Dark Paradise 10 – Anzillu

Shaw and David watched nothing but holo news for days, keeping track of the Anzillu outbreak on Anatak. Shaw was exhausted but she stayed by Atri's bedside, praying and praying he'd wake up. She whispered to him about memories of their earlier times when Sinashi was a baby. She missed Sinashi more than ever, even when he began to check in daily by video phone. Shaw cried whenever he rang off.

Then the army contained the outbreak and bit by bit, an inch of ground at a time, Anatak began to recover. She watched the footage of bony Anzillu blown apart by strange sound canons, their acid blood fizzling on the inside of hastily erected dome shields.

Ninurta finally came to visit, apologising for the delay. She looked as tired as Shaw felt.

'Governor,' David greeted her warmly.

'Hello David,' she smiled, giving him a fond embrace. 'Dr Shaw. How is he?'

'Still asleep,' Shaw said quietly.

'Very normal. He performed two extraordinary feats of advanced sentience in one day. I admit we had no idea he could teleport, but other sentients have gained the ability before, though it's very rare. It's remarkable, and it certainly saved your lives and ours. When he wakes, he'll be honoured as a hero. And we followed the coordinates you provided, David, and found the debris. The Xanthium is confirmed destroyed.'

Shaw rubbed Atri's white, limp hand pensively. His skin was so warm. She missed him more than ever. All she wanted was to see his pristine blue eyes open.

'Even after all this, Doctor,' David said to her quietly. 'You never got your answers.'

'Perhaps this will illuminate you,' Ninurta handed her a tablet loaded with data. Shaw flicked through it, scanning titles and annotations in surprise. 'It appears that for all Xisuthros was utterly insane, he was a thorough scientist. He and the elders and their team of researchers documented everything closely, including their involvement with Anzillu.'

'Why did they release it?' Shaw asked quietly. 'To destroy their own people...they'd have to be truly mad.'

'I haven't read it all yet, but I believe they felt we'd betrayed them by failing to use our full power. But I would argue that restraint is part of sentience. Xisuthros wanted to be a God, Dr Shaw. To an extent, he managed it. I think you can take comfort in what you've achieved,' Ninurta leaned over and flicked the tablet to a star map, zoomed in and gestured.

'Earth,' Eli whispered. 'Earth was his next target. This can't be. Why would he do this?'

'According to the ships logs, he programmed that in just after you left his observatory chamber.'

'This says...reseeding. He was going to wipe us out just to put some organism he'd created on our planet? Arbitrarily...' Shaw shook her head, her throat closing in disgust and fear. 'I'm glad he's dead,' she said coldly.

Shaw felt a vile sense of ugly betrayal stir in her guts. Xisuthros had taken one look at her, and decided to wipe out her race. It made her furious. Just like the Promethean Engineer, she thought, the mad soldier who'd turned the ship towards Earth to complete a mission two millennia old. Ninurta's voice cut through her thoughts.

'I've given instructions for Earth to be registered as a sentient world. That's not to say we'd engage in open communication yet, but you can be assured that there will be no sanctioned military strikes on Earth now. Not from us.'

Eli put the tablet down.

'So we convinced you we're not mindless animals?' she teased.

The Igogi governor smiled. 'Yes. For now.'

'Thank you,' Shaw smiled. 'Really. Thank you. I didn't exactly get my answers, no...but at least I'm starting to understand a bit. I guess every race has its mad dogs.'

Ninurta nodded. 'After twenty five thousand years in this body, Dr Shaw, I can tell you you're absolutely right.'

'So. What now?' Shaw asked her. 'David?'

'The infestation is clearing. We'll mop up, as we've always done, and swallow the loss of life as bravely as we can. Then you can have your planetside clearance. I imagine that'll keep you busy for the rest of your natural life,' Ninurta teased.

Shaw agreed. 'I think it might.'

000

Atri pottered around the garden, his familiar skirt swapped for a lighter summer toga that made him look like a pale roman God. Shaw fussed over him, worrying that he was up and about too soon, until he tugged her down into the grass and kissed her, his warm hands glorious in her hair, his familiar breath hot in her mouth. She couldn't help but feel like she'd come home. Seeing him wake up had been the happiest moment she could remember for a very long time.

'Stop, will you?' he teased, nuzzling her bare throat. 'You're acting like my Mother.'

'I'm just-' Eli gasped as he bit her gently. 'Worried about you-'

'I'm fine,' he licked the hickey was busy giving her, filling her with liquid need and even more urgent love for him. 'You just want to get on with your new job. Bloody planetside clearance. Now all you want to do is go exploring, so you need me to get better.'

Shaw poked him in the ribs. 'That's not true!'

He grinned at her. Then he dropped his head and took her mouth, a thorough, burning kiss that left her breathless. Twice she'd seen him do the same to David. The arrangement she'd thought was utterly weird at first had grown on her. Now it made her feel part of a more secure group. She liked it.

'Doesn't matter,' he murmured, touching her belly gently. Shaw bit her lip, tingling inside, her skin suddenly on fire. She hadn't told him, but she couldn't shake the feeling he already knew. Whatever Escriva had done to them on board the Xanthium, it had done more than eradicate ill health from her system for the sake of the biological threat to Xisuthros. 'I love you anyway,' his fingers slid under her shirt to touch the skin right over her womb. 'Both of you.'

'I was going to tell you,' Eli said softly, her eyes filling with tears.

'I know,' he smiled, pressing a kiss to her caesarean scar gently. 'Doesn't matter now. I've got a good sense of smell, Eli.'

She pulled him down, arms winding around his neck, her heart full. Charlie's ghost seemed to hover over them, watching from the other side. She hoped he'd be happy for her, but either way, she was happy for herself. Something shifted inside her as she lay in Atri's arms, her legs wrapped around him even though they were fully clothed. Charlie didn't disappear from her past, but the future yawned open.

'This time,' she smiled. 'Hopefully no four year sleep.'

'Mmm,' he nodded fervently. 'No, I'm not waiting four years, love.'

Eli kissed his inviting lips, vaguely aware of David standing over them.

'Wonderful news, Doctor,' David said, holding a tray of drinks. 'I do love children.'

000

David reclined on the living room cushions, Lawrence of Arabia playing quietly in the background. Eli slid into his embrace with a smile and let him hold her. His hands were warm and familiar, like a home away from Atri, who seemed content to put dinner together in the kitchen while he watched them snuggle.

'So,' she said quietly. 'When the baby comes we'll have our hands full all over again. But what then? What about after?'

'You always wanted to be the first human being on Anatak, Doctor,' David prompted.

'Are you going to come with me? We need to find a way to get the data back to Earth.'

'Somehow, I suspect that wasn't part of the Governor's bargain,' David said drily.

'No, but...David, this is too important!'

'Maybe,' he said lightly. 'On the other hand, Elizabeth, enlightening Earth as to our condition...that is...our being alive...in fact may not be our wisest move. They would certainly come looking for me, and the data I contain.'

'You mean Weyland corporation would.'

'Yes,' he agreed. 'It may be simply too dangerous.'

'Well. Whatever we do with the data, we can study them, can't we?'

'Of course, Doctor.'

Eli smiled.

'Alright,' she agreed. 'We'll think about the rest later.'

She settled into the now familiar film, content and excited about the future.

A/N - Well, this story has sat on my computer for more than two years after its first incarnation. Editing it like this was a snap decision, and it didn't take me as long as I expected. I hope if you got this far that you enjoyed the ride, and I'm delighted to say I've actually finished the story to a standard I'm fairly happy with. It's great to have a whole fanfic up on here rather than a work in progress.

Many thanks to my readers, without whom writing would only be a fraction of the fun and thanks to those who reviewed Butterflies in its original form.

Feedback, as always, is appreciated.