Nighcaic smiled at Sky's disbelief, relishing it.

"When Chathum first found me, he recognized my... unique talents... and realized that I could help him. Whenever he needed a particular alien to confess, he would have me haunt his dreams. He had me torture them into confession." Nighcaic's smile spread. "Even if they didn't do it."

"No… you're lying…" Sky's voice was barely more than a whisper.

"No Sky, I'm not. Your grandfather eventually became fed up with how many were still getting away, so with the particularly stubborn ones…" Nighcaic cackled, "...he let me...kill them."

Sky shook his head.

"It's-it's not true," is all he managed.

Nighcaic pressed on.

"Then, after a couple years, I had a family, and your grandfather let me get away. He even set me up in a safehouse. But," his features darkened in rage and his eyes donned a far away look, "he betrayed me. He let me believe that we were safe, but when I was out of the house is when SPD found them. He still thought I was inside, and unbeknownst to anyone, he had rigged the house with explosives. Instead of trying to negotiate, he blew them up and blamed me. When he realized I wasn't dead a few months after, he fled to protect his family from me. By the time I found him, he was dead." Nighcaic's eyes focused on Sky again, "But no matter, I had a dear, dear friend help me track down his son, and Mirloc did a fine job of that." Nighcaic sneered.

Sky heart stopped and tears filled his eyes, he didn't know what to say. He didn't have anything to say. His mind raced and try as he might to dissuade himself, it all made a little too much sense.

Sky felt a shock run through him, electrocuting his system.

Nighcaic grinned.

Sky felt another shock, stronger this time, he screamed in pain.

"One more visit, Sky. One more time."

One last shock and Sky gasped awake on his hospital bed. Kat stood over him with shock paddles.

"Sky!" She shouted. She checked his vitals on the monitor and sighed in relief. "Welcome back. We almost lost you. I thought- nevermind. How are you feeling?" Kat asked.

Sky trembled in his bed, Nighcaic's words still echoed in his mind. Sky knew he meant, but he hoped he was wrong.

"Shaky." He said. "Where is Bridge?" He asked.

Kat looked at the door. "He's outside. But I still need to run some tests on you."

Sky shook his head. "I need to talk to Bridge first, alone."

Kat opened her mouth to object but Sky interrupted.

"Please Kat!"

She pursed her lips and nodded.

"But only for a few minutes." She opened the door and called Bridge in. She closed the door behind her.

Bridge pulled up a chair.

"What happened this time.?" He asked.

"Bridge, it's worse than we imagined. My grandfather… he let Nighcaic torture and kill." Sky wiped irritably at his watering eyes. He recanted what Nighcaic told him about his grandfather.

"And then, right before Kat brought me back, he said 'one more time.'" Sky put his head in his hands.

"We have to tell Cruger." Bridge said. "We have to tell him now."

Sky nodded slowly and moved to get out of bed just as Kat came back in.

"Oh no you don't. Sky, you lay back down right now. You are nowhere near strong enough to be going anywhere that isn't in that bed." Kat stood in his way.

"Kat, I have to go talk to Cruger, it's important." Sky pleaded.

Kat didn't move.

"Sky, I'm sure it can wait. Or, Bridge can go talk to him. Go get back in that bed right now." Kat ushered him back to the bed.

Sky gestured for Bridge to go.

"Go ahead, go find the commander and tell him." He said.

Bridge gave a curt nod and disappeared out the door.

As soon as Bridge was out the door, he took off running. He sprinted the entire distance between the infirmary and his room. He snatched the file on Nighcaic and was off to the Command Center. Bridge burst into the room and glanced wildly about for Cruger. He caught to eye of a working cadet.

"Where's Commander Cruger?" He demanded. The cadet shrugged.

"Left about an hour ago. Something about the stimulation room. Or, maybe the simulation room?"

Bridge grunted in exasperation. The two rooms were on exactly opposite sides of the building. Bridge took an education guess and sprinted to the simulation room.

Almost there, Bridge, quite literally, ran into Syd.

"Bridge? What're you doing?" Bridge shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Uh, no time to explain. Gotta find Cruger." He hurriedly explained.

"Well, I wouldn't go to the simulation room if that's where you're headed. I passed him on his way to the cafeteria." Syd said.

Bridge's face fell. To the cafeteria it was then.

Bridge raced to the cafeteria and when he finally got there, he saw Cruger exiting on the other side. Bridge tried to shout to him, but was drowned out by the noise from the other members of SPD. Bridge nimbly wound his way through the crowd. But by the time Bridge got to the other side, he watched as cruger entered an elevator and the doors closed behind him. Bridge watched the numbers over the doors, and it stopped at floor 8. Bridge took to the stairs.

Bridge leaped up the stairs and emerged on the eighth floor. Bridge asked the nearest person if they had seen the commander, and they pointed him toward the file room. Bridge took off again and just made it to the file room in time to see Cruger swipe his key card.

"Commander!" Bridge managed to shout in between gasping for air.

Cruger stopped and turned.

"Cadet Carson. What can I do for you?" Cruger asked.

Bridge held up the file.

"What's... happening with Sky... It's...it's Nighcaic." He panted.

Commander Cruger took the file and stiffened.

"How did you get this?" He asked.

Bridge shook his head.

"Doesn't matter… Sky knows it's him. Identified him by the picture. Commander. There's more. Nighcaic says that he was… working… with Sky's grandfather and that he killed his family. He wants revenge but couldn't take it out on his grandfather or his father."

Cruger's face remained stoic. He looked down at the file.

"You're saying that Nighcaic is alive?" Cruger stared down at Bridge.

Bridge nodded.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you've got to believe me. Sky is positive it's him." Bridge replied.

"I knew it. I knew he was alive." Cruger mumbled.

"Sir, when Sky woke up last time, he said that Nighcaic told him 'one more visit.' Does that mean that the next time Sky goes to sleep that he…" Bridge asked, knowing the answer but hoping for something different.

Cruger began walking with Bridge trailing behind.

"This is not good." Cruger's voice rumbled.

"Sir?" Bride asked.

Cruger's pace sped up, almost to a run.

"Nighcaic means that the next time Sky falls asleep, he won't wake up."

"I still don't understand, sir." Bridge said, keeping pace with the commander.

"Kat just commed me. She asked my permission for the doctor to give Sky an i.v. drip to help him sleep."

Cruger broke into a run and he looked back at Bridge.

"And I said yes."