A/N: My deepest apologies! *bows profusely* I've been gone so long, but the story hasn't left my thoughts. I haven't abandoned it. I've had some big things happen all at once; I've graded to green belt in Kyokushin Karate and I had to abruptly find a new place to live in one week and move...other things too but the point is I'm decently settled and I've finally finished this chapter. It's been sitting open in word for a month. I thank everyone who messaged me with concerns and offers for help, and I thank everyone who continues to read.

I've been faithfully reading CleanWhiteRoom's Force Over Distance - I think anyone who's read my story has also read hers. It's ironic that the two longest Rush/Young fanfics every written were started and released around the same time. I love her story, to me it's as good (better) than canon. If I'm honest with myself, her story intimidates me, and that has contributed to me not being as confident in what I'm writing as before. There are many similarities - for instance, Greer will play a significant role in RTB, as he has in FoD and Varro will inevitably chase TJ. However, I'm now sure that our plots are apples and oranges. Our Rush's are not the same either, because he's dealing with two totally different situations. So, I'll keep writing what I intended, with all the intentions of bringing my favorite universe Boys closer together.

I've made a friend on Deviantart who draws the BEST Stargate Universe fanart out there imo. And lucky for me, she's just as much of a RushYoung fan as I am. She's drawn some scenes from my story which I'm so honored to share:

.com/

"Two planets, only one with a gate on it," informed Volker.

Leaning on his usual console in the Gate room, Rush looked at the two teams making final adjustment to their equipment. Eli was helping Chloe into her backpack, clipping on the chest and waist guards. James and Greer were going over final details with the rest of the military personnel. They had recruited Park and, somehow, Brody. TJ had undoubtedly insisted she be there in person to scout out medicinals. The only two highly valuable individuals staying behind besides himself was Scott and Wray.

He expertly avoided the Colonel's eyes, stealthily watching in his peripheral vision as Young adjusted his cap and buckled up his pack.

Rush wanted to say something. Having so many good people go on a mission was risky. He didn't understand why Young put them all in such a precarious situation almost every time they explored a planet. He kept his lips pressed together. He hadn't said a word to Young since their confrontation, and he'd be damned if he broke now.

The vortex rushed out and they sent a Kino through. As the data from Destiny indicated, the planet was semi-arid, much like a tundra landscape. And a few miles west of the gate, along the horizon was what looked to be trees

"TJ's team, you go North-West. My team will head South. We'll meet up in the middle once we've reached the forest line. Check in every hour." He turned ambiguously in Rush's direction. "Dial in every couple of hours." The order was to no one in specific and that infuriated Rush even more. Next to him, Camille crossed her arms and nodded.

The teams walked through one at a time, Greer taking point with his rifle nestled against his shoulder. Young waited until everyone went through. He paused an inch from the event horizon, and it seemed like he would look back. Rush fought an irrational urge to grab the man and pull him away. His heart shot up his throat as he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. And then Young was gone. He clenched the side of the console to keep himself from running after him. This didn't feel okay. While Rush normally felt like he was about to explode if he kept still too long, the feeling was unbearable now.

He gave the gate a once-over, as an untrusting lover would, and escaped the stifling energy of the room, trying to ignore the pulling in his gut.

Rush was so drawn that he didn't know where his legs were taking him until he rounded a corner and nearly bumped into an unfamiliar bulkhead. He looked around to figure out his location and pulled up his radio.

"Volker, this is Rush. I'm going to run a diagnostic on the FTL drive, I'll be unavailable for a few hours."

On the other end, the unwitting scientist sounded distracted ad he casually replied, "sure thing. I'll call you if anything comes up."

Rush found it uncharacteristic of Young to leave him so unsupervised, especially since the other scientists had become so complacent now that the Colonel had him on such a tight leash. Rush sneered. They probably felt more secure knowing they were under no obligation to put up with his bossiness unless the Colonel okayed it.

Rush shivered under a surge of vengeance as he stopped in front of a very dirty door along a dim corridor. It's not that the Colonel had done anything wrong by going to the planet, but it still felt like a betrayal. It felt like being ignored, as irrational as that was. So, if the Colonel wanted to go out and play, Rush would take advantage. That he was acting like a child didn't cross Rush's mind. If it did he ignored it.

The planet's Sun had moved a few degrees. The teams had just completed their first check-in with Destiny. It had been Camille's voice on the other side, not Rush. That made Young imagination light up with all sorts of gut-wrenching scenarios of where and what Rush might be doing.

Young was no fool; Rush wasn't suddenly a changed man just because he'd won one battle. It was a feeling, a gut instinct he had, that Rush was no longer a threat to Young's command. Sure, he was still an undermining, morally ambiguous twit who needed constant supervision, but Everett hadn't felt personally threatened by him in a while.

Being in the Gate room with Rush had been the first time in two days that they had seen each other. Rush's eyes had felt like hot pokers on the back of his skull. Yet something in his demeanor hadn't been totally scathing or horrible. Young had felt a thin sheen of pain and affection bleeding from the man's callous shell. Like a shark sniffing one drop of blood in a million gallons of water, he had detected the faint signal expertly. There was something more there, something else. He had been getting the feeling of 'missing something' where Rush was concerned more frequently through the days, and now it was almost a constant discomfort.

Everett had almost caved then, had almost thrown in the towel and declared to Rush that whatever he was hiding could go to hell because he couldn't play this game anymore. He was unprepared for Rush to withstand his coup for so long.

He struggled with the possibility that he was driving Rush away more than ever. But again, it didn't feel that way. Actually, in recent days, Rush had been the most controllable that Young had ever seen him. He had waited for the demands, threats, and insults…for Rush to fight back, but that never came. And instead of opposition, Young felt Rush's sincere intention to wait it out, without vindictively trying to beat him at his own game.

He might be imagining it. Maybe Rush intended for him to fall into a false sense of security.

The natural light spilled warmly across Everett's shoulders, but he couldn't enjoy it. Before he could clamp it down, a sigh left his lips. Greer nonchalantly came up from his left and kept his eyes on the terrain, stoically keeping his focus away from his blatantly distressed CO.

"Looks like we're almost there, Sir," the Sergeant prompted. Everett finally looked up after God knew how long to see that the tree line had gotten much bigger. He provided a sound of affirmation that would hopefully satisfy his officer and he dropped his eyes back down to his boots.

"Look, Sir…I know it's none of my business." Greer kept his voice low, making its characteristic unevenness more pronounced. "I don't normally do this sort of thing, I stay quiet and just do…you know."

The pause in Greer's voice and the hesitant strain at the corner of his eyes spoke volumes of his discomfort.

James and Park were far enough ahead that they wouldn't be heard. Everett convinced himself that was the only reason he indulged this conversation, not because he could really use a loyal ear.

"Rush hasn't been okay since we came back from Altera," Greer said finally. "Neither have you, Sir."

"We're having some problems." Fuck that made it sound like he and Rush were a married couple. Young fought not to cringe. "We're working it out," he recovered…sort of.

"Is that why you left him alone on the ship?"

Young ignored the subtle challenge to his decision. Greer was digging for answers, and why wouldn't he? He'd had his witts about him on the planet, he had observed Rush's sensitivity to being touched, had seen the blood, maybe even smelled it. Young uneasily accepted that Greer had the clearest picture of what had happened. Just how much he had guessed correctly remained unclear. Young really wanted to keep it that way, but that was going to be impossible now.

As if he heard his CO's thoughts, Greer said, "People are starting to talk."

People were always talking, Young thought. Being stranded in the far reaches of the Universe with the same, stagnant recreational material, gossip was bound to be a favored activity. And the more they speculated, the worse the damage to their reputations would be.

"What exactly are they saying?" He had an idea, but he really didn't want to know.

By the way his expression pinched, it seemed Greer didn't want him to know either. He looked into the Colonel's eyes with a soul-searching quality that forced Young to look away first. Now he was sure Greer knew. This was definitely up there on Young's list of ultimate awkward moments.

"Sometimes…we have to do things we really don't want to do. To save lives." Young was astounded at the bullshit coming from his own mouth. This was a scene out of a bad movie, where some deadbeat dad attempts to explain something meaningful to his son. Did he honestly expect Greer to buy that?

"I understand, Sir."

"Those things end up changing you, forever. I'm – m' not trying to rationalize or justify anything – "

"I wasn't implying you were, Sir." Greer's hands tightened around his rifle, a physical manifestation of his conviction. "I just want to make sure you know that whatever happened you haven't lost any of my respect. I can't speak for him, but I'm sure Lieutenant Scott feels the same."

The uncertainty between them dissipated like an ebbing pain as they found common ground, as Young understood beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had people on Destiny he could trust, that it wasn't just him against sixty other crew members all talking about him when he wasn't around.

A relaxed and confident smile played Greer's face. "We've got your back, Sir."

Everett decided that anything he said right now would be inadequate. He looked at Greer, leeching some of the young man's optimism and nodded in gratitude.

The time it took them to reach the forest could have been a second or an eternity for all Young knew. His senses sharpened instinctively; he was first and foremost a military man and that would never change. No matter what his situation with Rush, this mission and his people's safety took priority. He rested his hand against his rifle and scouted their surroundings. His team followed his lead and used the rest as an opportunity for a water break.

"This is Young, we're at the edge of the forest," he said into his radio. He leaned over Park's shoulder and she tilted the Kino remote towards him. "Four point six klicks from your position. Going to proceed North-West."

"Affirmative," TJ replied. "We're about 10 minutes out."

"Copy that. Keep an eye on the Kino. Report anything you find."

"Yes, Sir."

Twenty minutes in, Park had discovered patches of wild root vegetables. Young had a feeling that Greer only abstained from taking a bite because they were covered in soil…and he'd kick his ass for it. Then TJ called in to report that she had found potential medicinals. Chloe and Eli's laughter came through the static. Their smiles were audible, and Young kept the channel open for longer than necessary, passing along their positive energy to his team.

Another thirty minutes, and they were making excellent progress. James was mapping the area and marking hot spots for the teams that would return later, once they tested the food and plants for toxins.

Suddenly, Young looked up when he no longer felt the warmth of the dappled sun through the leaves.

"Looks like rain," said James as she too looked at the grey sky.

"Is it just me…or is it getting darker," Greer said apprehensively.

James packed away her equipment quickly. "Where did this come from? It was perfect just a few minutes ago."

That's when the wind kicked in, whipping their hair flat against their heads as a magnificent gust rushed through the trees. Park had to take a step back to catch her balance.

"I thought this place was relatively a desert!" Young yelled over the deafening sound of rustling leaves.

"The area around the gate is," Park shouted back, "but there has to be at least some rainfall for this forest to be here!"

"How bad is it going to get!"

"It's too hard to tell from in here, I can't see the horizon!"

Young wasn't going to wait around and find out. He motioned for his team to follow him as he set off at a fast jog.

"TJ!"

"We're packing up now, Sir!"

"Get to the gate, as fast as you can!"

"Understood!"

They might be able to outrun the storm to the gate, but at the speed it approached Young was very dubious of that. Still, they had to try.

The sky was now so dark that it plunged the forest into premature night. The wind blew even harder and foliage and debris whirled up and flew past them. Then a flash and a bolt of lightning jumped across the sky. The thunder came immediately after, so loud that everyone instinctively crouched. It felt like it had split open the ground as it rumbled under their feet.

Young fumbled his radio, nearly dropping it as another roar of thunder tore across the land. "Do not go out in the open, I repeat do not go out in the open!" He swore under his breath. They would be targets on such open terrain. "Try to find shelter and stay put!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Young scanned the darkness, but there was nothing but trees and shrubs. Keeping low, he lead his team to a cluster of trees, short enough compared to the others that they would be safe underneath and perhaps get some protection.

When the rain came, it soaked them in seconds. The four of them huddled together, their jackets over their heads. Greer held Park against him as she covered her ears against the onslaught of cracks and booms. Young was hoping it would be a flash storm, that it wouldn't last long, but when it only got worse after fifteen minutes he began to worry. It wasn't just pouring; it was like buckets being dumped on them. His adrenaline was pumping, the blood rushing in his ears almost louder than the thunder. The lightning was almost constant, and very close.

Everyone looked down in tandem as water suddenly filled their boots. They looked behind them, up the slope, and saw the roots of the trees being flooded. It was going to be a full-blown mudslide in minutes.

"Oh, shit…" Greer muttered.

Eli's harassed voice crackled on the radio. "Colonel, we've got problems over here!" It sounded like he was running.

"We have to go." Young pulled Park to her feet. "Up, let's go." He struggled to overcome his own shock and get his people to move. "We have to move, now…now!"

They bolted, as fast as they could across the slippery ground. The water was already inches high around their ankles. Greer took the lead, dragging Park behind him, while Young took their six.

"Get your asses to the gate!" he yelled into the radio. They had no choice now; they would have to risk it.

Gravity pulled them down the slope and all they could do was put one foot in front of the other. There was no holding back, or else they would stumble over their own feet and fall. Young felt his boots slip with every step, and he prayed that his legs and his body could keep up this pace. If the mudslide didn't kill them, then a wrong step would.

The trees were thinning, and the mud was thickening. The edge of the forest was visible a hundred meters ahead. The brief existence of Young's relief died as he saw the heart-stopping deathtrap that awaited them; across the tundra plane lightning bolts were striking the ground, one after the other. He felt his team slow, but a glance over his shoulder confirmed to Young that they were about to be swept up and drowned if they didn't go right now.

"Move, move, move, don't fucking stop!"

They sprinted out of the tree line and across the plane, the mudslide on their heels. The crevices and dips in the parched grassland diminished its intensity quickly, but it was still strong enough to unbalance them. TJ's team was several hundred meters ahead. A couple of bolts landed sickeningly close to them, so bright that it took Young a few seconds to see that everyone was still on their feet.

There was a flash and an ear-splitting crack behind him, but he didn't dare turn to look. He swore he felt a tingle run up his legs, a dim current from the strike that had almost hit him. His muscles and lungs burned with the intensity of an oil-fuelled fire and his gear moved clumsily about his body, weighing him down. The option to slow down was there only for the person who didn't want to make it back alive. Please let everyone make it and just one more step were the echoing mantras in his head.

Just one more step, one more. His heel touched on ground, and then sunk. The sight of the hellish horizon and his team dropped out of sight as he fell through the earth.

Rush was on his back, under a console doing…something. Fixing something, like a grease monkey reviving an old car. The million years of neglect meant that his hands were thick with grime, especially in here. Without the benefit of a rolling trolley, Rush had to worm his way out, which he did with surprising ease and agility. He grasped a handle somewhere above his head and pulled himself to his feet, exhaling like whatever he had done would finally work this time.

Rush's pants were ruined from lacking anything else to wipe his hands on, but this time he didn't bother. He smeared his fingers together and quickly brought them close to his nose, then stared at them with a tactile sense of curiosity. Then he hooked a hand over his shoulder in his usual display of fatigue and looked at the platform he was trying to fix. It was one of a dozen in this large factory room. Above each one were giant mechanical arms for manipulating, soldering and shaping large sheets of metal.

The place was nothing you would expect from the Ancients. But the grimy, Steampunk-esque equipment disguised a sophisticated computer system for advanced engineering. Technology for materializing items from scratch that the Asgard used was still millennia away for the most advanced Ancients of the time, let alone Destiny's outdated design. Rush wasn't complaining. It was nice to have a clean and perfect ship, with white walls and bright lights, but he found a simple comfort in using his hands to achieve something for a change.

Rush entered a simple line of code into the console and his heart jerked when one of the arms came to life. It flexed out, its gears giving off teeth clenching screeches, and rotated its hand before stilling and awaiting further instructions. It could definitely use some oil. Rush would have felt more victory if this had not been the only progress he had made in all the hours since he'd been here…and if he wasn't doing this behind a certain Colonel's back.

Each time his mind took a tangent to that dark hair and strong jaw, Rush had to work harder to expel the image. He felt absurdly possessed by whatever hold Young had on him lately, and throwing himself deep into work was like exorcising him from his mind. It never worked of course, and like a stubborn virus kept coming back stronger than before.

Rush wrote a quick note on his pad, pretending that he couldn't see the figure standing in his peripheral vision.

"You can't build it alone," said Emily, in a calm, sad voice.

"Him being here won't be a help at all," Rush answered mechanically, like they'd had this conversation before.

"Keeping him out will only make it worse. I've told you as much."

Rush turned on the AI, now with all the intent that she was a real person that he could throttle. "That you have; and annoyingly persistent if I may add!"

"It's my function."

"To give me a headache!"

"To make you see what you can't possibly see. Some people aren't able to tell someone the truth in their presence. Colonel Young is that type of man. But I know how he feels when you're not there."

Rush cocked his head like his ear was painful, and grimaced as if that would stop the AI from speaking.

"You don't want to hear what I have to say because you're scared."

"Correction, I don't need, nor do I want to know what Colonel Young does in his free time."

"But you care what he thinks about you."

Rush sniggered to disguise how brittle he was inside.

Hands, strong hands holding him down…too strong; those same hands pulling him up, dragging him to safety, keeping him still, wrapping around him. It was insanely confusing, not knowing if they would hurt or soothe him. And then there were his eyes…Rush hadn't been able to look in his eyes as he…just briefly he glanced up and saw…

"Doing this behind his back is a poor way to inspire trust."

"I suppose spying on him will!"

The AI pursed her lips and Rush wondered if that's how the real Emily had looked when the Colonel announced he was going away on another mission. Couldn't the AI pick someone less awkward for this function, for fuck's sake?

"No matter, I planned to tell him eventually, and not because of your pleasant insistence I might add." Rush suddenly looked too weary and too tired for someone still awake. "I'll have to if I want to build this thing." He motioned to the blueprints on the monitor.

"You're not an island, Nick."

"I could build it alone, given enough time," Rush rebuked hotly. "But we're vulnerable, we need much more than what we have if we hope to survive the next few months."

"He's not trying to break you," said Emily gently. "But you must bend for him; that is the only way you two will find common ground. He is compromising on your behalf, more than you could possibly know."

"As you've been so eager to share with me."

"How could you know if no one tells you? The fact is he's trying so hard for you, Nick. And he's not sure if what he's doing is the right thing." Emily looked uncertain about sharing that part, but seemed to hope that it would have a positive effect on Rush's actions.

Suddenly, she whirled her head around, frowning and looking at something only she could see.

Rush's chest filled with a familiar dread. "What…what is it?"

He pulled up Destiny's status on the console to see if anything was amiss, and when he turned back around the AI was gone. Almost failing to suppress the frantic need to run, he walked at speed to the Gate room, leaving all his equipment behind. The shimmer of the event horizon hit his pupils sharply, but he kept his expression hard.

Scott was talking to someone on the planet as Camille listened. TJ's team, as well Park and James were standing in the middle of the room, soaked and shaken; TJ was quickly checking them all for signs of shock. Brody was the only one who noticed his appearance, but he kept his lips thin. He raised his eyebrows towards Scott, to indicate that he should stay quiet and just listen.

Then Rush heard a voice on the comm., muffled and overpowered by the sound of pouring water, but unmistakably Greer.

"...we've reached higher ground…coming up fast…Colonel not…too good."

TJ pulled her penlight away from Eli's eyes and grabbed her radio. "Is he responsive?"

Rush heard Greer talking quietly to the Colonel, but he couldn't make it out. Young's gruff voice came through the static, so weak it hit Rush's heart like an 18-wheel truck. His entire being flared to life, every molecule quivering with fear and the need to move, to do something.

"He's with me, TJ. But I don't know for…long."

"Can he walk?"

"More like swim at this point…but I'm sure…could, I'm just here to help him along." Greer's voice dimmed and took on a private tone as he spoke to Young. "Isn't that right, Sir…"

It was obvious to everyone that the Sergeant wouldn't allow himself to speak negatively in front of his wounded CO, to keep his spirits up, to make it look like they were coming back alive.

Rush glanced at the Gate console, and used his most discreet voice. "Is this an outgoing wormhole?"

Brody nodded. "TJ's team dialed in, but Young's team was way behind. The thirty-eight minutes expired and we had to dial out to communicate with Young and Greer."

Rush scanned the room and squinted. "Why did Park and James make it through?"

"Colonel Young fell through a crevice in the earth running from a mud slide. Greer refused to leave him behind."

Of course, Greer was the only person crazy enough to do something like that, but it was also the reason why the Colonel was still alive. But if the rain didn't stop soon, they were both going to drown.

"Do you have any idea where you are in relation to the Gate?" asked Scott.

"Negative. Compass isn't workin' down here…can't see four f…in front of my face."

"They can't stay there," Camille said with a slight quiver in her voice.

"What about the Kino?" Scott looked hopefully at Chloe, who was holding a remote. She shook her head.

"The entire place is covered in water, nothing is distinguishable, I…" she sighed and dropped her hands at her sides, looking apologetically at Matt.

The young Lieutenant pursed his lips and took pause. He locked eyes with Eli who, despite being cold and sore, looked ready for action. TJ's rose from her crouch and James straightened. Scott licked his lips and nodded.

Catching their energy, Camille intercepted Scott mid-thought and rounded on him, pulling his arm back to physically pull him away from his train of thought. "Absolutely not! No one is going back to that planet until it clears up!"

"We can't just leave them there," Eli protested.

"And we won't, we'll get them once the storm clears."

"By that time it might be too late! We don't know how long this will last, they could die…Camille."

She looked helplessly back to Scott.

"It's not your decision to make alone," he told her.

"Okay, I'm all for rescuing them, but the fact is we don't know where to start," Park pointed out. "And Camille is right, if we go out on the plains, the waters will sweep us away."

"The Kino isn't picking up their signatures?" asked TJ.

Eli shook his head. "The planet's crust is…laced with some kind of polysilicate alloy, it's messing with our sensors…we can't get a clear reading of what's down there."

"What if we boost the sensor output of the ship with the energy from weapons," Brody suggested weakly.

"No, that won't work," said Rush, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Everyone looked behind them, taking in Rush for the first time. He ignored them and, reaching across Brody, typed a few things into the console. His eyes flew across the data and his feet were already moving before he finished.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Brody didn't get a reply.

Rush flew through the ship, his small compact form seemingly built perfectly for that purpose. His muscles were so overloaded with adrenaline that he wasn't sure if they were helping him or hindering him. His legs were weak, shaky, felt like he might collapse at anytime. His throat was tight, he couldn't swallow. He couldn't hear his feet impacting the metal deck plating, only the air filling his lungs like his ears were plugged.

The absolute fear he felt right now was rivaled by only a handful of previous experiences. Sure, he felt that familiar icy cold dread all the time, on a daily basis in fact; but almost never at this level and for so long. It was like getting that phone call from the hospital, like icy blue fingers wrapping around his arms and forcing him down. Such self-preservation only ever presented itself to Rush when it was certain there was nothing he could do to change his situation, when his life was about to take an irreparable turn for the worst; because he was about to lose something important to him.

Colonel Young was the link in the chain keeping Rush and Rush's sanity together. Because despite the horrific implications of what Young had done to him, Rush's survival instinct hadn't kicked in. If it had he would have fought tooth and nail, he would have exacted some form of revenge afterwards, and he certainly wouldn't be trying to save the man. Instead he had laid there and let the violation happen. An overpowering force in Young had made Rush trust that he would be okay. Young was repressing Rush's usual methods for confronting trauma, and showing him a better way. If he disappeared now so would Rush's chances for recovery.

Without Young, he would bury his head in the sand, push everyone away and become even more callous and meaner a man than ever before. Rush didn't…he didn't want to end up that way.

This was a poor way for the powers of the Universe to repay him for his unwavering dedication to the most important mystery of the cosmos. That's why he had a chance to save Young and himself, because the Universe and this ship and its mission wouldn't benefit from the death of Doctor Nicholas Rush. Not yet. There were important discoveries to be made, people to insult and by God he had shit to do!

Not five minutes later, Rush reappeared in the Gate room at a run, a pack on his shoulders, rope in one hand and a disk-like object in the other. He kept running like the others were mist he could pass through.

"Rush!" Camille yelled.

"What the Hell?" said Eli.

Scott lunged to grab him but Rush slipped through the event horizon.

"He's going to be killed!" Park shouted.

"Hang on…let me see that," Eli motioned for Chloe to hand him the remote.

"Rush, this is Camille, can you hear me?"

Scott swore openly. "Damnit…Rush if you're there, respond!"

Chloe walked up to Matt and took his radio from him. "We just want to know if you're okay."

There was a collective breathe of relief as Rush's voice came through, distorted and irritated.

"I'm rather busy, call back later!"

Simultaneously, Eli broke out into an incredulous smile. "That's it…that's…the Gate is acting like a…a lightning rod. Its power output is massive so all the lightning for two kilometers is being discharged there! See this…these power spikes are a result of the energy peaks caused by the lightning. "

"So what happens when the Gate shuts down?" asked Chloe.

The tension filled the space once again and the smiles evaporated.

Brody looked up from the console. "Twenty-two minutes."

TBC