Chloe screamed and Rush bolted over to her with Brody only a single step behind before grounding to a dead halt. For a long time nobody spoke, just stood there in utter silence, maybe they were at a loss for words or maybe they had actually forgotten how to speak. Silence was a strange thing, wasn't it? It could signify a void of absolute nothingness whether people were present or not and just because it signified nothingness didn't mean there was nothing there; the word was practically a paradox, silence wasn't simply a complete absence of sound, no, it was a body's emotional response for when it didn't quite know what the correct emotional response was. Sometimes it went hand in hand with shock, Silence and Shock the two sons of Sentiment just like Anger and Courage were the daughters of Hope.

The scene before them was almost like a horror movie, that moment when the characters first saw the gruesome secret for the first time wondering is this real? It was real though and it left them hanging on the edge of running away in denial or remaining.

"What just happened?! Rush?! Chloe?!" Young yelled through the radio but no one answered, no one even noticed it.

For a few moments Rush and Chloe may have forgotten how to breathe and Mister Brody backed away as far as possible until he could no longer see the small room filled with specimen, some in chambers eight feet tall while others were no bigger than a thermos.

"... Cress... she wasn't the first."

Chloe managed to stutter with tears in her eyes, deep down she'd know Cressida couldn't be the first, the only; they all had. She was too perfect, but Chloe had done everything she could to hide that knowledge from herself; as had Rush. Somehow the Scotsman managed to move, stepping forwards through the jars and larger chambers that matched Cressida's own. There were eighteen of them littering the room, just pushed out the way as though they didn't matter, as though they'd never been alive! Six were small jars containing foetuses no older than three months, hardly formed and looking more like something out of a B movie than anything that could have been a child, the next four actually looked like infants, seven or even eight months into development; their children, three boys and a girl. Rush brushed his fingers over one of the gel filled tubes, just to let his child know they were. Chloe started to cry again and reached for Rush, he took her hand in his. Her heart ached, the Nakai had stolen parts of them and used it in some kind of dark Nazi like experiment; Chloe wished they could kill them all over again. Turning to the rest of the chambers their pain only grew, stabbing in their hearts and anger... those children were never going to get to meet their parents, never going to grow up or get married; they never even got to see the sun. Seven of the last eight chambers contained children between a year old and about three, six of them girls. How long had they lived in that strange goo? Had they woken just as Cressida had? Were they scared? Had they been in pain? Had they wondered why their Mommy and Daddy hadn't come to save them?

"How could anyone do this? They were just babies."

"... Chloe, to the Nakai they were nothing more than test subjects, practice for Cressida. Those blue bastards never cared that they're our children."

His voice was quiet, uncharacteristically so, and his accent almost vanished as though yet another part of himself had been ripped away. Rush wouldn't cry, he had to be strong for Chloe but Rush also knew that if he did let that dam burst it might never be capped. These infants could have become anyone, anything, they should have been with their parents, should have had names and personalties.

"Nicholas!"

It took the scientist a second to realise she'd spoken, his thoughts had started to take over. He shook his head mentally throwing his internal monologue away before going to the last chamber where Chloe stood. This one was different, all the other glass tubes had been dark and the ooze had started to turn a purple-black color, this one though, the lights that lit the bottom of the tube were still illuminated, the boy was older too, closer to five years old; he looked like Rush.

"Nicholas is he-?" She couldn't finish the sentence, as though saying it would cause everything to crumble away to nothingness.

Was he? Was this little boy alive? Was their son alive?

"I think he might be."

Suddenly there was action again, shouts and adrenaline, all their pain and horror got pushed to the side. Silence and his brother Shock had no place in that moment.

XXXX

When TJ entered the gate room she found Colonel Young pacing back and forth, arms folded over his chest blocking himself off from the universe. The beautiful blonde didn't know how long he'd been like that, not long enough to burn a hole in the floor but certainly a while. TJ just watched him for a brief moment, Cressida dying wasn't just painful for her parents but for herself and Young too, they just kept thinking of Carmen. Fortunately Young turned abruptly and spotted her which prevented Tamara from going too deep into her thoughts.

"Why can't Rush just answer a simple question? Like, what the hell is going on over there?!"

It didn't take someone with Camile's qualifications to see he was annoyed and somewhat frustrated. TJ sighed and moved further into the room until she was no more than an arm's length away.

"To them Cress is more important than answering your questions, and they're right. Yes, things are looking good for now but all that could change. Chloe tells me that she's grown all here hair and eyelashes back though." TJ offered a small smile.

"Oh so they tell you things." Young sighed and went to sit on the stairs opposite the large silver gate; Tamara followed.

"I'm the medic, of course they tell me. You shouldn't worry so much, this isn't Rush defining your authority or being his usual stubborn self, this is a father trying to protect his daughter. Surly you can understand that."

"TJ, I'm not annoyed about any of that, I'm worried about Cressida. That little girl was braver than all the soldiers I've ever met combined, I mean how did she manage to pretend she couldn't feel that much pain for so long? I know the Nakai did things to her but – as everyone likes to keep reminding me – she's only a child. I'm worried about her."

Some on board Destiny had mistaken his protection of the crew as not caring about Cress but that wasn't true, he cared a great deal and just wanted her safe, back working on the bridge where she was happy and smiling. After everything that girl deserved some happiness. Destiny had lost one child already and Young didn't know if they could take the loss of another; he certainly couldn't.

Tamara smiled softly as she looked at him, that was the Emmett Young she'd fallen in love with all those years ago. That was the caring and good man hidden behind the authority and orders, she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Next time I talk to them I'll ask Chloe to leave the channel open, that way we'll get our peace of mind and they don't get hassled."

"Thank you, TJ." He'd intended to say more but before he could start his next sentence Chloe's scream came howling through the radio, sharp like that of a Banshee. Young's radio flew to his lips. "What just happened?! Rush?! Chloe?!"

No answer came, they waited a few long minutes hoping for an answer but none came.

"Try Brody." TJ suggested.

"Mister Brody, this is Colonel Young. What just happened? Why was Chloe screaming?" The radio crackled.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."

"Try us." Was the only answer that came.

"Em, there are... others."

Tamara took the radio from Young, she'd never really been one for cryptic mysteries.

"What do you mean others? More Nakai?" Oh God please not more of those bloody aliens.

"No... not them. Other em, infants. It's horrible."

The faces of the medic and Colonel fell, they too had been in denial about prototypes for Cressida but they couldn't push it away now. Children should have been sacred, had the Nakai had no heart what so ever? Tamara felt sick.

"Are-" She began but had to pause to let her stomach settle. "Are any of them-"

"Alive? I have no idea. I'm not going near them, it's too freaky. I don't think so, they all looked too- wait." The line remained open but silent for a second. "What? I guess there'd be other pods but- yes – no – okay, okay, I'll tell them."

"Tell us what, Mister Brody?" Young had taken the radio back and sat awaiting answers, clearly Rush had been barking questions and demands at the engineer."

"We need TJ on standby, one of them is alive... we think. Rush wants every single one of them moved to Destiny too." After that the radio fell into a quietude.

Young opened his mouth to speak but TJ was already halfway out of the room headed in the direction of the infirmary, there was no way in hell she was going to let the blue aliens continue to hurt yet another child.

The Colonel hopped to his feet and started down the long hallways in search of Varro and Greer, he knew exactly where they were. Preparations to awaken Eli had been well under way for the last few days and to keep himself busy Varro had offered to help, Greer was probably doing the same. Sure enough as soon as he walked in there they both were doing the heavy lifting for Doctor Park, with her eyesight back she'd launched back into her work.

"Greer, I need you go to and wait for the shuttle to get back, you too Varro." He said as soon as he'd entered the room.

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" Varro dropped the back of tools he'd been holding to the floor and straightened up to his full height.

"Cressida is fine. Apparently they've discovered the children created before her, before they got her right, one of which is still alive."

"What?" Greer and Lisa Park asked in almost perfect unison.

"We're going to bring them all here, it's only right. I don't know how they're going to transport the other child over – Brody said something about a pod – so I think they're doing the same as when taking Cress over there."

"Are they bringing Cress back too?" The blonde man asked.

"I don't know. I hope so. Just be ready."

Neither Varro nor Greer answered just just ran past the Colonel to take their post similar to how TJ had vanished from the gate room. Young could hardly blame them, they'd started as a group of people thrust onto an ancient alien ship and forced to survive but Cressida had connected them, she'd somehow turned them into a family, a rather dysfunctional family that didn't like each other half the time, but still a family. How Young didn't know, but he did know that the crew were stronger for it.

Lisa sat on her knees by Eli's stasis chamber, a screwdriver in one hand and a concerned look in her fully healed eyes.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" She asked softly.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, Doctor Park." He cleared his throat. "How is progress with Eli coming?"

"Almost done, Sir. There are little bits that Cress is going to have to do since her hands are smaller and no one is waking him up until Rush gets back, but it's going well. Eli shouldn't have to stay in here too much longer."

"Good. Eli is a smart boy and everyone cares about him. We need him back."

The chances of Eli, Cressida and now this new child all surviving were starting to grow and Young felt almost giddy at the idea. After the Nakai attack and almost suffocating to death they were owed a win.