Chapter 2

Note: I was going to leave the fic as just the one piece, but then my conscience started telling me to feel sorry for John. And this whole Chi thing came about from a reply, I originally had some weird thing happening with Rygel, but hopefully this works better though I'm not sure I've got the characters right.

In The Night

7 Márta 2010

The double moons are obscured by angry clouds, casting a deep darkness across the city. Rainfall hits the grimy streets, pattering unhindered to the ground. All who are wise enough are inside seeking the comfort of their beds. One slight figure can be seen dashing frantically through the night.

The rush of panicked breath is her only companion, feet slapping the ground rapidly as she continues her frenzied run. She runs from her fear, from her pain, from death and all its consequences. She finds another alleyway and turns into it, halting abruptly to catch her breath. Looking around she realises she is completely and utterly lost.

"Frell" She whispers. The only word she has spoken for arns.

Suddenly dark hands emerge from the gloom and descend on her, grasping her shoulders tightly, pulling her away from the alley that was her temporary sanctuary. She screams and kicks but it has no effect on her captor.

Pulse blast erupts from behind her swiftly hitting their target, her unknown captor jerks and then falls slowly to the ground. Quickly she turns around to face this new threat, but gasps at whom she sees.

"Nerri!" Her joy and relief can be heard clearly, and a wide grin appears across her face. "I've found you! I was told you were dead, but your here! How did you know where I was?"

Nerri looks at her silently for a moment, almost as if he is unsure of what he sees. Contemplating her a little longer he calmly starts to speak, "Hello little sister. I've missed you too. We've been looking for you, you know. But now I've found you." A tight smile flits across his face, looking slightly unnatural, Chiana begins to feel wary as he continues, emotionless eyes glinting in the low light. "It's time for us to go home, little sister. The establishment will be so pleased for two of their lost children to return"

As he continues to grin, Chiana slowly starts to back away. She backs into something soft, and hands grab her body. Her screams for help go unnoticed, as a bag is thrown over her head.

"Nerri! No!"

Chiana awakes sweating in her quarters, gasping for breath and staring around her room with wild eyes whilst the last claws of her nightmare release her. Trembling, she wipes away the tears that have collected on her face.

Sitting quietly in her quarters she starts thinking about her dream. Her greatest fear is to be recaptured and mind cleansed. And for her dream to present Nerri that way... She shudders.

Her brother was always her protector. She was wild and mostly uncontrollable, never thinking of consequence with her cocky attitude. It was always Nerri who came and saved her when her antics got her into dangerous situations. Always him tending her wounds and calming her quietly.

For years, it was just the two of them, running away together from Nebari Prime. A united front against all who dared stand in her way. At night, she would confess all her fears and worries to him, and he would do the same for her. You could not find a closer brother and sister. That is why it was all the more painful when he abandoned her to seek the Resistance.

In front of the others, she continued her attitude, feigning wily toughness and cheeky confidence. Inside she screamed, crying out over her abandonment, her fears. Never get close to people, she trained herself, they all leave in the end.

Thinking about her new friends though, she couldn't help but ponder how close they had all gotten, in such a short time. Sure maybe Aeryn and her weren't exactly friends, the ex-peacekeeper thinking her a tralk, a waste of space and not to be trusted with anything, but she liked to think that with the others she had some sort of camaraderie.

Rygel and her had been friends of sorts almost from the first word, being of like minds with regards property and money, and of self-preservation. D'argo treated her like a child most of the time, as did Zhaan, and she found it immensely annoying for the most part, but she liked that they took her under their wing, trying to guide her to better ways, and protecting her when that fell through. And D'argo was kind, and easily swayed by a females cries. Not that she would ever dream of manipulating him.

Her mind kept flitting through memories of their time together, until she hit upon John. From the start, he was the one to stand up for her. He was fast becoming almost like a brother. Sure, she wouldn't mind if it was a more intimate relationship, but he was tinked and spent his days traipsing around after Aeryn like some khanz hound. And it was nice to have someone around just to talk to. He reminded her of Nerri in a way, and she new he looked at her like a little sister.

He always had a quiet word for her, a joke or a smile. They played tricks and games on each other, and on Rygel. He made her feel better when she was down, around him the screaming in her head quietened for a time. She reminded herself that he too would leave eventually, but a part of her mind didn't care and wanted to hold onto him while he was here.

Even just thinking of John was making her feel marginally better, the horrors of her dream lessening in her severity. But she still was scared. She still felt very alone.

Slowly she slipped out of her bed and began padding her way down the corridor. Maybe John would be awake to talk to her and take away her fears. If not she could always watch him sleep for a while. She grinned quickly and started walking faster.