Author's Note: Six weeks to university, and I finally have some time to write. Now when I started this fic I was achieving an update a week. And shall endeavour to do the same now. Though this may be spread across all my fics, not just this one. Sorry but the fees are ridiculous and I need to finish my actual book in this time as well.

Anyway, on with the fic.

Lt. Greer advanced slowly into the stasis room, or what was the stasis room, the row of stasis pods had rather changed in the last hour.

Wiring ran everywhere, crisscrossing, whilst the the pods themselves had been ripped apart, the thick transparent screens now combined, and somehow sealed together, in the middle of the room to make a perfect cylinder. Green light dancing across the panel hooked up to it.

"What the hell is that?" Greer growled, gesturing with his assault rifle.

"I can't tell at a glance." Rush pointed out, kneeling down in front of the device, "But, just out of deduction, I'd say we're looking at whatever altered the good corporal."

"Can you shut it down?" The soldier asked, whilst checking the now empty alcoves, and finding nothing.

"Most definitely, but I won't. Are you sure that sending the others back was wise?" Rush said, changing the subject with the fluidity of a master.

"Better we don't risk more casualties than we have to."

"That would be fine if I weren't a possible casualty."The doctor complained, examining the console with great interest. "Fascinating, there's no way for me to interact with the software."

"What does that mean?" The Lieutenant snapped, circling around the console, waiting for something to emerge.

"It means that I think I know what this is." Rush mused aloud, mild wonderment in his tone. "Wondrously adaptive... but why did it wait so long?"

"Why did what wait?" Greer asked quietly, still moving cautiously around the room.

"Now isn't the time. Sar- lieutenant, I need you to run back and tell Col. Young to gather everyone into the gate room, and bring weapons with you." Rush said urgently, as he tried to prize open a panel to no avail. "Everyone will need to hear this."

Something about the tone got the normally suspicious Greer to accept the order without complaint.

"What's this all about?" Col. Young demanded, though in a reasonable enough tone."The lieutenant didn't give any details."

Rush stayed quiet for a moment, chewing on his tongue as he sought the best way to broach the topic. "It would seem that we've been boarded/ As of now we are more or less besieged."

"This had better be a practical joke in extremely poor taste, Rush." Lt. Johanson snapped waspishly.

"If only. It would seem that one of the drones stowed away in our last battle." He confided quietly, "I can only presume it was damaged as it's taken this long to actually attack us. Now what's worrying is that this drone has had the wherewithal to try and start building itself reinforcements."

"Damn." Young sighed deeply, looking thoroughly tired. "I assume you have some sort of plan."

"Give everyone a weapon and try and hunt down the original drone." Rush said gruffly, looking almost as tired as the colonel, though admittedly he usually looked like that.

"That's risky." Chloe said quietly from her corner, nevertheless attracting their attention.

"What's risky about it?" Greer asked, "It certainly sounds simple enough."

"Because Dr. Rush here is presuming that any reinforcements are merely being piloted by the original drone, if there's just one, rather than having actually been programmed by it." Chloe explained patiently.

"What does that mean in practical terms?" Greer pressed.

Butting in before the young woman could answer, Rush replied, "It means that if they're piloted then destroying the drone will take out the entire network, otherwise we're as good as finished already."

"Wonderful... just wonderful." The ex-sergeant complained, "So how do we find it?"

"Like I said, search teams going room to room, make sure each team has one of the military personnel and a gun." Dr. Rush repeated, though with a touch more detail before adding, "After the lieutenant has organised the search teams, I'd like to borrow him so Chloe and I can have a closer look at that cylinder, see if we can glean anything from it with a more in-depth analysis. Provided none of you have any logical objections."

"Nuh-uh, not me. If this lets us get the damn thing I'll do whatever's needed." Greer agreed with a nod. "Give me... fifteen minutes."

Author's Note: Not sure what to say really, just how much I appreciate the number of readers I get even now.