Chapter 7

Aeryn woke up feverish, her whole body covered in sweat. She sat up in bed, disoriented for a moment before the nauseating feeling set in. She grabbed the nearby pot and began to heave violently into it, her whole body shaking. As she looked up she nearly jumped out of her skin. Her clouded vision started to merge into one and she started to shake. Was it a fragment of her imagination or was there really a Scarren standing before her? She tried to stay calm and took her pulse pistol off the bedside table. With shaking hands she held it before her, trying to ward off the angry looking Scarren. Suddenly it moved across the room and Aeryn set pulse blasts after it, sending nearby equipment to the ground.

"Pulse blasts in the medical bay!," Pilot announced. Moya had detected the commotion Aeryn was in. Rygel intercepted the message and flew his throne sledge towards the medical bay. The Scarren moved again and Aeryn began to shoot, nearly hitting Rygel who had flown into the entrance.

"Yotz Aeryn!" Rygel flew into the room, dogging the pulse blasts Can't you point that frelling gun somewhere else?"

"S-s-c-arren, Scarren" Aeryn choked out "There's a Scarren"

She shot again. Rygel looked around the room puzzled.

"Aeryn I don't see any Scarren in here." Rygel thought for a moment "Frell!" he cursed, "She must be hallucinating."

He tried to get Aeryn to calm down "Aeryn calm down and put the gun away. The Scarren is a figure of your imagination. Its not real."

Aeryn cried "Nooooooo! There's a Scarren. I must kill it."

Aeryn shot her gun again and Rygel dodged out the way.

"Zhaan get down here now! This frelling bitch is hallucinating and firing a gun at me. She thinks a Scarren is in here."

"On my way Rygel" Zhaan replied.

When Zhaan had arrived Aeryn was sitting weakly on her bed, her face deathly pale and one wounded arm hung limply at her side. She had removed it from the sling so she could fire at the Scarren. Zhaan walked over and put her arm on Aeryn shoulder for comfort but Aeryn jerked away.

"Frell you Zhaan! Get rid of this Scarren or get out of my way! Now!"

Zhaan remained calm "Child, I can't make the Scarren leave unless you help me. I want you to try and relax and I'm going to inject you with something that will make you stop hallucinating."

Aeryn spat back "Don't you dare inject me with anything! I'm not hallucinating you frellnick!"

"Rygel" Zhaan asked "Pass me that blue syringe on the table"

Rygel did as he was asked.

"Help me hold her down" Zhaan said.

Rygel took hold of Aeryn as she tried to push him away. She was starting to get dizzy again and her vision was getting hazy. Aeryn swayed on the bed and Zhaan was quickly able to inject her with a chemical to stop her hallucination. Zhaan guided Aeryn back to lying position. As Rygel looked on worried Zhaan began to pray.

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John was the first to move. He tested out his limbs for breakages before standing to his feet. His face had a small cut to it but nothing he couldn't live with. He searched through the rubble until he saw a tentacle peeking out from under a rock. He began to dig away to reveal D'Argo lying underneath. He shook his friend, trying to awake him.

"Hey Heavy D, rise and shine man!" he called.

D'Argo spluttered and started to open his eyes.

"Hey D'Argo, you alright?" D'Argo nodded.

"Just a few bruises"

"Where's Chiana?" D'Argo questioned "Frell! She got to be around her somewhere."

John helped D'Argo to his feet and they began to search for Chiana. Finally they found her lying in the corner, the crystal to one side. There was a large piece of debris covering one of her legs and her face was covered in tiny scratches. John watched as D'Argo bent down and shook Chiana to try and wake her up. Her eyes began to open but he could see she was in pain.

"It's going to be okay Chiana. We'll get some help." D'Argo said

"I'll go," John ran out of the mine.

A little while later John returned with Kendala to help Chiana. Kendala made her way over to where Chiana lay. She bent down and spoke softly to her.

"Chiana I need to know where you are hurt"

Chiana moved slightly.

"Frell me! My…my leg. The left one"

Kendala inspected Chiana's leg.

"It's broken" She observed, "I will mend it"

"How are you going to do that?" D'Argo questioned, puzzled.

"Our race" Kendala started "We can heal ourselves. We never die because we are robots. We are also able to heal people who may have hurt themselves. However if the injury is too severe we cannot help. I can help Chiana."

Kendala placed her hands over Chiana's leg. Chiana closed her eyes as a sort of radiation passed through Kendala's hand into Chiana's leg. To Chiana's amazement she felt nothing and after it had happened she stood up, overjoyed that she could walk again.

"Frell me dead!" She cursed, "My leg it's no longer broken. Thanks"

Kendala smiled "You are welcome Zizzy"

John looked towards D'Argo and Chiana "I think we better take this crystal back to the ship before Aeryn heads to her coffin."

D'Argo nodded "I agree. Aeryn needs us right now."

The three of them thanked Kendala and made their way back towards the ship.

+++++++++

Aeryn had woken up and was being violently sick into the pot again. She couldn't stop being sick this time and every heave made her body weaker and weaker. Her whole body was drenched in sweat and she was extremely hot, just on the outskirts of the living death. John flew the transport pod as fast as he could back to Moya, with Chiana carrying the cure.

John was first out the hanger doors and ran as quickly as he could to the medical bay, Chiana and D'Argo in tow. The sight that greeted him was to be expected. Aeryn was throwing up into the pot and Zhaan was trying to keep her cool with a wet cloth.

Critchon rushed to Aeryn's side "Aeryn, Honey it's me John. I…. We did it. We got the cure."

Aeryn nodded, weakly "Thank…thank you" she managed to choke out. Suddenly without warning her body went limp and she passed out on the bed.

"Oh Crap!" cursed John.

Zhaan worked quickly and took the crystal off Chiana crushing it into tiny pieces.

"She needs to drink this" she said "Crichton hold her up whilst I give it to her."

John moved to hold Aeryn up and Zhaan poured the substance into Aeryn mouth. Aeryn's eyes opened slightly, clearly disoriented.

"Come on honey you need to shallow" John coaxed, rubbing her back.

Aeryn began to swallow the crystal pieces, fighting the urge to be sick again.

"Good girl" John said and her a pat on the shoulder.

"Aeryn, I hope you feel better soon." Chiana said and left, feeling she needed to leave John and Aeryn alone.

"You must remain strong Aeryn" D'Argo added and then followed after Chiana.

Rygel flew into the room "How is she?" he asked, his eyes full of worry and his eyebrows drooping.

"It's up to Aeryn now" Zhaan said "Only she can fight the poison. The crystal will help but we may be too late."

Zhaan and Rygel left to leave Critchon alone, looking over the pale form of Aeryn, a shipmate and a friend.

"Be strong for me Aeryn. Don't you ever make me have to save you again!"

AN:/ Thanks for all the reviews I have been getting. I will plan chapter 8 soon.