"You guys should probably leave your stuff here on Talyn," John said to his father, sister, DK, and Jason as they slowly followed him down the ladder of the transport pod. With the exception of Jason, who was being helped down the ladder by Zhaan, they were all carrying several large bags full of as many possessions as they could take with them. They weren't sure if they were ever going to go back to Earth, considering what they were planning on doing.
As they walked into the maintenance bay, Jack asked, "Why? Is there something wrong with Moya?"
"Yes and no," John answered, stopping as he put his bags down. He nodded to Aeryn, Crais, and Jothee as they left the bay for the strategy room to access Talyn's memory banks, then looked at the five others still with him in the bay and said, "A few months ago we picked up a bunch of freed slaves. Some of them are desperate enough for currency that they'll steal your stuff and try to sell it at the next commerce planet we come across."
"That is why we brought all of our currency and several of our more treasured possessions to Talyn," Zhaan said. She looked at Jason, laying a hand on his back, then said, "Come. I will look at your knee and do what I can for you."
"Thanks, Zhaan," he said, then smiled at her. He started to follow her out of the bay, then suddenly turned and asked, "Hey, can one of you take my stuff to my quarters? They're on tier five, number eight, treblin side."
"No problem, kid," John answered, then watched as Zhaan led Natalie's son to the sickbay. Turning to his family and friend, he asked, "You guys all right?"
"No," Olivia answered, shaking her head. "But I will be. Eventually."
John took her hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to give her some comfort. She had been virtually silent since they left her home in Orlando. While they were packing her belongings, everything seemed to sink in with her. She finally realized that that may have been the last time she would be in her house, the last time she had the chance to see her friends, and the last time she would ever do anything in that city. That was one thing John hated about having to do this. He didn't want to force his family away from the only lives they knew, but he didn't have a choice, not if Natalie and Chiana were to survive. He only wished Susan would talk to his father or at least Liv. Frank told them that Susan didn't want to talk and to never call again. If she had taken the call, at the very least she would have known he was alive even if she didn't want to come with them, which he doubted she would.
Letting go of Olivia's hand, he said, "C'mon, I'll show you where you can put your stuff."
----------------------------------------------------
"Any luck?" John asked, walking into the strategy room, Jack, Olivia, and DK following.
As they gathered around the strategy table, John coming to stand next to Aeryn as usual, Jothee said, "It depends on what you consider luck."
"What's that supposed to mean?" DK asked.
"We've found a generator in Talyn's memory banks that will emit an electromagnetic pulse, but it's limited," Aeryn answered. "It has an extremely short range and will burn out after a quarter arn. According to the plans Jack gave us, the secondary generators in the prison will undoubtedly activate a few microts afterwards."
"Is that the only thing in there like that?" John asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Crais answered. "Which means you must enter the facility, retrieve Dr. Grant, exit the premises, and leave the area within seven hundred microts."
"Can you do that?" Jack asked, looking at John.
"We'll try." Glancing at Aeryn, he thought about what had taken place at both of Scorpius' Gammak Bases and added, "It's not like we haven't broken anyone out of jail before."
"You've done this before?" DK asked, surprised.
Glancing at DK, John answered, "Yeah, we have. Twice, actually." Looking back at Aeryn, he asked, "How close do we have to be to the jail for this to work?"
"It has a radius of twenty seven point four motras," she answered.
"How far is that?" Olivia asked, confused.
"About fifty yards," John replied.
"That's pretty close, John," Jack commented. "We're going to have to plant it inside the building."
Aeryn looked at Jack, Olivia, and DK, and asked, "Can you get it inside past security?"
"I doubt it," Jack answered. "Ever since September 11th, security has been put on high alert. The closest we could probably get it is the parking garage, which is directly under the facility. But the closest I can park is still pretty far away from where Natalie's being held."
"Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" John suddenly asked his family. While they were still in quarantine, Jack had told them about what happened to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. His father had acted as if it were a personal attack against him. Now, they were going up against the United States government to free their friends. It didn't bother John that much since he'd known something like this would happen when he returned. He'd had time to prepare for it, unlike his family and best friend.
"We're going to have to be," DK answered. "Natalie's my friend, too. So, no matter what, I'm in all the way, bro."
"Thanks, man," John said, clasping hands with his best friend. Letting go of DK's hand, he looked at Olivia and his father and asked, "What about you two?"
"I don't know," Olivia asked.
"You don't know?" Jothee asked incredulously.
Snapping her head towards the Luxan, irritated, she repeated, "No, I don't know. This isn't something I do on a daily basis."
"Liv, you don't have to do this," John softly said.
"Hey," Jothee interrupted.
John snapped his head around and glared at Jothee. He knew Jothee, Aeryn, and Crais were all thinking the same thing – that Olivia might give them away. But Aeryn and Crais knew that John trusted her. It was enough for Aeryn, but he would have to watch Crais. Turning his attention back to Olivia, he said, "Livvy?"
"Well, I'm already involved," she sighed rubbing her eyes. "I was the moment I met Chiana. But I still don't like it."
"I know," John responded, reaching out to give her arm a gentle squeeze. Looking at his father, he asked, "Dad?"
Taking a breath, he said, "I've loved my country for as long as I've lived. But I can't live with Chiana and Natalie being stuck in prisons just because they know about technology that Earth doesn't know how to use and recreate yet."
"Thanks, Dad," John softly said. Jack nodded in response.
"Which one of you will deliver the generator?" Crais suddenly asked. He brought the conversation back to topic as he usually did.
"I'll do it," Jack answered matter of factly. "I see Natalie on a pretty regular basis, so the guards won't suspect a thing."
"But when are you going to do this?" Olivia asked. "There's no point in talking about the 'who, what, where, and why' if we don't get to the 'when'."
"The sooner the better," Aeryn said.
"Tonight," John suggested. "Sometime in the middle of the night. Once we cut the power, the guards won't be able to see a thing."
"Do you have night vision?" DK asked.
"Yeah, night vision monocles," John answered. "But they won't work in an EMP field; too many electronics. The same goes for our pulse pistols." Turning to Aeryn, he added, "We'll need to teach you guys how to use our weapons – pistols, shotguns, that sort of thing." Aeryn nodded affirmatively.
"We'll also have to come up with something to keep my truck in the parking garage overnight," Jack said.
"How's the radiator?" John suddenly asked.
"It's still stops working every once in a while," he answered, a knowing grin growing on his face.
"What does a non-functional whatever it was you said have anything to do with what we're talking about?" Jothee asked.
"Without a working radiator, the engine will overheat," Jack answered. "Which means, if I see Natalie pretty close to when visiting hours end, by the time I get picked up and get the chance to get some radiator sealant to fix my truck, the prison will be closed to the public. I'll be forced to leave my truck there."
"How big is the bomb, anyway?" DK asked.
"It is not a bomb," Crais answered, punching in commands on the table and bringing up a holo-projection of the electromagnetic pulse generator.
"That's about the size of a Coke bottle," Olivia commented, studying the projected image.
"It shouldn't be too hard to hide it in the bed of my Chevy," Jack commented.
"But I would not recommend physical contact with the device," Zhaan said, walking into the room. Coming to a stop beside Jack as she studied the projection, she added, "It uses partanium as a fuel source. The element is highly radioactive and we have few materials on either Moya or Talyn that can protect you."
"Partanium?" DK asked, glancing back and forth between Zhaan, Aeryn, and Crais. "Is that like plutonium or uranium?"
"Yeah, but it's more unstable," John answered. Looking at Zhaan, he asked, "Can you come up with a concoction to protect my dad?"
"Yes, I believe so," she answered.
John nodded, then asked, "Can you also come up with a tranquilizer? We'll need it since we'll have to shut off our pulse weapons as soon as we get into the building."
"Yes, of course," Zhaan answered. "But any tranquilizer I can create by tonight will have to be injected directly into the person. There will not be enough time to create a mist strong enough to encompass the entire prison along with enough antidote for us and for Natalie."
"That's fine, Zhaan. Can you also make something that'll dilute chakan oil?"
"John, what the frell are you talking about?" Aeryn blurted out. John could see that Jothee and Crais were thinking the same thing.
Suddenly, he heard his father yell in his ear, "John!"
Startled, he jumped slightly and looked around to see worried looks on everyone's faces, minus Crais' of course. But what struck him was that his father was now at his side. He looked to Aeryn, who had her hand on his arm, silently asking her if he 'zoned' again. She nodded ever so slightly. He closed his eyes, dipping his head, and sighed. He had hoped that he wouldn't zone or black out in front of his family. He didn't want to worry them with what was happening to him. But he was sure they knew something was going on. He was also sure they knew his left eye was different from his right. They would probably assume his blackouts had something to do with that, which would probably make things worse since they had physical proof something was wrong with him.
"John?" Jack asked again.
"I'm fine," he said softly and quickly. Turning back to Aeryn, he tried to get the conversation back to the topic and said, "I don't want anyone to get killed down there. If we dilute the oil just right, it'll retard our pulse weapons' ability to kill but, at full power, the pulse blasts will still have enough of a kinetic impact to wound and knock out those prison guards. And with the way our plans go, we just might need our pulse weapons after the generator cuts out." Turning back to Zhaan, he asked, "So, can you do something like that?"
"I will try," she answered determined.
----------------------------------------------------
It was as beautiful as her father had told her it was. When she was a little girl, her father told her what Earth looked like from outer space and told her stories of what he and the rest of his crew did while in orbit and while on their way to the moon. To see Earth like this herself, from orbit, was something she thought she would never see. Yet here she was, standing inside the nerve center of an alien ship – a gunship – looking out of the windows at the beautiful blue orb, hanging isolated in space. It was an astounding and humbling sight.
She just wished she could enjoy it. In a few hours her father, brother, and his friends would travel back down to that bright blue orb to declare war on the Texas penal system. It would turn them into felons despite the fact that John was just trying to save his friend. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. John and the others on the two Leviathans were trying to hack their way into the United States government's computer system to try to find where Chiana was being held. When they eventually do find her, they'll go back down to rescue her as well. That would most likely turn them all into terrorists and traitors in the eyes of the public – a xenophobic and bigoted public who hated anything that didn't come from Earth and anyone who associated themselves with those who didn't come from Earth.
A part of her also wished John and Natalie had never come back to Earth. It would have made things so much easier for everyone involved. A few hours ago, word had leaked that Commander John Crichton had returned to Earth in a Leviathan named Moya and had brought nearly seventy-five aliens with him, most of whom were still on Moya. Because of everything that had happened and everything that will happen, the entire planet would no longer continue to believe that her brother and Natalie were heroes and that they died doing something they had always dreamed of doing. The entire planet would no longer think of her father as a hero, either, for his mission to the moon. Now, they would only be thought of as threats to Earth.
If they had stayed away, the media would have never latched onto Natalie, Chiana, and Talyn, and now John, Moya, and everyone they brought with them. They never would have used them as a means to prey on the public's fears just to improve their ratings. It seemed all that was ever on TV now were shows about the crews of Talyn and Moya, aliens and outer space in general, and alien abductions and invasions. It was pathetic and was, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, feeding a mass hysteria.
There were religious cults popping up all over the world, saying everything from "It's the end of the world!" to "Bring back Elvis!" If that wasn't bad enough, Michigan Militia wannabe's were popping up all over the world, as well. They were hoarding weapons and supplies and were barricading themselves in compounds in the numerous forests of Earth. No matter which approach they took, they were all paranoid. They were also a bunch of idiots as far as Olivia was concerned.
The general public, however, while still fairly paranoid, didn't go to the extremes that the cults and militias did. They went about their business and their daily lives as if nothing had changed. Although there had been moments (such as the arrival of Moya) of panic and rioting, those moments were few and far between. Of course, in a few hours, that was going to change.
Unexpectedly, she heard the hatch slide open and she turned to see Zhaan walk in. Olivia simply smiled, forgetting momentarily that Zhaan could understand her and she could understand Zhaan. Before leaving Houston for Orlando, John had injected her with translator microbes. They were amazing, but at that moment she hadn't felt like talking much. As Zhaan joined her in the forward section of the bridge, Olivia asked, "Dad and John ask you to come check up on me?"
Smiling, the Delvian answered, "Yes, they were concerned about how you are adjusting."
Crossing her arms, Olivia turned to look back out of the window as she leaned against the one of Talyn's red ribs, then sadly said, "I'm adjusting as well as anyone could when they've been taken away from everything they've every known."
"Even if it was for your own safety?"
"Yeah," she softly answered, then swiped at her eyes to keep a tear from spilling over.
"We all understand how you feel, Olivia. We were all taken away from those we loved… from the homes we still love."
"Look, Zhaan," she started, looking at the Delvian, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't really feel like talking about that right now."
"Of course," she said, bowing her head slightly.
Sighing, Olivia asked, "So, how are things going with the bomb?"
"Things are… proceeding. The generator is nearly complete, and the device is not a bomb."
"Technically, no. But that's not how the people down there are going to see it."
"No, they most likely will not."
"I'm guessing that you've made some kind of potion to keep my dad safe from it?"
"Yes, I have. He should be reasonably safe as long as he does not come into direct contact with the generator."
"Wait," she said, raising a finger and looking incredulously at Zhaan. "Reasonably safe?" Pushing herself off of the rib and stepping toward Zhaan, she asked, "What is reasonably supposed to mean?"
Zhaan closed her eyes and, trying to stay calm, said, "It means I did the best I could with the resources I had."
"Great," Olivia snorted, then leaned against the rib again, looking back out of the window. "I just got my brother back, but now I might lose my father."
"The others will protect him and when he returns I will do all that I can to ensure he does not have radiation poisoning," Zhaan stated, struggling to keep calm.
Olivia turned back to Zhaan and noticed the expression on her face. She looked like she was in pain. Carefully stepping toward Zhaan, she asked, "Are you all right? Should I get one of the others for help?"
Zhaan's eyes shot open, revealing red irises instead of blue. She shoved Olivia against the wall, holding her there. Olivia cringed in pain as she felt electricity shooting through her body from where the Delvian's hands were on her tightening chest.
"Why would I need help?" Zhaan threateningly whispered, standing nose to nose with Olivia.
Olivia was left speechless. Looking into the red eyes of Zhaan was like looking into the eyes of a psychopath, and it terrified her beyond belief. Then, as suddenly as Zhaan had struck, she backed off and had a lost look on her face. Her eyes also returned to their original blue. She slowly backed away from Olivia, walking back between the override consoles.
Olivia rubbed her chest where Zhaan had held her and exasperatedly asked, "What the hell was that?"
"I am sorry," she softly said, grabbing onto the right override console to help steady herself.
"I thought you were supposed to be a Priest," Olivia stated, slowly walking toward Zhaan.
"I was," she quietly answered, turning her head to look at Olivia, a sorrowful look on her face.
"You were?" She slowly approached her, laying a gentle hand on the Delvian's back, and asked, "What happened?"
After a beat, Zhaan closed her eyes with a sigh and answered, "My dark impulses overcame me."
"Your dark impulses?" Olivia asked, kneeling on the deck. "I don't understand."
"I was a savage – an anarchist – before I was taken prisoner by the Peacekeepers," she whispered. She sank down to the deck, her composure slowly returning and said, "Then, I began on the path of the Delvian Seek. The Goddess helped me to control those impulses. But over a cycle ago, all that I had accomplished was taken away from me. I was forced to become a savage again."
"That's why you attacked me?"
Zhaan slowly nodded, "Over the past cycle, I have striven to control those impulses again. But at times, they overwhelm me."
"Like now."
"Yes."
Sighing, Olivia asked, "Do the others know about this? Does my brother know?"
"They all know."
"Then why are they letting you come down with us? I mean, is it such a good idea?"
"I have no choice," she sighed, closing her eyes. "There might be injured once we infiltrate the prison. I have to be there to help them. And the proportions for the explosives we will use have to be just right to detonate. I'm the only one who can accurately mix the two chemicals."
"The explosives? You mean the shape charges you guys were talking about?"
"Yes," she answered with a nod.
It was still unbelievable to Olivia that the gentle Priestess sitting in front of her, on the verge of a breakdown, was capable of the violent behavior she had implied she was. If she hadn't witnessed the other side of Zhaan's nature firsthand, she never would have believed it. But Zhaan's actions, and now her admission that she was the only one who could mix explosives, were firsthand proof of what the Delvian was truly capable of.
"It's not right," Olivia whispered, gently rubbing Zhaan's back. "Not with what you're going through." It was also just plain stupid to bring Zhaan down to the surface since she was a danger to those around her. If she was capable of harming a new friend, then what else was she capable of, especially when faced with violence from others?
"Things do not always work out as we hope they would," Zhaan softly said.
"Liv, Zhaan," they suddenly heard John say over the comms.
"We're here, John," Olivia responded.
"It's time."
"We'll be right down."
