Title: Home and the Second Wave
Author: Meridian
Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to say I own these characters (hell, as much as I'd like to just own Ben Browder and Sebastian Spence), I don't. They belong, I suppose, to the Sci-Fi Channel or whoever sells them the episodes. Whatever, they sure as hell don't belong to me, nor do I have express written or oral permission to use them. Um, not suing me would be greatly appreciated, as I am not making any money from this story, nor do I have much to begin with…thanks so much. And ps…some stuff is made up entirely, as people who actually live in Salem, Mass. will attest. Just let it slide? Please?
Spoilers: Oh boy, spoilers! Well, none really for the First Wave portion of this story, just you have to know the basic characters there…Farscape Spoilers? Let's see…Nerve, The Hidden Memory, and Bone to Be Wild…that should cover most of it, save for vague and infrequent references to past eps…Oh and one more thing? These events occurred in a reality separate from the Farscape world that ended with Family Ties (I began before the episode altered reality a bit, so please, just through Bone to Be Wild, thanks)
Note: This is a crossover, so knowing both shows would greatly aid in your understanding of events. It's not necessary, but it helps. Thanks to my story consultant Michelle (what would I do without her?) who proved that you don't have to watch either show to follow and yes, even like the story.
Formatting Notes:
[[…..]] Indicate memory
Italics…thoughts
********* Indicate change of scene
------------- Same setting, only separate from the action taking place previously
HOME AND THE SECOND WAVE
Part 12
Massachusetts Base
"Wormholes? That is why Scorpius…"
"Bingo, give the man the trip to Tahiti." Crichton muttered, massaging his neck. Whatever drug the sentry behind him had injected was wearing thin, and his weary and abused muscles were beginning to moan in pain, sending shocks to his brain. Somehow, this half-hour long conversation had not helped the matter any. What a surprise. Maybe I should volunteer for a lie-detector test, if I wave my right to a lawyer, that is. Joshua did not seem to share his grim humor. The humanoid alien only furrowed his brow further with each explanation.
The entire interrogation had started with the reason for and the events following his disappearance from Earth's atmosphere. That was relatively simple, especially when Crichton realized that this Joshua knew more about wormholes than he was letting on. That nugget of information was stored away, and he skipped technical details and proceeded to outline his introduction and indoctrination to life aboard Moya and in the Uncharted Territories. Joshua waved off this tale, demanding Crichton arrive directly at the cause for which the infamous Peacekeeper scientist was tracking him. A delicate topic, one that required focus and control of information as well as the sickening physical reactions associated with it, and ate up most of the time.
For a member of such a supposedly advanced race, the Gua did not appear to pick up the story with any ease or rapidity. Through circuitous routes, Crichton discovered that the exact discomfort and miscommunication involved the why of Scorpius' search.
"You will be returned to your cell now." Joshua nodded at the Gua soldier behind Crichton. As the hand clamped down on Crichton's shoulder, he shrugged it away forcefully, drawing an ugly scowl onto his lips.
"Now just wait one goddamned microt! I think I get to ask you a few questions, too, don't I?"
"I don't recall making that bargain." Joshua waved at the soldier once more, and this time, he pulled Crichton to his feet by the strap running across his Peacekeeper jacket. Fighting was a moot conclusion; the Gua easily topped his height by three inches and his muscle mass by more pounds than he wished to think about. As he was dragged from the room, Crichton tried one last trick.
"You're going to regret it if you go through with your deal with the Peacekeepers!" Though Joshua tensed, almost nodding, the Gua soldier kept shoving Crichton into the hall. "Think about it! Peacekeepers will be able to use wormholes! How long do you think they'll leave you alone once they figure out how to do it!?!" The shout retreated with the voice's owner, but Joshua considered it. As soon as Crichton was handed off to another guard, the previous soldier returned.
"Orders, sir?"
"Establish a communication band to the Assembly, immediately. Tell them it is in regards to our pact with Peacekeepers." The dutiful guard hesitated.
"Sir? Is that wise? To listen to a human? An inferior being such as him cannot possibly know…"
"Silence! Just do it!" The guard snapped to, ready to comply with the order and stalked from the room with his task. Joshua steepled his fingers under his chin, sitting in pensive silence. Inferior or no, the human had made a valid point. It disgusted Joshua to admit as such, to admit that any human had the capacity to prove any Gua wrong, let alone those on the Assembly who had arranged the deal, effectively ending years of stalemates and aversion to the Sebacean military forces.
The Aurora Chair had decided Joshua's mind. The device was similar to their own tools of extraction, exchanging pain for the information locked away in a person's memory and even his or her subconscious. No human had yet been subjected to the more extreme extraction devices, not even the elusive and troublesome 117, Foster. The effects on a human could be disastrous, and despite his improved recovery vector, Crichton was quite obviously fractured in more than one way.
And in his weakened state, it is possible that the Peacekeepers could extract the knowledge he claims to possess…that would be disaster.
"SIR!!!" The shrill cry from the hall brought Joshua to his feet and out the door with all due celerity. The Gua guard who had shouted to bring his attention was running towards him, carrying a body, a pale female figure, one Joshua did not recognize. Behind him, their inside operative at the hospital kept pace.
"You found the missing fugitive, well done, Jessica." The nurse nodded, biting her lower lip to keep from screaming in alarm. Nothing really prevented her from doing so, but Chiana had convinced her that it would be futile. Chiana's natural agility would work in her favor, and the little thief was the best hider. If she escaped, she would never be found. Still, time was against the Gua; as soon as Eddie located the tracer attached to Chiana's com badge, he would call the cops to report the whereabouts of a certain wanted murderer. If they acted quickly, she could explain all to Joshua. Again, she felt real debate. Why report it at all? Was not the fight already futile? They might escape before law enforcement arrived, but if the building was searched…Exposure!
Chiana struggled in the guard's arms.
"Let me go, you frelling drew-gahr-fehtlot!" The Nebari curse was sufficiently idiomatic to confuse, but the meaning was obvious. Surprised to discover the prisoner was not drugged, the guard dropped her unceremoniously on her but.
"Careful! She's dangerous!" Jessica shrieked. Joshua barked at his soldier, who seized Chiana by the arm and hauled her up. How much time do we have before that human exposes us? Jessica was not sure, but she knew better to think that it would be long before he did. Embarrassment at such easy deception flooded her mind with shame. She was Gua. Where was her 'power to overcome'?
To Chiana, the whole affair was running splendidly. The more she struggled, the less attention they paid to anyone else, especially the painfully nervous Gua nurse. If they can't tell something's wrong with the way she's acting, then I'll have no problem here. To that end, the Nebari resisted with more effort.
"When I get free, you're going to frelling lose that hand!" Chiana snapped as she tried to bite the guard's hands. He viciously slapped her, sending her reeling back into Jessica. Joshua's strong fist closed around the back of her neck, gripping it firmly and pulling her over to him at a painful angle.
"You'll be lucky if you manage to live your normal lifespan here. Escape is out of the question." Joshua's snarl encouraged a new performance from Chiana; she struggled less and whimpered as he released his hold and practically threw her into the other man's arms. Cowering there, Chiana watched the other two Gua conversing.
"You caught her?" Jessica nodded mutely. "Any others?"
"No…no, sir."
"Excellent, well done, Jessica. Bryn, take this one to join the others. Bring Foster back with you." Joshua found this situation most favorable. With no more outside help, the human would know his fate was sealed. There could be no doubt now. The Gua were triumphant. Any pity had been driven from his heart. The Peacekeepers, the scientist Scorpius, they were the worry now. At his side Jessica let out a panicked breath. Joshua ignored it. Field operative? She needs retraining if this one makes her nervous.
"Jessica, accompany Bryn, take whatever weapon you feel necessary to retrieve Foster. Expect a fight from any and all of the prisoners, especially the Peacekeeper." She nodded and practically fled in the direction of the munitions room to secure a weapon. Joshua watched her exit with some curiosity; his human shell's hackles rose.
Something was not right.
************************************************
Salem Police Department, 6th Division
"Yes, Officer, I'm certain that's him." Eddie pointed to Cade's picture in the police bulletin notebook. It had taken more than half an hour for them to even listen long enough to laugh, but a passing detective smelled the honest clue Eddie was eager to provide and ordered that the binder full of wanted men's pictures be brought up. Not until the picture was taken out did anyone pay any attention.
The bulletin had been amended. Since Foster's short captivity in police custody in Chicago, the list of murders attributed to him had grown longer. Cade Foster was now a wanted cop-killer. The murders of Foster's two former interrogators stood out in bold print. Now I know why the detective was so anxious that I be sure. Eddie tapped his finger over the worn picture and nodded definitively.
"Thank you, Mr. Nambulous, we'll get right on this." Detective Casey pulled the binder away hastily and jumped to make phone calls. From half an hour waiting to be taken seriously to a ten-minute conversation, half of which was phone calls, Eddie had the cooperation of Salem's Sixth Division of Law Enforcement. True, they were looking to capture Cade and he was only planning on springing him from Gua control, but the end result would be determined largely by luck.
Good luck, please, let it be good luck.
*********************************
"Crichton!" Aeryn leapt at her human comrade as he was rudely shoved in. Cade flinched, knowing that the plan would have to wait so that they could incorporate Crichton. The most difficult part was avoiding staring at where he knew Zhaan was. He could not see her there, but he was certain she was still there. Shifting his eyes back on the still-embracing pair, Cade realized that Aeryn was telling Crichton the plan. He nodded, almost imperceptibly against her shoulders, his lips barely trembling in a low whisper.
"Good to see you, too, Aeryn." Their greetings had barely been exchanged when they each tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps. Nodding to Crichton, Cade, the invisible Delvian, and the three humans crouched against the back wall, Aeryn moved toward the door. As soon as the male Gua appeared, Aeryn started to scream and pound against the door.
"WHERE THE FRELL IS ZHAAN!!!??? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?" The Gua looked appropriately perplexed. Crichton swiftly came to Aeryn's side, making mock attempts to calm her while casting a disparaging glare at the Gua. Aeryn backed away, arms still swinging while Crichton handled what he had jokingly called the 'good cop' part of the routine. Aeryn was as yet still unsure what that entailed, but she was ready regardless.
"I think you had better turn right around and go back to your boss, pal. I don't think any of us are safe in here. You certainly wouldn't be." The Gua sneered, staring down at Crichton from his superior height. Ignoring Crichton's suggestion, and self-assured now that Jessica had appeared with a rifle, he keyed open the door.
"Back off, human."
"Where is Zhaan?" Crichton's inquest was as calm and subtle as Aeryn's had been alarming and outraged. He halted his next, more sarcastic remark as he saw Chiana being dragged into the room. The makeup and clothes did little to distort her innately curious and exotic look, but it took him a second to fully recognize her all the same.
"Where is who?"
"Zhaan? Blue gal, has an orgasm if you shine a flashlight in her eyes…bald? No? Don't have a clue?" The wavering, uncertain Gua shoved Chiana inside letting Crichton catch her. Chiana took her hint from Crichton's wink and remained silent, playing along with the ruse until she could figure out how best to act out. Her attention was drawn to the skittish nurse with the rifle. Crichton followed her gaze.
"Joshua!" Jessica screamed before Bryn took more than a step towards the cell to investigate. The communicator to the acolyte's room buzzed with her shrill, piercing howl. Chiana lunged at her, managing a decent tackled even as Bryn grabbed for her ankle to trip her up. Crichton threw his weight into the Gua, sending him flying to the side. If they had one thing working for them, it was this superior attitude. Three guards had come at them before, and one ended up dead. Two came now, only one armed. The idea that the prisoners were inferior meant that their captors were unpleasantly surprised whenever they were anything but. Doesn't hurt that they're dumb as posts and never learn from their mistakes. Some 'superior' beings.
Aeryn was at Crichton's side before Bryn could fully react. As it was, he shoved the human a good meter backwards before having to contend with the enraged Peacekeeper. Foster cleared the distance to Crichton's side, but tripped on…nothing. When he realized that Zhaan must have moved, he did nothing to draw attention to his fall. Crichton struggled to his feet, extending his hand to help Cade do the same. All three women flocked from the farthest wall to come to aid, but they were useless by the time they arrived. One well-placed Pantak jab later, and Bryn's Gua husk dissolved away at Aeryn's feet. Chiana had knocked Jessica's rifle clear, and Aeryn scooped to pick it up. At Crichton, Cade, and the others' laughter, she raised an eyebrow.
"The safety's on, Aeryn," Crichton smiled and nodded at the lever on the side. Immediately, Aeryn clawed at it until the lever was in the working position. Jessica, seeing the weapon trained on her, cried out, stopped fighting and cowered behind Chiana for protection. The Nebari snorted in disgust.
"Coward. Let's get out of here. She's sure to have attracted reinforcements." Aeryn nodded and made hand gestures for the others to follow. Cade held a finger to his lips to silence the whole procession before anyone took a step. They all listened.
"Those are helicopters?" Crichton's astonishment was evident.
"Crichton?"
"Aeryn, that would be the cavalry. Good guys, but we have to escape them too."
"Definitely," Foster seconded, jerking his head towards one hallway. "This way?"
"No, that's where I came from…that Joshua guy is there."
"Then we're going this way," Cade swiveled on his toes and headed in the exact opposite direction. Aeryn followed at Crichton's side, gesturing for their human companions to move in between the ex-thief and her. Chiana hauled Jessica, who was too stunned and intimidated to resist much more than dragging her feet. After a moment, she came back to herself and started to holler.
"They're here! Over here!" A distant rumbling of footsteps became a close thundering as Jessica's short-lived screams drew the Gua soldiers onward. Aeryn fired two loud bursts from her weapon, jumping back in surprise at the kick of the awkward and, what was to her, ancient firearm. Jessica caught both bullets in the back, one piercing through her neck. She dissolved as she fell, prompting a very disgusted Chiana to make an ugly face. One look from Aeryn, and all three took off once more.
"Run!" Cade shoved Lita onward and indicated for the other two women to follow her while he doubled back for the others. Aeryn appeared around the corner first, Crichton very noisily on her heels and Chiana helping push him ahead.
"Where's Zhaan?" The three runners skidded to a stop. Aeryn looked to Chiana; Crichton looked to Foster. Without words, all four knew exactly the right word to say. For Aeryn and Chiana it was 'dren.' For Crichton and Foster, it was the quainter, human term, coupled with a sighed exclamation.
"Oh shit."
End of Part 12