Fic: Nothing's Quite The Same
Story by: Neuroscpr and Can
P5 by: Neuroscpr
Setting: After DWTB, spoilers up until that ep.
Rating: R
Summary: John and the other displaced members of the crew embark on their own missions as Moya heads into unknown territory.
Gridon's ship raced forward into the Nebari blockade at incredible speed. The Sebacean had to cover his head as consoles sparked and small items began falling off the walls. He turned momentarily and found the rest of his crew all thrown to the ground. Gridon smiled. "Hang on!"
An explosion rocked the ship and suddenly the view was swirling past him in a constant loop. Gridon felt his legs leave the floor and then he was hitting the ceiling hard with his head. Blood obscured his eyesight for the moment before he hit ground again.
In the passenger compartment, Chiana covered her head and dove into the corner of the ship. She ignored the other men and closed her eyes. It didn't take a vision to see what was about to happen.
Quite surprisingly, the ship did not then burst into a ball of destructive fire. It flew into a violent roll and finally came to a complete stop mere metras from the Nebari line.
Chiana opened her eyes again and found herself looking at the floor. Her vision was a bit blurry but she could make out the distinct pattern of metal plates. It was somehow encouraging. Somewhere close by, she could hear loud popping sounds.
"Hey! You still alive back there?"
Gridon repeated the question as he came tumbling into the back area. A gash on his forehead bled slightly but otherwise he appeared unharmed. Of course, his body told him otherwise. But by now the Sebacean was used to such punishment. It came with the job.
"Chiana? Are you awake?"
She shook her head slowly and then looked up at him venomously. "I am now. What the frell happened?"
The Sebacean pointed to the nearest view screen. "They hit the other thruster. We're floating dead."
Chiana looked around the room. "Well then where's everyone else?"
He glanced back at the empty room and nodded. "They took the escape pods. Which is what we're going to do."
"Is that safe?" The Nebari realized what the popping sounds had been. She looked there now and was not encouraged. "Did the others make it?"
Gridon frowned. "No, they're all dead."
The ship shook violently as one the attacking vessels flew by overhead. It appeared there was not much time left for them.
"Fine. Just get me the frell out of here."
Chiana forced herself up on her tired legs and stumbled towards the escape hatches. None looked particularly inviting. They were short silver cylinders that could have been mistaken for garbage disposals.
"Don't worry. If you're hit, it won't be more than a microt or two." Gridon walked past her and jumped into his own pod. "See you out there." He did not bother giving his ship another look. It didn't pay to get sentimental.
The last thing Chiana heard before stepping into the pod was the sound of glass cracking in the cockpit. "Dren. How do I find these people?" She shut the lid and was immediately blasted into open space.
Aeryn hit the ground hard as pulse fire erupted from somewhere out in the darkness. She felt mud sticking against her skin and tried very hard to push the smell from her thoughts. 'Is this what you missed so much?'
Suddenly strong arms were grabbing her from above. Jaron slid his rifle over his arm and pulled her up. "We need to get back into position. Quickly!"
Without another word they ran across the field and into more combat. Aeryn watched in amazement as dozens of peacekeeper soldiers poured out of the trees beyond the clearing. They'd told her the mission was a secret but it appeared someone had planned ahead. She stopped.
"Aeryn! What the frell are you doing? We have to keep going!"
Jaron motioned for her to follow but she stood her ground.
"There's something wrong," said Aeryn. "It's a trap."
He stared at her for a moment and then forced himself to look away. Both of them knew it had to be true. But Jaron seemed to care less.
"That changes nothing. The mission is too important." He grabbed hold of his gun again and began to fire towards the peacekeepers. "Move soldier!"
Aeryn almost snapped to attention at the words. Catching herself, she chased after him and to the very edge of the clearing. Then Aeryn saw that things were much worse than she'd previously thought.
The muddled group of rebels stood ready to fight just in front of the line of trees. Supposed patrols had melted into one large group of surprised soldiers. A strong wind whipped the branches above their heads and revealed a long line of rifle muzzles protruding from the brush. At least twice as many. The source of the wind was two low-level attack ships. Each armed with rapid firing weapons.
"Retreat!"
Aeryn's voice carried with the wind and all heads turned towards her. She was a bit taken aback at first but quickly recovered.
"Aeryn, stop it!" Jaron turned towards her with an angry scowl on his face. "We don't retreat. Never."
"Then we'll all die. Is that the plan?" Aeryn stared him down.
"Fight and find out," Jaron said.
Aeryn was about to answer when an explosion knocked them both off their feet. A bright flash of light had risen from the rebel side and plowed into one of the pk ships. It burst into flames and set the neighboring woods ablaze.
"There's always another way!" Aeryn shouted this as she ran away from Jaron and into the trees. He watched her go in silence.
There was a small porthole on the bottom end of the escape pod. Chiana pressed her face against it and looked out into the surrounding space. Doing this, she realized that it was not in fact a Nebari fleet that had shot them down. A Host Vessel would have obliterated them from the beginning. Instead, there were five Nebari attack cruisers floating nearby.
"Looks like they're not going to shoot us down just yet."
The voice startled her. It took Chiana a microt to realize that there was radio communication between escape pods. She leaned over and activated the comm.
"Why?"
Gridon did not answer this. He continued, "If they haven't spotted us, which is doubtful, we might actually survive this."
Chiana didn't feel very comforted by that but she pushed it out of her mind. After coming all this way, she was trapped in a bubble, floating in space. 'That's just great. Frelling-."
"You alright?" Gridon asked.
She leaned back against the wall and sighed. There was nothing left to do but wait. Her mind turned to other things. "Yeah, fine." Chiana ran a hand over that certain spot on her stomach. 'I thought you were dead.'
"Tell me about my brother."
Gridon was caught off guard by the question. He'd just been sitting idly but now all his senses were wide awake. Panic removed his ability to construct a proper answer.
"I don't actually know him."
Chiana narrowed her eyes. "What?!"
Gridon was suddenly thankful that they were no longer on the same ship together. He was known for his strength and cunning but Nebaris were tricksters. You had to be careful around them.
"I've heard his name whispered but we don't exactly travel in the same circles." His eyes moved involuntarily to the ships outside.
"So why the frell did you help me?" Chiana wanted to wring his neck. The thought of having her throat cut was long gone.
"I looked your name up on the database. There's a reward posted."
Chiana smashed her fist against the wall and the whole structure shuddered. "You bastard! I'd kill you if you weren't so frelling far away."
Gridon shook his head. "I don't believe you'll have the chance."
Above them, one of the five attack cruisers broke formation and headed in their direction.
D'Argo knew the layout of most Luxan ships but this one was becoming a bit confusing. Politics wasn't his taste or his speciality. Besides the weapons room, he was having trouble finding the right path.
"Ka D'Argo."
The metallic voice was familiar to him. It was a little strange to hear it there but he knew it. His ship was calling him over the comm.
"What is it?" He ducked his head around a corner to make sure it was clear before proceeding.
"I am surrounded. Orders?"
D'Argo shook his head. "How many?"
"Ten Luxans, one Sebacean. Heavily armed," said Kor Tosko.
The two Luxans stared at each other for a moment in silence. D'Argo, the warrior, wondering how he'd been tracked and Tosko, the politician, not wondering much of anything.
"You cannot escape the ship. Don't make us use force."
D'Argo growled back at him. "There's always a way. And I have no problem using force."
Tosko stepped back and pulled a small comm device from his cloak. "Destroy his ship!"
D'Argo lunged for him then stopped. "Ship, do likewise."
Before either of them could move, a horrendous roar shook the entire vessel. Both of them were knocked off their feet as sparks cascaded from the light sockets and everything went dark.
Red emergency lights began to flash. "HULL BREACH IN BAY 2." The voice repeated itself.
Tosko shot an angry look at his former prisoner. "Adding another crime to your record?"
D'Argo reached out and grabbed the man's collar. "This is your doing, not mine."
He slammed Tosko against the wall. "Now, where's my Qualta Blade?"
"Try not to move."
Chiana couldn't actually feel the lower part of her body at the moment but she tried to comply. The last thing she remembered clearly was people in space suits entering the escape pod and injecting her with something. Now she was here.
'Here' was a large empty room. Its four walls were solid grey concrete with one sporting a top to bottom mirror. She felt something prick her skin and then everything came into focus.
The door slammed before she realized the person had been there.
"Hello?"
Her word echoed off the walls and returned to her. Its effect was not pleasant.
"Sit down."
The voice came from a speaker that Chiana could not see. It was also distorted electronically so it was impossible to guess who was speaking. She didn't really want to think about that anyway.
"I said sit down."
Chiana looked around again and spotted a small stool sitting in a corner of the room. It was silver and reflected light off the wall mirror. She walked over to get it.
"What is your name?"
"Frell you. What's your name?" she asked.
There was a short pause before the voice answered. "Corthran." Another short pause. "What is your name?"
Chiana sat down on the stool and was instantly in discomfort. She shrugged and then turned back towards the mirror. "Chiana," she said.
"Why did you try to enter Nebari space?"
'Nerri.' She couldn't very well say that. Chiana remained silent.
"Understand, this is the only chance you have to save your life. If you do not wish to answer our questions you will be judged by what we already know."
Chiana sneered. "You don't know anything about me."
"We know you attempted to infiltrate Nebari space with a known criminal. Association with this 'Gridon' is enough for judgment."
'Criminal?' Ok, so that wasn't so surprising. "No way. Tell me who you are first."
"That is no concern of yours."
Chiana jumped off the chair. "Frell off then!" She turned her back to the mirror. "If you're gonna kill me, then kill me. I'm not answering any more questions."
There was a pause after her outburst, during which Chiana became quite nervous.
Aeryn reached the safety of the trees and realized that it wasn't really safe at all. Cracking the edge of her rifle against an enemy soldier's head, she continued forward.
"Wait!"
She turned with her finger resting against the trigger and found Jaron. He was bleeding from a gash on his leg but otherwise unharmed.
"What other way?" he asked.
Aeryn nodded and motioned for him to follow. "This way." She started to move again when suddenly his arm slid around her neck.
"You stay by my side at all times - those are the orders." Jaron leaned in close to her ear. "Disobey me again and I'll kill you."
She remembered at that moment what being friends as a peacekeeper really meant. Nevertheless, Aeryn nodded. "Yes sir."
Jaron raised his arm and immediately caught Aeryn's boot in his stomach. "Frell! Wha-." He dropped onto his knees and shut his eyes at the pain.
Aeryn knelt down beside him. "Never threaten me ag-."
"Freeze!" Malot and several others pointed their weapons at her.
Corthran was a Nebari. His uniform black hair was cut into mismatched shreds that made it appear as if he'd been playing in an open airlock. Several small scars adorned his face, some still fresh. He covered the microphone in front of him and turned to his subordinate.
"Bring in the other one."
A door behind them slammed open and harsh light burst into the dark room. Microts passed and then a dark silhouette took its place. The man standing there was not a Nebari. He was a Sebacean. "What is this mess?"
"Forgive us for the ruse, Gridon. I had to be sure," Corthran said. He motioned back to the girl behind the glass. "You're sure she doesn't know?"
Gridon shook his head and grinned mischievously. "No, she thinks I've turned her over to the Nebari government." He looked curiously at the man sitting in front of him.
"Corthran? Is that what you're going by these days?"
The Nebari returned his grin. "Unfortunately yes. 'Nerri' seems to attract too much negative attention."
Both of them turned to look at the woman on the other side of the glass. Chiana, oblivious, stared angrily back at them. Her brother didn't say it then, but she looked different to him. Older.
"What do you want to do about her?" Gridon asked.
Nerri sighed. What he wanted and what he had to do were very different things. "I've missed so much of her life. I don't want to let her go without finding out who she's become."
"But you will let her go?"
He watched her fidget on the stool and smiled. 'Hello little sister.' Then Nerri turned back to his companion in the resistance. "Yes, I will."
Inside a room with no light, John Crichton cowered quietly in a corner. His arms and legs were bound with chains to the floor and a faulty bandage sat soaked in red on his shoulder. This was perhaps one of the least dangerous situations he had been in lately.
"I'm impressed John!" Harvey's mocking words echoed in his mind. "Flowing with optimism at such a grim hour. I myself am a bit worried."
The door slammed open and bright blinding light spilled into the room. It was quickly removed by the shadow of a man in peacekeeper uniform.
Commander Gorza entered strolling into the chamber. Something was dangling from his right hand. Kneeling down in front of Crichton, he smiled.
"I've spoken with my commandant and she is very pleased to hear of your arrest."
John sneered at him. "Always glad to be of service," he spat."
Gorza nodded his understanding. "Of course, she wants you alive." He raised his hand to reveal a pair of rusty pliers.
"That's all she said.....alive."
Story by: Neuroscpr and Can
P5 by: Neuroscpr
Setting: After DWTB, spoilers up until that ep.
Rating: R
Summary: John and the other displaced members of the crew embark on their own missions as Moya heads into unknown territory.
Gridon's ship raced forward into the Nebari blockade at incredible speed. The Sebacean had to cover his head as consoles sparked and small items began falling off the walls. He turned momentarily and found the rest of his crew all thrown to the ground. Gridon smiled. "Hang on!"
An explosion rocked the ship and suddenly the view was swirling past him in a constant loop. Gridon felt his legs leave the floor and then he was hitting the ceiling hard with his head. Blood obscured his eyesight for the moment before he hit ground again.
In the passenger compartment, Chiana covered her head and dove into the corner of the ship. She ignored the other men and closed her eyes. It didn't take a vision to see what was about to happen.
Quite surprisingly, the ship did not then burst into a ball of destructive fire. It flew into a violent roll and finally came to a complete stop mere metras from the Nebari line.
Chiana opened her eyes again and found herself looking at the floor. Her vision was a bit blurry but she could make out the distinct pattern of metal plates. It was somehow encouraging. Somewhere close by, she could hear loud popping sounds.
"Hey! You still alive back there?"
Gridon repeated the question as he came tumbling into the back area. A gash on his forehead bled slightly but otherwise he appeared unharmed. Of course, his body told him otherwise. But by now the Sebacean was used to such punishment. It came with the job.
"Chiana? Are you awake?"
She shook her head slowly and then looked up at him venomously. "I am now. What the frell happened?"
The Sebacean pointed to the nearest view screen. "They hit the other thruster. We're floating dead."
Chiana looked around the room. "Well then where's everyone else?"
He glanced back at the empty room and nodded. "They took the escape pods. Which is what we're going to do."
"Is that safe?" The Nebari realized what the popping sounds had been. She looked there now and was not encouraged. "Did the others make it?"
Gridon frowned. "No, they're all dead."
The ship shook violently as one the attacking vessels flew by overhead. It appeared there was not much time left for them.
"Fine. Just get me the frell out of here."
Chiana forced herself up on her tired legs and stumbled towards the escape hatches. None looked particularly inviting. They were short silver cylinders that could have been mistaken for garbage disposals.
"Don't worry. If you're hit, it won't be more than a microt or two." Gridon walked past her and jumped into his own pod. "See you out there." He did not bother giving his ship another look. It didn't pay to get sentimental.
The last thing Chiana heard before stepping into the pod was the sound of glass cracking in the cockpit. "Dren. How do I find these people?" She shut the lid and was immediately blasted into open space.
Aeryn hit the ground hard as pulse fire erupted from somewhere out in the darkness. She felt mud sticking against her skin and tried very hard to push the smell from her thoughts. 'Is this what you missed so much?'
Suddenly strong arms were grabbing her from above. Jaron slid his rifle over his arm and pulled her up. "We need to get back into position. Quickly!"
Without another word they ran across the field and into more combat. Aeryn watched in amazement as dozens of peacekeeper soldiers poured out of the trees beyond the clearing. They'd told her the mission was a secret but it appeared someone had planned ahead. She stopped.
"Aeryn! What the frell are you doing? We have to keep going!"
Jaron motioned for her to follow but she stood her ground.
"There's something wrong," said Aeryn. "It's a trap."
He stared at her for a moment and then forced himself to look away. Both of them knew it had to be true. But Jaron seemed to care less.
"That changes nothing. The mission is too important." He grabbed hold of his gun again and began to fire towards the peacekeepers. "Move soldier!"
Aeryn almost snapped to attention at the words. Catching herself, she chased after him and to the very edge of the clearing. Then Aeryn saw that things were much worse than she'd previously thought.
The muddled group of rebels stood ready to fight just in front of the line of trees. Supposed patrols had melted into one large group of surprised soldiers. A strong wind whipped the branches above their heads and revealed a long line of rifle muzzles protruding from the brush. At least twice as many. The source of the wind was two low-level attack ships. Each armed with rapid firing weapons.
"Retreat!"
Aeryn's voice carried with the wind and all heads turned towards her. She was a bit taken aback at first but quickly recovered.
"Aeryn, stop it!" Jaron turned towards her with an angry scowl on his face. "We don't retreat. Never."
"Then we'll all die. Is that the plan?" Aeryn stared him down.
"Fight and find out," Jaron said.
Aeryn was about to answer when an explosion knocked them both off their feet. A bright flash of light had risen from the rebel side and plowed into one of the pk ships. It burst into flames and set the neighboring woods ablaze.
"There's always another way!" Aeryn shouted this as she ran away from Jaron and into the trees. He watched her go in silence.
There was a small porthole on the bottom end of the escape pod. Chiana pressed her face against it and looked out into the surrounding space. Doing this, she realized that it was not in fact a Nebari fleet that had shot them down. A Host Vessel would have obliterated them from the beginning. Instead, there were five Nebari attack cruisers floating nearby.
"Looks like they're not going to shoot us down just yet."
The voice startled her. It took Chiana a microt to realize that there was radio communication between escape pods. She leaned over and activated the comm.
"Why?"
Gridon did not answer this. He continued, "If they haven't spotted us, which is doubtful, we might actually survive this."
Chiana didn't feel very comforted by that but she pushed it out of her mind. After coming all this way, she was trapped in a bubble, floating in space. 'That's just great. Frelling-."
"You alright?" Gridon asked.
She leaned back against the wall and sighed. There was nothing left to do but wait. Her mind turned to other things. "Yeah, fine." Chiana ran a hand over that certain spot on her stomach. 'I thought you were dead.'
"Tell me about my brother."
Gridon was caught off guard by the question. He'd just been sitting idly but now all his senses were wide awake. Panic removed his ability to construct a proper answer.
"I don't actually know him."
Chiana narrowed her eyes. "What?!"
Gridon was suddenly thankful that they were no longer on the same ship together. He was known for his strength and cunning but Nebaris were tricksters. You had to be careful around them.
"I've heard his name whispered but we don't exactly travel in the same circles." His eyes moved involuntarily to the ships outside.
"So why the frell did you help me?" Chiana wanted to wring his neck. The thought of having her throat cut was long gone.
"I looked your name up on the database. There's a reward posted."
Chiana smashed her fist against the wall and the whole structure shuddered. "You bastard! I'd kill you if you weren't so frelling far away."
Gridon shook his head. "I don't believe you'll have the chance."
Above them, one of the five attack cruisers broke formation and headed in their direction.
D'Argo knew the layout of most Luxan ships but this one was becoming a bit confusing. Politics wasn't his taste or his speciality. Besides the weapons room, he was having trouble finding the right path.
"Ka D'Argo."
The metallic voice was familiar to him. It was a little strange to hear it there but he knew it. His ship was calling him over the comm.
"What is it?" He ducked his head around a corner to make sure it was clear before proceeding.
"I am surrounded. Orders?"
D'Argo shook his head. "How many?"
"Ten Luxans, one Sebacean. Heavily armed," said Kor Tosko.
The two Luxans stared at each other for a moment in silence. D'Argo, the warrior, wondering how he'd been tracked and Tosko, the politician, not wondering much of anything.
"You cannot escape the ship. Don't make us use force."
D'Argo growled back at him. "There's always a way. And I have no problem using force."
Tosko stepped back and pulled a small comm device from his cloak. "Destroy his ship!"
D'Argo lunged for him then stopped. "Ship, do likewise."
Before either of them could move, a horrendous roar shook the entire vessel. Both of them were knocked off their feet as sparks cascaded from the light sockets and everything went dark.
Red emergency lights began to flash. "HULL BREACH IN BAY 2." The voice repeated itself.
Tosko shot an angry look at his former prisoner. "Adding another crime to your record?"
D'Argo reached out and grabbed the man's collar. "This is your doing, not mine."
He slammed Tosko against the wall. "Now, where's my Qualta Blade?"
"Try not to move."
Chiana couldn't actually feel the lower part of her body at the moment but she tried to comply. The last thing she remembered clearly was people in space suits entering the escape pod and injecting her with something. Now she was here.
'Here' was a large empty room. Its four walls were solid grey concrete with one sporting a top to bottom mirror. She felt something prick her skin and then everything came into focus.
The door slammed before she realized the person had been there.
"Hello?"
Her word echoed off the walls and returned to her. Its effect was not pleasant.
"Sit down."
The voice came from a speaker that Chiana could not see. It was also distorted electronically so it was impossible to guess who was speaking. She didn't really want to think about that anyway.
"I said sit down."
Chiana looked around again and spotted a small stool sitting in a corner of the room. It was silver and reflected light off the wall mirror. She walked over to get it.
"What is your name?"
"Frell you. What's your name?" she asked.
There was a short pause before the voice answered. "Corthran." Another short pause. "What is your name?"
Chiana sat down on the stool and was instantly in discomfort. She shrugged and then turned back towards the mirror. "Chiana," she said.
"Why did you try to enter Nebari space?"
'Nerri.' She couldn't very well say that. Chiana remained silent.
"Understand, this is the only chance you have to save your life. If you do not wish to answer our questions you will be judged by what we already know."
Chiana sneered. "You don't know anything about me."
"We know you attempted to infiltrate Nebari space with a known criminal. Association with this 'Gridon' is enough for judgment."
'Criminal?' Ok, so that wasn't so surprising. "No way. Tell me who you are first."
"That is no concern of yours."
Chiana jumped off the chair. "Frell off then!" She turned her back to the mirror. "If you're gonna kill me, then kill me. I'm not answering any more questions."
There was a pause after her outburst, during which Chiana became quite nervous.
Aeryn reached the safety of the trees and realized that it wasn't really safe at all. Cracking the edge of her rifle against an enemy soldier's head, she continued forward.
"Wait!"
She turned with her finger resting against the trigger and found Jaron. He was bleeding from a gash on his leg but otherwise unharmed.
"What other way?" he asked.
Aeryn nodded and motioned for him to follow. "This way." She started to move again when suddenly his arm slid around her neck.
"You stay by my side at all times - those are the orders." Jaron leaned in close to her ear. "Disobey me again and I'll kill you."
She remembered at that moment what being friends as a peacekeeper really meant. Nevertheless, Aeryn nodded. "Yes sir."
Jaron raised his arm and immediately caught Aeryn's boot in his stomach. "Frell! Wha-." He dropped onto his knees and shut his eyes at the pain.
Aeryn knelt down beside him. "Never threaten me ag-."
"Freeze!" Malot and several others pointed their weapons at her.
Corthran was a Nebari. His uniform black hair was cut into mismatched shreds that made it appear as if he'd been playing in an open airlock. Several small scars adorned his face, some still fresh. He covered the microphone in front of him and turned to his subordinate.
"Bring in the other one."
A door behind them slammed open and harsh light burst into the dark room. Microts passed and then a dark silhouette took its place. The man standing there was not a Nebari. He was a Sebacean. "What is this mess?"
"Forgive us for the ruse, Gridon. I had to be sure," Corthran said. He motioned back to the girl behind the glass. "You're sure she doesn't know?"
Gridon shook his head and grinned mischievously. "No, she thinks I've turned her over to the Nebari government." He looked curiously at the man sitting in front of him.
"Corthran? Is that what you're going by these days?"
The Nebari returned his grin. "Unfortunately yes. 'Nerri' seems to attract too much negative attention."
Both of them turned to look at the woman on the other side of the glass. Chiana, oblivious, stared angrily back at them. Her brother didn't say it then, but she looked different to him. Older.
"What do you want to do about her?" Gridon asked.
Nerri sighed. What he wanted and what he had to do were very different things. "I've missed so much of her life. I don't want to let her go without finding out who she's become."
"But you will let her go?"
He watched her fidget on the stool and smiled. 'Hello little sister.' Then Nerri turned back to his companion in the resistance. "Yes, I will."
Inside a room with no light, John Crichton cowered quietly in a corner. His arms and legs were bound with chains to the floor and a faulty bandage sat soaked in red on his shoulder. This was perhaps one of the least dangerous situations he had been in lately.
"I'm impressed John!" Harvey's mocking words echoed in his mind. "Flowing with optimism at such a grim hour. I myself am a bit worried."
The door slammed open and bright blinding light spilled into the room. It was quickly removed by the shadow of a man in peacekeeper uniform.
Commander Gorza entered strolling into the chamber. Something was dangling from his right hand. Kneeling down in front of Crichton, he smiled.
"I've spoken with my commandant and she is very pleased to hear of your arrest."
John sneered at him. "Always glad to be of service," he spat."
Gorza nodded his understanding. "Of course, she wants you alive." He raised his hand to reveal a pair of rusty pliers.
"That's all she said.....alive."
