Author's Note:

This probably counts as a minor miracle that I am posting another chapter already. thank you so much for the kind comments everyone, even if I haven't responded yet, I read them (and possibly printed a few out for my storyboard for motivation). Much thanks to my Beta, she has put up with a seriously whiny person for the last few months and has not stopped gently encouraging me to restart the story and provided some expert editing - so she is the real hero of this piece! I also totally abused a friend of mine for their medical knowledge on the last chapter. All mistakes are mine, I promise they are excellent at their job.

Next chapter we get back to our favorite pairings.

Up above the operating room, in the observation deck, John, Gail and what seemed like half of the leadership on the ship were packed into the small room, watching the chaos below. Gail and John were the closest to the front, Gail leaning her side against the window with folded arms. It was not protocol and the doctors were never happy about it, but for the commanders, it was a way to stand vigil over their charges.

Gail and John turned as Lieutenant Colonel Fullman stepped down to the row above them. He was the Commanding Officer of Recon Two. John nodded at him, politely inquiring "Sir, how did your op go?"

The Colonel stared down at the doctors below, and said softly, in a voice that did not seem to fit such an imposing man, "Recon One was a total loss, only two…"he stopped for a moment collecting himself before continuing, "Only two made it back from Recon Two." He scrubbed his face and turned away, putting his back to the glass. Gail glanced down at a group of solemn doctors and nurses pulling a sheet over one of the far tables, covering the body below. "Make that one survivor." The Colonel slumped into the window, covering his face with his hand.

Gail turned away from the man, giving him the illusion of privacy and stared unseeing out the window. She kept thinking about the losses they had suffered today, feeling the magnitude settle on her shoulders, she hoped whatever intel they brought back was worth this loss of life. She vaguely heard John behind her saying something to Colonel Fullman but couldn't bring herself to focus. She forced herself to watch as Dr. Laridan worked on Beca, saying a silent prayer for her. For a moment she smiled ruefully remembering a conversation with the doctor almost a decade ago, when her team of Marines had entered a dilapidated barn searching for survivors. She found them and more than she ever bargained for in Dr. Nicole Laridan. A decade ago, Gail was a shit hot Captain, sure of her own authority. She was in command of the platoon that had been sent to evacuate survivors, only to run into a stubborn doctor who refused to evacuate until every last person was accounted for. It made for some hot arguments.

John shifted away from the grieving Colonel and whispered, "What is happening down there?"

Gail startled a bit, blushing at the memory John had interrupted, smoothing back a flyway strand of hair from her bun she turned to face him, "What?"

John nodded, "Look, something's wrong."

Gail stared down, placing her hand on the window in surprise at the chaos she was witnessing. "What the fuck?"

Hearing the commotion, the entire Observation Deck surged forward, reacting to the turmoil that was apparent even at this level. Their collective surprise was short lived as the side door hissed open, revealing a contingent of security personnel. The man in the lead said forcefully, "Sirs, ma'ams, I need you to come with me."

Colonel Fullman stepped forward, "On whose authority…" he paused, searching for the man's rank, his uniform was devoid of any identifying markers. "Why are you out of uniform son?"

His only reply was, "If you'll come with me sir."

John stepped up next to Colonel Fullman and repeated the question, "On whose authority?"

The sound of plasma charging accompanied the man's answer, "Admiral Washington." He paused again, "Now please, this area is under quarantine, you must exit the space."

The assembled brass grumbled but did as they were told. As soon as the last person exited, two of the security personnel closed the hatch and positioned themselves on either side. Gail eyed them then made eye contact with John. Before they could start their conversation, the ship's announcement system signaled, "Attention all Department Heads, your presence is requested in the Combat Information Center. I say again: Attention all Department Heads, your presence is requested in the Combat Information Center." John turned to Gail, "You'll wait for word on our people?"

Gail nodded, "I'll be down in the intake area. Come find me when you are done?"

"I hope they explain whatever this is." John craned his head towards the security personnel that were still standing in the passageway, waiting for the officers to disperse. Colonel Fullman had turned on his heel and started for combat before the announcement had even finished. John followed the rest of the crowd as they moved towards the ship's CIC.

Gail headed for the nearest ladder down to the next level, settling in one of the uncomfortable waiting area chairs next to several other personnel who were waiting on information about the fate of the personnel inside the medical bay.

A few hours later

"Major."

Gail started in surprise as she felt something hit her leg. She opened bleary eyes not quite trusting what she was seeing. In front of her with one eyebrow raised, arms folded, and a wary stance was Dr. Laridan.

"Uh…" she wiped at her mouth, embarrassed to find her hand coming away wet. Great she had drooled.

Dr. Laridan chuckled, "Eloquent as always, Major."

Gail felt a blush heat her cheeks and stood up less than gracefully, forcing Dr. Laridan to step back, as she felt her back twinge, obviously protesting the torture of sitting in that chair for the past…she checked her chronometer…2 hours.

In front of her, the doctor clucked at Gail as the Marine attempted to work the kink out of her back. Gail wasn't fooled by the doctor's casual demeanor; she could see the exhaustion in the lines of face. Her vibrant dark skin was now ashen with the strain the last 12 hours had put on her.

Gail discarded a dozen different opening comments and just simply asked, "Nikki, what's the update?"

For a moment Gail thought that the doctor was going to correct her and insist she be called Nicole, or Doctor, but as quickly as the fire had burned in her eyes, it was gone again. Exhaustion taking its place. Dr. Laridan hesitated before saying, "They'll live.

"All of them?" Gail prayed quickly that it was all of them.

Nikki nodded. "More or less…" she trailed off, wiping a tired hand across her face.

Gail stepped forward, placing a tentative hand on Nicole's elbow, "Hey, talk to me."

Dr. Laridan stared down at Gails hand on her arm for a moment before sighing, "I'm just patching up kids Gail. It is a revolving door of suffering, that is all I see. Patch them up, send them out, watch them come back more broken than the last time." Nicole's gaze was distant, lost in memory.

Gail's gaze went soft, understanding where the doctor was coming from, but her words were laced with steel, "You're patching up Marines Nikki, and they are doing their duty."

Nicole scoffs, turning those deep brown eyes on Gail, the little crinkle forming between her eyebrows when she realizes Gail is serious. "You can't be serious? Spouting that hoorah bullshit. You know this tears you up, sending these kids out there to face God knows what."

The look in Gail's eyes hardens, tension rising through her slim frame, the bone deep need to defend the Corps kicking in before the fight leaves her just as quickly as it had entered. She frowns and stares at the crinkle in Nikki's forehead, tempted to run her thumb across and smooth it out, instead she shoves her hands deep in the pockets of her flight suit. A hint of amusement, mixed with sorrow crosses Nicole's face as she recognizes the defensive gesture for what it is, but mercifully, she does not call the other woman out on it.

Gail sighs, "Yes, it sucks. Yes, I hate it." She locks her gaze onto Nicole, "But you and both know damn well there are no alternatives. We are the wall standing in front of mankind's annihilation here."

Nicole raised an elegant eyebrow, "Marines, always so dramatic."

Gail smiled a little, realizing that she had gone a little "God and Country" there, but also realizing that Nikki was backing away from the one thing they would never see eye to eye on, no doubt to preserve both of their sanity just a little bit.

Gail sighed, she could see Nicole staring at her out of the corner of her eye. "Spit it out."

Nicole shrugged defensively, "What?" It was Gail's turn to raise an eyebrow. Nicole stared at her for a moment more, as if searching for an answer to a question, Gail resisted the urge to fidget under her questioning gaze. Finally arriving at some internal decision, Nicole blurted out, "I need you to hear me out, none of that defensive my Corps, my country, right or wrong bullshit."

Gail immediately straightened up, opening her mouth to argue, but Nicole silenced her with a sharp look, grabbing her elbow and pulling her down the passageway with surprising strength for someone so slightly built. After several twists and turns down all but deserted hallways, Nicole shoved Gail into a small room, well more of a closet really. Random pieces of machinery blinked quietly in the light that activated when they walked in, well in Gail's case stumbled in, through the door. The exhausted doctor looked at her for a long moment, before coming to some internal decision.

Glancing up and down the passageway to make sure they were not followed, Nicole closed the door quickly and then turned, arms crossed in front of herself. Gail knew that look, it was the one that said: 'Nikki was ready for a fight', with a hint of frightened uncertainty behind it. Gail had seen Nikki scared, hell they both had been in bad, like apocalyptically bad, situations and (while not a great day by any means) she did not think this qualified. The Marine raised her hands placatingly, tamping down on the urge to shake the other woman into spilling whatever was scaring her so much, all while trying to ignore the own worry rising in her gut.

"What is it?" Gail manages to say calmly, proud of keeping her voice even.

Nicole hesitates once more – staring off into space before turning her dark eyes back to Gail. "Your Marines…they've been altered."

Gail's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Altered? What do you mean, altered?"

The other woman huffs, "I mean we are talking nanites and surviving injuries that should have killed them on the battlefield long before they made it onto my table, Gail."

Gail frowns, "Come on Nikki, you're a hell of a doctor…" Nicole waves her comment off, turning eyes full of concern back to Gail and staring at her as if willing her to see what she saw in the med bay.

"I am a hell of a doctor, but Gail, this was beyond me. Beyond what I have ever seen. I mean, I've read the journals, but what I saw… shit, this is medical knowledge that is still decades away and what scares me most is the stuff I can't see. What else did they do?" Nicole scrubs at her face tiredly.

Gail steps closer, reaching out to grasp Nicole's elbows she chides gently, "Hey, dumb jarhead here Doc. I'm gonna need you to break it down for me."

Nicole shoots her a look before taking a moment to sigh and then continue. "Look, I can't prove anything yet, but Gail, our entire medical system bricked - just froze and stopped working. We found traces of nanites. My team is looking deeper into it, but I had my hand in one of your Marine's chest and watched as the bleeding just stopped. Way faster than it should."

Gail pushed down the horror at the picture Nikki was painting. "Nanites? Are you sure? I thought those were still experimental or something."

Nicole shook her head. "Not only experimental, we are talking insanely regulated. Every elemental or system building block is tracked. You can't buy the stuff to make them without the government knowing."

Gail felt a cold chill race down her spine…if the government was involved…she didn't even know where to begin with any of this information.

Nikki pulled her out of her spiral of thoughts, "That's not all Gail, we had the medical readouts from the radiation pills they took. Something was in their system. The radiation readings on their clothes – even with the suits, was off the charts! The pills they took, shouldn't have worked as well as they did. And don't get me started on the state of the Marines you rescued from the Gaks, Mitchell, Swanson and the others… Nikki trailed off, staring into Gail's eyes as if willing her to believe. "Gail, their charts mysteriously disappeared, and we still don't know what really happened."

"Whoa, slow down…" Gail pulls Nikki towards her a little more "…slow down a minute. You're saying they're healing faster? Well, I get it, but why is them getting better a bad thing?"

Nikki held Gail's gaze with her dark eyes, "Gail, my hand was in Lt. Mitchell's chest, her heart stopped. I felt it stop. I had already repaired two tears and she was still bleeding…when it just stopped. I didn't shock her back into a rhythm. Her heart, it just started again."

Gail stepped back, dropping her hand from Nikki's elbow, "So um, that's never happened before?"

Nikki searched Gail's face, her eyes imploring the other woman to believe. "Gail, I want to save people's lives and I am grateful. But Mitchell isn't alive today because I am a God among doctors. She's alive for reasons I don't understand. You have to believe me."

Gail turns back to Nikki, "I do. Nikki, I believe you. I'm just trying to understand what this means. I mean is it something the Gaks could have done to them?"

Dr Laridan's gaze turned inwards, "I mean it is possible, especially with seeing how it sabotaged the medical equipment, but it doesn't make much sense, and it would mean they can definitely jump hosts…" Gail's eyes widened as the doctor continued to talk herself through possibilities.

"Whoa Doc, for those of us without fancy degrees, mind sharing?" Gail gave her best disarming grin which Nikki instinctively returned before schooling her expression. She shook her head.

"Look I don't know. All I am saying is, something doesn't add up."

Gail nodded, adding slowly, "We had security personnel remove us from the Observation Deck, but they weren't military security."

Nikki's eyes widened, "What? That's…well, that can't be good. I mean private security onboard a military vessel? You think it's the spooks?"

Gail shrugged, "Or a deep pocketed corporation. Who knows." Gail watched Nikki stand up straighter, a new look of determination entering her eyes. She knew that look. She hated that look. That look reminded her of how she willfully disobeyed orders to save a pretty doctor, once upon a time. She wanted to head this off at the pass, "Nikki, no."

"What do you mean Nikki, no? I didn't say anything yet?"

"I know what that look means!" Gail paused, "Don't do anything stupid."

Nikki visibly bristled, "Come again?" Gail backtracked a bit, reaching out to stroke her hands soothingly across the doctor's arms that the woman had folded across her chest.

"I didn't mean it like that, just, if what you say is true, this isn't anything to go off half-cocked on."

Nikki raised both eyebrows, "You just keep digging that hole, Major. Look, I am a grown-ass woman and I know how to take care of myself." Her words had bite to them, but Gail noticed that Nikki was leaning into her touch just a bit, so she pressed her advantage.

"I know, I know, I just worry is all. From what you described…"Gail lowered her voice as if they weren't tucked away in a storage closet with the loud hum of machinery around them, "look from what you described, this could be and, like is, really bad right?"

Nikki nodded. Gail nodded back almost reflexively, "Just be careful."

The doctor sighed, "I will. But Gail we need to know what happened to these kids."

"Marines," Gail corrected automatically.

Nikki gave a half smile, "Look, I will keep you posted on what I find." She brought her hand up to push back a lock of hair from Gail's face, "You make sure to do the same Major." With that she quickly leaned in and brushed a kiss across Gail's lips before slipping out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

Gail raised her fingers to her lips, feeling the blood pound in her ears. "Dammit Nikki." She waited an extra 30 seconds and then followed the doctor out the door.