The dining hall was not as impressive as the one at the previous location. The room was large with log walls; the ceiling came to a peak well above the marble topped table. If it wasn't for the size of the room it would have given off a quaint cozy cabin feel. There was a fire place to the side of the room with a rather impressive stuffed grizzly bear head mounted just above the mantle. On the opposite wall was a mounted elephant head with beautiful long ivory tusks jutting out over the table.

Chip was seated at the head of the table with his recently acquired shadow standing guard just behind him. There were no chairs or place settings to his right and the place setting to his left was vacant. On the left side beside the vacant chair sat Oliver Shaw who was glaring daggers in Morton's general direction. The XO had noticed Shaw's injured hand and was at a loss as to whether the man's hostility was directed at him or Itami.

The seat at the opposite end of the table was also vacant but based on the on the fact that a very expensive bottle of cognac was placed at that end Morton surmised that Alexi would be joining them shortly.

The shuffling of footsteps announced the presence of the rest of the dining party, however Alexi was not alone. Goon 1 and Goon 2 were trailing behind him dragging someone with them; Alexi sat down in his chair and watched with a self satisfied smirk as his newest captive was forced into the last vacant chair.

Chip watched the proceedings with great interest. He recognized the uniform right away. Alexi had managed to capture another member of the Seaview crew. The officer was forced down and his bindings were released. The captive began to rub his sore wrists and shook his head when the hood concealing his identity was removed.

"O'Brien!" exclaimed a shocked Morton.

O'Brien's eyes widened as he focused on the blond.

"Mr. Morton, you're alive? But how . . . ?"

"I love family reunions don't you?" came the snide interruption from the opposite end of the table.

Ignoring Alexi, Morton asked, "are you ok?"

O'Brien nodded still trying to absorb the situation. The exec had died despite the best efforts of the crew and Captain Crane. The bomb on Base 21 had exploded and claimed the life of their valued and trusted XO; but here he was sitting at the table of a mad man assuredly as O'Brien was.

"What's your game this time Alexi?" demanded the irritated but powerless exec.

"I thought having a friend might make your stay more enjoyable Charles. You've seemed lonely this last month; and besides, I always like to make new friends. Now I know you met Itami when you arrived, Tyler and I'm sure you remember the disgruntled Dr. Shaw."

Alexi enjoyed the silence that gripped dinner. Each person at the table was engrossed in their own thoughts. Morton was hoping to get a report about what had been happening with his friends and a possible forth coming rescue. O'Brien was contemplating how Alexi managed to corrupt one of their own. Shaw was seething with anger at his treatment; a great mind like his should be worshipped not subjugated to the games of a mad man. Itami ran through the many possible ways to inflict some overdue pain upon the prisoners.

After dinner Itami escorted their 'guests' to their accommodations for the night. Once they were in Chip's room she locked the door and proceeded to do her sweep of the grounds.

Another cot had been added to the spacious room. There was a very obvious lack of security measures present. Morton was unsure if he should feel confident about that or not; either Alexi was getting over confident or the traps were so well hidden that they would never see them coming.

"Somehow this isn't what I pictured when I thought about being captured by the enemy," commented O'Brien as he took in their surroundings.

"I wouldn't buy into Alexi's hospitality, he has a way of making things very uncomfortable very fast," replied the exec who suppressed a slight shudder as he thought about his ordeal with Itami over the last month. "I need you to fill me in on what has been happening since Base 21 blew up."

O'Brien recounted events as he knew them. He informed the XO about how hard the Captain had taken his death, the attacks on Riley, Archer, Ryan and Jamie, the threats to Michelle, the mission to find the lab that created the replaced sensor and the new executive officer. The report ended with his eavesdropping on the informant and ending up here.

"I can't believe she would betray us like that. How are you holding up?" asked Chip. He was concerned how the young Lieutenant would handle the betrayal.

"I can't believe; of all the people . . ." O'Brien sighed deeply and then added, "I'll deal with it after we get out of here sir. Do you have a plan?"

"Yes. But it's not a very good one. We'll never make it down the cliff out that window so we have to go out the front door; from there try to steal a vehicle and find a town or someplace to contact the Institute or someone on our side."

"You're right sir that sounds like a very open plan" stated O'Brien as he lay down on the cot. He folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. "do you have any idea how we get to the front door?"

"No, but I do know that Alexi's dog isn't guarding the door and from what I've seen of the place there are very few guards around." Morton laid down on the bed and kicked his shoes off. "and I did manage to lift one of the steak knives from dinner tonight."

The exec's smile was wide as he slipped the knife out from his shirt sleeve and waved it in the air for O'Brien to see. The odds were slowly moving in their favor.

"Get some sleep. I plan on breaking out before dawn. We can use the cover of darkness on our side," ordered the blond as he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. In a few hours he was going to wipe the smug smile off of Alexi's face.