almost believable, Commanders weren't known for explaining the inner workings of their actions to low ranking peons. But that the man didn't have the vaguest inkling about the new plan stretched the realm of believability.

"I can tell you from experience… Torture doesn't work."

"Torture is often ineffective," Four extrapolated. "Even counterproductive," he added. "On the other hand…" He stepped well within the Troopers personal space. "…I personally find it incredibly cathartic," he confessed with something close to exhilaration dripping from his voice as the trooper flinched away.

The man would have confessed to nearly everything he could think of and Four smiled at the fact he never had to touch the man and while he didn't actually know the specifics of their mission, he'd been on enough missions similar enough that he had an idea as to what Ferrous Corp was going to attempt. He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. The others had left, possibly back to the bar where Nassan and some of the other miners had set up an emergency HQ.

"They plan on targeting your reactor," he said stepping into the headquarters. "Trigger a blast that'll level this entire facility."

A few minutes later the group was descending into the bowels of the reactors core with Nassan leading the way. "The Mark IV fusion reactor," he said as they climbed down an extended flight of stairs. "Standard equipment for a mining colony… About fifty years ago. Now-a-days we can barely find spare parts to keep it running."

"It's the perfect cover," One said as the group took in the core. "Outdated technology. Ill equipped minors who don't know what they're doing. It's an accident waiting to happen."

"We'll never be able to hold this position," Six told the others as they looked around. "Not for long anyway."

"At least we'll die fighting," Four said somewhere between resigned to the prospect and angry knowing this was a fight he couldn't win.

/ / /

"Corso to Dawn," One called over the radio. Much as he hated who he had been he couldn't risk the Miners discovering they weren't exactly who they claimed to be. "Come in Dawn," he said in a whisper soft voice. He didn't even know if Eight had her radio turned on, if she was out doing what he suspected, having her radio off was the safer option. Still he needed her to stop Six. He couldn't stand idly by and let the man throw his life away. "Corso to Dawn," he called again, frustration building in his voice.

"Call me again," Eight's voice cut through the static. "I'm going to shove that radio in an orifice…"

"Griffin is going to do something really… Kind of brave and heroic and just a little suicidal." Silence was his only answer. "His plan is to take the Marauder up and take out Ferrous Corp's ship.

"Sounds like a good plan," she said with a note of approval. "Now listen up, pull the perimeter guard, all but a handful. When Ferrous Corp hits I want them to withdraw. Have them pull back but keep their attention. I'll be coming in hot on their heels. We'll catch them between the two of us. Should be able to take out the first wave without too many losses and if Jones' plan works we'll only have two more squads to deal with."

"I don't—"

"He's sacrificing himself to give the rest of us a chance," she cut him off. There was a degree of anger in her voice but also a certain amount of respect. "A chance none of us probably deserve. It's up to us to make the most of it." There was a moment's silence before her voice came back. "Now follow my orders and get those troops pulled back. We want Ferrous Corp to think we're totally outgunned and outmanned."

/ / /

"It's Bubba time," Three said as he readied his sonic rifle. There was a nearly almost serene, peaceful gleam in his eyes.

A small, confused frown creased One's brow as he asked, "Who's Bubba?"

Three tapped the controls on the rifle as he set the weapon. "This is Bubba." He took in the confused look on One's face and asked, "What you don't name your guns? Ah well, this is Bubba," he draw one pistol adding, "this is Lulu and the other one's Pip."

"And what do you name the knife you keep in your boot?" One inquired.

Three frowned at him as he said, "I don't name the knife in my boot. Do I look like Eight. She calls her little hair pins the Cuckoo Sisters. Now that's just psycho."

/ / /

Keeley's voice came over the radio informing them that Ferrous Corp had made contact and that her team was falling back to the reactor room. She hadn't seen Dawn yet, but One was confident in the blonde's ability to remain hidden. She had a stealth mode on par with a security model android.

Three scowled at the news and shared a glance with Four. "He didn't make it," he said. It had been a long shot to begin with. Still it would have been a hell of a way to go; one piss ant shuttle taking out a Ferrous Corp destroyer.

"Position people," One shouted as he and the others moved to their prearranged positions. The miners quickly following suit.

/ / /

There was a sense of calm and peace at her core as she stashed another Ferrous Corp body into a dark alcove to prevent it from being discovered. This was what she had been meant for. A euphoric sort of peace; she had felt it briefly during the skirmish when she carved her way through the four troopers. They had been little more trouble than spanking a baby's behind.

From a hundred meters ahead she could hear the first sounds of gunfire. Slipping Clarice back into the sheath at the small of her back she drew one of her pistols and unslung her rifle. Now was the time to sow the confusion. The sound of two different weapons coming from behind them would force them to split their forces because they wouldn't be sure they hadn't stumbled head long into a crossfire.

She opened fire on the two troopers bringing up the rear and dropped both and [spun away into a cross section before any of the Ferrous Corp Troopers spotted her. "They're behind us," one of the hardened soldiers shouted and she could hear a number of them break off from the main assault.

With a sort of casualness she jumped up, easily clearing fifteen feet. Her right foot hit the wall and she pushed off clearing another dozen feet where she landed in a crouch deep in a shadowed nook of crooked piping. Four guards came down the corridor and she waited as two more followed them in. She opened up on the four with her rifle, dropping the entire group with a tightly packed burst while her pistol found their armor's weak points and tore into the two further away. Staying up high she raced along the piping with barely the slightest wisp of a sound. She emptied her rifle's clip into a pair of troopers before she dropped to the floor thirty feet below, landing between another pair of Ferrous Corp Troopers. Neither man stood any chance against her, one died when the webbing between her thumb and first finger crushed his wind pipe, leaving him gasping for air. The other when her elbow smashed into the back of his neck severing his spinal column.

"Hey! Hey!" Voss shouted. "Stand down! Now, or I execute yo…" Whatever else he had been going to say ended the moment Shenandoah slid into his neck. He dropped to his knees choking on his own blood.

One of the other troopers turned, aimed his rifle at Six but he grabbed Voss and pulled the trooper's body in front of his and used the dying man as a shield to absorb the multiple impacts from the high powered weapon. Shoving Voss forward Six quickly closed with the trooper. He pulled the heavy dagger free and slammed it into the other man's ribs. Pulling it out he struck again as he shoved the rifle away.

/ / /

Dawn didn't know why Two hadn't ratted her out. But she hadn't. Five and Seven were being remarkably quiet as well. And Andi, well she was Andi. This needed to be done though. A situation this volatile, any secret could be the match that set it off the powder keg. "There's something else I have to tell you," she informed the group as a whole. Eight sets of eyes turned towards her reminding Eight just how much she did not like being the center of attention.

"Well come on," Three said. "Whatever it is just spit it out. It's not like we got all day here," he stopped frowned and then corrected himself. "Second thought yeah we do."

Dawn smiled at his irreverent humor. A day ago she never would have believed out of everyone on board he would be the one capable of making her crack a smile. For the moment though she quashed the feeling, it wasn't going to help her. Taking a breath she finally said, "I think I'm at least partially responsible for the memory wipe."

/ / /

Two stepped into the room Five had taken as her own. Like Eight the girl left the door open as if she were inviting anyone to come in. Five was busy drawing, sketching actually. A number of rough drawings had been strewn across her bed. Five was actually really good.

Suppressing the crews reaction to Eight's revelation Two knocked on the steel frame, causing Five to jump slightly as she looked up. "Am I interrupting?" She asked.

"No, I'm just drawing," Five answered as she bent back over the sketch pad.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah sure," Five answered.

Two crossed to the foot of the bed and sat. "Earlier today you said someone was responsible for wiping our memories?" Five agreed with a soft sound as she continued her sketch. "Why do you think that?"

"I… I don't think. I know," Five answered looking up from her drawing.

"How do you know?" Two asked.

There was a distant look in Five's eyes as she said, "I remember."

"Remember what," Two pressed. "Exactly?"

"Waking up in the middle of the night and uploading the program into the stasis core. Planting the virus while everyone else was sleeping."

"You remember doing this?"

"No, not me," Five said. "It was someone else."

"Who?" Two demanded with anger straining her voice.

Five frowned slightly as she tried to draw up an image. "It's like I'm remembering it for them."

"And do you remember why this person wiped our memories?" Two question.

"Yeah," Five said. "Because we're dangerous."

Interesting little fact: When I was coming up with names for some of Buffy's weapons I knew who the Stepford Cuckoos were, and the reference to Clarice from Silence of the Lambs, but the name Shenandoah caught me by surprise when I was trying to figure out how it was spelt. Turns out it is actually a TV show, a sixty western I believe about a cowboy who was shot in the head (a graze), left for dead, obviously he lives but doesn't remember who he is, who shot him or anything about his life before waking up. Don't think it last a season. Doesn't really have anything to do with the story, I just found it to be interesting.