"This is most gratifying."
Scorpius leaned back in his seat as the marauder exited the command carrier's massive hangar. The ride became bumpy for a moment before regaining its smooth trajectory. Up ahead of the ship, another just like it flew towards the leviathan off in the distance.
The hybrid turned to the two passengers that sat beside him and smiled. Two ex-peacekeepers that high command would have loved to get their hands on. 'How unfortunate for them.' There were more important tasks to be completed. His tasks.
"How far to the leviathan captain?"
The ship's pilot turned to acknowledge the question. His own look was far grimmer. "About a quarter arn, sir."
Scorpius shook his head. "Thank you very much."
He admired the stoic facade that Aeryn Sun put up. There were, of course, many things going on behind those eyes. Though what, he could not tell.
Aeryn noticed his eyes on her and scowled. It disgusted her to even consider what the abomination was thinking. She had enough trouble trying to figure out what was going on. 'Why is he taking us to Talyn?'
As if on cue, the hybrid answered. "Do not worry Officer Sun. You will not be harmed."
"I don't believe you."
Scorpius grinned. "No, I'm sure you don't. Nevertheless, it has never been my intention to harm you." His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "I only want John Crichton."
Velorek sat quietly in the corner as they spoke. He did not know who John Crichton was, or why Aeryn was mixed up in any business with Scorpius. A man he had heard of but never met. There was nothing to do but wait.
"Whatever arrangement Crais offered you, it will not work." Aeryn faced down the monstrosity with resolve. She was tired and very angry at her life at the moment. Being an "Ice queen,"as John put it, was beyond her grasp.
Scorpius was enjoying himself now. "How interesting that you jump to that conclusion." He stole a glance at the ex-tech beside Officer Sun. "I have no deal with Bialar Crais."
Aeryn stiffened. She was suddenly in the dark and not happy about it. "Then who?"
He was only too happy to answer her. "My deal is with the leviathan hybrid you call Talyn."
Scorpius nodded toward Velorek. "The mind he needs for the mind I need."
Aeryn Sun turned away from her captor and closed her eyes. She did not like being afraid.
"We'll find another way!"
Chiana tried to raise herself off the bed but just fell back again. The pain in her side was growing and becoming almost impossible to bear.
"Crichton, listen to me!" She closed her eyes and waited for a vision. Anything that would help them out of this situation. None came.
John watched her and his own pain grew a bit as well. He'd been so glad to see her ok after what had happened. 'I never thought it would be me.'
"No way around it Pip. Talyn says I gotta go, then I gotta go."
Chiana shook her head. "What about stopping Scorpius? You said we were gonna go after him."
He nodded softly and took her hand. "Don't you worry about me. I don't plan on going down without a fight."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Promise me I'll see you again."
John pulled her close to him in an embrace that he didn't want to end. Whispering in her ear he said, "You're the one with the visions. You tell me."
Letting go, John turned to face the silent man behind him. "Lead the way boss."
Crais stood beside the door and looked sorrowfully down at the floor. He hated himself at that moment to a level that even Talyn took notice. It didn't make any difference.
The DRDs that had been sitting outside began to file into the room. Their glowing eyes looked up at Crichton and they chirped.
"Tell them something good for me Chiana." John smiled to her one last time and then passed out into the hallway. Then he was gone.
Bialar watched the human and his entourage go but did not follow. Instead, he turned to the young female on the bed.
Chiana wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up at Crais and nodded. "I know."
He waved towards the door. "Shall we then?"
"You'll have to help me up. I feel like dren." She extended her arm out to him.
John stood just outside the hangar with his hands hanging limply at his sides. The DRDs were no longer with him but he knew they were close by. Chirping could still be heard from not too far away. 'How reassuring.'
Standing there in the darkness, he began to take notice of the room around him. Saw things he had never taken the time to look at before. There was a clamshell in there.
"Hey Talyn."
The clamshell burst to life and the image of Crais appeared. The only face that Talyn could claim as his own.
"They'll be arriving shortly." The look in the ex-captain's eyes was hollow. Nothing behind them.
John shrugged. "So you tell me." He scratched the spot behind his left ear that always gave him trouble. "Damn itch."
"Itch?"
The human looked up at the clamshell. "Nope. I don't do small-talk with people who try to kill me."
Talyn ignored the comment. Something more important came to his attention. "They're here."
John watched silently as two marauders appeared from around a corner of the massive hangar. One flew right behind the other as they went. Both landed quickly.
"Don't move!"
The shout came from several different mouths as a four soldiers dropped out of the marauder's bottom. Each held nasty looking weapons in their hands and frowns on their faces.
The second marauder's door burst open and two figures marched out. Both had their hands up in the air.
Scorpius stepped out next. He surveyed the scene in front of him. Specifically, he looked at Crichton. The human's face was battered and bruised. Blood stained his shirt. "It appears Talyn is true to his word."
He motioned for Aeryn and Velorek to walk forward.
Aeryn kept her hands above her head as she walked. Her eyes met Crichton's in a questioning stare. 'Could this be part of a plan?' Judging from his appearance, she didn't think so.
"John Crichton, you are now in my custody." Scorpius walked up beside the soldiers. He nodded. "Shoot the other two if he attempts to flee."
The image of Crais turned towards the two now entering from his hangar. "Aeryn, come inside now."
She found the words quite chilling. For the tone if not the message. Nudging Velorek, she continued forward.
"It's time for my part of the deal, Talyn." Scorpius watched the image cautiously. Just seeing the ex-captain's face made him think of treachery. "Crichton!"
John took a step forward and then stopped. 'This ain't just your ass on the line, man.' He started moving again.
A high-pitched, screeching sound suddenly tore through the inner and outer hangar. Talyn's image disappeared from the clamshell with one final word. "Move!"
Aeryn threw herself forward and barreled into Velorek's back. The two of them went crashing to the floor just as the heavy hangar door slammed shut behind them.
The opposing forces were now cut off from each other.
"What the hell just happened?" John stared, dumbfounded, at the door that now stood in place. It had never entered his mind that Talyn might have been fooling everyone all along.
Aeryn ran up to him. "Are you hurt?"
He checked himself over by reflex. "No, you?"
She shook her head and turned around to grab Velorek. The ex-tech looked at her with a bewildered expression. Aeryn didn't really know what to tell him.
"This is Talyn?"
Aeryn nodded and then turned back to Crichton. "Get him somewhere safe." Her shook more than she would have liked but there was still too much uncertainty. The danger was not over yet.
"And where the frell are you going to be?" John took hold of the man he'd only heard about as Aeryn let go. His first impression wasn't a great one.
Aeryn was already heading out of the room. "In command. I have to speak with Talyn directly!"
With that, she was out the door and the two of them were alone.
"So, you're Velorek huh?"
The man looked up at Crichton and nodded his head. "Apparently."
"Great. Welcome to my nightmare." John let go of his arm slowly and then turned towards the exit opposite Aeryn's.
"Follow me."
Velorek stared at the man that Aeryn had just intrusted him to. Years of his life had been taken away and his health had suffered, but his perception was not impaired. The former peacekeeper saw what had gone between them.
"She's everything I knew she could be, isn't she?
The question seemed a bit more than odd in the current situation but John couldn't help himself. He knew the history and it was plenty distracting.
"More."
Just as he spoke, a new sound echoed through the room. Crais walked in with his pistol aimed in front of him. His expression had not changed. "Don't move."
Velorek's face lit up in surprise. The kind of surprise no one wants. "Captain Crais?"
The pull of history had an effect on the ex-captain as well. He frowned as he locked eyes with his former technical officer. "It is a long story that I do not wish to tell." Crais motioned with his pistol. "This way, both of you."
"Sir, should we attempt to blast through?"
Scorpius growled angrily and grabbed the soldier by the throat. Saliva sprayed from his gaping mouth as he spoke.
"It's a leviathan! You can't blast through!"
He dropped the squirming figure and turned towards the marauders. "You'll die for this, Talyn. I'll see to it personally."
"Please, do not be so quick to judge me."
All eyes turned to the small video screen on the wall. No one had noticed it up until that point. This time there was no image of Crais. Only static.
"Would you care to explain why I am trapped in a hangar?" Scorpius could feel the heat rising in his head.
Talyn answered curtly. "You may leave at any time if you disagree with my methods."
"I will not leave! Not until I have Crichton!"
There was a momentary silence before the answer. "I kept you here to ensure that I received my part of the agreement. Once I am certain that no one can interfere, I will allow you to enter and capture Crichton." The screen went blank.
Scorpius growled through his teeth. To be completely honest, he had considered double crossing the leviathan hybrid. Velorek would still make a helpful gift to the Council. 'Ah well. It's not over yet.'
He grabbed the nearest soldier by the arm. "Put a signal through to the command carrier."
The door to command swung open as Aeryn reached it. She went for her weapon and then realized that it was in storage at the command carrier. There was no other choice but to go in blind.
"Talyn? Can you hear me?"
She stepped slowly into the room and surveyed the scene in front of her. The lights were all off except for the red instrument panels. Those still glowed eerily in the darkness. Up above, Aeryn noticed that the auto-guns were all lowered.
The neural center on the ceiling hummed loudly as she entered. Talyn was there with her.
"Listen to me Talyn. Whatever happened here, it can still be put right." Aeryn raised her hands to show that she was unarmed. "You can stop this if you want to."
The hum became louder and then stopped altogether. Auto-guns remained online and aimed. Talyn was not interested in stopping things.
"You can't reason with him. Not this time."
Much to Aeryn's surprise, Chiana stepped out of the darkness. The limp was evident with each move but she continued on bravely. Her bandages remained tight.
"Chiana? What happened? Who did that to you?" Aeryn was by her side in a second. Her arms were around the Nebari and supporting her.
Chiana looked up at the ceiling. "It was Talyn. He tried to kill me." Despite the severity of her words, she was smiling.
Aeryn didn't understand. "Talyn did this to you?"
She nodded. "But don't worry. I'm not the one."
Before Aeryn could even begin to understand what that meant, Talyn began to hum again. As the two women looked on, the middle section of the room started to move.
"We're supposed to get on." Chiana took Aeryn's arm and led her to the circular elevator.
With both of them on, it descended into the darkness below.
The cell door slammed shut in Crichton's face. He frowned as the reality of the situation dawned on him. Talyn hadn't been playing on their side after all. This was still part of his sick plan.
"I'm sorry about this Crichton." Crais turned the locking mechanism and then stepped away. "I hope you believe that I do not do this of my own accord."
John had to fight hard to keep from attacking the bars. He wanted very much to frell up the man in front of him. "Sure, Crais. Whatever you say."
He fumed in silence as the ex-captain led Velorek off down the hall. The tech looked back at him with eyes full of concern. "I hear ya buddy."
They disappeared around a corner.
"Think damn it!" John gripped the bars with his blood encrusted fingers and leaned his forehead against the cold metal. There had to be some way out of this. "Think you-."
A loud roar came suddenly from somewhere outside. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. John dove for the ground and covered his ears.
In the space surrounding Talyn, the command carrier had moved within range. Acting on orders from Scorpius, it fired a light immobilizing pulse at the leviathan. The results were a bit more than light.
Talyn's entire structure shook violently from the blast. Conduits exploded up and down the hallways sending sparks flying through the air. Several tiers were opened to space and more than one fire broke out somewhere in the ship.
Once the shaking stopped, John took a quick peek from his duck and cover spot on the floor. A smile actually formed when he saw what had happened. The locking mechanism had been fried and the cell door stood wide open.
Standing up, he headed quickly out. The sound of gunshots came echoing down the hallway and reached his ringing ears.
"Holy hell, what now?" John took off running.
"I said minimum power you idiot!"
Scorpius yelled angrily into his comm. He was not pleased with the devastation that now surrounded him. "Crichton or I could have died! You would not want to be the cause of that."
Braca's voice came back weakly from the other end. "I understand, sir. My apologies."
The hybrid was about to begin yelling again when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "What is it now?"
His eyes lit up when he saw what the soldier was pointing to. The hangar door had opened.
"Thank you Braca. That will be all." Scorpius tucked away the comm and motioned for his soldiers to proceed.
The group of five moved cautiously into the leviathan with guns drawn. Scorpius strolled alone behind the soldiers with a pistol tucked between his gloved hands. Things were looking up.
"What are you going to do to me?"
The words caused every one of them to stop dead in their tracks. Someone, two people actually, were coming towards them at great speed.
Scorpius raised his gun slightly. "Caution gentlemen."
Velorek, a gun at his neck, marched into the room and froze. He'd seen enough of the ship to know that he didn't want to be aboard. Now things just seemed to be getting worse. Behind him, Crais stopped as well.
"Seize them. Take their weapons."
The hybrid watched with amusement as his men surrounded the two former peacekeepers. "It appears that the balance of power has changed."
One of the soldiers smacked Crais across the cheek with the muzzle of his rifle. "On your knees traitor."
Scorpius shook his head in disapproval. "No shooting!"
He did not notice the lone DRD roll into the room. It moved stealthily across the metal floor until it sat between the legs of peacekeeper soldiers. A shot rang from its tiny weapon.
The one shot turned into many as the soldiers began firing wildly in confusion. As they did this, dozens of DRDs converged into the room from different corners. Shouts of pain and vision impairing smoke filled the air.
John came running into the room just as the shooting stopped. His eyes burned from the smoke and he had to keep his distance.
"Crais! Velorek!" His calls received no answer.
Moving quickly, the human threw himself into the mist and began searching through the bodies and machine pieces. Two things quickly became apparent. Velorek was gone and Crais was badly injured.
"Crichton, I'm here."
Bialar lay face up on the floor with a grimace of pain on his face. Blood seeped from several wounds in his arms and legs. His face was ashen.
"What the hell happened?" John was by his side in a microt. The memories of recent betrayal suddenly forgotten.
The ex-captain coughed as he tried to speak. "Scorpius. He attacked us - the DRDs - Velorek taken."
John tried to raise him up but the man howled in pain. "I'll get the medical supplies. Just wait a second."
Crais managed to lift his hand up and grab John's shirt. It was a limp hold. "No. You must stop Talyn. I no longer matter." His eyes opened and closed revealing a glassy stare. "Go now, before Talyn gets worse."
Nodding slightly, Crichton stood and backed away from the man he had never fully trusted. He suddenly remembered that Aeryn had gone to command. Without another word, he left the room.
"Frell. What is this place?"
Chiana stepped off the platform and looked around. She hadn't seen this place.
"What? No vision?" Aeryn came up from behind and steadied the younger woman. She still couldn't believe that Talyn would do such a thing. But it was sinking in fast.
She looked at the ex-peacekeeper and scowled. "It doesn't always work the way you want it to." Chiana ran her free hand along the lone console in the room. "You still didn't answer my question."
Aeryn shook her head. "I don't know."
"Of course you do. You just don't want to see it for what it is."
The male voice made them both jump. Velorek dropped down from above with a thin smile on his face. His black hair was tousled but otherwise he looked much different from the man Aeryn had rescued.
Chiana was the first to notice the transponder on the back of his neck. "It's not him, Aeryn." She took a step back. "It's Talyn."
Velorek nodded playfully. "I'll be all grown up soon."
Aeryn lifted a hand to his shoulder. She didn't want to seem hostile. "What do you mean, Talyn?"
He motioned for her to watch him. "This is the place they never told me about. The place where I become a man." Velorek began to work on the controls. The entire ship vibrated in response. "See, I feel stronger."
With a simple look at the wall, auto-guns slid out and aimed themselves at Chiana. Talyn suddenly grew serious. "It'll be just us from now on. The way it's supposed to be."
The auto-guns began to charge.
Aeryn waited until he wasn't paying attention and then pushed herself in front of Chiana. Her body now blocked the Nebari from the guns. "I won't let you hurt them, Talyn."
At those words, Velorek's face twisted in anger. "No," Talyn roared. "Why must you always put them before me?!"
The door to command was closed when John reached it. Luckily, the security control had not yet come back online. He was able to push it open and step into the room. Four auto-guns waited for him on the other side.
"Wow, Talyn. Hold on a sec."
The guns aimed at him but did not fire. From below, Talyn waited for the inevitable attempt at negotiation.
John tactic was somewhat different. "Hey man, if want to start your own little Greek tragedy here, be my guest. But I don't think Crais and Aeryn are going to like it."
He took a step forward and the guns followed. "Killing your dad and marrying your mom. Well, it's a little weird."
The auto-guns fired but John was already moving. He reached the hole in the floor and pushed himself over the edge. A pulse blast grazed his leg as he went.
"Frell!"
The human landed roughly on the floor below. Much to the astonishment of the three others in the room.
"John?" Aeryn went for him but was caught savagely from behind. Talyn's grip was holding her back.
"You see! It's always about him." Talyn pulled Aeryn back until she stood beside him. He then had the auto guns re-align themselves. Now John and Chiana were both targets.
"You love him, you can't live without him! And I'm expendable."
John raised his hands above his head. "I think you need to be caught up on current even-."
"- Shut up!" Talyn had stopped working entirely now. His full attention was on the new arrivals.
"Don't do this Talyn. Just let them go." Aeryn tried once more to calm him.
Velorek/Talyn turned to look at her. "Alright Aeryn. Just as you say." He pointed at the other two. "Agree to stay willingly and I'll let them go. With the condition that they are not to return."
He grinned maliciously. "Otherwise I kill them both right now."
Aeryn and John's eyes met. He shook his head repeatedly and mouthed, "Don't do it."
"Let them go Talyn. I will stay with you." Aeryn looked away from the human and moved closer to Velorek's side.
John kept shaking his head, unable to speak. Finally a single word escaped his lips. "Why?" It was addressed to Aeryn.
She couldn't bear to look at him until he asked. Aeryn knew what he was insinuating. It made her angry. "Don't John! Don't make this about you and me! Not now!"
Another pair of legs made it to command. They were bloodied and being dragged across the floor. Crais had little strength left but he had managed to get this far. It couldn't end now.
Just as he entered, his transponder told him that one of the marauders had left the hangar. Crais looked up at the forward portal in time to see it.
The command carrier stood out garishly in space. Its massive surface was covered by hundreds of smaller craft that swarmed around it like flies. Scorpius' marauder made for the monstrosity at top speed. Obviously hoping to escape Talyn's weapons. There was no need to worry.
Crais knew it would not take long for the hybrid to seek retribution. He knew what he had to do. Dragging himself forward, he made it to the manual control console.
Down below, Talyn was suddenly taken out of the situation. "Starburst?"
The entire ship lurched forward as the black cloud of starburst washed over it. As sensors on the command carrier watched, Talyn's actual form disappeared from the scene without a trace.
Aeryn, John, and Chiana watched silently as Velorek/Talyn came back to the situation. His face was twisted in anger. "No more." He looked at Aeryn. "I will decide for you."
The auto guns charged and locked onto their targets.
Chiana stepped out from behind John and grabbed Aeryn's hand. She now stood between the ex-peacekeeper and the crazed Talyn. The look of peace on her face would have rivaled Zhaan's.
"Pip, what are you doing?" John tried to pull her back but she waved him off.
Her eyes moved back to Talyn. "I'm not afraid anymore."
Talyn sneered and all the guns pointed towards her. "And why not?"
Chiana smiled. "Because it's you. You're the one."
Up above, Crais closed his eyes. "Forgive me Talyn." He pulled down on the two levers simultaneously.
Velorek/Talyn's head jerked back and he collapsed to the floor. Everything but the life support systems went dead.
John sat on the crate and watched silently as she finished loading supplies into the second marauder. There hadn't been anyone left to retrieve it and Aeryn was going to put it to good use.
She looked up and caught him staring. John wasn't sure if her reaction was good, bad, or something else entirely. He stood up and walked over.
"How's he doing?"
Aeryn turned and glanced at the marauder. "It has been difficult for him but he will be alright." They'd loaded Velorek into the marauder on a stretcher. The former tech hadn't taken too well to being one with Talyn.
John nodded. The fallout from Talyn's going over the edge party was still being felt by everyone. Himself included. He rubbed the sore spot on his leg. "Crais was doing better when I left him. Think I got the bleeding stopped for real this time."
She couldn't help from averting her eyes each time he tried to meet them. "And Talyn?"
The human shook his head. "Crais says we can bring him back. But it's not going to be the same. Talyn's gone." John was surprised to find that the thought actually saddened him.
A shout came from the marauder behind them. "Aeryn!" Chiana stood beside the peacekeeper ship with her hands on her hips. It looked like her old spirit was back in full force.
Aeryn gave a nod in understanding and then turned back to John. "Chiana and I are going to take him somewhere safe. Where he can be taken care of."
John forced a half-smile. "That's good."
She sighed. "You can come with us if you want."
The words made Crichton smile broadly. "No thanks. I have a lot of work to do here. Scorpy's still out there."
Aeryn looked relieved but said nothing. She turned and headed back towards the marauder.
John watched her go with a strange feeling of contentment. 'She's coming back.'
Scorpius leaned back in his seat as the marauder exited the command carrier's massive hangar. The ride became bumpy for a moment before regaining its smooth trajectory. Up ahead of the ship, another just like it flew towards the leviathan off in the distance.
The hybrid turned to the two passengers that sat beside him and smiled. Two ex-peacekeepers that high command would have loved to get their hands on. 'How unfortunate for them.' There were more important tasks to be completed. His tasks.
"How far to the leviathan captain?"
The ship's pilot turned to acknowledge the question. His own look was far grimmer. "About a quarter arn, sir."
Scorpius shook his head. "Thank you very much."
He admired the stoic facade that Aeryn Sun put up. There were, of course, many things going on behind those eyes. Though what, he could not tell.
Aeryn noticed his eyes on her and scowled. It disgusted her to even consider what the abomination was thinking. She had enough trouble trying to figure out what was going on. 'Why is he taking us to Talyn?'
As if on cue, the hybrid answered. "Do not worry Officer Sun. You will not be harmed."
"I don't believe you."
Scorpius grinned. "No, I'm sure you don't. Nevertheless, it has never been my intention to harm you." His eyes sparkled as he spoke. "I only want John Crichton."
Velorek sat quietly in the corner as they spoke. He did not know who John Crichton was, or why Aeryn was mixed up in any business with Scorpius. A man he had heard of but never met. There was nothing to do but wait.
"Whatever arrangement Crais offered you, it will not work." Aeryn faced down the monstrosity with resolve. She was tired and very angry at her life at the moment. Being an "Ice queen,"as John put it, was beyond her grasp.
Scorpius was enjoying himself now. "How interesting that you jump to that conclusion." He stole a glance at the ex-tech beside Officer Sun. "I have no deal with Bialar Crais."
Aeryn stiffened. She was suddenly in the dark and not happy about it. "Then who?"
He was only too happy to answer her. "My deal is with the leviathan hybrid you call Talyn."
Scorpius nodded toward Velorek. "The mind he needs for the mind I need."
Aeryn Sun turned away from her captor and closed her eyes. She did not like being afraid.
"We'll find another way!"
Chiana tried to raise herself off the bed but just fell back again. The pain in her side was growing and becoming almost impossible to bear.
"Crichton, listen to me!" She closed her eyes and waited for a vision. Anything that would help them out of this situation. None came.
John watched her and his own pain grew a bit as well. He'd been so glad to see her ok after what had happened. 'I never thought it would be me.'
"No way around it Pip. Talyn says I gotta go, then I gotta go."
Chiana shook her head. "What about stopping Scorpius? You said we were gonna go after him."
He nodded softly and took her hand. "Don't you worry about me. I don't plan on going down without a fight."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Promise me I'll see you again."
John pulled her close to him in an embrace that he didn't want to end. Whispering in her ear he said, "You're the one with the visions. You tell me."
Letting go, John turned to face the silent man behind him. "Lead the way boss."
Crais stood beside the door and looked sorrowfully down at the floor. He hated himself at that moment to a level that even Talyn took notice. It didn't make any difference.
The DRDs that had been sitting outside began to file into the room. Their glowing eyes looked up at Crichton and they chirped.
"Tell them something good for me Chiana." John smiled to her one last time and then passed out into the hallway. Then he was gone.
Bialar watched the human and his entourage go but did not follow. Instead, he turned to the young female on the bed.
Chiana wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up at Crais and nodded. "I know."
He waved towards the door. "Shall we then?"
"You'll have to help me up. I feel like dren." She extended her arm out to him.
John stood just outside the hangar with his hands hanging limply at his sides. The DRDs were no longer with him but he knew they were close by. Chirping could still be heard from not too far away. 'How reassuring.'
Standing there in the darkness, he began to take notice of the room around him. Saw things he had never taken the time to look at before. There was a clamshell in there.
"Hey Talyn."
The clamshell burst to life and the image of Crais appeared. The only face that Talyn could claim as his own.
"They'll be arriving shortly." The look in the ex-captain's eyes was hollow. Nothing behind them.
John shrugged. "So you tell me." He scratched the spot behind his left ear that always gave him trouble. "Damn itch."
"Itch?"
The human looked up at the clamshell. "Nope. I don't do small-talk with people who try to kill me."
Talyn ignored the comment. Something more important came to his attention. "They're here."
John watched silently as two marauders appeared from around a corner of the massive hangar. One flew right behind the other as they went. Both landed quickly.
"Don't move!"
The shout came from several different mouths as a four soldiers dropped out of the marauder's bottom. Each held nasty looking weapons in their hands and frowns on their faces.
The second marauder's door burst open and two figures marched out. Both had their hands up in the air.
Scorpius stepped out next. He surveyed the scene in front of him. Specifically, he looked at Crichton. The human's face was battered and bruised. Blood stained his shirt. "It appears Talyn is true to his word."
He motioned for Aeryn and Velorek to walk forward.
Aeryn kept her hands above her head as she walked. Her eyes met Crichton's in a questioning stare. 'Could this be part of a plan?' Judging from his appearance, she didn't think so.
"John Crichton, you are now in my custody." Scorpius walked up beside the soldiers. He nodded. "Shoot the other two if he attempts to flee."
The image of Crais turned towards the two now entering from his hangar. "Aeryn, come inside now."
She found the words quite chilling. For the tone if not the message. Nudging Velorek, she continued forward.
"It's time for my part of the deal, Talyn." Scorpius watched the image cautiously. Just seeing the ex-captain's face made him think of treachery. "Crichton!"
John took a step forward and then stopped. 'This ain't just your ass on the line, man.' He started moving again.
A high-pitched, screeching sound suddenly tore through the inner and outer hangar. Talyn's image disappeared from the clamshell with one final word. "Move!"
Aeryn threw herself forward and barreled into Velorek's back. The two of them went crashing to the floor just as the heavy hangar door slammed shut behind them.
The opposing forces were now cut off from each other.
"What the hell just happened?" John stared, dumbfounded, at the door that now stood in place. It had never entered his mind that Talyn might have been fooling everyone all along.
Aeryn ran up to him. "Are you hurt?"
He checked himself over by reflex. "No, you?"
She shook her head and turned around to grab Velorek. The ex-tech looked at her with a bewildered expression. Aeryn didn't really know what to tell him.
"This is Talyn?"
Aeryn nodded and then turned back to Crichton. "Get him somewhere safe." Her shook more than she would have liked but there was still too much uncertainty. The danger was not over yet.
"And where the frell are you going to be?" John took hold of the man he'd only heard about as Aeryn let go. His first impression wasn't a great one.
Aeryn was already heading out of the room. "In command. I have to speak with Talyn directly!"
With that, she was out the door and the two of them were alone.
"So, you're Velorek huh?"
The man looked up at Crichton and nodded his head. "Apparently."
"Great. Welcome to my nightmare." John let go of his arm slowly and then turned towards the exit opposite Aeryn's.
"Follow me."
Velorek stared at the man that Aeryn had just intrusted him to. Years of his life had been taken away and his health had suffered, but his perception was not impaired. The former peacekeeper saw what had gone between them.
"She's everything I knew she could be, isn't she?
The question seemed a bit more than odd in the current situation but John couldn't help himself. He knew the history and it was plenty distracting.
"More."
Just as he spoke, a new sound echoed through the room. Crais walked in with his pistol aimed in front of him. His expression had not changed. "Don't move."
Velorek's face lit up in surprise. The kind of surprise no one wants. "Captain Crais?"
The pull of history had an effect on the ex-captain as well. He frowned as he locked eyes with his former technical officer. "It is a long story that I do not wish to tell." Crais motioned with his pistol. "This way, both of you."
"Sir, should we attempt to blast through?"
Scorpius growled angrily and grabbed the soldier by the throat. Saliva sprayed from his gaping mouth as he spoke.
"It's a leviathan! You can't blast through!"
He dropped the squirming figure and turned towards the marauders. "You'll die for this, Talyn. I'll see to it personally."
"Please, do not be so quick to judge me."
All eyes turned to the small video screen on the wall. No one had noticed it up until that point. This time there was no image of Crais. Only static.
"Would you care to explain why I am trapped in a hangar?" Scorpius could feel the heat rising in his head.
Talyn answered curtly. "You may leave at any time if you disagree with my methods."
"I will not leave! Not until I have Crichton!"
There was a momentary silence before the answer. "I kept you here to ensure that I received my part of the agreement. Once I am certain that no one can interfere, I will allow you to enter and capture Crichton." The screen went blank.
Scorpius growled through his teeth. To be completely honest, he had considered double crossing the leviathan hybrid. Velorek would still make a helpful gift to the Council. 'Ah well. It's not over yet.'
He grabbed the nearest soldier by the arm. "Put a signal through to the command carrier."
The door to command swung open as Aeryn reached it. She went for her weapon and then realized that it was in storage at the command carrier. There was no other choice but to go in blind.
"Talyn? Can you hear me?"
She stepped slowly into the room and surveyed the scene in front of her. The lights were all off except for the red instrument panels. Those still glowed eerily in the darkness. Up above, Aeryn noticed that the auto-guns were all lowered.
The neural center on the ceiling hummed loudly as she entered. Talyn was there with her.
"Listen to me Talyn. Whatever happened here, it can still be put right." Aeryn raised her hands to show that she was unarmed. "You can stop this if you want to."
The hum became louder and then stopped altogether. Auto-guns remained online and aimed. Talyn was not interested in stopping things.
"You can't reason with him. Not this time."
Much to Aeryn's surprise, Chiana stepped out of the darkness. The limp was evident with each move but she continued on bravely. Her bandages remained tight.
"Chiana? What happened? Who did that to you?" Aeryn was by her side in a second. Her arms were around the Nebari and supporting her.
Chiana looked up at the ceiling. "It was Talyn. He tried to kill me." Despite the severity of her words, she was smiling.
Aeryn didn't understand. "Talyn did this to you?"
She nodded. "But don't worry. I'm not the one."
Before Aeryn could even begin to understand what that meant, Talyn began to hum again. As the two women looked on, the middle section of the room started to move.
"We're supposed to get on." Chiana took Aeryn's arm and led her to the circular elevator.
With both of them on, it descended into the darkness below.
The cell door slammed shut in Crichton's face. He frowned as the reality of the situation dawned on him. Talyn hadn't been playing on their side after all. This was still part of his sick plan.
"I'm sorry about this Crichton." Crais turned the locking mechanism and then stepped away. "I hope you believe that I do not do this of my own accord."
John had to fight hard to keep from attacking the bars. He wanted very much to frell up the man in front of him. "Sure, Crais. Whatever you say."
He fumed in silence as the ex-captain led Velorek off down the hall. The tech looked back at him with eyes full of concern. "I hear ya buddy."
They disappeared around a corner.
"Think damn it!" John gripped the bars with his blood encrusted fingers and leaned his forehead against the cold metal. There had to be some way out of this. "Think you-."
A loud roar came suddenly from somewhere outside. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. John dove for the ground and covered his ears.
In the space surrounding Talyn, the command carrier had moved within range. Acting on orders from Scorpius, it fired a light immobilizing pulse at the leviathan. The results were a bit more than light.
Talyn's entire structure shook violently from the blast. Conduits exploded up and down the hallways sending sparks flying through the air. Several tiers were opened to space and more than one fire broke out somewhere in the ship.
Once the shaking stopped, John took a quick peek from his duck and cover spot on the floor. A smile actually formed when he saw what had happened. The locking mechanism had been fried and the cell door stood wide open.
Standing up, he headed quickly out. The sound of gunshots came echoing down the hallway and reached his ringing ears.
"Holy hell, what now?" John took off running.
"I said minimum power you idiot!"
Scorpius yelled angrily into his comm. He was not pleased with the devastation that now surrounded him. "Crichton or I could have died! You would not want to be the cause of that."
Braca's voice came back weakly from the other end. "I understand, sir. My apologies."
The hybrid was about to begin yelling again when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "What is it now?"
His eyes lit up when he saw what the soldier was pointing to. The hangar door had opened.
"Thank you Braca. That will be all." Scorpius tucked away the comm and motioned for his soldiers to proceed.
The group of five moved cautiously into the leviathan with guns drawn. Scorpius strolled alone behind the soldiers with a pistol tucked between his gloved hands. Things were looking up.
"What are you going to do to me?"
The words caused every one of them to stop dead in their tracks. Someone, two people actually, were coming towards them at great speed.
Scorpius raised his gun slightly. "Caution gentlemen."
Velorek, a gun at his neck, marched into the room and froze. He'd seen enough of the ship to know that he didn't want to be aboard. Now things just seemed to be getting worse. Behind him, Crais stopped as well.
"Seize them. Take their weapons."
The hybrid watched with amusement as his men surrounded the two former peacekeepers. "It appears that the balance of power has changed."
One of the soldiers smacked Crais across the cheek with the muzzle of his rifle. "On your knees traitor."
Scorpius shook his head in disapproval. "No shooting!"
He did not notice the lone DRD roll into the room. It moved stealthily across the metal floor until it sat between the legs of peacekeeper soldiers. A shot rang from its tiny weapon.
The one shot turned into many as the soldiers began firing wildly in confusion. As they did this, dozens of DRDs converged into the room from different corners. Shouts of pain and vision impairing smoke filled the air.
John came running into the room just as the shooting stopped. His eyes burned from the smoke and he had to keep his distance.
"Crais! Velorek!" His calls received no answer.
Moving quickly, the human threw himself into the mist and began searching through the bodies and machine pieces. Two things quickly became apparent. Velorek was gone and Crais was badly injured.
"Crichton, I'm here."
Bialar lay face up on the floor with a grimace of pain on his face. Blood seeped from several wounds in his arms and legs. His face was ashen.
"What the hell happened?" John was by his side in a microt. The memories of recent betrayal suddenly forgotten.
The ex-captain coughed as he tried to speak. "Scorpius. He attacked us - the DRDs - Velorek taken."
John tried to raise him up but the man howled in pain. "I'll get the medical supplies. Just wait a second."
Crais managed to lift his hand up and grab John's shirt. It was a limp hold. "No. You must stop Talyn. I no longer matter." His eyes opened and closed revealing a glassy stare. "Go now, before Talyn gets worse."
Nodding slightly, Crichton stood and backed away from the man he had never fully trusted. He suddenly remembered that Aeryn had gone to command. Without another word, he left the room.
"Frell. What is this place?"
Chiana stepped off the platform and looked around. She hadn't seen this place.
"What? No vision?" Aeryn came up from behind and steadied the younger woman. She still couldn't believe that Talyn would do such a thing. But it was sinking in fast.
She looked at the ex-peacekeeper and scowled. "It doesn't always work the way you want it to." Chiana ran her free hand along the lone console in the room. "You still didn't answer my question."
Aeryn shook her head. "I don't know."
"Of course you do. You just don't want to see it for what it is."
The male voice made them both jump. Velorek dropped down from above with a thin smile on his face. His black hair was tousled but otherwise he looked much different from the man Aeryn had rescued.
Chiana was the first to notice the transponder on the back of his neck. "It's not him, Aeryn." She took a step back. "It's Talyn."
Velorek nodded playfully. "I'll be all grown up soon."
Aeryn lifted a hand to his shoulder. She didn't want to seem hostile. "What do you mean, Talyn?"
He motioned for her to watch him. "This is the place they never told me about. The place where I become a man." Velorek began to work on the controls. The entire ship vibrated in response. "See, I feel stronger."
With a simple look at the wall, auto-guns slid out and aimed themselves at Chiana. Talyn suddenly grew serious. "It'll be just us from now on. The way it's supposed to be."
The auto-guns began to charge.
Aeryn waited until he wasn't paying attention and then pushed herself in front of Chiana. Her body now blocked the Nebari from the guns. "I won't let you hurt them, Talyn."
At those words, Velorek's face twisted in anger. "No," Talyn roared. "Why must you always put them before me?!"
The door to command was closed when John reached it. Luckily, the security control had not yet come back online. He was able to push it open and step into the room. Four auto-guns waited for him on the other side.
"Wow, Talyn. Hold on a sec."
The guns aimed at him but did not fire. From below, Talyn waited for the inevitable attempt at negotiation.
John tactic was somewhat different. "Hey man, if want to start your own little Greek tragedy here, be my guest. But I don't think Crais and Aeryn are going to like it."
He took a step forward and the guns followed. "Killing your dad and marrying your mom. Well, it's a little weird."
The auto-guns fired but John was already moving. He reached the hole in the floor and pushed himself over the edge. A pulse blast grazed his leg as he went.
"Frell!"
The human landed roughly on the floor below. Much to the astonishment of the three others in the room.
"John?" Aeryn went for him but was caught savagely from behind. Talyn's grip was holding her back.
"You see! It's always about him." Talyn pulled Aeryn back until she stood beside him. He then had the auto guns re-align themselves. Now John and Chiana were both targets.
"You love him, you can't live without him! And I'm expendable."
John raised his hands above his head. "I think you need to be caught up on current even-."
"- Shut up!" Talyn had stopped working entirely now. His full attention was on the new arrivals.
"Don't do this Talyn. Just let them go." Aeryn tried once more to calm him.
Velorek/Talyn turned to look at her. "Alright Aeryn. Just as you say." He pointed at the other two. "Agree to stay willingly and I'll let them go. With the condition that they are not to return."
He grinned maliciously. "Otherwise I kill them both right now."
Aeryn and John's eyes met. He shook his head repeatedly and mouthed, "Don't do it."
"Let them go Talyn. I will stay with you." Aeryn looked away from the human and moved closer to Velorek's side.
John kept shaking his head, unable to speak. Finally a single word escaped his lips. "Why?" It was addressed to Aeryn.
She couldn't bear to look at him until he asked. Aeryn knew what he was insinuating. It made her angry. "Don't John! Don't make this about you and me! Not now!"
Another pair of legs made it to command. They were bloodied and being dragged across the floor. Crais had little strength left but he had managed to get this far. It couldn't end now.
Just as he entered, his transponder told him that one of the marauders had left the hangar. Crais looked up at the forward portal in time to see it.
The command carrier stood out garishly in space. Its massive surface was covered by hundreds of smaller craft that swarmed around it like flies. Scorpius' marauder made for the monstrosity at top speed. Obviously hoping to escape Talyn's weapons. There was no need to worry.
Crais knew it would not take long for the hybrid to seek retribution. He knew what he had to do. Dragging himself forward, he made it to the manual control console.
Down below, Talyn was suddenly taken out of the situation. "Starburst?"
The entire ship lurched forward as the black cloud of starburst washed over it. As sensors on the command carrier watched, Talyn's actual form disappeared from the scene without a trace.
Aeryn, John, and Chiana watched silently as Velorek/Talyn came back to the situation. His face was twisted in anger. "No more." He looked at Aeryn. "I will decide for you."
The auto guns charged and locked onto their targets.
Chiana stepped out from behind John and grabbed Aeryn's hand. She now stood between the ex-peacekeeper and the crazed Talyn. The look of peace on her face would have rivaled Zhaan's.
"Pip, what are you doing?" John tried to pull her back but she waved him off.
Her eyes moved back to Talyn. "I'm not afraid anymore."
Talyn sneered and all the guns pointed towards her. "And why not?"
Chiana smiled. "Because it's you. You're the one."
Up above, Crais closed his eyes. "Forgive me Talyn." He pulled down on the two levers simultaneously.
Velorek/Talyn's head jerked back and he collapsed to the floor. Everything but the life support systems went dead.
John sat on the crate and watched silently as she finished loading supplies into the second marauder. There hadn't been anyone left to retrieve it and Aeryn was going to put it to good use.
She looked up and caught him staring. John wasn't sure if her reaction was good, bad, or something else entirely. He stood up and walked over.
"How's he doing?"
Aeryn turned and glanced at the marauder. "It has been difficult for him but he will be alright." They'd loaded Velorek into the marauder on a stretcher. The former tech hadn't taken too well to being one with Talyn.
John nodded. The fallout from Talyn's going over the edge party was still being felt by everyone. Himself included. He rubbed the sore spot on his leg. "Crais was doing better when I left him. Think I got the bleeding stopped for real this time."
She couldn't help from averting her eyes each time he tried to meet them. "And Talyn?"
The human shook his head. "Crais says we can bring him back. But it's not going to be the same. Talyn's gone." John was surprised to find that the thought actually saddened him.
A shout came from the marauder behind them. "Aeryn!" Chiana stood beside the peacekeeper ship with her hands on her hips. It looked like her old spirit was back in full force.
Aeryn gave a nod in understanding and then turned back to John. "Chiana and I are going to take him somewhere safe. Where he can be taken care of."
John forced a half-smile. "That's good."
She sighed. "You can come with us if you want."
The words made Crichton smile broadly. "No thanks. I have a lot of work to do here. Scorpy's still out there."
Aeryn looked relieved but said nothing. She turned and headed back towards the marauder.
John watched her go with a strange feeling of contentment. 'She's coming back.'