Perchance to Twin (More Stories of the Twinning of Aeryn Sun)
Author: blueaeryn
Rating: R
Summary: Life is never what it seems
Notes: Spoilers through the end of S3 Disclaimer: Not mine.
John was sitting on the floor with the boys as they crawled over him when he first felt it. A sense of dread that he couldn't shake, and then a feeling that all of this wasn't real, shaking his head he tried to laugh it off, but it wouldn't go away.
"Aeryn," John yelled. "Aeryn, where are you?" Jack and Jace began to fade from his sight as the world he knew began to grow dark.
"John," he heard Aeryn say in a fog as darkness enveloped him.
"Are you sure it was wise to pull him out so quickly," Torris asked. "Will he survive?"
Lifting the device from around John Crichton's head, the Scarren medical officer, Ballik, shook his head yes. "He is very strong, not many species last this long in a dream environment. He must have really wanted what he saw to be true."
"Did we learn anything?" Torris, asked. He was a Scarren officer in command of attaining knowledge from captives and he had to learn something from his prize. "I must have something to take back to the emperor."
"The wormhole knowledge is deeply buried, but I believe I have another method that may extract it," Ballik said. "He was too happy in that environment, but a more dire one may reveal all."
John awoke in a small cell, lying on a cot. Rubbing his eyes he looked around in horror. Where was Moya? What had happened? "Aeryn," he screamed. But there was no answer.
"Oh, good, you are awake," a voice said.
John turned his head to the left and then to the right trying to find the origin of the voice. Then he realized it was being piped into the room.
"We were worried you wouldn't come out of your little slumber," the voice continued. "Did you enjoy your dream?"
Dream? What the frell was he talking about? This was the dream, a nightmare. He was supposed to be with Aeryn and the boys, not here. "Ah, you are thinking about the life you were leading," the voice taunted. "It was created to make you happy. None of it was real. This is your reality, John Crichton. Accept it."
"Nooooo." John collapsed on the floor with his head in his hands. Memories, real memories came flooding back to him. He had left Aeryn so many cycles ago, unable to accept her. He could only think of the other Aeryn he had shared his life with. It had taken over two cycles but he had taught his worthless self that she was Aeryn, and he needed her. John was on his way back to her when she was ambushed but a detail of damn Scarrens. The dream state they had immersed him in had made him forget this, and he longed to be back there. He should have known it was just a dream. When did John Crichton ever get a chance to be truly happy?
Arns passed. He wasn't sure how many, as John was wrapped up in his grief. He sat on the cot with his knees drawn to his chest and his head resting on the back of the wall. He had to get out of here, but how? "Come on John, you can do this," he said to himself. Pull yourself together.
The door opened and a figure appeared in the doorway. From the shadow he cast, John could tell he was a Scarren. "Come on," the Scarren said waving his hand.
John eased off the cot and walked slowly to the doorway. The scarren held a gun loosely in his hand and John thought he might have a chance, and he took it. As he passed the Scarren into the hallway, John noticed they were the only ones there. He also noticed the small dagger attached to the Scarren's belt.
In one swift motion, John turned on the Scarren and grabbed the knife from his belt. He knew he didn't have a chance with the Scarren if he didn't do something quickly. The puney knife wouldn't perforate his skin, but there was tender spot, the eyes. John rammed the tip of the blade into the Scarren's eye and he roared in pain. Blood spurted from the eye and spattered John in the face. He found the other eye and repeated the procedure.
As the Scarren raised his hands to his afflicted eyes, John grabbed the gun he had discarded. He placed the nose of the pulse rifle in the Scarren's eye socket and pulled the trigger. The blast went straight to the brain, and he fell with a thud.
Looking down at his handiwork, John kicked the Scarren with the toe of his boat and walked away. He slung the pulse pistol on his shoulder and covertly made his way down the hallway.
Now, John would stand out like a sore thumb on a Scarren base, so he stayed to the shadows as best he could. "So, how do you get out of this?" John wasn't sure how he did it, but he quietly made his way down to the hanger. Maybe they thought he was part of the group of Sebaccean slaves they Scarrens had collected, he wasn't sure? But here he was in the hanger, just metres away from a Scarren ship that would take him out of here.
Over to his left, John noticed a Scarren ship preparing to leave. He checked both ways and made his way to the ship. No one was aboard, and it was a stroke of luck. Scanning the ship, John found a small storage area, that resembled a closet and wedged him self inside.
Counting and praying John waited until he felt movement and prayed the ship would take him away. He didn't care where, he just wanted away from here. His ultimate destination was Darus, a small planet he had found in his travels. When he was roaming the city, he had paid a man to watch his module, he just hoped the man took his duty to heart and still had it. John needed to find Aeryn, he had to make sure she was alright. He just had to.
Aeryn strolled the streets of the small commerce planet. It was good to be off Moya for a while. The rigors of her life sometimes took its toll, but enjoying the atmosphere and excitement of the small city took her mind off everything.
She was looking for a small gift for him. He had been so sullen lately. He was growing older and his limitations were making themselves known. It was unfair that a young life should have to endure so much, but he took everything in stride. He was a good boy and Aeryn loved him, even if he wasn't whole.
Aeryn was looking at a little doll that she thought he might enjoy when she heard her name. It came out as a question, and when Aeryn turned, her shock caused her to drop the doll she was holding.
"John?" Aeryn cocked her head and squinted her eyes. His hair was longer then she remembered and he had a thick beard and wore tattered brown clothing. But it was him. He had a deep scar on his right temple and when he tried to walk toward her, he stumbled.
Aeryn rushed to his side to hold him up. John leaned on her, placing his hand around her waist. "Aeryn, is that really you?" He began to cry, openly weep and lost his grip on her and tumbled to the ground. "Oh, my God," he cried.
"D'Argo," Aeryn commed. "Get her quickly."
D'Argo came rushing around the corner, his qualta blade drawn. He lowered the weapon when he saw Aeryn kneeling beside a pitiful figure. When the figure lifted his head to reveal his dear friend John Crichton, D'Argo swiftly came to his side. He lifted his friend in his arms and he and Aeryn made their way out of the market and to the transport pod that awaited them.
John hurt all over. He tossed his head back and forth and then awoke suddenly. He imagined he was still in that tiny cell, but when he saw the walls of Moya, he jerked from his bed.
"It won't work his time," he screamed. "I won't fall for it again."
Aeryn dashed into the room to see John running about the room. He looked like a crazy man with his long hair and beard, and his actions frightened her.
"John, what are you doing?" She came to his side and grabbed her shoulders.
"Aeryn?" John took her head in his hands and ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you really here? Am I?"
"Come and sit down." Aeryn led John back to his bed and they sat on the edge of the bed.
John rested his arms on his knees and kept shaking his head. "Is this real?"
"Yes, John, you are on Moya." Aeryn brushed her fingers across his dirty hair. "What happened to you?"
"Scarrens," he forced from his mouth. "They captured me. Tortured me. Made up a life for me and made me think it was real."
Aeryn just stared at him. It all sounded so familiar.
"I thought I came back to you and you forgave me," John cried. "We had two little boys. Twins, they were beautiful."
Aeryn jumped from the bed and strode across the room. When she turned back to him, John realized her face was deathly pale.
"I wish that had been true. I was happy there. We had children, Aeryn, but it wasn't real."
"Yes it was," Aeryn said softly. "I did have twins, I just don't anymore."
Summary: Life is never what it seems
Notes: Spoilers through the end of S3 Disclaimer: Not mine.
John was sitting on the floor with the boys as they crawled over him when he first felt it. A sense of dread that he couldn't shake, and then a feeling that all of this wasn't real, shaking his head he tried to laugh it off, but it wouldn't go away.
"Aeryn," John yelled. "Aeryn, where are you?" Jack and Jace began to fade from his sight as the world he knew began to grow dark.
"John," he heard Aeryn say in a fog as darkness enveloped him.
"Are you sure it was wise to pull him out so quickly," Torris asked. "Will he survive?"
Lifting the device from around John Crichton's head, the Scarren medical officer, Ballik, shook his head yes. "He is very strong, not many species last this long in a dream environment. He must have really wanted what he saw to be true."
"Did we learn anything?" Torris, asked. He was a Scarren officer in command of attaining knowledge from captives and he had to learn something from his prize. "I must have something to take back to the emperor."
"The wormhole knowledge is deeply buried, but I believe I have another method that may extract it," Ballik said. "He was too happy in that environment, but a more dire one may reveal all."
John awoke in a small cell, lying on a cot. Rubbing his eyes he looked around in horror. Where was Moya? What had happened? "Aeryn," he screamed. But there was no answer.
"Oh, good, you are awake," a voice said.
John turned his head to the left and then to the right trying to find the origin of the voice. Then he realized it was being piped into the room.
"We were worried you wouldn't come out of your little slumber," the voice continued. "Did you enjoy your dream?"
Dream? What the frell was he talking about? This was the dream, a nightmare. He was supposed to be with Aeryn and the boys, not here. "Ah, you are thinking about the life you were leading," the voice taunted. "It was created to make you happy. None of it was real. This is your reality, John Crichton. Accept it."
"Nooooo." John collapsed on the floor with his head in his hands. Memories, real memories came flooding back to him. He had left Aeryn so many cycles ago, unable to accept her. He could only think of the other Aeryn he had shared his life with. It had taken over two cycles but he had taught his worthless self that she was Aeryn, and he needed her. John was on his way back to her when she was ambushed but a detail of damn Scarrens. The dream state they had immersed him in had made him forget this, and he longed to be back there. He should have known it was just a dream. When did John Crichton ever get a chance to be truly happy?
Arns passed. He wasn't sure how many, as John was wrapped up in his grief. He sat on the cot with his knees drawn to his chest and his head resting on the back of the wall. He had to get out of here, but how? "Come on John, you can do this," he said to himself. Pull yourself together.
The door opened and a figure appeared in the doorway. From the shadow he cast, John could tell he was a Scarren. "Come on," the Scarren said waving his hand.
John eased off the cot and walked slowly to the doorway. The scarren held a gun loosely in his hand and John thought he might have a chance, and he took it. As he passed the Scarren into the hallway, John noticed they were the only ones there. He also noticed the small dagger attached to the Scarren's belt.
In one swift motion, John turned on the Scarren and grabbed the knife from his belt. He knew he didn't have a chance with the Scarren if he didn't do something quickly. The puney knife wouldn't perforate his skin, but there was tender spot, the eyes. John rammed the tip of the blade into the Scarren's eye and he roared in pain. Blood spurted from the eye and spattered John in the face. He found the other eye and repeated the procedure.
As the Scarren raised his hands to his afflicted eyes, John grabbed the gun he had discarded. He placed the nose of the pulse rifle in the Scarren's eye socket and pulled the trigger. The blast went straight to the brain, and he fell with a thud.
Looking down at his handiwork, John kicked the Scarren with the toe of his boat and walked away. He slung the pulse pistol on his shoulder and covertly made his way down the hallway.
Now, John would stand out like a sore thumb on a Scarren base, so he stayed to the shadows as best he could. "So, how do you get out of this?" John wasn't sure how he did it, but he quietly made his way down to the hanger. Maybe they thought he was part of the group of Sebaccean slaves they Scarrens had collected, he wasn't sure? But here he was in the hanger, just metres away from a Scarren ship that would take him out of here.
Over to his left, John noticed a Scarren ship preparing to leave. He checked both ways and made his way to the ship. No one was aboard, and it was a stroke of luck. Scanning the ship, John found a small storage area, that resembled a closet and wedged him self inside.
Counting and praying John waited until he felt movement and prayed the ship would take him away. He didn't care where, he just wanted away from here. His ultimate destination was Darus, a small planet he had found in his travels. When he was roaming the city, he had paid a man to watch his module, he just hoped the man took his duty to heart and still had it. John needed to find Aeryn, he had to make sure she was alright. He just had to.
Aeryn strolled the streets of the small commerce planet. It was good to be off Moya for a while. The rigors of her life sometimes took its toll, but enjoying the atmosphere and excitement of the small city took her mind off everything.
She was looking for a small gift for him. He had been so sullen lately. He was growing older and his limitations were making themselves known. It was unfair that a young life should have to endure so much, but he took everything in stride. He was a good boy and Aeryn loved him, even if he wasn't whole.
Aeryn was looking at a little doll that she thought he might enjoy when she heard her name. It came out as a question, and when Aeryn turned, her shock caused her to drop the doll she was holding.
"John?" Aeryn cocked her head and squinted her eyes. His hair was longer then she remembered and he had a thick beard and wore tattered brown clothing. But it was him. He had a deep scar on his right temple and when he tried to walk toward her, he stumbled.
Aeryn rushed to his side to hold him up. John leaned on her, placing his hand around her waist. "Aeryn, is that really you?" He began to cry, openly weep and lost his grip on her and tumbled to the ground. "Oh, my God," he cried.
"D'Argo," Aeryn commed. "Get her quickly."
D'Argo came rushing around the corner, his qualta blade drawn. He lowered the weapon when he saw Aeryn kneeling beside a pitiful figure. When the figure lifted his head to reveal his dear friend John Crichton, D'Argo swiftly came to his side. He lifted his friend in his arms and he and Aeryn made their way out of the market and to the transport pod that awaited them.
John hurt all over. He tossed his head back and forth and then awoke suddenly. He imagined he was still in that tiny cell, but when he saw the walls of Moya, he jerked from his bed.
"It won't work his time," he screamed. "I won't fall for it again."
Aeryn dashed into the room to see John running about the room. He looked like a crazy man with his long hair and beard, and his actions frightened her.
"John, what are you doing?" She came to his side and grabbed her shoulders.
"Aeryn?" John took her head in his hands and ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you really here? Am I?"
"Come and sit down." Aeryn led John back to his bed and they sat on the edge of the bed.
John rested his arms on his knees and kept shaking his head. "Is this real?"
"Yes, John, you are on Moya." Aeryn brushed her fingers across his dirty hair. "What happened to you?"
"Scarrens," he forced from his mouth. "They captured me. Tortured me. Made up a life for me and made me think it was real."
Aeryn just stared at him. It all sounded so familiar.
"I thought I came back to you and you forgave me," John cried. "We had two little boys. Twins, they were beautiful."
Aeryn jumped from the bed and strode across the room. When she turned back to him, John realized her face was deathly pale.
"I wish that had been true. I was happy there. We had children, Aeryn, but it wasn't real."
"Yes it was," Aeryn said softly. "I did have twins, I just don't anymore."
