Thanks for the reviews and e-mails guys, much appreciated! Now on with
part two…
XXX
They were gone. Realisation hit her like a pulse blast. She stood half standing from her earlier reaction. Not quite believing that he was actually gone – again. She should have told him, should have been honest with him. Had she been honest? Were those her true feelings? She didn't know anymore, frell she didn't know anything anymore. D'Argo entered the pod and reached the control mistaking her stance for indifference. He could stand it no longer. "Have you nothing to say?" It was a low growl. She turned then and he realised she had been crying. "Oh, Aeryn…"
She didn't let him finish. "Yes, I have something to say. I knew this plan was flawed they always go wrong. Therefore we have to make sure everything is in order. We need to ensure that he does his job and we do ours. And we need to make sure he gets out alive. I will not be held responsible for his death." Reverting to Peacekeeper mode was the only thing keeping her from cracking completely.
The last comment hung in the air. D'Argo looked at her with a soft expression adorning is usually harsh features: Is that what she thought - that she was responsible for the others death? Was that why she kept this one at a distance? Didn't she realise what she was doing to him? He was going into this mission blind, thinking that she did not care. He chose his next words carefully "You should have told him how you felt." His voice was quiet but it stung nonetheless. She had heard those words before, mistook them for interference, now she realised that they were words from well meaning friends. How could she have been so wrong – so stubborn? What was the cost of her own self pity – her own fear of emotions? She could only hope it wouldn't be Crichton who paid the price for her misgivings, for her lack of trust in both herself and him.
XXX
The crew of Moya were gathered. They had been briefed on the events that had taken place. Surprisingly, it was Crais who took charge of the situation. "We can do nothing for him at this time. He knew the risks. We must go over the plan of action and hope that he is able to make contact as planned. Until then we will have to assume that Scorpius will not harm him, that what he did was a warning to both us and Crichton and that he will obey orders – something I'm not sure I could do given the circumstances"
"He will do whatever it takes to secure the destruction of the wormhole information. That is what he does. He adapts to the plan and does whatever it takes. He is farbot, he is a brave, farbotic human." Rygel's outburst stunned everyone not least himself.
Chianna looked at him and tried to smile "Well, well, well miracles do happen."
Rygel humphed "Why? Have you managed to keep your legs shut for more than an arn? No didn't think so." He raised his throne sled out of her grasping hands. She settled back down glaring at him then bit down on her lip. She had been having visions lately but they were so confusing. She didn't dare share them with anyone. Tried to push them to the back of her mind. She had seen the chain of events that lead to John being in pain at this moment. Saw it 2 days before it actually happened. But these visions were different; she could not get a clear picture. It was bad, she knew that much. She was aware that everyone else was watching her.
"What?" It came out sharper than intended.
"You seem pre-occupied, is everything okay?" The concern from D'Argo was genuine.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking is all." She replied cocking her head to one side.
XXX
John stirred slightly, keeping his eyes closed. Harvey spoke in his ear "He is waiting, he knows you are awake" Hmmm, so much for that idea, and with that thought, he opened his eyes slowly and surveyed the surroundings. His view settled on the creature beside him
"Ah, your awake. Here this will help with the pain." Scorpius sat on the edge of the cot holding out John an orange pill.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'll pass if you don't mind. My mother always told me not to take sweets from knife wielding psychotics." He automatically used his legs as leverage to pull himself into a sitting position and away from his adversary. A reaction he immediately regretted as a sharp pain coursed through his leg. He was surprised to see Scorpius wince, which in turn made him smile. "Ah, I see, is the tablet for my pain or yours?"
Scorpius stood quickly "I can control my pain most of the time John, I just need to channel it. Do not think that this will hinder our work." As if to drive the statement home he punched the side of his leg and John jumped biting down on his lip, muttering under his breath. "Okay, now that you are awake and alert your schedule is here. Look it over and we can discuss any problems you may foresee. You have the run of my ship but I will warn you that your yensch has been modified slightly." He tapped John's bracelet.
"Why doesn't that surprise me? Just tell me, my friends; they have been exonerated haven't they? They are free? You did follow through?"
Scorpius smiled. "You are strange one John Crichton. You show the reflexes of a warrior, the mind of a highly trained tech but the heart of a peidcore. Tell me, how does that brilliant mind of yours fare with my clone? I would be interested to know." He watched as John's eyes widened. "Ahh, don't worry, I don't need to probe do I? I have your full co- operation don't I? After all, I upheld my promise, your friends are indeed free." He let him absorb the information before continuing. "There is a tracking device installed on the underside." He grabbed John's wrist and turned it over. "This indicates where you are on my ship at all times. This here." He indicated a small button on his own bracelet. "Pushed once will inject jamjada into your blood stream." He saw the look of confusion on John's face. "It is something I have used in the past, on the Ice Planet. Ahh, but you were incapacitated at the time. It is a very interesting drug. It takes away your control – in every way. Yes, yes, very interesting."
John closed his eyes in what he hoped would be perceived as mock exasperation. "You gotta me kiddin me right? Hell, why not just do it now? Wouldn't I be a lot easier to control if I wasn't actually in control?"
Scorpius reached the door of the cell and turned. "No, it does not wear off for a solar day, a solar day that could be better put to use on the problem at hand. And as said, you are human; I am not sure how your body would react. It wont be necessary though will it? You have been made fully aware of the effects of the yench, you are going to conduct yourself suitably aren't you?"
He smiled sourly "Don't have must choice do I?" He reached out and picked up the schedule.
"Good, good, we will meet in an arn. And John, remember your place, you are a tech, my tech, as such you will address me appropriately."
John sighed and looked up from the schedule. Scorpius was enjoying this control far too much. No doubt John had bruised his ego, had made his superiority questionable and thoroughly reeked havoc on the Commanders general authority in the eyes of other peacekeepers. This would be the perfect way to show them that Scorpy always gets his man. The thought made him smile, however, he would have to act in accordance if the plan was going to be any kind of success. He was thinking of a suitable remark when he saw Scorpius's hand hover over his left leg. "Yes sir, sorry sir." His teeth were clenched so much he wondered how he ever managed to get the words out.
The door swished closed and John was left with Harvey laughing in his ear. "Will you treat me with the same respect? After all he is me, I am him." John rolled his eyes "No Harvey, you are me, and as such you will do what I say, so shut the frell up!"
XXX
"It's been 5 days! He should have been in touch!" D'Argo's frustration was evident to them all. It was Jool who tried to calm him. It was only then that Aeryn realised how much they had relied on John to do that. Ever since Zhaan had gone, John had been the only one to keep the Luxan from going in to hyper rage over minor incidents.
"D'Argo, he said he would try and contact us within 5 days. He has to convince Scorpius that he is authentic you know this. We have to stick to the plan. He said that if we didn't hear from him in 10 solar days then, and only then should we assume the worse. We have to wait."
"I know, I know, it just pains me not knowing what is going on. What if he has been hurt? What if he is d…" He stopped abruptly and looked at Aeryn.
"He is not dead. And look on the bright side, if he is, then so is Scorpius." She realised that it was the wrong thing to say; she had seen Crichton do it so many times in the past – inject humour into fraught conversations. Frell, why did it only work for him? She was glad when Chianna spoke up in her defence.
"Well, who would have thought it; bin taken lessons from the lower life forms Aeryn? I mean that was meant to be funny right? Huh, John finally did something right" Aeryn shrugged, partly in relief, partly because she knew it was true. She was grateful though; Chianna's intervention had calmed the situation considerably.
"It would seem that we all need to be calm and focussed. We have to be patient and wait this out."
"Who would have thought a Peacekeeper would know what those words meant, and all in the one sentence? Calm, focussed and patient – the only way to do that is to eat." Rygel turned from Crais and headed in the direction of the mess.
XXX
The fifth day was almost at an end and John wondered if he would ever be able to get a message to his friends. He knew that they would be fairing worse than him. He only hoped that they were able to keep D'Argo in check. The plan was to get Scorpius to agree to a communication link with the Leviathan. To make him think that it was a safety precaution. Allowing John to see that the crew were indeed safe. Give Scorpius his due; he had tried to establish a link to no avail. Or had he just looked like he had tried? John strode into command. "Scorpius, can you try to contact Moya again? It was part of the deal." All eyes turned to him and as an after thought he added "Sir" to which Scorpius nodded.
"I have tried Commander. You saw that. You were there."
"Then I will try. I am after all a tech." He was on his knees before he realised what had happened. He tasted the blood in his mouth and looked up. Braca was standing over him.
"Do not question the authority of…" the words were lost as Scorpius back- handed him up causing his second in command to stagger backwards and fall hard, much to John's amusement.
"You have been told! Never touch him! Never inflict pain!" Scorpius was rubbing the side of his face. Caught totally off guard it seemed that he was as susceptible to pain as John was. He turned his attention back to the human. "Yes, you may try."
John picked himself up and looked over to Braca who was doing the same. He smirked looking at him as he spoke "Thank you – sir." He had just found his source of amusement, winding up Braca would help relieve some of the tension he was feeling.
On his third attempt he managed to get a weak signal from Moya. The visual display wavered as D'Argo came into view. He had hoped for a glimpse of Aeryn. He had tried to keep himself from thinking about her but he was kidding himself. She was on his mind constantly. "Hey Big D how's it hanging?"
He could hear the relief in his friends voice "It's hanging just fine my friend. Are you being treated well?" It was evident that he had noticed the now swollen lip.
"Yeah, four star, foods the same, but you know, tasted one food cube tasted them all. Is everyone else okay? Chianna, Jool?" Did his nervousness show?
"They are fine, as is everyone. However, there is one problem."
This was it. If this part of the plan went wrong they were screwed. Well, he was screwed. "Lay it on me"
Scorpius leaned into view and studied the Luxan. Probably trying to read his signature. John only hoped that Talyn was doing his job, weakening the signal to an extent that all signatures would be too hard to detect.
"You took your star charts with you, and with them you took the maps to our home worlds. Would it be possible to get them back?"
John turned to Scorpius eyebrows raised in question. "We will study them first and send them on to you. If all is in order you will receive them in one solar day. Say your goodbyes John"
He smiled at D'Argo, "Well the boss has spoken."
"Wait! They want to say goodbye in person." With that Jool and Chianna appeared.
Scorpius sighed. He would allow this to continue, he hoped by doing so the human would relax a little, let his guard down and begin to trust. He needed him to be calmer, more co-operative. Oh he was trying, but not to his full potential. It was to be expected. He didn't want to inflict unnecessary pain on both himself and Crichton.
"Hey old man, been getting yourself in trouble I see." Chianna put a finger to her mouth indicating what she saw.
"Yeah well, you know me, can't keep my big mouth shut." He looked to Jool, "Take care of him, keep him chilled." She nodded and looked away quickly. She was unaccustomed to showing this type of emotion so freely. Were most species like that? He didn't let the thought linger, knew where it would take him. He smiled as he heard Rygel in the background.
"Chilled? What the yotz? Crichton has Scorpius been messing with your brain again, then again, hpmph…" the lecture ceased. Probably by a well place hand of his eminences mouth John mused.
The rest of the crew said their piece. D'Argo came back into view with a sad shrug; He knew then that Aeryn wasn't going to show face. He began to nod when he felt a searing pain in his head. He let out a cry and both of his hands automatically came to each side of his head. He dropped to his knees and was vaguely aware of D'Argo and Chianna shouting. He was sure the link would be broken but it remained on in the confusion that pursued.
Scorpius hissed and grabbed onto the consol for support. "Change the rod, change it now" He gasped. Braca ran over and proceeded to replace the cooling rod. All the while John rocked back and forth on his knees holding his head groaning. The pain eased slightly and he was conscious of Scorpius shouting, "Make sure the rod is changed regularly! He cannot withstand that kind of pressure in his head! John? John? Are you okay?"
John looked up and slowly took his hands away from his head. His eyes were bloodshot and he was taking care not to make any sudden moves. "Yeah, I th..think so, just do..don't talk so loud k?" He slurred. There was a look of genuine concern of Scorpius's face. Then he realised that he couldn't be okay. Was that Aeryn's voice? He closed his eyes and opened them again, yep still there. He put his hands on his knees for support and looked slowly around the room. His eyes settled on the vid link. And there she was. His heart leapt and a grin found its way onto his face. Carefully he tried to stand.
"Crichton are you okay? Answer me dam it! You unmerciful piece of dren what the frell are you doing to him. You said he would not be hurt!"
Scorpius seemed to be amused at the outburst. "Officer Sun! How delightful to see you again. I apologise for the unfortunate incident. It will not happen again. Your…. friend? Will not be harmed unduly, he is far too valuable."
She scowled and turned her attention back to John "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Her concern was genuine and it was for him. All for him.
"I'm much better now thanks." His smile got wider. It wasn't to be though; she crushed him with her next words.
"Good! I would hate to think that our freedom has been compromised because of your primitive body!" With that she stalked off and D'Argo was left shrugging his shoulders.
"She has been very…. stressed these past few days. She has not been in her right mind. Take care my friend." With that the link went dead.
Scorpius turned to John. The stubborn human who was the cause of all his trouble looked dejected, hurt, and almost vulnerable. This turn of events had proved useful. It seemed that Aeryn Sun could weaken his resolve, could do to the human what Scorpius had tried and failed to do. She could be the one to break him. All he had to do was reinforce what was evident. She did not want him, did not care for him.
XXX
"What the frell do you think you were playing at!" Aeryn looked up to see Chianna glaring down at her. "You could have tried. You could have pretended! Don't you want him to come back? Is that it? You lost your John so we should lose ours?" She stood, hands on hips eyes blazing.
"I…I….I did what I thought was best. I do not want to give Scorpius any more ammunition than he already has against Crichton." She shook her head. That was only partly true. "I panicked. I thought he was dying – again." Her voice was so quiet, so childlike. Chianna plopped down on the cot and attentively put a hand on the Sebacean's knee. "He seemed to be in so much pain. And then he smiled and I got so mad, at myself, at him. This plan is crazy, why did we agree to it? Maybe we could have had a chance, I don't know, but I do know that he will sacrifice himself without a second thought. He did it once he'll do it again. I can't be responsible for that. Maybe his anger will fuel him to keep living, as Peacekeepers….." She tried to compose herself. Straightening herself she looked to Chianna "Was my judgement wrong?" The last question was harsh – daring Chianna to contradict her.
She did though, "Yes Aeryn it was." Her voice was calm now. "I know you think what you did is right but you didn't see the look on his face. He let his guard down when you said that. What if that is used against him? You know, he's strong; he can handle everything thrown at him - everything but you. He is John, Aeryn, not your John, not our John, just John. Now he is on that ship thinking he has nothing to lose anymore and that's dangerous. I've seen him like that before, when he thought you were dead." Aeryn shivered as she recalled the last conversation she had had with him. Chiana continued oblivious to the memories she had stirred up. " What if he takes unnecessary risks?" She felt she had driven the point home enough. She shrugged "Frell, it's John, he always takes unnecessary risks." Aeryn looked at her and they both smiled. "We have to find a way of letting him know that you will be here for him when he gets back"
XXX
"How is your head?" John snapped out of his thoughts and turned from the now blank vid link.
"Yeah, yeah, s'ok, slight headache. Would be nice if I'd been told about your weaknesses – sir"
"Ahh, yes you are better. Speaking of such, I have to thank you for sharing yours with me. That was a very interesting reaction from Officer Sun. I had the impression that she thought more of you. Obviously not."
The comment hurt more than his still aching leg. "Yeah well you didn't bring me on board to discuss my personal life. I'll obey your orders, I'll help your research, hell, I'll even try to remember to address you properly – sir, but there are some things that even you don't get rights on. My personal life is one of them; it stays just that - personal. Now, permission to get some sleep – sir"
Scorpius nodded smiling. He was aware of the wavering in the human's voice. He was good though. He was doing everything that was asked of him but he still managed to be insubordinate without actually being so. The pause before he said Sir was a prime example. Other officers would have been beaten down for even a microts hesitation. He would allow it though. Give him a little leeway. In time Scorpius knew that it would become second nature, that he would be broken into submission. Yes, yes, a worthy adversary indeed.
XXX
Moya's crew met in command. They had just received the 'maps' from Scorpius. "Well, has he managed to get the information?" Rygel was as usual, impatient.
"Yes. They seem to be in order but we will have to apply his coding to be sure." D'Argo had in his hand a sequence of numbers from John's language. "He told us to mark a line following the pattern of these numbers. He said that should show the layout of the Command Carrier. It looks very random." As he said this he joined the numbers. Everyone gasped.
"Well, whatdoyouknow John actually did it right. Hah." Chianna was laughing at the sight before her. The numbered sequences transformed into corridors. Each number that was circled corresponded with the Luxan's language. Just like a map. Everything was marked. They all felt a little humble. Everyone had argued that it would not work but John had persevered. He had shown D'Argo how to follow the Earth numbers, had used circled numbers and asked him what each department was in the Luxan's home world language. No one would suspect he said. They could say the numbers were from the Luxan's Ancient language – no on knew that he said. And what had they done? Ridiculed it, saw the flaws.
"Why do we always underestimate him? He has shown himself a worthy soldier time and again and yet still we question him. I for one will not do so in the future" D'Argo stood tall, but Chianna laughed.
"Yes you will D'Argo. If you don't you'll only worry him. He relies on you to argue, it what you two do."
"The Command Carrier has changed slightly since I was Captain. I can hazard a guess as to the weaponry held in each area. The guard duties will be the same though." Crais traced his finger along the map, " This is where we will enter. The prowler will not be detected amongst the others."
XXX
Chianna was picking at a food cube. "Do you want that girly? If not, kindly allow me to take it off your hands before you bore it to death with your prodding." Rygel swiped the cube and was surprised when there was no reaction. "What is wrong girl?" Nothing. "Chianna – answer me, I am not used to being ignored." Who was he kidding? He was always frelling ignored. Still no response, he moved closer and was in the process of giving her a nudge when she let out a scream that would put Jool's to shame. He toppled backwards and ended up on the floor, his throne sled hovering above him "What the yotz did you do that for?" He continued to mutter as he tried to get back to his royal seat.
Chianna was sweating, her eyes wide. "Oh Gods, oh Gods, that cant happen that cant happen. Everything will go farbot." She saw Rygel as if for the first time and grabbed him pulling him to eye level. "That can't happen it cant, oh Gods…" She kept repeating the words trancelike. Not knowing what else to do Rygel reached for his comm. He didn't need to use it. The others were already starting to appear. It seemed the whole ship had heard the scream. "Get her off me, get the tralk off me." He seethed struggling in Chianna's grasp.
Jool reached over and gently took Chianna's wrists. She spoke slowly. "Chianna? Chianna? Look at me. Look at me, that's it, now take a deep breath. No, no, no, keep looking at me, that's it, breath."
Chiana tried to control her breathing. Tried to focus on Jool's soothing tones. "It can't happen Jool, everything will go wrong."
"What? Did you see something? What will go wrong?" Aeryn moved to her side trying to keep the panic from her voice. "Chiana! Tell us now!"
That seemed to snap her out of it. "I… I…. saw it. He's going to change the plan. He's going to get himself frelling killed. This is your fault." She pulled free from Jool and launched herself at Aeryn, who was unprepared for the move. They both fell backwards, Chianna landing on top. "You and your peacekeeper breeding! Always thinking of how things will affect you! You! You and your frelling judgement." She was hitting Aeryn hard. D'Argo was trying to pull her off but Aeryn just held her arms over her face, protecting herself from the blows. Not trying to defend herself, knowing that Chiana was speaking the truth, whatever it was. D'Argo managed to grab her holding her under one arm as she struggled trying to get to Aeryn, who at that point was propping herself up with her elbows staring at the Nebarhi, guilt written all over her face.
"Chianna calm down or I will sedate you, my way!" D'Argo bellowed. The struggling form automatically stilled. "Now if I put you down will you behave?" A nod. He proceeded to do so. "Okay, do you want to tell us what you saw and what we can do to stop it?" Another nod.
And so it began. The vision, the failed attempt. The blame. The plan to get him out alive would fail because John wanted it to. For some reason he was going to be in the exact area where the most concentrated explosion would be - the science lab. No, she couldn't tell why he had decided to do it. Yes Scorpius would die too. She saw him talking. No she didn't know with whom or what it was about. She slumped forward after she had finished. Sobbing quietly. "I knew it would be bad, I knew it would be bad." It was barely a whisper but the others heard it.
Aeryn was still in the same position. She was staring at Chianna the whole time. No expression, no emotion, but her mind was swirling. It would be her fault. All of it. Dam that human, one way or another he would get himself killed and no matter what she tried to do it would be her fault. She rose to her feet and went to Chianna. The rest watched, hoping that she would not try to attack the shaking Nebarhi. Her voice was soft. "Chiana? Chiana, is there anything we can do? Is there any way you can try to visualise the conversation? I don't know how these visions work but is there a way?" She looked up, eyes wet yet surprised.
"I…I'm not sure. I'', I don't know how they work myself. Wish I didn't have them at all."
"No, don't think like that, at least this way we have a chance of changing the future. If we can't understand the reasons behind John's change of plans then we can alter ours. We can attack the rest of the base knowing where he is. We can go in, get him then bomb the science laboratory last, on the way out." She looked to the others. "That could work right? I mean it could work, if we think it through." She wasn't asking, she was begging
.
D'Argo nodded "We will work around it. Then when I get that human aboard I'm going to show him what Luxan Hyper Rage can really do!"
"Aren't you forgetting one thing?" All eyes turned to Jool. "The bracelet, the frelling bracelet."
"No, we haven't forgotten. Crais is working on that as we speak." Aeryn replied
"Crais? Do you trust him? Did John know about this?" D'Argo demanded
"Crichton does not. However, he would not object. The other human trusted Crais in the end, we all did. Therefore, we should trust him now. It would seem that he is our only hope where the bracelet is concerned."
Aeryn looked over to Rygel, then to the others in the room. They seemed resigned to the idea. Realisation dawning; if Rygel could trust Crais then they should.
XXX
He only had to keep up the pretence for a few more arns. He could do it; Stalling Scorpius had proved harder than expected. The thirst for wormhole knowledge was inevitable, he just didn't think it would be this hard. Scorpius had been fed tit bits. John gave a great impression of working hard; years of practice in the military had made it into an art form. It would be crunch time soon enough. He just didn't expect it to be in the middle of a sleep cycle. "Wake up Crichton. Wake up now!" The voice was harsh, and very loud.
"Braca what the frell do you want? Didn't anybody ever tell you to knock?" He shielded his eyes from the bright light that flooded his cell.
"Get up, get dressed and come to the Science area now. Your presence has been requested." He was trying hard to keep his temper in check.
John smiled. "Requested? Well why didn't you say so? Request denied. Now let me sleep." He pulled the blanket over his head.
Braca moved over to where he lay and grabbed the blanket. His clothes were thrown to him. "Do it! Do it now!"
"And if I don't? What are you gonna do? Hit me? Nah, don't think so, not after your last run in."
Braca was infuriated. He knew he couldn't physically harm the prisoner but the urge was overwhelming. He smiled thinly. John frowned; this couldn't be good. "No, no, I'm not going to hit you Crichton. I learned a long time ago how to inflict pain on you without actually touching you. Scorpius knew you would stall. He knew that there would be an alternative motive. He made provisions for just such a moment. He wants you in the lab and he wants the wormhole technology complete."
John chewed on his lip. He didn't like this change in the game plan. Braca was supposed to be his source of amusement and yet it seemed to be the other way around. What the hell was going on? What kind of trump card did Scorpius have? He was about to find out.
"Video link on." John looked from Braca to the small screen at the left of his cot. There in full Technicolor sat Aeryn Sun. Beaten and strapped to a chair. Braca watched his reaction with pleasure; it was short lived. He could hear a whisper of the word 'no' before John had him pinned to the floor and was sitting astride him.
"What the frell is this? This was not part of the deal. I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch." Braca managed to say one word before John started the rain of blows on his head. "Security!"
Sorry to leave another cliffhanger guys! There is more, I just need to tweak and change it a bit. Let me know what you think so far, am I doing okay with this?
XXX
They were gone. Realisation hit her like a pulse blast. She stood half standing from her earlier reaction. Not quite believing that he was actually gone – again. She should have told him, should have been honest with him. Had she been honest? Were those her true feelings? She didn't know anymore, frell she didn't know anything anymore. D'Argo entered the pod and reached the control mistaking her stance for indifference. He could stand it no longer. "Have you nothing to say?" It was a low growl. She turned then and he realised she had been crying. "Oh, Aeryn…"
She didn't let him finish. "Yes, I have something to say. I knew this plan was flawed they always go wrong. Therefore we have to make sure everything is in order. We need to ensure that he does his job and we do ours. And we need to make sure he gets out alive. I will not be held responsible for his death." Reverting to Peacekeeper mode was the only thing keeping her from cracking completely.
The last comment hung in the air. D'Argo looked at her with a soft expression adorning is usually harsh features: Is that what she thought - that she was responsible for the others death? Was that why she kept this one at a distance? Didn't she realise what she was doing to him? He was going into this mission blind, thinking that she did not care. He chose his next words carefully "You should have told him how you felt." His voice was quiet but it stung nonetheless. She had heard those words before, mistook them for interference, now she realised that they were words from well meaning friends. How could she have been so wrong – so stubborn? What was the cost of her own self pity – her own fear of emotions? She could only hope it wouldn't be Crichton who paid the price for her misgivings, for her lack of trust in both herself and him.
XXX
The crew of Moya were gathered. They had been briefed on the events that had taken place. Surprisingly, it was Crais who took charge of the situation. "We can do nothing for him at this time. He knew the risks. We must go over the plan of action and hope that he is able to make contact as planned. Until then we will have to assume that Scorpius will not harm him, that what he did was a warning to both us and Crichton and that he will obey orders – something I'm not sure I could do given the circumstances"
"He will do whatever it takes to secure the destruction of the wormhole information. That is what he does. He adapts to the plan and does whatever it takes. He is farbot, he is a brave, farbotic human." Rygel's outburst stunned everyone not least himself.
Chianna looked at him and tried to smile "Well, well, well miracles do happen."
Rygel humphed "Why? Have you managed to keep your legs shut for more than an arn? No didn't think so." He raised his throne sled out of her grasping hands. She settled back down glaring at him then bit down on her lip. She had been having visions lately but they were so confusing. She didn't dare share them with anyone. Tried to push them to the back of her mind. She had seen the chain of events that lead to John being in pain at this moment. Saw it 2 days before it actually happened. But these visions were different; she could not get a clear picture. It was bad, she knew that much. She was aware that everyone else was watching her.
"What?" It came out sharper than intended.
"You seem pre-occupied, is everything okay?" The concern from D'Argo was genuine.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking is all." She replied cocking her head to one side.
XXX
John stirred slightly, keeping his eyes closed. Harvey spoke in his ear "He is waiting, he knows you are awake" Hmmm, so much for that idea, and with that thought, he opened his eyes slowly and surveyed the surroundings. His view settled on the creature beside him
"Ah, your awake. Here this will help with the pain." Scorpius sat on the edge of the cot holding out John an orange pill.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'll pass if you don't mind. My mother always told me not to take sweets from knife wielding psychotics." He automatically used his legs as leverage to pull himself into a sitting position and away from his adversary. A reaction he immediately regretted as a sharp pain coursed through his leg. He was surprised to see Scorpius wince, which in turn made him smile. "Ah, I see, is the tablet for my pain or yours?"
Scorpius stood quickly "I can control my pain most of the time John, I just need to channel it. Do not think that this will hinder our work." As if to drive the statement home he punched the side of his leg and John jumped biting down on his lip, muttering under his breath. "Okay, now that you are awake and alert your schedule is here. Look it over and we can discuss any problems you may foresee. You have the run of my ship but I will warn you that your yensch has been modified slightly." He tapped John's bracelet.
"Why doesn't that surprise me? Just tell me, my friends; they have been exonerated haven't they? They are free? You did follow through?"
Scorpius smiled. "You are strange one John Crichton. You show the reflexes of a warrior, the mind of a highly trained tech but the heart of a peidcore. Tell me, how does that brilliant mind of yours fare with my clone? I would be interested to know." He watched as John's eyes widened. "Ahh, don't worry, I don't need to probe do I? I have your full co- operation don't I? After all, I upheld my promise, your friends are indeed free." He let him absorb the information before continuing. "There is a tracking device installed on the underside." He grabbed John's wrist and turned it over. "This indicates where you are on my ship at all times. This here." He indicated a small button on his own bracelet. "Pushed once will inject jamjada into your blood stream." He saw the look of confusion on John's face. "It is something I have used in the past, on the Ice Planet. Ahh, but you were incapacitated at the time. It is a very interesting drug. It takes away your control – in every way. Yes, yes, very interesting."
John closed his eyes in what he hoped would be perceived as mock exasperation. "You gotta me kiddin me right? Hell, why not just do it now? Wouldn't I be a lot easier to control if I wasn't actually in control?"
Scorpius reached the door of the cell and turned. "No, it does not wear off for a solar day, a solar day that could be better put to use on the problem at hand. And as said, you are human; I am not sure how your body would react. It wont be necessary though will it? You have been made fully aware of the effects of the yench, you are going to conduct yourself suitably aren't you?"
He smiled sourly "Don't have must choice do I?" He reached out and picked up the schedule.
"Good, good, we will meet in an arn. And John, remember your place, you are a tech, my tech, as such you will address me appropriately."
John sighed and looked up from the schedule. Scorpius was enjoying this control far too much. No doubt John had bruised his ego, had made his superiority questionable and thoroughly reeked havoc on the Commanders general authority in the eyes of other peacekeepers. This would be the perfect way to show them that Scorpy always gets his man. The thought made him smile, however, he would have to act in accordance if the plan was going to be any kind of success. He was thinking of a suitable remark when he saw Scorpius's hand hover over his left leg. "Yes sir, sorry sir." His teeth were clenched so much he wondered how he ever managed to get the words out.
The door swished closed and John was left with Harvey laughing in his ear. "Will you treat me with the same respect? After all he is me, I am him." John rolled his eyes "No Harvey, you are me, and as such you will do what I say, so shut the frell up!"
XXX
"It's been 5 days! He should have been in touch!" D'Argo's frustration was evident to them all. It was Jool who tried to calm him. It was only then that Aeryn realised how much they had relied on John to do that. Ever since Zhaan had gone, John had been the only one to keep the Luxan from going in to hyper rage over minor incidents.
"D'Argo, he said he would try and contact us within 5 days. He has to convince Scorpius that he is authentic you know this. We have to stick to the plan. He said that if we didn't hear from him in 10 solar days then, and only then should we assume the worse. We have to wait."
"I know, I know, it just pains me not knowing what is going on. What if he has been hurt? What if he is d…" He stopped abruptly and looked at Aeryn.
"He is not dead. And look on the bright side, if he is, then so is Scorpius." She realised that it was the wrong thing to say; she had seen Crichton do it so many times in the past – inject humour into fraught conversations. Frell, why did it only work for him? She was glad when Chianna spoke up in her defence.
"Well, who would have thought it; bin taken lessons from the lower life forms Aeryn? I mean that was meant to be funny right? Huh, John finally did something right" Aeryn shrugged, partly in relief, partly because she knew it was true. She was grateful though; Chianna's intervention had calmed the situation considerably.
"It would seem that we all need to be calm and focussed. We have to be patient and wait this out."
"Who would have thought a Peacekeeper would know what those words meant, and all in the one sentence? Calm, focussed and patient – the only way to do that is to eat." Rygel turned from Crais and headed in the direction of the mess.
XXX
The fifth day was almost at an end and John wondered if he would ever be able to get a message to his friends. He knew that they would be fairing worse than him. He only hoped that they were able to keep D'Argo in check. The plan was to get Scorpius to agree to a communication link with the Leviathan. To make him think that it was a safety precaution. Allowing John to see that the crew were indeed safe. Give Scorpius his due; he had tried to establish a link to no avail. Or had he just looked like he had tried? John strode into command. "Scorpius, can you try to contact Moya again? It was part of the deal." All eyes turned to him and as an after thought he added "Sir" to which Scorpius nodded.
"I have tried Commander. You saw that. You were there."
"Then I will try. I am after all a tech." He was on his knees before he realised what had happened. He tasted the blood in his mouth and looked up. Braca was standing over him.
"Do not question the authority of…" the words were lost as Scorpius back- handed him up causing his second in command to stagger backwards and fall hard, much to John's amusement.
"You have been told! Never touch him! Never inflict pain!" Scorpius was rubbing the side of his face. Caught totally off guard it seemed that he was as susceptible to pain as John was. He turned his attention back to the human. "Yes, you may try."
John picked himself up and looked over to Braca who was doing the same. He smirked looking at him as he spoke "Thank you – sir." He had just found his source of amusement, winding up Braca would help relieve some of the tension he was feeling.
On his third attempt he managed to get a weak signal from Moya. The visual display wavered as D'Argo came into view. He had hoped for a glimpse of Aeryn. He had tried to keep himself from thinking about her but he was kidding himself. She was on his mind constantly. "Hey Big D how's it hanging?"
He could hear the relief in his friends voice "It's hanging just fine my friend. Are you being treated well?" It was evident that he had noticed the now swollen lip.
"Yeah, four star, foods the same, but you know, tasted one food cube tasted them all. Is everyone else okay? Chianna, Jool?" Did his nervousness show?
"They are fine, as is everyone. However, there is one problem."
This was it. If this part of the plan went wrong they were screwed. Well, he was screwed. "Lay it on me"
Scorpius leaned into view and studied the Luxan. Probably trying to read his signature. John only hoped that Talyn was doing his job, weakening the signal to an extent that all signatures would be too hard to detect.
"You took your star charts with you, and with them you took the maps to our home worlds. Would it be possible to get them back?"
John turned to Scorpius eyebrows raised in question. "We will study them first and send them on to you. If all is in order you will receive them in one solar day. Say your goodbyes John"
He smiled at D'Argo, "Well the boss has spoken."
"Wait! They want to say goodbye in person." With that Jool and Chianna appeared.
Scorpius sighed. He would allow this to continue, he hoped by doing so the human would relax a little, let his guard down and begin to trust. He needed him to be calmer, more co-operative. Oh he was trying, but not to his full potential. It was to be expected. He didn't want to inflict unnecessary pain on both himself and Crichton.
"Hey old man, been getting yourself in trouble I see." Chianna put a finger to her mouth indicating what she saw.
"Yeah well, you know me, can't keep my big mouth shut." He looked to Jool, "Take care of him, keep him chilled." She nodded and looked away quickly. She was unaccustomed to showing this type of emotion so freely. Were most species like that? He didn't let the thought linger, knew where it would take him. He smiled as he heard Rygel in the background.
"Chilled? What the yotz? Crichton has Scorpius been messing with your brain again, then again, hpmph…" the lecture ceased. Probably by a well place hand of his eminences mouth John mused.
The rest of the crew said their piece. D'Argo came back into view with a sad shrug; He knew then that Aeryn wasn't going to show face. He began to nod when he felt a searing pain in his head. He let out a cry and both of his hands automatically came to each side of his head. He dropped to his knees and was vaguely aware of D'Argo and Chianna shouting. He was sure the link would be broken but it remained on in the confusion that pursued.
Scorpius hissed and grabbed onto the consol for support. "Change the rod, change it now" He gasped. Braca ran over and proceeded to replace the cooling rod. All the while John rocked back and forth on his knees holding his head groaning. The pain eased slightly and he was conscious of Scorpius shouting, "Make sure the rod is changed regularly! He cannot withstand that kind of pressure in his head! John? John? Are you okay?"
John looked up and slowly took his hands away from his head. His eyes were bloodshot and he was taking care not to make any sudden moves. "Yeah, I th..think so, just do..don't talk so loud k?" He slurred. There was a look of genuine concern of Scorpius's face. Then he realised that he couldn't be okay. Was that Aeryn's voice? He closed his eyes and opened them again, yep still there. He put his hands on his knees for support and looked slowly around the room. His eyes settled on the vid link. And there she was. His heart leapt and a grin found its way onto his face. Carefully he tried to stand.
"Crichton are you okay? Answer me dam it! You unmerciful piece of dren what the frell are you doing to him. You said he would not be hurt!"
Scorpius seemed to be amused at the outburst. "Officer Sun! How delightful to see you again. I apologise for the unfortunate incident. It will not happen again. Your…. friend? Will not be harmed unduly, he is far too valuable."
She scowled and turned her attention back to John "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Her concern was genuine and it was for him. All for him.
"I'm much better now thanks." His smile got wider. It wasn't to be though; she crushed him with her next words.
"Good! I would hate to think that our freedom has been compromised because of your primitive body!" With that she stalked off and D'Argo was left shrugging his shoulders.
"She has been very…. stressed these past few days. She has not been in her right mind. Take care my friend." With that the link went dead.
Scorpius turned to John. The stubborn human who was the cause of all his trouble looked dejected, hurt, and almost vulnerable. This turn of events had proved useful. It seemed that Aeryn Sun could weaken his resolve, could do to the human what Scorpius had tried and failed to do. She could be the one to break him. All he had to do was reinforce what was evident. She did not want him, did not care for him.
XXX
"What the frell do you think you were playing at!" Aeryn looked up to see Chianna glaring down at her. "You could have tried. You could have pretended! Don't you want him to come back? Is that it? You lost your John so we should lose ours?" She stood, hands on hips eyes blazing.
"I…I….I did what I thought was best. I do not want to give Scorpius any more ammunition than he already has against Crichton." She shook her head. That was only partly true. "I panicked. I thought he was dying – again." Her voice was so quiet, so childlike. Chianna plopped down on the cot and attentively put a hand on the Sebacean's knee. "He seemed to be in so much pain. And then he smiled and I got so mad, at myself, at him. This plan is crazy, why did we agree to it? Maybe we could have had a chance, I don't know, but I do know that he will sacrifice himself without a second thought. He did it once he'll do it again. I can't be responsible for that. Maybe his anger will fuel him to keep living, as Peacekeepers….." She tried to compose herself. Straightening herself she looked to Chianna "Was my judgement wrong?" The last question was harsh – daring Chianna to contradict her.
She did though, "Yes Aeryn it was." Her voice was calm now. "I know you think what you did is right but you didn't see the look on his face. He let his guard down when you said that. What if that is used against him? You know, he's strong; he can handle everything thrown at him - everything but you. He is John, Aeryn, not your John, not our John, just John. Now he is on that ship thinking he has nothing to lose anymore and that's dangerous. I've seen him like that before, when he thought you were dead." Aeryn shivered as she recalled the last conversation she had had with him. Chiana continued oblivious to the memories she had stirred up. " What if he takes unnecessary risks?" She felt she had driven the point home enough. She shrugged "Frell, it's John, he always takes unnecessary risks." Aeryn looked at her and they both smiled. "We have to find a way of letting him know that you will be here for him when he gets back"
XXX
"How is your head?" John snapped out of his thoughts and turned from the now blank vid link.
"Yeah, yeah, s'ok, slight headache. Would be nice if I'd been told about your weaknesses – sir"
"Ahh, yes you are better. Speaking of such, I have to thank you for sharing yours with me. That was a very interesting reaction from Officer Sun. I had the impression that she thought more of you. Obviously not."
The comment hurt more than his still aching leg. "Yeah well you didn't bring me on board to discuss my personal life. I'll obey your orders, I'll help your research, hell, I'll even try to remember to address you properly – sir, but there are some things that even you don't get rights on. My personal life is one of them; it stays just that - personal. Now, permission to get some sleep – sir"
Scorpius nodded smiling. He was aware of the wavering in the human's voice. He was good though. He was doing everything that was asked of him but he still managed to be insubordinate without actually being so. The pause before he said Sir was a prime example. Other officers would have been beaten down for even a microts hesitation. He would allow it though. Give him a little leeway. In time Scorpius knew that it would become second nature, that he would be broken into submission. Yes, yes, a worthy adversary indeed.
XXX
Moya's crew met in command. They had just received the 'maps' from Scorpius. "Well, has he managed to get the information?" Rygel was as usual, impatient.
"Yes. They seem to be in order but we will have to apply his coding to be sure." D'Argo had in his hand a sequence of numbers from John's language. "He told us to mark a line following the pattern of these numbers. He said that should show the layout of the Command Carrier. It looks very random." As he said this he joined the numbers. Everyone gasped.
"Well, whatdoyouknow John actually did it right. Hah." Chianna was laughing at the sight before her. The numbered sequences transformed into corridors. Each number that was circled corresponded with the Luxan's language. Just like a map. Everything was marked. They all felt a little humble. Everyone had argued that it would not work but John had persevered. He had shown D'Argo how to follow the Earth numbers, had used circled numbers and asked him what each department was in the Luxan's home world language. No one would suspect he said. They could say the numbers were from the Luxan's Ancient language – no on knew that he said. And what had they done? Ridiculed it, saw the flaws.
"Why do we always underestimate him? He has shown himself a worthy soldier time and again and yet still we question him. I for one will not do so in the future" D'Argo stood tall, but Chianna laughed.
"Yes you will D'Argo. If you don't you'll only worry him. He relies on you to argue, it what you two do."
"The Command Carrier has changed slightly since I was Captain. I can hazard a guess as to the weaponry held in each area. The guard duties will be the same though." Crais traced his finger along the map, " This is where we will enter. The prowler will not be detected amongst the others."
XXX
Chianna was picking at a food cube. "Do you want that girly? If not, kindly allow me to take it off your hands before you bore it to death with your prodding." Rygel swiped the cube and was surprised when there was no reaction. "What is wrong girl?" Nothing. "Chianna – answer me, I am not used to being ignored." Who was he kidding? He was always frelling ignored. Still no response, he moved closer and was in the process of giving her a nudge when she let out a scream that would put Jool's to shame. He toppled backwards and ended up on the floor, his throne sled hovering above him "What the yotz did you do that for?" He continued to mutter as he tried to get back to his royal seat.
Chianna was sweating, her eyes wide. "Oh Gods, oh Gods, that cant happen that cant happen. Everything will go farbot." She saw Rygel as if for the first time and grabbed him pulling him to eye level. "That can't happen it cant, oh Gods…" She kept repeating the words trancelike. Not knowing what else to do Rygel reached for his comm. He didn't need to use it. The others were already starting to appear. It seemed the whole ship had heard the scream. "Get her off me, get the tralk off me." He seethed struggling in Chianna's grasp.
Jool reached over and gently took Chianna's wrists. She spoke slowly. "Chianna? Chianna? Look at me. Look at me, that's it, now take a deep breath. No, no, no, keep looking at me, that's it, breath."
Chiana tried to control her breathing. Tried to focus on Jool's soothing tones. "It can't happen Jool, everything will go wrong."
"What? Did you see something? What will go wrong?" Aeryn moved to her side trying to keep the panic from her voice. "Chiana! Tell us now!"
That seemed to snap her out of it. "I… I…. saw it. He's going to change the plan. He's going to get himself frelling killed. This is your fault." She pulled free from Jool and launched herself at Aeryn, who was unprepared for the move. They both fell backwards, Chianna landing on top. "You and your peacekeeper breeding! Always thinking of how things will affect you! You! You and your frelling judgement." She was hitting Aeryn hard. D'Argo was trying to pull her off but Aeryn just held her arms over her face, protecting herself from the blows. Not trying to defend herself, knowing that Chiana was speaking the truth, whatever it was. D'Argo managed to grab her holding her under one arm as she struggled trying to get to Aeryn, who at that point was propping herself up with her elbows staring at the Nebarhi, guilt written all over her face.
"Chianna calm down or I will sedate you, my way!" D'Argo bellowed. The struggling form automatically stilled. "Now if I put you down will you behave?" A nod. He proceeded to do so. "Okay, do you want to tell us what you saw and what we can do to stop it?" Another nod.
And so it began. The vision, the failed attempt. The blame. The plan to get him out alive would fail because John wanted it to. For some reason he was going to be in the exact area where the most concentrated explosion would be - the science lab. No, she couldn't tell why he had decided to do it. Yes Scorpius would die too. She saw him talking. No she didn't know with whom or what it was about. She slumped forward after she had finished. Sobbing quietly. "I knew it would be bad, I knew it would be bad." It was barely a whisper but the others heard it.
Aeryn was still in the same position. She was staring at Chianna the whole time. No expression, no emotion, but her mind was swirling. It would be her fault. All of it. Dam that human, one way or another he would get himself killed and no matter what she tried to do it would be her fault. She rose to her feet and went to Chianna. The rest watched, hoping that she would not try to attack the shaking Nebarhi. Her voice was soft. "Chiana? Chiana, is there anything we can do? Is there any way you can try to visualise the conversation? I don't know how these visions work but is there a way?" She looked up, eyes wet yet surprised.
"I…I'm not sure. I'', I don't know how they work myself. Wish I didn't have them at all."
"No, don't think like that, at least this way we have a chance of changing the future. If we can't understand the reasons behind John's change of plans then we can alter ours. We can attack the rest of the base knowing where he is. We can go in, get him then bomb the science laboratory last, on the way out." She looked to the others. "That could work right? I mean it could work, if we think it through." She wasn't asking, she was begging
.
D'Argo nodded "We will work around it. Then when I get that human aboard I'm going to show him what Luxan Hyper Rage can really do!"
"Aren't you forgetting one thing?" All eyes turned to Jool. "The bracelet, the frelling bracelet."
"No, we haven't forgotten. Crais is working on that as we speak." Aeryn replied
"Crais? Do you trust him? Did John know about this?" D'Argo demanded
"Crichton does not. However, he would not object. The other human trusted Crais in the end, we all did. Therefore, we should trust him now. It would seem that he is our only hope where the bracelet is concerned."
Aeryn looked over to Rygel, then to the others in the room. They seemed resigned to the idea. Realisation dawning; if Rygel could trust Crais then they should.
XXX
He only had to keep up the pretence for a few more arns. He could do it; Stalling Scorpius had proved harder than expected. The thirst for wormhole knowledge was inevitable, he just didn't think it would be this hard. Scorpius had been fed tit bits. John gave a great impression of working hard; years of practice in the military had made it into an art form. It would be crunch time soon enough. He just didn't expect it to be in the middle of a sleep cycle. "Wake up Crichton. Wake up now!" The voice was harsh, and very loud.
"Braca what the frell do you want? Didn't anybody ever tell you to knock?" He shielded his eyes from the bright light that flooded his cell.
"Get up, get dressed and come to the Science area now. Your presence has been requested." He was trying hard to keep his temper in check.
John smiled. "Requested? Well why didn't you say so? Request denied. Now let me sleep." He pulled the blanket over his head.
Braca moved over to where he lay and grabbed the blanket. His clothes were thrown to him. "Do it! Do it now!"
"And if I don't? What are you gonna do? Hit me? Nah, don't think so, not after your last run in."
Braca was infuriated. He knew he couldn't physically harm the prisoner but the urge was overwhelming. He smiled thinly. John frowned; this couldn't be good. "No, no, I'm not going to hit you Crichton. I learned a long time ago how to inflict pain on you without actually touching you. Scorpius knew you would stall. He knew that there would be an alternative motive. He made provisions for just such a moment. He wants you in the lab and he wants the wormhole technology complete."
John chewed on his lip. He didn't like this change in the game plan. Braca was supposed to be his source of amusement and yet it seemed to be the other way around. What the hell was going on? What kind of trump card did Scorpius have? He was about to find out.
"Video link on." John looked from Braca to the small screen at the left of his cot. There in full Technicolor sat Aeryn Sun. Beaten and strapped to a chair. Braca watched his reaction with pleasure; it was short lived. He could hear a whisper of the word 'no' before John had him pinned to the floor and was sitting astride him.
"What the frell is this? This was not part of the deal. I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch." Braca managed to say one word before John started the rain of blows on his head. "Security!"
Sorry to leave another cliffhanger guys! There is more, I just need to tweak and change it a bit. Let me know what you think so far, am I doing okay with this?