Katie slid down the ventilation shaft as quickly as she could without going into a free fall. She was anything but happy with this arrangement. The last thing she needed right now was a hundred grown men and women following her around.

Far in the back, she could hear Thomas, Dickenson, and Harriet directing the others along. Renaldo was directly behind Katie, giving directions. Katie knew that, however inconvenient, she would be stupid to pass up the chance to ask questions.

"So, Renaldo. What's with the Rahki's hair?"

"What do you mean? Left at the bottom."

"All of them look like they stuck their heads in glue bottles and put in contacts to make their eyes lighter. Do they have something against color?"

"I'm not sure how it started, but over the past few hundred years, they've dressed and used less and less colors in everything that I've seen. My guess would be that they're trying to make themselves as different from the Jahra as possible."

"Is that why you all have red hair and green eyes?" Katie asked as she paused, waiting for five Rahki to move away from a grate before crawling over it.

"I think so. And our specks are less pronounced. You didn't even have any, though they seem to be coming back now. We still have the same physiology though."

"Is that why I've been blinking sideways for the past half hour?" Katie said as she started friction climbing down another shaft.

"As opposed to…"

"I've been human for most of my life, and before today, I've been blinking up and down," Katie said in an irritated fashion. "Real distracting blinking sideways."

"I thought you reverted back long before this," one of the other Jahra said as Katie quietly dropped onto another cross-shaft.

"Nope. Last Cycle wasn't run, so I didn't change. But because the Last Cycle wasn't run, I'm burning through my fail safes and all programing I once had. That reminds me, any of ya'll know what a 'base code' is for one of us fleshy computers?"

"Go down and take the second left. Use the third grate you see to get into the hallway below," Renaldo instructed before answering. "I'm not sure what it is for you, but for the rest of us it's simply the basic programming we all get. It tells us to obey the Rahki no matter what happens or where we are."

"Well ain't that just peachy," Katie said sarcastically. "Best we get a move on then. I don't wanna still be here when that bit of data breaks through, along with whatever else they've attached to me."

Or when I lose me.

Katie stopped in front of the grate, but before opening it she closed her eyes and did a swift check for energy signatures down below. The still-flashing lights and blaring alarms didn't help any, but as near as she could figure there wasn't anyone too close.

Popping the grate open she dropped down into the hallway below her, crouching and holding her hand gun ready. After doing an initial sweep, she gestured silently for Renaldo to send the others down. As Jahra started dripping from the ceiling Katie kept a look-out for any nasty surprises.

She grimaced and touched her forehead lightly as a slight pang went through it. If it meant what she thought, things were not going to be looking up any time soon.

Catching sight of the Jahra she had forced a gun on earlier, she motioned him over.

"Are you sure you can use that?" Katie asked. The man nodded shakily. Katie softened her look.

"Okay buddy, you don't have to lie. You don't feel comfortable with that in your hand, or with the thought of killing someone, give the gun to someone else. There is nothing wrong with not being able to kill. It makes you the better man if you can't. But I can't have people freezing up when—notice that I said when not if—the shooting starts." Katie tilted her head. "You got a name?"

"Epsilon-2—"

"No numbers. Pick a name for yourself and start getting others to do the same. I don't want ya'll thinking of yourselves as numbers, got it?" Katie winked at the man and sent him back to the others as she saw Dickenson drop down from the grate, gun still in his hands. He made a beeline for Katie.

"How do you work one of these?"

"Point and shoot. I'm guessing that's semi-automatic, or as automatic as an energy gun can get. Don't worry about precision. Just get the job done. And remember; only if they start shooting first, and even then you wait until I start firing. We aren't looking for a bloodbath. You get me?"

"Scorch!" one of the Jahra hissed, pointing down the hallway. "I think someone's coming!"

Katie instantly started issuing orders. "Anyone not holding a weapon get flat against the walls. Renaldo, keep anyone still in the ventilation up there. Anyone holding a weapon take up a position near the hallway. Everyone stay out of sight if possible, and no noise. Maybe they won't see us."

Everyone immediately did as Katie said. Katie pressed herself against the hallway entrance, thoughts dancing about. Part of her mind thought that this had a vaguely Star Wars feel to it. The rest of her was relishing the feel of adrenaline. It had been months since her last rush, far too long. Along with the rush came a slight pang at how she was teaching these people to kill. The Doctor never would have stood for it.

Well he's not here, is he? she told herself viciously. He's not here, and you don't want him here anyway. So you find your own way out. Discussion over.

Katie closed her eyes, watching the group of maybe five Rahki jogging towards them in the adjoining hallway, their heat signatures standing out against the flashing lights and blaring alarms. Going by the shape of the empty spaces, they were all armed. She saw the one in front point at the hallway she and the other Jahra were in.

Another headache hit, so she opened her eyes and gave Dickenson a hard stare, reminding him of what she had just told him, very worried that he would ignore it. He was obviously very bitter about his life, and was more than ready to take it out on the Rahki.

The first two entered Katie's hallway. She kept her eyes locked with Dickenson's as the other's entered, nodding once, twice…

On the third nod she turned sharply, bringing up her hand gun. In quick succession she shot three of the Rahki in the back of the neck. Dickenson managed to shoot one in the back and the other—as yet nameless—Jahra hit the last one in the leg before Katie ended his suffering.

Without giving anyone time to recover from the action, Katie started giving orders again. "Renaldo, get everyone else down here. I need five people who think they can steal someone's life and still keep walking."

Seven Jahra stepped forward. Katie handed the first five the Rahki's—what were they? Not knowing the proper name, Katie made the executive and private decision to call them phaser rifles. It was close enough, and they looked like the Star Trek guns.

After extracting the battery packs from the five handhelds, she decided they looked universal enough that they would work in the phaser rifles and gave those to her new firing squad.

"Renaldo, which way next?"

"Go left, then take the third right. Find the first ventilation shaft on the floor and go down one level, then out into the hallway again."

Giving him a casual salute, Katie took the Jahra already in the hallway and started off.


The Doctor was using his sonic to go through the ships schematics. The first thing on Katie's mind would be to get to a transport ship, and she'd go as quickly as possible, but wouldn't want to be seen. She'd try the ventilation and use those as much as possible, but unless she went the very long way around she'd have to come out at some point. So, what hallway would he be likeliest to find her at?

Ah, that one. Two levels up from the docking bay. There were few routes that wouldn't take her past there. He'd have to get there first though. If he missed her by even a second, she'd be gone and he wouldn't be able to find her before she got to the Krize.

The Doctor momentarily wondered where the Krize were. He'd expected them to follow the Rahki. They should have been here by now. He could use a distraction right now.

Then again, if they were here he'd have to fight both the Rahki and the Krize for Katie. Maybe it was better that they weren't here.

Turning, the Doctor started on his way.


Following Renaldo's instructions, Katie moved forward, Dickenson next to her. The other gunmen were spread out among the rest of the Jahra.

"Did the Doctor teach you this?" Dickenson asked as another group of Rahki went past them unknowingly. Katie gave him a look.

"No. Why would you think that?"

"All the information on him makes him sound like a mass murderer. I figured he would have taught you how to kill."

"Heh, no," Katie said, moving quickly to the next hall. "The Doctor would probably go all Time Lord on me if he knew what I was doing. What's one of his names, Oncoming Storm or somesuch? He'd use that look and we'd get into a fight over morals. We did that a lot."

"But didn't he destroy his own planet? Everything in the database—"

"What put there by the Rahki," Katie said tightly. "Not exactly trustworthy. The only killing he ever does is when people try so hard to get away from him that they end up committing suicide, or someone we've run across kills them. Trust me, the Doctor is real big on second chances."

"Then why isn't he here with you?"

"I'm glad he's not."

"I thought you were supposed to be attached to him."

Katie glanced away. "I am, and that's why I don't want him here. I still don't get why the Rahki would go through all the trouble and technicalities of the Scorch project, but in the end it's going to hurt him, and I want him as far from here as possible."

"If he's not a mass murderer, what is he?"

Katie smile was genuine for the first time in she didn't know how long. "He's absolutely brilliant. I'd like nothing better than to be traveling with him right now. He's completely insane, but I'd place my life in his hands. I've done it actually, and I've always gotten out. He's beyond compassionate, always looking for the good in everything and so brave. He's just brilliant."

Katie turned around and did a swift head count, then groaned to herself. This wasn't going to work. This many people in one spot? Way too easy to find.

"Okay, we've got six Jahra with guns plus me. Divvy up into six groups of fourteen and one group of sixteen. Each group gets a gun man, and I get the sixteen. Renaldo, use that brilliant computer mind of yours and find seven separate routes to the hanger bay."

"We're splitting up?" Harriet asked. Katie nodded.

"We're more likely to get out alive if we do. Remember, stay out of sight, don't look for confrontation, fire only when in real danger, make it as clean as possible, take the weapon battery packs from whoever you're forced to kill. Renaldo!"

"Got 'em."

"Give me the first one, then tell the other groups theirs. Join the last bunch moving out."

Renaldo nodded. "You're going to use this shaft. Down three levels, take the right, a left, up one. Out into the hallway, left past the Tertiary Cloning Ward, then a right at the Medics Dormitory."

"Sounds like a busy area."

"It'll have to do. Into the ventilation system again, down two levels—"

"How big is this place?" Katie exclaimed.

"The entire Rahki race lives here," Renaldo said. "It's a flying planet. Now, once you've gone down, go left, second right, straight, down one, right, left, down two, and take the second left. You got all that?"

"Mostly. If I get lost I'll ask one of your cousins."

"Good."

"Whoever gets there first, pick several small ships, but don't leave yet. Ya'll need to try and get away together." Katie winked. "See you down there."


*Constructive critisisim welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*