It was white.

It was like when she'd awoken before, except this was a different white room...and she wasn't alone. Not this time. She was strapped down, but she didn't fight it. Dutch had given in to Aneela in order to protect the one that she treasured the most, but that didn't keep her eyes from looking about. They were in a lab...she assumed it was Aneela's lab.

"You know, this isn't very comfortable," D'avin complained.

She strained to try to turn her head so that she could see him, but she couldn't. Dutch was just thankful that he still sounded like her D'avin. Aneela didn't seem to have done anything to either of her boys, but Dutch didn't know how much longer that would last. Obviously she wanted something...or she thought she wanted something, but Dutch didn't know how she was going to find it...if Aneela couldn't even make sense of things.

"It won't be for much longer," Aneela said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If I put you with your brother, will you two fight? Shall I put you somewhere quiet be yourself?"

In her head, Dutch shorted a sort of picture in her head of what she felt was going on even though she couldn't see them. "What exactly is your lab for?"

"You said you'd cooperate, so cooperate by being silent, Yalena." Aneela's voice was snarp and sharky, but it didn't phase Dutch, she still wanted answers.

"Why are you doing this?" D'avin asked.

"Because I want to."

"But why? There has to be a purpose behind it all."

A beat passed.

"Do you know that he gave her my mother's name?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yalena Yardeen," Aneela clarified. "That was my mother's name. Why would he do that? Why would he-"

"It has to be more than you trying to get back at Khlyen for what he did and what we're never going to be able to get answers for because he's dead," D'av said, he was clearly frustrated and filled with anger now. "Ah! Seriously?! You can't be more gentle?!"

"D'av?!" Dutch shouted out, hoping for some kind of clarification of what was going on. Instead of an answer from D'av, though, she instead was staring back at Aneela.

"Don't worry about the elder Jaqobis," Aneela told her.

But she still worried.

"What have you done to him?!" Dutch demanded. If she'd at least heard something from him, at least she'd have some solace that he was okay...but she couldn't see him or hear any kind of response...she was at Aneela's mercy to tell her anything.

"You get so worked up, it's not good for either of you," Aneela said. She sounded like a mother chiding her child, her tone changing from snarky to almost soothing. She just stared down at Dutch, running her fingers through Dutch's hair. "Maybe Daddy hid you away from me because he was worried I would want you for myself."

It was a side to Aneela that confused Dutch, this soft and caring side (but she was prepared for it to not last).

"You know what I always wanted, but could never have?"

Dutch could think of a lot of comebacks to that one, but she thought about D'avin, he'd been trying to talk to Aneela...to coax answers out of her. So, she remained silent and just listened instead.

"I wanted to be a mother...to have a child...but Hullen cannot have children," Aneela said. "I wonder if Daddy knew that when he decided to leave Qresh…"

"Is that what you do in your lab then? Try to fix the problem?" Dutch asked, trying her best to keep her tone neutral. The flip flop of Aneela's emotions hadn't been missed by her. It hit Dutch then that Aneela with her brilliant scientific mind (and twisted surely) could possibly figure out a way for the Hullen to reproduce and then things would get a lot worse. Right now the Hullen needed humans for their bodies, to act as vessels...but that wouldn't be necessary if Aneela fixed their problem. The Hullen could wipe out the entire population of The Quad or anywhere for that matter and repopulate at their own pace...and enslave any that they needed along the way.

"Why do you think you are here?" Aneela asked, a bright smile tugging up at her lips. Her tone was pleasant and almost blissful sounding.

"I don't know."

"You know something."

Dutch wondered if this was all part of how alike the two of them were...how much that Aneela could see within Dutch...Dutch knowing the truth of it all now. That still struck her so hard. "What would I possibly know that you don't?" She thought about telling Aneela...but how would she take it? Dutch was certain that it would only enrage her and she'd throw it aside (and probably kill them all) without the proof. Zeph had the proof, it was back on Lucy (and she hoped that they were both far away from where she and the boys currently were).

"I wish I knew…"

"You might have, if Khlyen had had his way and had made me a Six like he'd planned," Dutch put out there. "Then we could just connect through the green."

"Do your boys know?" Aneela asked.

"No."

"I think you're lying…" She looked away from Dutch. "And I feel like the younger would be the easiest to break…"

"Johnny doesn't know anything."

"D'avin then?"

"Even if I wanted to tell you what I know...you wouldn't believe me. Not without proof. I don't have that with me."

"You're right about that," Aneela said as she looked back at Dutch. "But I also don't think that pursuing your little ship would be worth whatever you're not telling me… Once I'm done with you and the Jaqobis...it'll have the information that you keep."

"They have nothing to do with this."

Aneela shrugged. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean that it won't be fun...and I'll have what I want."

"What is that?"

"You'll see...maybe...maybe not…"

TBC…