Chronicle of the Guardian: Chaos Factor

By THE Xenomorph

I own only the character of Vile, Catlina Flores, the Hybrids and the Scions

Star Trek Voyager is © Paramount

Aliens vs Predator is © Fox

A Fragment of Time

Niall was a mostly good kid. He knew he could trust Voyager's crew. He even knew he could trust Serenity's crew. After all his "big" brother trusted them and that was all Niall needed. He was also watching the 'goobers' in engineering frantically flit about to fix various things on the second much smaller ship they were also trying to tow. He was watching with such interest that he never notice the hands of a B'elanna Torres place something under him.

"So..." She said, causing the young hybrid to jump and spin towards her. "What's it this time?"

"I-I don't..." Then it went off and he found himself covered in a white powder. "Baking soda." He spat out the white powder with a groan.

"Niall." B'elanna sighed. "You know he's not gonna be happy."

"Who won't be happy about..." Tom stopped as he walked in on his wife about to lecture the youngest person on the ship. "Yeah he's gonna be mad." Tom nodded. "I thought we talked about this?"

Niall gave a weak snarl, despite the fact that he almost came up to Tom's shoulder he still couldn't intimidate anyone on the ship. This was also in spite of his razor sharp claws and tail.

"Go wash up kid." B'elanna sighed. "I'll make sure he's not too angry."

CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF==== Chapter 29=====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF

I walked into my room, well mine and Niall's. He was sitting at our main table working on educational problems. He looked up and small amounts of the baking soda prank I had been told about rolled down his hair. I smiled and walked over to him.

"So, baking soda time bomb?" I asked.

"It wasn't going to hurt anyone!" He snapped.

"No, I bet it wasn't since B'elanna caught you." I countered as I sat opposite of him. "What's wrong Niall?"

"Nothing." He harrumphed as he tried to focus on his work.

I sat and waited.

"I need to focus." He tried to snarl.

"I need that too." I joked. A legitimate roar escaped his lips and he immediately backed down and looked at the table in shame.

"You left." He said quietly. "I was alone."

I stood and then went around the table, and pulled him closer. "I didn't have much of a choice in it." I sighed. "But I guess we haven't had much time to connect either way. We're supposed to be brothers and look at us, I come back to you failing at a prank..." I tried to get him to smile.

"You're not mad?" He asked, looking up.

"No, I'm not mad kiddo." I grinned. "You're still in trouble, but I'm not mad."

"Sorry." He sighed.

"Don't worry, just stay out of engineering when they're busy and don't do explosive pranks those can backfire worse than what you had happen." I smirked and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah." He grumbled and put his head on the table. Then looked at his claws. "Do you hate them as much as I do? I can't even play games with the others without having to be real careful and they're both older than me!"

"Yeah." I admitted I took his claws and held them out. "They're a pain, that's for sure." I admitted. "But they're not just weapons, they're tools and it's all about how you use them. Just be glad you don't have my strength kid."

"I'd crush half the ship." Niall laughed.

"See, a good sign." I smiled at him. "If you ever want me to, I'll find a way to give you a normal human body."

He looked away and didn't speak for a moment. "That girl, River, she said that part of me was going to die."

"River sees things, the future, sometimes delusions, sometimes what you're thinking." I said. "She doens't mean to frighten people."

"So I'm not going to die?" He asked, more than a little trepidation in his face.

"Not if I have a say in it, and I've got a connection or two to use." I smiled.

"This stuff is to easy." He looked at his work pad. "I mean it's all history and math and what I don't know from your memories is just easy to look up. There's no challenge."

"Challenge?" I had the spark of an idea. "I got an idea for that."

"What?" He asked, a look of hope on his face.

"Go get Icheb, Naomi and River." I smiled. "Then meet me in the mess hall."

He sprang to his feet and dashed out of the room. He had to remember to not use the ceiling though and quickly landed on his feet when he remembered. I made my way to the mess hall and was pleased to find Inara and Mal there.

"Oh no..." Mal sighed. "You're trouble you know that right?" Mal smirked.

"Ignore him." Inara rolled her eyes. "Join us."

I shook my head. "Setting up some fun for the kids." I smiled.

"Well now." Mal straightened in his seat. "What's the plan?"

"Scavenger hunt." I smiled as I pulled a pad out of the shoulder pack I had started wearing. It was a useful addition to my everyday gear. "I'm hoping you guys can help now."

"Of course." Inara smiled. "I should get Kaylee."

"No." I raised my hand.

"Yeah..." Mal winced. "She's been working non stop on Serenity."

"Which is why she needs a break." Inara countered.

"'Nara, she threw Buck the Hacksaw at me." Mal explained. "I don't want my engineering genius mad at me."

I mouthed a response of "Bucky the Hacksaw?"

"Don't ask." Mal sighed. "She got it from Enterprise." He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Let me see the list." Inara snorted in derision at Mal. I handed it over with a smile. "Not bad, but why are you telling them to get something and I quote 'anything Jayne has on him'?"

"I would think that was obvious." I said flatly.

"Man if you two would jus' throw some punched already." Mal sighed.

"Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I wanna kill him Mal." I snorted at him this time. "Besides I figured River or Niall would nick it from him."

"Six months with us and look how he's talkin'?" Mal smirked.

"It's useful expressive language." I said. "Makes me wonder why we abandoned it." I shook my head. "Traded in creativity for a sense of superiority if you ask me."

"Hey now, I'm sure that's true for some..." Mal said, he had seen a better side of the Federation and actually seemed to support the idea of it. "But you got some good people there too. Mostly from what I've seen."

"Maybe." I said with a bitter taste in my mouth. "Not in in the mood for that talk though."

"Fair 'nough." Mal nodded as he looked the pad over. "Oh! Add one of Simon's ties."

"Has to be on Voyager." I said.

"He's made a second home helpin' your Doc out." Mal said. "Man those two keep going back and forth."

"Really?" I blinked. "Huh..." I realized I had not been back to a med bay since coming back. "Maybe the cosmic joke is finally over."

"No." River said as she flopped into one of the chairs. "You just haven't fought anything of note yet."

"We're here!" Niall said as he dropped from the ceiling and sat at my feet, his own tail curling and uncurling in anticipation.

"Well you're happy." Inara smiled.

"I'm about to go hunt some stuff and I don't have to kill it!" Niall smiled. "I like that."

"You'd think you'd have a similar drive to kill as your ge ge." Mal said.

"It's a cultural thing." I said. "Raised by hunters. Though he still has an urge to hunt it seems."

"Yeah..." Niall grumbled.

"You were going to fast." Icheb said as he and Naomi came in, both trying to catch their breath.

"Yeah, slow down." Naomi panted.

Icheb then chose to sit right next to River. She gave him a smile and he blushed. I felt my pulse quicken, but her own glare told me to stay put. It took that moment for me to remember that she could shatter every bone in his body if she wanted to. Naomi chose to sit next to Niall and she too looked up at me with a beaming smile. River then tilted her head in a demanding fashion.

"Mal." I said as I held out my hand for the pad. He finished typing a few things and handed it over.

"So." I smiled. "Scavenger hunt."

"Won't that be easy with River?" Naomi asked.

"Just because I know doesn't mean I can acquire it with ease." River shot an upset glare at me. "I would say it's cheating but I read minds."

I smiled at the girl. "Anyone not interested?" Icheb merely paid rapt attention while Naomi and Niall both looked at River with a worried glance.

"Fine." River sighed. She was finally the eldest of the youngest and she seemed to be enjoying it for the short time she was to have it.

"Ok." I smiled as I looked the new items over. I almost laughed while River merely suppressed a growl. "First item: A 'neck thingy' from the sick bay." I looked at Mal. "Excellent word usage Mal."

"I try." Mal smiled.

"A scarf that Inara will hide somewhere in the living areas." Inara took one of her scarves and showed them.

"I'll be sure to put it someplace difficult." She grinned at River who merely glared at the older woman. "Oh please River, you can snap people's necks."

"I still can't figure out where you would put it." She frowned.

"I thought that would work." I smiled. Niall laughed. "Third item: One of Simon's ties, it must be on Voyager. Fourth Item: Anything from Jayne's person that he hasn't realized is gone. Fifth Item: Boxing gloves. Sixth item: A Captain Proton replica ray gun. Seventh Item: A self sealing stem bolt?" I looked at Mal.

"I figure Kaylee would want that in there, she's been marvelin' at the little buggers." Mal said with a nod.

I rolled my eyes. "Eighth item, and the hardest: Janeway's Coffee Mug."

"Wow." Niall blinked.

"We'll never get that." Naomi said.

"See." River glared at me. "He is evil."

"Actually..." Icheb spoke up. "I might have an idea for that. But we need to get the others first."

"I don't believe you." River said. Then she slightly recoiled. "It will work, but we need the hedgehog."

"Neelix?" Naomi asked.

"Yes."

"Why do you two call him that?" Naomi scrunched her nose.

We both shrugged.

Then Niall sprang to his feet and dashed off. "Come on slow pokes! I've got Jayne, he'll never see me coming!"

The rest soon ran out, River merely looked back at me in a mix of confusion, rage and joy.

"You are a bad man." Mal full on laughed.

"I had a good teacher." I smirked.

"I do have my moments." Mal smirked.

I gave another derisive snort. "Please, Janeway's twice as crazy as you are."

"I'm hurt." Mal said, faking offense. "I am truly hurt Stracker, I took you under my wing and this is how you repay me."

"Oh please Mal, I've talked with the woman, he's not wrong." Inara sighed. "Does she know what you're doing?"

"You think I'd put the mug on the list if she didn't?" I smirked. "I'm a xiong meng de kuang ren, not suicidal. Thanks for the tips on misdirecting her."

"No problem." Inara smiled. "I'm just glad you understood it. Now to go put the scarf no one will find it." She smiled. "At least for a while." She got up and left.

"You're gonna find that weeks after we've left." Mal sighed.

"That was kinda the point." I smirked. "They think Janeway and Jayne are gonna be the hard ones. They'll never see her's coming or hiding as it is."

CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF==== Chapter 29=====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF====CoTG:CF

Three hours later Holo-deck 1 had a foam river nearly pouring out of it. Neelix was stained a deep shade of blue. Tuvok was covered in shaving gel. Tom's clothes were all on fire in his dresser. River was wearing a new cleaner dress and Wash was currently trying to understand why he was caught in a net made from Simon's ties.

"I'm impressed." Jayne whistled.

"I have to admit." Stracker leaned against a wall in the halls as they watched. "I did not expect this."

"I don't think Riv did either." Mal said as he joined them. "You know she still has the damn mug."

"She gave them a challenge." Stracker nodded.

"Rob..." Nial's voice called from the foam of the holo-deck. "I think I may have messed up."

"You think?" Stracker called back.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked.

"Not with me." Stracker admitted.

"Maybe if my wife finds out, but I'm cool." Wash added as he marveled at the trap he was caught in.

"I'm going to say that was an excellent training exercise." Janeway smiled as she joined the group leaning against the wall after walking out of the foam and stepping over the struggling Wash. "And I do believe I've taught the young people on board who not to mess with."

"I think you did too." Jayne smirked. "'Cuz damn Cap'n Janeway, that was some fine ass kicking."

"Thank you Mr. Cobb." Janeway smiled. "Now, Mr. Stracker."

"Really wish you would stick to Vile." Stracker winced.

"Maybe in less formal situations." She smiled. "I do believe your sibling is caught in a fire foam."

"Yeah he is." Stracker smiled. "And he's gonna be there for minute."

"You're not funny!" Niall called out.

"I dunno." Wash said as he pulled one tie and twisted a leg. "I think it's hilarious and I'm in your net."

"I'm not trying to be." Stracker said with a grin. "Oh what the hell. Computer, run program foam melt." The holodeck whirred to life as another spray "filled" the room and melted the foam down. Several forms were revealed inside, including a very upset Icheb.

"Niall, that plan was horrible." He grumbled. "Why did you let me do it?"

"I thought it was solid." Niall sat and blinked. "I mean it worked until River left the holodeck and took Naomi with her."

"She didn't deserve to be in there with you two ben dan." River rolled her eyes in frustration.

"And now you know how I felt when your experiments blew up in my face." Simon said as he walked down the hall. "Neelix came into sick bay." He explained. "I had to see for myself."

"Yup." Mal smiled. "How's it feel to be the older sibling little bit?"

"I hate you all right now so much." River groaned.

"My god." Wash said as he struggled on the floor. "She's a normal teen now! It's a miracle, Blue, you saved her!"

"My God." Stracker said in faux desperation. "What have I done?!"

"Cerberus." She glared at the large hybrid. Then she smiled. "Thank you."

"Enjoy the good days Riv." Mal smiled. "They're what everything's about."

"I'll drink to that." Jayne agreed.

"I think we all can." Janeway agreed. "Vile, astrometrics when you're done helping them clean. Captain Reynolds if you could join us."

"Of course." Mal nodded. "Come on Stracker, lets get the lil' ones on their feet." His smirk would not go away.

"Mal..." Stracker said flatly. "I don't think there's enough towels on board."

"Niall, remind me where we put that program." Icheb grumbled.

"Oh don't get grumpy Icheb, you had fun and you know it." Stracker snorted as he pulled the teen to his feet.

"A little." Icheb admitted, "Though now I'm afraid of what Seven of Nine will say."

At that moment Seven of Nine was indeed walking down the halls to astrometrics. She merely stared for a moment before shaking her head and walking off.

"I'm gonna go with that." Mal nodded.

"I mean it's accurate." Stracker agreed.

"Pretty self 'splanatory too." Jayne grinned.