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Page
2
By
LeatherGirl
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One
Chiana
had finally caught up with Rygel. She had noticed his paranoia earlier
and was relieved to find that she wasn't the only one on the ship
with anxiety. Rygel was hovering close to the transport pod, glancing
around nervously. He didn't even notice her approach.
"Hiya,
Frog boy!" Chiana stated with false smile. Rygel threw a strip
of metal in her direction. Surprised, Chiana ducked and watched
as the metal flew over her head and Clamged to the floor denches
behind her. She straightened and looked at Rygel with a glare. "What
was that for?!"
"I...I'm
sorry. I thought you were a spirit." Rygel stated in a frightened
whisper. Chiana glanced around, trying to see if she could witness
what Rygel was talking about. She looked back to Rygel with a frown.
"Spirits?
Honestly, Rygel. You're beginning to sound like Zhaan." Chiana
giggled nervously. She knew he had some truth in his words. She
felt the presence of something herself. Especially after she had
witnessed that chamber morph into a solid wall right before her
eyes a quarter of an arn ago.
"You
know they're here. This ship is haunted. No wonder the crew abandoned
it. Where are the others? We have to get off this ship now!"
Rygel demanded, maintaining a low voice.
Chiana
was about to question him further when D'Argo entered, a distant
look on his face. He was lost in thought, not realizing he had entered
the room. He almost walked right past them when he finally noticed
them. He stopped to observe the heightened fear on their faces.
"What
the frell is wrong with you two?" He asked in a gruff voice.
"Well,
since I'm not talking to you, I'll convey my answers through Rygel.
Tell him, Ryge. Tell him about the ship." Chiana ordered. She
looked to D'Argo with a look of triumph, as if she had won some
sort of argument. D'Argo raised an eyebrow and waved his hand out.
"Don't
bother. I don't want to know of any of Chiana's dren. Let's get
off this ship. If I have to find one more detour in this maze, I'm
going to blast my way through with my Qualta blade." D'Argo
snarled and headed into the transport pod. He stuck his head back
out just as Chiana was giving Rygel a look. "Has anyone seen
Crichton? He needs to come with us."
Chiana
cocked her head curiously at D'Argo. She saw a look of regret pass
over his face.
"What
do you mean? I thought you were mad at him."
"Chiana,
Zhaan's mad at him, Aeryn's mad at him, but not me. I have no meat
with him as he would say." D'Argo stated reassuringly. Chiana
could see right through his lies.
"D'Argo,
everyone's mad at him. Even I am. We're all mad at each other. We
hate each other. Rygel, tell him." Chiana said with a smug
smile.
"Shut
up bitch." Rygel stated fearfully, partly listening to them,
partly listening to the phantom noises he feared he was imagining.
Chiana
tightened her lips but realized Rygel had only proved her point.
D'Argo laughed and stepped back into the transport pod.
"Attention
everyone. Moya and I both think you should come back aboard. There
are signs of ships entering into the far end of Moya's scans. It
may be the war." Pilot said over the comms.
Zhaan
entered into the docking bay just as Pilot finished speaking. She
smiled briefly at the lie Pilot had come up with, figuring the crew
was already there waiting. She approached Chiana and Rygel.
"Are
the others aboard the transport pod already?" She asked Chiana.
Chiana looked to her with anger and then looked away. Zhaan let
out a frustrated sigh. Aeryn then entered into the bay. Her eyes
were slightly reddened, and she wore an unusually harsh expression.
It reminded Zhaan of Aeryn, as she was when she had been a PeaceKeeper
captured on Moya.
Aeryn
did not acknowledge any of her shipmates outside the transport pod.
She instead walked straight into the transport pod, her actions
urging the others to follow. Zhaan sensed Crichton was not there
yet.
"Let's
go! I don't know about you but I sure as hezmana don't want to find
out what this ship is transforming into!" Chiana said and darted
into the transport pod, not daring to look back at the ship behind
her. Rygel quickly followed in pursuit.
Zhaan
stood silent. She reached deep within and closed her eyes. A vision
began to stream into her mind. She could see Crichton in the vision.
His face showed an increasing loss of control as he madly dashed
throughout the changing ship. He was lost. Zhaan could feel his
fear and loneliness. She briefly felt pity for the man. His harsh
words from not so long ago burned back into her mind. Zhaan almost
decided to leave him there. No, I mustn't do that! I'm a priest...a
peaceful being. I care for all living beings. I cannot do this!
She struggled with her inner demons. Finally, Zhaan let her shoulders
droop and she imagined a clear hallway, leading through the gully
of the ship to the docking bay. Crichton turned in the vision to
see this hallway. A momentary look of relief spilled across his
face. Zhaan opened her eyes and smiled. She still had some control.
She then stood and waited for him to appear.
Several
microns passed. Zhaan was beginning to grow slightly worried. Crichton
suddenly appeared, his shirt drenched with sweat, his face pale
and showing signs of madness. Zhaan was almost shocked by his appearance.
She instinctively reached a hand out to him as he approached, but
something inside stopped her. She felt anger for him rise once again.
Zhaan's eyes turned stone cold. Crichton finally noticed Zhaan,
standing with a smirk on her face; her hands folded one on top of
the other in front of her. He did not like the look she was portraying.
It spooked him. He instead ignored her, not daring to make eye contact
and brushed past her to enter onto his module stationed near the
transport pod. Zhaan's eyes traveled along, watching him pass. She
looked back at the ship one last time, almost with a scolding expression.
She turned and headed into the transport pod. Both the transport
pod and the module fired up and headed on their way out of the docking
bay. Silence held heavy within the pod, and silence became less
outside in the ship. Antarus was changing faster than ever.
*****
Pilot
listened to Moya intently. He felt at ease when she was communicating
with Antarus. The two ships had become infatuated with each other.
Pilot was beginning to feel more at peace in the past few arns than
he had ever felt in a very long time. Moya was content so he was
content. Now if only the crew could resolve their differences and
share in the joy of the bond between Moya and Antarus.
Confusion.
Pilot
looked to his controls. He listened to Moya. Why had she felt confusion?
Distress.
Was
Moya thinking of Talyn again? Pilot tried to talk to Moya, but she
was too busy getting into an argument with Antarus. Pilot wanted
to listen to them but was disrupted by the arrival of the transport
pod and Crichton's module. The crew had returned, thankfully with
Commander Crichton.
Sadness.
Pilot
now had full attention of Moya once again. She was sending him feelings
of intense sadness. Antarus had abruptly stopped talking to her.
She wanted to know why. Pilot could not find an answer. Antarus
had discontinued any and all communications.
Pilot
figured he would at least get some answers from the crew. He tried
the comms. All he heard in response were a few grumbles and muffled
curses. Offended, Pilot realized he would have to deal with things
on his own...as usual.
*****
Rygel
sat in Command, with the one jewel that had displayed lies to him
settled in front of him on the strategy table. Chiana ventured in
and began to play around with the controls. A sudden image flashed
onto the view screen, startling both the onlookers. Chiana took
a step closer with her jaw dropped. The image was of Nerri. He was
talking to her. But she couldn't hear him. He was injured, with
blood seeping down the side of his face. There was a battle going
on behind him. He was in danger. Chiana's heart almost shattered
to see her brother in such a helpless situation. She knew he was
talking to her. How the transmission got to them in the first place
was of no concern to her.
"Chiana,
it's not real..." Rygel started but Chiana wouldn't allow him
to finish. She held a hand out to silence him.
"Pilot?
Can you enhance this transmission? I need to hear him." Chiana
stated, her voice shaking. A blue tear traveled down her cheek as
she stepped closer. She dared not to let her eyes float away from
the screen in the case that this was the last transmission she would
ever receive of Nerri again.
"Chiana,
there's no transmission being sent." Pilot stated, looking
at her with confusion from the clamshell. Chiana cocked her head.
Nerri's eyes looked so helpless and lost. She couldn't shake the
image from her mind. She had to do something. Pilot was about to
mention something when Chiana stopped him.
"Pilot,
the transmission is right there! Even Rygel sees it! Find the source!"
Chiana ordered angrily.
Rygel
looked to Pilot and received the same look of despair. They did
not want to dwell on the issue for much longer.
"Chiana,
there is nothing there." Rygel stated confidently, even though
he was seeing the transmission as well. He knew after all the things
he had seen lately, that this too had to be some sort of deception.
"Rygel!
Shut your frelling mouth!" Chiana was even closer to the view
screen now. She raised her right hand as if to touch the view screen
when the image vanished. Chiana blinked and started back a few steps
full of emotion. Tears began to spill down her cheeks more freely.
"It
was real." Chiana cried, turning to Rygel. "You saw it."
"Chiana,
I don't know what I saw. In fact, I'm not sure anyone knows what
they're seeing. I have something to show you that is real. Pilot,
you should see this too." Rygel stated. Pilot waited expectantly
for Rygel's next course of action.
The
jewel in Rygel's hand began to bleep. Rygel jumped with more fear
than surprise, allowing the jewel to fall to the floor. Chiana scooped
up the glassy jewel and let it slide around in her grasp. She admired
its beauty in silence. The jewel suddenly began to singe her fingertips.
Chiana cried out and dropped the jewel, stepping back a few steps
to regain her balance. As the jewel settled onto the floor, a holo
image began to flash above the jewel. Rygel and Chiana leaned forward
in shock, observing the play of images before them.
"Just
as I had witnessed before. Only this time, he moves and talks."
Rygel stated in a grim voice.
"What
is this Rygel?" Chiana asked sternly, her voice quivering.
She straightened and began to back away from the jewel fearfully.
"Talyn
is alive." Pilot concluded in shock.
*****
D'Argo
searched the ship, looking for Crichton. He felt an urgent need
to talk with him. Why? D'Argo didn't even know the answer to that
one. D'Argo thought of his son and smiled. Jothee would be proud
of his father when he accomplished the mission. Once the mission
was finished, D'Argo and Jothee could be together again. It would
be the moment for which he had been longing for so many cycles.
Time enough that he got his life back.
Crichton
was in his quarters, just standing there. The writing was all over
the walls, all over the floor, even on the bed...anywhere a marker
would mark. Did I do this? Crichton wondered. Of course you idiot!
Crichton ridiculed himself. He was the only human here and no one
else sure as hezmana knew what math symbols or English were. Maybe
the dream of zapping his brain into mush hadn't been that farfetched
after all. Then the sleepless nights of mulling over a theory began
to pour back into his mind.
"My
theory!" Crichton shouted with excitement. He smiled and rushed
up to an unfinished line and began to laugh. He laughed so hard
he fell to the floor. Crichton sat up and beamed at his work. He
had finally done it. He had solved the problem.
"Crichton?
What are you laughing about?" D'Argo asked entering into Crichton's
quarters with an odd smile plastered on his face. Crichton's face
dimmed at D'Argo's arrival. He stood and flattened himself up against
the wall, trying to cover up as much writing as he could with his
body.
"What
are you hiding?" D'Argo asked curiously, his smile growing
larger. Crichton shifted nervously.
"Nothing,
D'Argo, nothing at all. Why don't you go back to your quarters now
and have a little fun with Chiana." Crichton suggested. D'Argo
laughed. Crichton began to laugh too but grew serious in time to
watch D'Argo lunge towards him. D'Argo pinned Crichton up against
the wall and brought his face to within a dench of Crichton's.
"I
was only kidding." Crichton said in a small voice.
"You
and I are going to go on a little trip. We need to turn Moya around
and go back to the commerce planet now." D'Argo demanded. Crichton
looked into D'Argo's glazed eyes and frowned. He did not want to
be a part of any game D'Argo might be playing.
"If
this is some sick attempt to drop me off on a planet and abandon
me, I'm not going to participate!" Crichton stated flatly.
D'Argo grew confused but strengthened his grip.
"There's
someone down there you should meet." D'Argo explained. Crichton
searched his crazy companion's face. Fear began to take precedence
over his own insanity at the moment.
"What's
going on D'Argo? Talk to me, man." Crichton demanded. Something
wasn't right.
"If
you do not come willingly, I will have no choice but to force you."
D'Argo charged. The fake smiles had melted away. Crichton's eyes
grew wide. The Luxan was about to enter hyper rage any microt.
"D'Argo,
let's talk about this!" Crichton said, trying to calm him down.
In response, D'Argo threw Crichton across the room. Unfortunately
for Crichton, when he hit the opposite wall, he blacked out.
*****
Zhaan
stood in her Apothecary looking uninterestedly at some herbs she
had currently been working with. Aeryn entered the Apothecary and
received a cold glare from Zhaan. The look did not bother her but
she kept her distance just the same. She was educated about Delvians
and knew one could never fully trust the species.
"Pilot
has something he wants us to see in Command." Aeryn announced.
She waited for Zhaan to respond but got only silence.
"Did
you hear me?" Aeryn asked. She was growing impatient.
"Yes,
I heard you." Came the stark reply.
"Good,
be there." Aeryn urged and turned to leave.
"You
no longer care for the human, do you?" Zhaan asked carefully.
Aeryn
turned back around slowly and observed Zhaan's strange expression.
Zhaan looked straight at Aeryn.
"I
do care for him. I just can't be with him." Aeryn said, startling
even herself for answering. A brief memory of Crichton professing
his love to her flashed across her mind. She then peered at Zhaan
with new interest. "Don't try to pick a fight with me, Zhaan.
I already know how you like to argue with Crichton. You won't win
this one."
Zhaan
smiled mischievously.
"Why
are you leaving Moya?" Zhaan asked. Aeryn stepped back.
"What?
How could you possibly know about that?" Aeryn demanded to
know.
"I
feel what one feels. I know you're leaving...and that you are angry
with Crichton. You despise him as much as I do, don't you?"
Zhaan stated, leaning forward, trying to get a rise out of the ex-PeaceKeeper.
Aeryn was only growing impatient with this nonsense.
"Pilot
has something important to show us in Command. Whether you're there
or not!" Aeryn sent Zhaan an intense glare and immediately
exited the room. Zhaan frowned and followed.
*****
A
constant throbbing awoke Crichton. He rubbed his forehead. He brought
his hand down to see dark blood smeared over his fingers. Alarmed,
he rubbed his sore forehead once more and realized the blood was
at the source of his aching head. He had seen something rush towards
him in the game room. That something resembled too closely his nemesis,
Scorpius. Crichton couldn't shake the memory of Scorpius' evil grin
plastered on that crinkly, leathered face. What had he been screaming?
Something about wormholes no doubt. Crichton shook his head slightly
and figured he must have hit head to head with Scorpius. But when
he looked around, there was no one lying around beside him.
Crichton
was all by himself in this large room aboard Antarus. He had been
there thinking hard for arns when the vision of Scorpius had returned.
Several weekens had passed since he had last had any visions of
Scorpius. So when Scorpius returned so suddenly, Crichton had been
taken by surprise. He thought it was the real thing. He then thought
of the frightening vision of suicide. Had that been real as well?
That would explain the blood. He probably had missed miserably.
Maybe I hit my head when I fell. Crichton concluded. Only now, lying
on the floor, did he realize that it all had probably just been
another mind game.
He
glanced up at the dark vastness of space above him. Millions of
stars twinkled through the darkness. Stars calmed Crichton. He concentrated
on those stars. Crichton felt himself begin to grow drowsy. Before
he knew what was happening, he drifted into unconsciousness.
Crichton
awoke feeling no pain. Not even exhaustion. He felt, for once, pretty
damned good. He peered up from his slumber on the white floor he
was presently laying on. A white mist enveloped him, deceiving his
true location. Was it a dream? Crichton pinched himself. That didn't
even hurt. Now he was beginning to worry.
Crichton
helped himself off the floor and traveled around in a tight circle,
daring not to move too far in the blinding mist.
"John."
A rasp voice stated his name. Crichton could barely make out a figure
approaching him through the mist. When he finally recognized who
it was, a shiver crawled down his spine.
"You're
dead." Crichton stated with his head cocked to the side. A
feeling of dread washed over him. Standing before him in perfect
health was Scorpius.
"I'm
only in your subconscious, really. You're dreaming yes. But the
answers to all your questions are revealing themselves in this dream
and you may not wake if you do not accept them." Scorpius stated,
grinning. Crichton quivered at that smile.
"Why
you? Why not my mom or dad or...somebody I actually like!"
Crichton complained, not taking the situation as seriously as Scorpius
had hoped. Scorpius stepped closer. Crichton held up a finger. "Don't!
Don't even think about it!" His eyes burned with angry fire.
Scorpius stopped in his tracks with a look of surprise.
"Fine.
But I must warn you, what I'm about to tell you will shock you.
You need to believe me. If you can do that, then you will see the
true danger for what it is." Scorpius said.
"Danger?
Why would you of all...things warn me about danger?" Crichton
bit at the words.
"Because
I am something you fear. For you to believe in the impossible, you
must be confronted with it, not eased into it. Your mother would
have no success." Scorpius explained. Crichton hated to admit
the truth in his words. He nodded, motioning for Scorpius to continue.
"The
entire crew...has been affected by something. I cannot disclose
to you what it is. I can only tell you that you are all sinking
deeper into paranoia and insanity. The things that the crew wants
most to believe are coming true and they are sacrificing everything
to get what they want. They'll do whatever it takes, you understand."
Scorpius said as if to imply something to Crichton.
"What
are you exactly saying? That I'm not alone anymore? I've got an
entire support group for the society of Crichton's madness? They're
all going crazy, too?" Crichton asked, letting out a bewildered
laugh. He wasn't about to believe everything this Scorpius was feeding
him.
"Why
do you suspect D'Argo wants you to accompany him to the commerce
planet? He believes his son is there and the only way to be reunited
is to sacrifice you." Scorpius revealed.
"Sacrifice
me to who?" Crichton pushed further. Scorpius smiled.
"Again,
the answers will be hard to accept. Officer Sun, for example, believes
she has been reinstated. She is readying her Prowler as you sleep.
Chiana may be leaving as well, believing her own brother has contacted
her for help. Zhaan and Rygel are both ready to lose their minds
as well. Zhaan believes she is seeing Stark and Rygel believes he
knows what's really happening. And you, Crichton, are the worst
off. You believe you didn't kill yourself. Or at least that you
didn't attempt to." Scorpius grinned at Crichton.
Crichton
grew angry. He charged at Scorpius with his teeth clenched and his
face reddened in anger. An unseen force smacked him back down to
the floor. Crichton tried to move, but found his attempt useless.
He glared up at Scorpius, who leaned over him looking somewhat amused.
"How
do I know you're not just another clone of the chip? Maybe you somehow
got it to work again? Or maybe you have captured me once again and
I've gone completely insane. Is that it Scorpy?" Crichton spat
into Scorpius' face and grinned. Scorpius blinked several times
and daintily removed the spit from his face with patience.
Scorpius
surprised Crichton once more. Standing just to the side, slightly
behind Scorpius, was his mother. She was healthy and smiling brilliantly.
Scorpius vanished. Crichton sat up and looked to his mother with
wonder and confusion in his eyes.
"Mom?"
He asked in a weak, defeated voice. She knelt down and placed a
gentle, warm hand on his chest.
"It's
me, John. I'm here." She stated dreamily. Crichton relished
her warmth and held onto it dearly. He knew of nothing else to hang
onto any more. His whole world was spinning wildly out of control.
"What's
going on mom? Am I dreaming? Is any of this real?" Crichton
asked, wiping away the sweat forming on his forehead.
"What
that man said is true. No matter how much you hate him, you must
believe him." His mother cupped her hands on his face and gave
him a loving glance. Crichton missed her so much; his heart began
to ache...he had lost so much already he couldn't bear to lose anything
more.
"Why
Mom? Why? Crichton asked, beginning to have that same old feeling
of being lost all over again.
"Everything
that has been revealed to you, you already knew. Nothing in your
subconscious can be invented without some truth behind it."
Crichton's
head began to spin. Was his body trying to wake from this nightmare?
He placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, as if to confirm she
was physically there. Crichton needed more answers.
"You're
not making any sense. How could I know any of these things? I didn't
know Aeryn was reinstated. Why couldn't you have told me she loves
me, instead? I know she does." Crichton stated softly. He thought
of Aeryn's crushing answer to his question earlier.
"You
may not be able to understand yet how you know. But when you do,
then you will have the power to do something much greater than you
could ever have imagined. In the end, you will save yourself. And
in doing that, you will save all those you cherish."
With
that last statement, his mother faded right before his eyes, dissipating
into the mist. Tears began to fill his eyes. Crichton did not know
how much more of this dren he could handle.
The
mist grew thicker. Crichton was beginning to think he would never
wake up. He assumed he was spiraling faster and faster into the
madness that would finally consume his sanity. His vision began
to darken with flashes of light. Crichton felt himself fall back
to the floor.
Crichton
opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. He found himself
back in the game room once again. Had everything else been a dream?
Was he still in the world of his imagined suicide? Was that abomination
still waiting to take place? Crichton was beginning to wonder when
this nightmare would end. I'm still aboard Antarus dreaming my heart
out, getting some breathing room from the others on Moya. That's
it. But Crichton knew he couldn't lie to himself forever.
The
stars were sparkling just as brightly as they had earlier above
him. Crichton raced the scenarios through his mind of what might
have happened to him. He came up with nothing. Instead, he took
advantage of the peaceful feeling he was experiencing and gazed
upon those stars.
He
was nearly asleep when he realized it. Crichton focused his drowsy
eyes onto a small cluster of stars straight above. Could it be?
Crichton denied all possibility. Yet, he peered closer. Sure enough.
Those stars resembled a constellation he had observed on Earth many
nights. Crichton glanced wearily around the room for any sign of
life. Nothing. He looked back up to the constellation. It was almost
exactly as he would see it from Earth. Ok, who's picking away at
my brain now? He wanted an answer. Still, he was captivated.
Crichton
observed the constellation, as memories flooded his mind of home
and the warm feeling of being amongst family, familiarity, and most
of all...safety. His heart ached for all those he cared for on Earth
that he now had lost. His memories brought him back to that one
night he and his father had had the whole backyard to themselves
to observe the night sky so long ago. Jack had pointed out every
constellation to him. He had named every little star and galaxy
making up each one. Every little star....
Crichton
jumped up from his slumber and snapped his fingers. That constellation
was Scorpius. And the heart of Scorpius was a star named Antares.
He had to warn the others. John stood up and bolted out of the room.
To his dismay, the moment he stepped out of the doorway, he began
to fall into darkness.
*****
"Pilot,
what is going on?" Aeryn asked, standing in Command. Rygel
and Chiana cowered nearby, staring intently at a jewel now placed
below the view screen. Zhaan stood as far as possible from the others,
observing their every move carefully. D'Argo entered the room with
Crichton flung over his shoulder. He carelessly allowed Crichton's
limp body to fall to the floor at his feet and he stood at attention.
Crichton groaned in his sleep. Pilot appeared on the clamshell.
"What
happened?" Crichton asked groggily, waking up and helping himself
up off the floor. He veered away from D'Argo's sneer as he came
face to face with the Luxan. Crichton backed away slowly and took
shelter behind a console in the opposite side of Command, eyeing
D'Argo carefully.
"Rygel
has discovered something unimaginable. I believe you all will want
to see this." Pilot answered and punched a few controls. The
view screen flickered. An image appeared before the crew that made
them each forget about their own problems momentarily. They remained
silent as the image began to play.
The
first image was of Talyn. He was much larger than when they had
seen him in that fateful transmission. This alone proved the previous
transmission of his death was false. The image flickered once more
to reveal a whole new play of events. What Talyn was doing in this
transmission was another shock. He was leading a band of PeaceKeeper
Prowlers into battle. Crais came into view. He appeared to be speaking
directly to them.
"I
have gathered more Prowlers. Talyn is ready to fight. I believe
he is willing to go into battle now. He's proved himself to be quite
an intelligent and strong warrior. I request reinstatement for both
Talyn and myself. I have dreamed of the day this ship would be born
and now that I have raised him to be what he is destined to be,
I believe we are ready. Moya and the others think he's dead. They
will not interfere. We may proceed as planned, Scorpius." Crais
stated.
The
last word hung in the air, stinging Crichton's ears. He swallowed
hard. Scorpius was alive.
The
holo image dissipated finally, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.
All of the crew had finally realized the foolishness they had been
drowning in and snapped back to reality.
"Destroy
those jewels of yours Rygel. Do it now." D'Argo stated in a
dark voice. His threat was enough to motivate Rygel. Rygel scooped
up the jewel and raced out of the room to gather the rest of the
jewels to shove out an airlock.
"Talyn's
alive." Aeryn stated joyfully, though her face displayed torment.
She did not know what she would do now. She was beginning to realize
how foolish her recent actions had been. How could she have possibly
given up on Moya and her shipmates so easily? No PeaceKeeper High
Command would take her back. In fact, she didn't want to be taken
back. She could be so much more...no she was so much more. Crichton
had proved that to her many times. Aeryn glanced at him, for the
first time noticing he was not all too well.
"This
is frelling insane!" Crichton screamed at the top of his lungs.
The crew turned their startled attention to him. He was red in the
face and he began to walk towards the view screen. "Scorpius
is alive! Everything we've come to believe in the past solar day
has been a lie. Everything!"
Aeryn
and D'Argo stood to face Crichton. Zhaan looked down shamefully,
taking in his words. Chiana tried to remain unnoticed, frightened
by Crichton's sudden outburst.
"Crichton,
calm down." Aeryn said sternly. Crichton gave her a look that
ran chills down her spine.
"I
will not calm down, Aeryn. I'm sick of this crap. I've been the
fun toy for this frelling universe for far too long and I've had
it. I don't even know what's real anymore. How do we even know that
message was real?" Crichton said in a loud voice. He stood
below the view screen to face his shipmates.
"John,
please. I beg you. I realize what you are going through. None of
us have been ourselves lately." Zhaan reasoned. She thought
of Stark once again and the visions she had experienced.
"Zhaan.
What, you decided to care suddenly? Please, spare me."
"Crichton...."
Aeryn began but was interrupted by Crichton.
"What
Aeryn? What could you possibly say that would matter anymore? You
don't frelling care either, do you? You're as heartless as Scorpius!"
Crichton exclaimed. Aeryn's lips grew tight and she glared at Crichton
with unforgiving eyes.
"If
you don't calm down, I will make you calm down!" D'Argo raged.
Crichton stopped his shouting and took a few deep breaths. He thought
hard of all the confusion he had witnessed. He wasn't even positive
if he was truly alive and standing there before his shipmates.
"Listen,
we all have to stick together here. We need each other." Chiana
reasoned nervously.
Crichton
looked around at his shipmates with a cooled expression. They all
wore serious expressions. Rygel zoomed into the room with a relieved
expression. He noticed the tense atmosphere right away.
"What
the frell is wrong with everyone? I've gotten rid of the frelling
jewels already." Rygel announced. Crichton looked to Rygel
with sorrow in his eyes. He had come to a realization that none
of them would like to acknowledge.
"We've
fallen into a trap. None of us could see it coming and there's nothing
we can do to escape it. I believe Scorpius and even Crais are involved
somehow. Antarus is not who we think he is." Crichton stated.
His shoulders tensed with the thought of things to come. No one
said anything further. The crew took his words to heart, believing
them and realizing them for the first time. True to Crichton's words,
Antarus was already displaying his true form through the view screen.
Each
being aboard Moya was beginning to feel ten fold the fear they normally
felt living in the dangerous Uncharted Territories. Nobody yet realized
the things they had been presented with in the past solar day had
some truth to them. Their future was in jeopardy.
THE
END
Well,
for now it is. The final edition to the series, Revelations, as
the title implies will satisfy all those questions you may be asking.
At least I hope it will. Who knows what may happen! (I do but I'm
not telling!)
Click the link
to e-mail LeatherGirl lleick@yahoo.com
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