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Aeryn Sun let her eyes wander through the crowd again, looking for Crichton. He had an annoying tendency to wander off every single time they landed on a commerce planet. A growl from D'Argo let her know that the Luxan was just as annoyed.

"You would think that John would have learned from last time." Zhaan said, scanning the area as well.

"Apparently not." Aeryn answered, giving up her search of the crowd.

"Let's leave him here." D'argo suggested.

Aeryn thought the idea was tempting, but she would never abandon any of her shipmates on a planet- although leaving Rygel somewhere was more then tempting...

"John, can you hear me?" Zhaan said into the comm - she was the only one of them patient enough to try it again.

~~~

He was lost -again. You'd think he'd get the picture and stay with everyone. He honestly meant to every time they came down, but something always distracted him.

The others were used to seeing aliens. They weren't amazed by everyone that passed by. They never stopped walking when he paused to look at some strange 'critter', and they never bothered to check that he was still with him. By the time they realized he wasn't, he'd managed to get himself lost.

Zhaan's voice over the comm startled him. "John, can you hear me?"

'I'm lost, not deaf.' he thought to himself. "Yeah, Zhaan."

"Good-"

"Crichton!" D'Argo roared, cutting off Zhaan. "Where are you?"

"Umm...That's the problem D'Argo."

He could hear D'argo's growl. Just days before they had reached something of an understanding, but now John was fearing for his safety again.

"Stay there!" Aeryn said after the brief silence. "We'll find you!"

"Okay."

The communication cut off. John tried to figure out how they were going to find him, but decided he really didn't care. He just stood exactly were he was, out of the path of traffic, watching the strange... people?... walk past. He knew what would happen if he kept wandering -he'd get himself into some kind of jam. Again.

Of course, staying put didn't even help keep him out of trouble...

~~~

She surveyed the crowd carefully even though she ran, looking for someone that could help her. They were close behind. She was going to die, she had no hope of outrunning them. And even if she did, what would it be for? So they could hunt her down again? No more. Today was the last day.

She saw him standing by the wall, watching everyone with just the same amount of attention she was giving them. He looked like a Sebacean, but something told her that he wasn't. She ran towards him, hazarding another backwards glance. They were so close...She'd have just enough time.

She ran into him full force.

~~~

John saw the woman (he thought she looked female) running towards him. She looked terrified, but he could see a sense of purpose in her eyes. As she drew near, he didn't even attempt to move out of the way. She literately plowed into him, knocking him off his feet.

He started to get up, but she stopped him by shifting her position. She sat on his stomach, stopping his breathing, with one leg on either side of him. Without a comment, she placed her hands on his chest. Part of him wanted to jump to his feet, the other part wanted him to stay still. He opted to stay there.

The woman's eyes, which were a beautiful shade of violet , rolled up into her head. Suddenly there was a sensation of warmth where her hands lay. It quickly grew uncomfortable, then practically unbearable. It made his head feel funny. The worst part was he couldn't fight her off.

He was grateful when she let go. The whole ordeal only took a few minutes, but it felt much longer. Her eyes focused back on him.

"I suggest you run." She said, casting a glance over her shoulder.

"What the hell just happened!?" he asked.

"No time!" She hissed, getting up quickly. "Get going, or they'll see you. Don't let them see you."

He had so many questions. "Who ar-" he started as he stood. She put her hands up.

"Go. No questions. You'll understand in time."

He actually believed her. Without further discussion, he turned and ran away from the woman. As he did, he heard voices telling him to stop. He ignored them and kept running, hoping that they couldn't see him well. He knew that if they saw him, he was in trouble.

He turned a corner, and bounced off of someone. The impact caused him to lose his balance and fall backwards. For a second he sat sprawled on the hard ground, almost afraid to look up.

A familiar growl came from above him.

"Next time, you stay on the ship with Rygel," D'argo said, hauling John to his feet.

~~~

He watched the four board the small craft and smiled. His leader would be pleased when he returned with the information on how to catch the male that they needed now.

~~~

"Are you alright, John?" Zhaan asked, joining him on the terrace.

"Huh?" He asked, turning to look at her.

She noticed the far way look in his eyes. "Are you alright?" she repeated.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine."

"You seem rather distant."

He shrugged, and returned his gaze to the stars around him. His head still felt funny. There was something there, in his mind, he just couldn't get it to come out. He felt it.

"John?" Zhaan asked, worried.

"Sorry, Zhaan."

He'd already told them all what had happened in the market. Aeryn had even stated what he already knew- he just couldn't stay out of trouble.

"What did she do to me, Zhaan?" he asked her suddenly, breaking the silence that had formed. "Things..." He searched for the right words. "Feel different."

She looked interested. "What things?"

"Everything....ever just feel weird, Zhaan? Besides during solar flares?"

She smiled. "Once in a while. I normally try meditating to clear my mind."

That was the equivalent of what he'd been doing before she came. Just staring at the stars and thinking. He didn't know any other way to clear his mind.

"Maybe you just need some rest."

"Sleep it off like a hangover?" he asked, although he was already feeling better. "Sounds like a good idea. Thanks Zhaan." He turned and headed to his quarters.

~~~

Sleeping wasn't a good idea. But by the time he realized it, so had the rest of the crew. He couldn't remember what he had seen in his sleep, but suddenly he was simultaneously sitting up, falling off of the bed, and screaming.

He was pulling himself up from the floor when D'argo burst in, his Qualta blade in hand, ready for action. He swept his eyes around the room, then, seeing nothing, turned and glared at Crichton. He did lowered the blade though, for which John was extremely grateful.

"What's going on?" Aeryn asked, coming up behind the huge Luxan. John noticed that even D'argo's size didn't make Aeryn look any less threatening. She had her pulse riffle drawn too, but she didn't point it away.

"Is everything alright?" Zhaan stepped into the room also.

Rygel, looking annoyed, was the last to enter. He said nothing, but glared at John along with D'argo and Aeryn. John looked at Zhaan; at least she looked worried.

"Are you alright, John?" she asked.

No. His heart was running a marathon, his head was pounding, his brain was off on it's own world, and things were starting to feel even weirder.

"Crichton!?" Aeryn called.

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?" He asked absently.

Something was wrong. Really wrong. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. They were in deep trouble, and it was because of that woman. She had done something to him. Now the people that chased her and probably killed her were after him. Everyone else was in danger too.

He opened his mouth to let them know of the danger, but Pilot beat him to it.

"There's a ship approaching quickly," Pilot informed them.

"Is it Peacekeeper?" D'argo asked.

"No." John and Pilot answered together.

All three continued to stare at him. Zhaan was the first to speak. "Do you know what is going on, John?"

He nodded. "I think so."

"How!?" Aeryn demanded.

"I dunno..." He answered truthfully, standing up.

"Are we in trouble?" Zhaan asked.

He was silent for a long time. "Only me." He answered finally.

"Of course you get the rest of us into-" Rygel started but was silenced by a glare from Aeryn.

"Pilot?" Aeryn asked quickly, keeping one eye on Rygel.

"Yes, AerynSun?"

"Do you know what kind of ship it is?"

"Yes. Zogarian."

John looked around expectantly, hoping to be given some information on the race that was chasing him. D'argo and Aeryn didn't look outwardly upset. But the two of them were used to life threatening developments. D'argo wouldn't get mad until they get attacked.

"They've asked to talk with the leader of the ship." Pilot informed them.

They looked around at each other. Going with D'argo posing as their leader would show they had strength. They might think twice about attacking a Peacekeeper ship if they saw Aeryn. Or,if they wanted to play it the other way, Zhaan would be a good choice to show they meant no harm.

Suddenly, showing force wasn't a good idea. John knew it deep in his gut. He turned to Zhaan. "You go. Find out what they want." He watched the others to see if they would complain. No one did.

He already knew what the Zogarians wanted. 'Oh please let me be wrong,' he pleaded to whoever listened, knowing somehow that he wasn't.

~~~

"We have no male Sebaceans aboard this ship." Zhaan answered truthfully, her eyes never leaving the tall, fat, black shape.

The only color on it was its mouth, eyes and hair, all of which were a shade of blue not far from Zhaan's skin. She was unsure if the life form was wearing any clothes, and she didn't really want to know.

"We have information that tells us you do," he informed her.

"That information is obviously wrong." She paused. "Why do you want this male that you seek?"

"He was given information by an escapee."

That would explain what the woman had done to him. "What kind of information?"

"Military. Important information on a new weapon. We must have it back. We will take your ship if need be."

"He is not on this ship." Zhaan struggled to keep her voice even.

"Then allow us to board peacefully and see for ourselves."

"I must check with the others first. I will contact you when we've reached a decision."

"You have 1 arn."

She nodded and Pilot cut the transmission. "Did you get all of that?" she asked into the comm.

John's voice answered. "Yeah Zhaan. We got it." She wasn't surprised at the tension in his voice.

~~~

They were alone. D'argo was with Zhaan and Rygel, arguing with the Zogarians.

"You hid from D'argo for three days, do you think you can handle hiding from the Zogarians while they search the ship?" Aeryn asked him, pacing around his room.

"They'll get violent if they don't get me." he answered. "I'll be putting everyone in danger."

"So you'd rather just hand yourself over?!"

He reminded himself that Aeryn was a warrior. She was trained to fight, not give in to the enemy. "Do you always fight, even if it means death?" he snapped, suddenly angry.

"Yes we do!" She snapped back. "So why the frell won't you?"

He had a good idea what frell meant. "I'll be putting four li-" He stopped mid sentence, his eyes suddenly going wide. He fell to the ground before Aeryn was able to catch him.

"Crichton? Are you alright?" she asked, crouching down next to him.

"John?" she tried again. No answer. She reached out and shook his shoulder. He didn't move, didn't make a sound.

"Great. Just what we need now. Zhaan, are you busy?"

"Yes, Aeryn, I am." she answered. Aeryn was surprised to hear a hint of anger in her voice.

"-Either you let us look for him, or we will blow your ship up."

"I need you down here." Aeryn said. "I think we've got a malfunction in one of the D.R.D.'s."

"Can't it wait?" Zhaan's voice was frustrated. "Or can Pilot help you?"

"Zhaan, it's the big DRD...." 'Come on! Get the picture already, Zhaan!' Aeryn thought. She was not going to shout over the comms that Crichton and just flopped onto the ground, when it meant letting the Zogarians know that he was on the ship.

"I'll be right there."

She looked back down at Crichton. Humans were confusing, but she was fairly certain that this wasn't normal. At least, he had never done it before.

Aeryn was surprised at how worried she was for him.

~~~

One minute he was talking to Aeryn, then next he wasn't there anymore. The woman that had put him in the whole horrible situation was standing in front of him.

"What the hell did you do to me!?" he yelled.

"You have more than information in you. You have the weapon. You are the weapon. If you turn yourself in to them, they will kill the others aboard your ship. They know too much. I had no choice when I gave it to you... They can not have the weapon back."

"Whoa....hang on. 'Weapon'? What the hell did you give me!?"

She looked surprised by his anger. "It's a powerful weapon. You can unleash it when you want to. Or you can transfer it to someone else."

'That's not possible.' He thought. Even after all he had been through these past months, his scientific beliefs still tried to hold on to something. "What kind of weapon?" he forced himself to ask.

"Powerful. I don't even understand it fully. I was just the lucky test subject that it worked on. It is the ultimate weapon. It is capable of destroying a whole planet."

"How do you use it?" 'Not possible....'

"You just kind of... let it out. I have no way of explaining it. But that's what happens."

"You blow the planet up, just by thinking it?"

"No...You destroy all life on the planet...or the area you decide. You can choose how much you want to release. Just think it, and it happens."

"That's not-"

"Possible? It is. I've done it...against my will. If they capture you, they will force you to fight their enemies."

"Can't I just kill 'them'?"

"Once you are captured, they will give you drugs to keep you compliant."

"Then how did you get away?"

"They missed a dose. I took my chance and ran. I doubt you'd get the same chance."

"Can I destroy it?"

"The weapon? Not without destroying yourself."

"So what the hell do you want me to do!?" 'What can I do?' His thoughts were getting jumbled. He was fighting to believe what he was being told, and at the same time, he was fighting to think of a way out of this jam.

"Get away from the Zogarians. Find a nice quiet peaceful planet and give it to someone."

"What's to stop them from using it on the people of their planet?"

She sighed. "Do whatever you want, after you get rid of the Zogarians. They know too much about the weapon. They will become more powerful than the Peacekeepers if you let them have it."

Something occurred to him. "Don't they know how to do this again? Couldn't they just give up on me and redo what they did to you on someone else?"

She smiled. "Before I fled, I destroyed all the data they had on me. I made sure of it. You have the only remaining weapon."

He opened his mouth to say something- then he wasn't there anymore. He was back on Moya. Aeryn was crouched over him on one side, Zhaan on the other.

"John?" Zhaan asked, seeing his eyes open.

He groaned and sat up. His head was still pounding. "That was...odd."

"Are you alright?" Aeryn asked.

"Oh yeah. I don't have information on the weapon, I am the weapon." He forced himself to stand up. Aeryn and Zhaan were sharing confused looks. "Look, I don't have time to really explain it all. We gotta get out of here, now. Or at least I do. Those dudes in the ship want me, or at least the weapon 'in' me. I can't give it to them. After we get away, if we get away, I'll explain everything else."

D'argo's rough voice came over the comm. "They are getting annoyed. What are we doing?"

"Can we get out of here before they shoot?" John asked, hope in his voice even though he knew that things wouldn't be that easy. They never were.

"No. By time Moya's prepared for Starburst we'll be dead." Aeryn answered.

"Great. Let them aboard. I'll hide."

"Well, we know you can do that one." Aeryn said.

Her grin (she was actually grinning!) let him know she was kidding. 'She finally develops a sense of humor now...' he thought, even as he got up.

"They're about to fire!" D'argo shouted.

Zhaan looked to him for confirmation. He nodded.

"Let them dock D'argo." Zhaan said, her voice still worried.

"Here we go." John mumbled to himself, already looking up for an entrance to the crawl space he had spent three days in before.

~~~

He stayed completely still in the pitch black. He could hear everyone below him through the comms. Everything seemed to be going well, until the Zogarians reached the living quarters.

He could hear a deep voice ask Aeryn, why, if there were four of them aboard the ship, five rooms appeared to be lived in.

His breathing stopped. Of course. But there was no way he had time to clean up the room...even make the bed. Aeryn's room normally didn't look lived in, but when you hear someone screaming in the middle of the night, you don't stop to straighten anything.

He heard the struggle that ensued. Minutes later, everyone was together in one room, outnumbered and out weaponed. A steady stream of curses ran through his mind, but he didn't dare say them out loud.

'Okay, John, decision time,' he thought. He could get down there and try to help his friends. He'd more than likely get captured, and then he'd be totally screwed, along with countless others who were unfortunate enough to be an enemy of the Zogarians. But could he take the chance over his shipmate's deaths? Would they put themselves in danger for him? He believed they would. Or maybe he hoped they would. Either way, he couldn't let them be hurt. But he'd harm more if he gave in.

So what the hell could he do? He'd wait. Moya was large. Maybe after they finished searching every room, they'd give up.

He honestly didn't think that would happen, but he hoped all the same.

~~~

As was the case in many parts of his life, he was never actually given the choice after all. He listened to the leader of the search party, heard him instruct someone to check for a crawl space in the ceiling. That they had just guessed there was one frightened him.

If it was just one person in the crawl space, he had a good chance of getting away. All he had to do was figure out where they entered. He moved into a squatting position, leaning his back against one of the sides of the crawl space, ready to attack or to move quickly. He didn't think attacking was a good idea. He had no idea what a Zogarian looked like, let alone how well equipped they were.

He listened, barely even allowing himself to breathe. A faint sound to his left made him turn that way. It could be far away or it could be close. He couldn't tell in the darkness. His eyes were slightly adjusted to the dark, but not enough to do him any good. He wouldn't see anyone until they were right on top of him.

"Where-" A gruff voice came over the comms.

John reached up and shut it off, cursing to himself. Gee that didn't give him away! He backed up silently to the right, keeping his eyes trained on the left. Another sound, louder now. Someone was close, but why the hell couldn't he see them?

Suddenly there were two small blue eyes less then five feet from him. 'Thanks for the warning about their color, guys.' He thought, already pushing back further. The eyes were moving more quickly, their owner obviously able to move better then he could. He was in trouble. Big trouble.

He was right in front of a grate when it attacked. He could see it in the dim light coming up from Moya's deck. The Zogarian hit him hard, knocking him off balance. They landed on the grate, which snapped open under their weight. They fell to the floor bellow, John on the bottom.

He was winded, but the creature on top of him apparently wasn't. He was being punched in the face before he even realized what was happening. He was really getting tired of getting knocked around all the time. He kicked out, throwing the Zogarian off of him.

He got to his feet about the same time the Zogarian did. His earlier headache was pounding in time with his heartbeat. The alien in front of him was bigger, and from the way his face felt already, he was a lot stronger.

He was trying to figure out how to get away when the thing attacked again, but this time Crichton was prepared. Which just meant he was fully facing the alien when it went low, plowing into his stomach and pushing him back until he hit the wall.

The sound was loud enough to make him fear that others were on their way. He couldn't fight one. More than one was out of the question. He had to get away and find another place to hide.

He kicked and punched at the same time. The Zogarian let him go, backing up just enough for him to slip by. He started running. The possibility that the Zogarian carried a weapon didn't occur to him.

He heard the shot a split second before he felt it. Pain seared through the back of his right calf. His leg collapsed under him, and he fell hard. He had no idea what the hell he'd been shot with, but he could feel blood leaking from the wound.

He was struggling to his knees when he was knocked back down by a savage kick to his side. 'Just once, let something work,' he thought to himself. He was debating whether or not he should get up when he was pulled to his feet.

Keeping all his weight on his left leg, he turned to glare at the alien holding him up. The weapon was pointed at his midsection, and it was just as black as the alien holding it. There was no way he could've seen it. The alien's eyes dared him to make a move.

"Sir, I have him," he said into a communicator.

"No ya don't!" John said, going with the hope that they couldn't kill him.

He made a dive for the weapon, and as he guessed, the Zogarian didn't try to shoot him again. Instead, he used the weapon as a club, hitting Crichton on the back of the head, knocking him back down to the ground.

"Wanna play some more?" it asked, smiling.

"Sure." He answered with a groan, standing again.

He mistakenly put some of his weight on his injured leg, almost falling back down. The whole time, the alien smiled. 'Great twenty freakin' Zogarians on the ship and I get the sadistic one chasing me.'

Down the hall he could hear others coming. He was in deep trouble. He relaxed his body, hoping the alien would take the bait. "Fine. I'm screwed." He said quietly.

"Good. This was getting tiring." The alien made a motion for him to move forward, and he did, but faster then the alien expected.

Unfortunately, he had been standing in on spot for too long. The blood from his leg had pooled around his foot, and when he went to make a lunge for the alien, he slipped, falling once again to the floor.

'oh this is getting annoying.' He thought to himself as the alien came closer, pulling back it's foot for another kick. 'Not again!' He kicked with his good leg, hitting the alien in the knee (or what he thought was a knee), effectively knocking it over. It's head hit the ground first, then it was still.

Crichton took his chance. The voices down the corridor were getting closer, so he leaned over the unconscious (he hoped) Zogarian, and took it's weapon. He'd figure out how to use it later, but first he needed to hide again.

He started off in the other direction, moving as fast as his injuries would allow.

~~~

He needed to stop. His entire leg felt as if it were on fire, making each step total agony. And he was unsure if he was still bleeding. If he was, he was in serious trouble. He'd be losing too much blood.

On top of all that, he had managed to get himself totally lost. For all he knew, he was turned around and heading towards the Zogarians. The thought frightened him.

He needed to hide again. He needed to get off his leg before he couldn't walk at all. He'd find a good hiding place and take care of the wound. After that it wasn't clear, he couldn't think that far in advance.

He'd been traveling through the lesser used corridors (which was probably why he was lost). He ducked into the first room that he could open the door to. It was completely dark inside. He was unsure if he wanted to risk someone seeing a light from the door. But he really couldn't help himself in the dark, could he?

Of course, there was the problem of turning on the light. Opening a door was hard, getting the damn light on was harder. He finally managed it, all the while wishing for a simple light switch.

He was in a small storage room, which had two shelves running along the wall. They were full of clear containers, all displaying their contents, which appeared to be Peacekeeper uniforms.

"Of course you guys couldn't leave any guns." He said softly, pulling out one of the boxes, putting the gun he had taken from the Zogarian on the shelf.

He was surprised to find the box was so heavy. It slipped out of his sweaty hands and fell to the floor, with a crash. The ritual of curses started again. His breathing stopped as he listened for sounds that might mean someone had heard him. After what felt like an eternity, he relaxed. Maybe he had been given one break.

He pulled the top off of the container and looked inside. Definitely uniforms. Might come in handy.

"Now for the fun part," he mumbled, moving so he could get a decent look at his leg.

Blood had soaked through the back of his pants leg from his knee to his ankle. In the middle of it, where the color was darkest, was a neat circle about the size of a dime. Biting his lip, he put his hands on either side of the hole and pulled, making the wound accessible.

Still bleeding. He had to stop it before he passed out. The adrenaline rush from running had faded, and he was finally starting to feel the effects of what he'd just been through. He was frightened to realize that he was already lightheaded.

He needed the others. He had to get them some how. Being separated with the Zogarian's crawling all over the ship was no help at all. He needed D'argo and Aeryn most of all. He had to-

"Woah. One thing at a time, John." He said, his voice below a whisper.

Trying not to move his leg , he reached into the container and pulled out one of the uniforms. He gave an experimental tug, not overly surprised to find that it wouldn't rip.

"There goes that."

The thought of standing up and searching the room for a knife or something similar didn't appeal to him at all. But what the hell could he do? He had to stop the bleeding.

He got up again, not putting his weight on his right leg. Supporting himself on the shelf, he looked into all the boxes, finging uniforms and nothing else.

'Screw it.' He sat back down and checked the wound again. The blood flow was slowing, but not enough.

"What the hell, my pants are already ruined."

He didn't even notice he was talking to himself. He'd always done it, even in high school, when he was trying to figure out something that was really bothering him. Or when he was badly stressed. Ever since he'd gotten into that space shuttle at Canaveral, it had become a frequent habit.

Trying to jar his leg as little as possible, he ripped off the bottom of his pants, and made a make-shift bandage. Now he needed time to think.

Moving to a more comfortable position, he lost himself in his thoughts, all of which were centered around figuring out a way to free his shipmates.

~~~

'Oh please have the damn comms off.' He thought, turning his back on. He sat in silence for two full minutes before daring to speak.

"Pilot? Can you hear me?" His voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Crichton?"

"Yeah, are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Great. Where are they holding everyone?" 'Why the hell didn't you think of this before, John?!'

"Command."

"Are they alright?"

"For the moment."

"Good. Who's with them?"

"Three Zogarians."

"Thanks Pilot." He searched the room for an entrance to the crawl space and found none. 'Back into the hall.' His leg was still on fire, but he didn't have a choice. He was halfway to the door when he remembered the weapon he'd taken from the Zogarian earlier. Once it was in his hands, he felt a little better.

Moving slowly, he entered the hall, holding his breath. No one was there. He kept walking, looking up occasionally. He'd get into the crawl space and then figure out what the hell he was going to do.

~~~

"You ready Pilot?" He asked, looking down through the grate. No one was there.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"No. Do you have any ideas?"

"Will this hurt Moya?"

'I knew he was gonna ask that.' "I'm trying not to. But one of those guys is too much. Moya will wind up in a worse situation if we don't."

"I see your point. All you want me to do is close the door when they're out?"

"And keep it locked."

"Alright...Good luck."

He took a deep breath. This would all have to be done quickly. Once he drew some of the Zogarians out of command, he'd have go twenty feet, jump down from the grate, and then manage to defeat the remaining Zogarians in the room.

"Oh this will go great," he mumbled, opening the grate. He lay down on his stomach and fired the weapon straight down, waited, then did it again. Pilot's growl reached him through the comms. 'Sorry pilot.' He fired again.

He changed position, starting to back away from the grate. The gun fell out of his hands to the floor below. "Oh shit," he groaned. There was no way he could get it and get back up into the crawl space before the guards came.

"They're leaving! Stop firing!" Pilot growled.

John closed the grate. He didn't bother telling Pilot that he couldn't fire any more. Not without the damn gun. "How many left?"

"Two."

"Good enough. Close the door."

One more in command...it could be worse.

~~~

They'd spent five arns sitting in these chairs, waiting for Crichton to be caught. The Zogarians knew he was aboard the ship now. It was twenty-two against one. Aeryn knew Crichton was probably running instead of fighting. It angered her that she couldn't help him... or any of them for that matter.

The weapons fire so close to command worried her. It repeated twice before two of the creatures guarding them left. She was surprised to see the door close after them. The remaining one was surprised also, and began trying to kick it open.

A movement to her left caught her eye. One of the grates leading to the crawl space had opened. She smiled. Crichton really was proving himself resourceful.

The other guard moved away from the door and spun in a circle. He too saw the open grate. It took Aeryn a minute to realize that was what Crichton wanted. The guard remained about a foot away, smart enough not to stand under it.

D'argo and Zhaan had also turned to watch the guard. Rygel was too busy sleeping. She glanced at them, seeing that they had figured it out. Did she actually see approval on D'argo's face?

"John Crichton?" The guard asked.

"Oh, you know my name?" Crichton's voice drifted down.

'What the frell is he doing!?' Aeryn thought.

"I suggest you come down here before your friends are harmed."

"Why don't you come up here?"

The guard stepped forward in a rage, and John took the chance. He jumped down, knocking the guard off his feet. When he landed, he realized his mistake.

"Oh shit. That hurt." He groaned, fighting to get up as the guard did.

He glanced towards his ship mates, not surprised to see them tied up. 'Damn this would've been a lot easier with the gun.' His leg was radiating pain again, making him wish he'd thought twice about jumping.

The guard took the opportunity and attacked, his shoulder ramming into John's chest and pushing him backward until he was against the wall. 'Great. Again.' He didn't even have time to swing before he was being punched in the sides and face.

Aeryn watched the fight, not surprised that Crichton was loosing. She reminded herself that Crichton wasn't a warrior. She doubted he'd ever fought hand to hand combat before he was bought aboard the ship.

She struggled against her restraints, seeing that he was going to lose in less than a minute. She looked at D'argo, seeing that he was attempting the same thing. Zhaan's eyes were closed, and Aeryn could hear her soft chanting. Rygel was still sleeping (she really was going to kill the small toad one day).

She had just turned back to watch John lose when a grunt for D'argo made her swing around again. His hands were free. He quickly untied his legs and sprang into action, pulling the Zogarian off of Crichton and hitting it in the back of the head. It fell to the ground.

"Thanks." Crichton mumbled, sliding down the wall.

"You hit them in the back of the head. Their skulls are softer there. Knocks them right out."

"Oh thanks. Next time, tell me something like that before I get my ass kicked!" John said, gasping for breath.

D'argo crossed the room and untied Zhaan and Aeryn. He growled before freeing Rygel, who finally woke up.

"What's going on!?" The Hynerian demanded.

D'argo growled again, said nothing. John watched the whole scene without comment, trying in vain to catch his breath. The guard had hit his already hurting sides enough to make him worry that something was seriously wrong. He couldn't breathe without pain.

Zhaan came over and crouched in front of him. "Are you hurt, John?"

Lying didn't even cross his mind. "Yeah."

Pilot's voice interrupted them. "They're going to cut down the door."

"Crichton, next time you try and rescue us, make sure you don't block our only exit!" D'argo hissed, his eyes on the door.

"Sure...see what happened with one of them in here? Did you really want me to go for three of 'em!? I'd be dead." His voice held no force. Talking hurt too much. "What are we gonna do if we get out of here anyway? Keep running?"

"You don't have a plan?" D'argo sounded surprised.

"Look. I didn't even think this was gonna work." 'Oh please just shut up D'argo. I don't wanna talk anymore.' The light-headed feeling was back, stronger than before. His head and face were pounding in time with his leg, and his side was really messed up. He didn't want to have an argument with D'argo, didn't think he had the energy.

"What happened to your leg?" Zhaan asked him.

He turned to her. "um...I got hit by whatever the hell their guns shoot."

The ship shuddered. Aeryn turned towards the door, saw the spark at the bottom of it.

"They're cutting down the door. We need to get out of here."

"How!?" D'argo demanded.

"Through the crawl space." John answered, not happy at the prospect of getting up there again.

"Let's go." Aeryn announced, making the decision for the group.

Zhaan helped him stand. "Can you do this, John?" she asked.

"Looks like it's a worse situation if I stay," he answered, watching the spark move up the door. At least he had some help now.

~~~~

"They'll follow us up here." Rygel from the back of the group.

John looked over his shoulder, struggling not to reach out and bash the Hynerian in the face. Rygel was the only one of them not forced to crawl in the small space, he was short enough to walk. He would've told the pain in the ass off, but trying to breathe was enough fun.

"We needed to get away." Zhaan replied.

"Yeah, well now we need to get out of here." John said. "This is 'not' a good position if anyone comes along. And you can't see them in the dark."

"He's right." Aeryn said. She was directly in front of him.

"We need to find place to rest," was Zhaan's answer.

"We don't have time to stop," D'argo growled back immediately.

"John is injured," Zhaan answered simply.

Even in the dark he could feel D'argo's eyes on him the Luxan turned around. "How bad?"

John stopped, put his hand on the back of his leg. In the dim light he could see that his makeshift bandage was soaked through. "It keeps bleeding." No sense lying to him, but there was no need to tell him that his real problem was his side, which had gone from a throbbing to a stabbing pain every time he breathed.

They continued on in silence until Rygel spoke. "I hate to rain on all this fun, but do any of you have a plan?"

'Keeping running around 'til they get tired?' John thought, but didn't say it. It was too much effort to talk.

"Defeating twenty-two Zogarians with one weapon is impossible. We need our weapons back." Aeryn said.

In front, D'argo stopped short causing everyone else to run into each other. John collided with Aeryn's back, jarring his sides. Rygel did the best part, stepping on the back of his leg. He cried out before giving in and letting his eyes close.

Silence. Aeryn could see dim light ahead. D'argo had to be at a grate. Obviously someone was below them. She looked back at Crichton, who was half slumped on her, half on the floor. Rygel was actually looking a little worried by the developments.

"They're gone." D'argo muttered, starting to move forward again. Zhaan reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Crichton passed out," she said, moving around into a sitting position.

"What? You've got to be kidding me," D'argo replied. "What happened?" He looked at Rygel.

"I don't know!" he said, starting to move back.

"Get him flat, Aeryn," Zhaan said, ignoring her other shipmates. "On his front. I want to check his wound."

Aeryn nodded and moved him so that he was lying flat on his stomach. "I know humans are...odd, Zhaan, but is he supposed to that color?" she asked.

"This pale? I don't think so," Zhaan answered, moving around them. She swatted at his feet, pushing Rygel back silently. "It does look like he's lost a lot of blood."

"So what do we do about that?" Aeryn asked, turning around so that she was facing Zhaan.

"I'm not sure exactly. Species are different. I assume he at least needs to rest."

"Rest is something we can not afford," D'argo hissed.

"Do you want to drag him along with us, D'argo?" Aeryn asked, her tone matching his.

"Can you revive him, Zhaan?" D'argo asked after a minute of brooding.

"I'm not sure if that's in his best interests. He needs the rest."

"So what do we do with him?" Aeryn asked.

Zhaan turned to her, and smiled. Aeryn knew she wasn't going to like whatever she said.

~~~~

Waking up was hard. Everything in him was telling him not to open his eyes, but he did anyway. He was surprised to see Aeryn looking down at him. She looked relieved to see him awake.

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice was still weak. With a groan, he sat up. Looking around, he found he was in another one of the storage rooms, and he and Aeryn were alone.

"D'argo, Zhaan, and Rygel went to get our weapons back. Well, D'argo and Zhaan went, Rygel followed. We figured splitting up was a good idea, and you're the one that the Zogarians want, so leaving you unguarded wouldn't work."

He took it all in. It made sense. "Do you guys have it planned out any further?" There was hope in his voice.

"No. We have no idea how to defeat a group of twenty-two, with only three useful parties. No offense."

He knew what she was saying. Rygel was just as useless as he was... at least he had an excuse, he was hurt. Rygel was just plain useless. His mind was running in circles, something that frightened him. He wasn't a fighter, he was a scientist. He was supposed to be able to think his way out of things, and he couldn't even hold a thought.

"Are you alright, Crichton?" Aeryn asked, pulling him back to reality.

"Yeah...no. I'm tired of this. All we can do is keep running."

"How do you think it makes me feel to hide from the enemy?" she countered, not hesitating a second.

They were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, John spoke. "Aeryn, we need some kind of plan to get them off the ship. And then we need to get this thing outta me."

"I'm well aware of that, Crichton."

He sighed. Aeryn in frustrated mode was no fun. "What I was asking was, do you have a suggestion?"

"We need to get our weapons."

"After that?"

She looked away from him. "No idea."

He exhaled, then groaned, rocking forward and holding his sides. 'Damn. Do not do that one again.' He thought.

"Are you alright, John?"

He shook his head, to tired to deny it. Screw being macho. He was tired of trying to give an appearance of some big strong guy. He wasn't exactly weak, but he was human. He wasn't from some big warrior race.

"What else is hurt?" Aeryn asked, concern in her voice.

"My side. Right side. Damn thing kept punching me there." Breathing was a little easier, but not much.

"How badly is it hurt?"

"I'm not a doctor, Aeryn." He paused, knowing that taking his frustration out on Aeryn was wrong. "Sorry. Lets just say it hurts like a bitch."

Aeryn raised her eye brows but said nothing. She had grown tired of trying to get Crichton to explain his expressions. She understood well enough -it hurt a great deal. Which was not a good thing.

They sat in silence, waiting for a transmission from Zhaan and D'argo.

~~~~

Crichton had drifted off to sleep. She had turned off the lights so he'd sleep better, knowing that he did need rest. She could tell, even in the darkness, that he was still in pain even as he slept. She could hear it in his uneven breathing.

"Aeryn, John?" Zhaan's voice over the comm startled her. Aeryn was momentarily ashamed that she had been so easily surprised. Her training was slipping away. A soft groan from Crichton's direction made her aware that he was awake too.

"Yes, Zhaan?" Aeryn answered, standing and turning on the lights.

"We've retrieved the weapons."

"Good. Where are we meeting?"

"The Zogarians are mostly around the command." Pilot supplied, always ready to help.

"Far away from them." John mumbled.

Aeryn glanced at him, but again opted to say silent. She debated a second before speaking. "How about the infirmary?"

"It's clear." Pilot answered a second later.

"Good. We'll meet there." D'argo said, ending the transmission.

Aeryn turned to look at Crichton. He smiled at her, though he was sure it came out more looking like a wince. "Great idea, Aeryn."

She reached down and helped him to his feet. He swayed for a second, but managed to keep his balance. Seeing that he was ready, she opened the door, checking both directions before leaving the room. John followed close behind.

~~~~

It happened quickly. One minute they were alone, walking silently through Moya's dim halls, the next Pilot was warning them that someone was there. Then Aeryn cried and out hit the ground. John spun, anger flaring.

The two Zogarians smiled, each holding their weapons pointed at him. They shot without warning. John reacted quickly, dropping to the ground on top of Aeryn.

His anger flared higher. It was all getting to be way to much for him to handle. Some strange woman knocked him over, did something to him, told him to run. The next thing he knew he was being hunted down on his ship, being attacked and shot at. And now they'd shot Aeryn in the back, without even a warning.

Then all his anger was gone, abruptly as it had come. He gasped at the release, then remembered the two Zogarians behind him. He turned slowly, his mind almost expecting what he saw.

They were both dead.

~~~~

"Where are they?" D'argo questioned, more out of anger then concern.

"Aeryn and Crichton have run into some trouble." Pilot informed them, his voice calm as it almost always was. "I'll update you on the situation briefly."

Zhaan closed her eyes, wondering how bad the situation was.

~~~~

His mind was a mess of emotions. He was relieved that the two Zogarians were no longer shooting at them, horrified that he was the reason they were dead, concerned over Aeryn's condition, and angered about the situation as a whole.

Blood was running from a wound in Aeryn's left shoulder. The best he could tell, they hadn't hit a vital organ. That was if human and Sebaceans were as close inside as they looked outside. He prayed they were.

He shook her lightly, hoping that she'd wake. She didn't. "Oh shit, Aeryn. Not now. What the hell am I supposed to do?" he mumbled.

'Check for an exit wound John.' he thought to himself. With a grunt, he managed to turn her over and sit her up. She was bleeding from the front of her shoulder as well.

It worried him how limp she was. And heavy. 'Just dead weight.' He immediately willed the thought away. She was still breathing. And bleeding. A lot.

He lay Aeryn back down and turned on his comm.

"Zhaan?" he asked, his voice tight.

"Crichton!" D'argo practically screamed into the comm. "What is going on?"

"Aeryn's been shot." He paused. "She won't wake up."

"Get her here quickly, John," Zhaan said.

"I'll try," he answered, then cut the transmission. "Easier said then done." he mumbled to himself.

His mind struggled to find a way out of the mess he had created.

~~~~

He was on auto-pilot, past feeling the pain in his leg or the rest of his body. He moved slowly down the corridor, on hand holding Aeryn's arm around his shoulders, the other looped under hers. His mind was trying to figure out a way to get out of the hell he had thrown his ship mates into. He was consciously avoiding thinking about the two Zogarians he had killed.

"HALT!" A voice yelled behind him, ending his train of thought.

He did, frustration taking over. He couldn't fight any longer. He didn't think he wanted to fight them any longer.

"Hands where we can see them."

"Its a little hard to do that, unless you want me to drop her." he answered back, his voice weak.

"I guess you should drop her then."

"I don't think so. Your friends already shot her in the back."

"Yes, and they are now dead. Hands were I can see them!"

"Fine," he answered, knowing that he'd just wind up in a worse condition if he didn't comply. He gently laid Aeryn on the floor, then he raised his hands and turned, coming face to face with a squad of five Zogarians. They actually looked a little nervous. Something clicked in his mind and he realized he held the advantage. He put his hands down and willed himself to sound stronger then he was feeling.

"Know what? I think we're gonna change how this goes, alright?" He didn't wait for them to speak. "You're going to take me, and my friend to whoever is your leader, and I'm gonna have a nice talk with him, got it?"

"You are in no position to command us," the leader of the small group protested.

"Yeah, I am. How do you think your buddies died? I'll do it again if I have to. You guys can't kill me, you'd lose all your research. But I can kill you. Understand? Now let me talk to your leader!"

Yelling was a bad idea, but it got the message across. Even as he gasped for breath, the Zogarian in front of him nodded.

"This way," he said, turning.

John glanced down at Aeryn. "No. Have him meet us at the infirmary. I need to get my friend there."

The Zogarian nodded. He talked into his own comm system, telling their leader a brief overview of the situation and where to meet. The leader agreed.

As that conversation took place, John bent and pulled Aeryn to her feet, groaning as he did. He would help her there. The idea of the Zogarians doing it made him sick for some reason.

~~~~

Zhaan jumped as the door opened. Crichton walked in half carrying, half dragging Aeryn. They were closely followed by five Zogarians. D'argo sensed that Crichton was barely able to hold Aeryn up and went to them, ignoring the Zogarians completely. He took Aeryn from Crichton, who gave him a grateful look.

John turned to the Zogarians behind him. "If you harm any of them, I will retaliate," he said simply. He was tired of threatening them, but it was the only way.

He crossed the room as D'argo laid Aeryn down on a table. Zhaan immediately moved towards her. D'argo watched him as he sat on one of the tables, and he smiled at the big Luxan.

"It's a long story. I'll explain it eventually."

That was surprisingly enough to satisfy him. D'argo joined Zhaan, who was leaning over Aeryn. Everyone ignored the five Zogarians who stood at the door, looking upset at the turn of events.

John wanted nothing more then to lay down on the table and go to sleep, but he was aware that doing so would take away their only advantage. He just hoped that the leader would show up quickly, other wise, he would wind up passing out too soon.

~~~~

Mahnaz was not in a good mood. He walked slowly to the ship's infirmary, anger flaring. The Sebacean male had managed to find out that he had the weapon and more importantly, he could use it. That changed things greatly.

He entered the room, the rest of his crew behind him. The male he now knew as John Crichton was sitting on one of the medical tables, in obvious pain. On the other table, the Sebacean female, Aeryn Sun, was being tended by Zotoh Zhaan. Ka D'argo was standing protectively behind the two. The Hynerian was in the corner, asleep again.

John was partly relieved when the leader came in. Partly because he'd be able to rest soon, but mostly he was afraid of challenging the man. He had already planned out what he was going to say, and was hoping that it would come out strong.

He carefully slipped off the table, managing not to jar his injuries further. The leader came closer to him, his face neutral.

"My name is Mahnaz." The Zogarian said.

Bending his neck slightly to look into Mahnaz's eyes, John spoke. "You already know mine." He paused a second, eyes daring the man to speak. He did not. "Look. I've had a really bad day, and this is all getting tiring. You've hurt one of my friends, and you've hunted me on my own ship. I know what you want. But you're not getting it."

"You have no choice in the matter," Mahnaz said, his own eyes blazing.

Crichton shook his head, ignoring the temporary dizziness it caused. "Yeah, I do. From what I've seen of this little weapon, it's fairly easy to use. You just keep on pissing me off, and I keep getting angrier until it just all gets let out." He paused. "Or it works something like that, right?"

"In time, you will be shown how to use it at will without the anger, but at first, yes."

"Wrong again, buddy. There's no 'in time'. You are leaving this ship, without me, and without this weapon."

Mahnaz raised his hand, showing John the needle. He remembered the woman mentioning the drugs they'd use to keep him compliant. All his instincts told him to back away, but he fought them. He wasn't going to show any weakness.

"Are you sure that will work on me?" he questioned, his voice defiant, challenging.

"You are Sebacean, aren't you?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm human. We look like Sebaceans, but we're definitely different." He had no desire to explain it further than that. He consciously forced himself to look at the leader and not at the needle in the creature's hands.

"If you really want to you can try it. But I suggest you pray that it works." He was relieved to see doubt in Mahnaz's eyes. "Alright, enough chit-chat. I want all your men off this ship! And I suggest you don't try doing something stupid like firing on us. Because if you do, hope that the first shot you send kills me."

For a few tense seconds, Mahnaz made no move, then he turned on his comm. "I want all troops to head back to the ship. Immediately." He switched it off. "This isn't over."

John again shook his head. "Yeah, it is."

With one last frustrated glare, the leader turned and left.

~~~~

"John, you need to rest," Zhaan said.

"I need this thing out of me first." His voice was tired. He knew he needed to rest but he couldn't. Not until he got the damn weapon out of him.

"Having the weapon may be in our best interests." D'argo said from the corner he'd been sitting in. "Considering that we don't have many others."

"No. It's too dangerous. I don't know how to control it."

"John is right, D'argo."

D'argo was about to reply when Pilot cut him off. "There is another ship approaching. Only one person is aboard. She is requesting to speak with Commander Crichton."

The thought of limping all the way to the command wasn't appealing, but he had a good idea of who it was. That meant she wasn't dead. He had assumed she had been killed by the Zogarians...

~~~~

"I'm sorry about all that happened," she said, standing close to him.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He didn't blame the woman next to him for what happened. She had done it to save a lot of people.

"Give it back to me," she said after a few minutes of silence.

He nodded. "Um...How do I do that?"

She took his hands and placed them on her chest. "Just think about it..."

For a few seconds, he was sure nothing was happening, then he began to feel the heat again, this time from his hands. Everything went out of focus as the heat increased. Then it was done, and he felt completely drained.

"That's it," the woman said.

"Good." John replied, his voice weak. He was suddenly aware of every injury, every little punch, that he had received in the past hours.

"I suggest that once I and my ship are out of here, you get away from here immediately."

He started to ask her why, then realization dawned. "You're gonna destroy it, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yes, I am. It's the only safe thing to do."

He nodded, understanding, but still wishing there was another way.

"I'm not sure if the blast will be dangerous or not, so getting away from here is a good idea."

He nodded dumbly, too tired to actually think about what the blast could do.

Without saying anything further, she climbed back into her ship, and left. Once he was sure she was gone, he turned his comm back on.

"Pilot? We need to get the hell outta here."

"Understood. Everyone prepare for Starburst."

With a groan, he grabbed on to the table closest to him, feeling relieved. In less than five minutes, it would all truly be over. He managed to stay standing during Starburst, something he didn't expect to do.

Once they were out of Starburst, Zhaan came forward. John had forgotten that she'd been standing there the whole time.

"Are you alright, John?" He turned slowly to look at her, and she saw the sarcastic reply before he even said it. She put up her hands, stopping him from speaking.

He managed a weak smile.

"No will you let me take a look at your leg?" she asked, always patient.

He nodded. Resting sounded like a great idea.

~~~~

"Care to share what's bothering you?" Aeryn asked, entering the terrace.

He didn't say anything, didn't even turn around. He continued to stare out at the stars. For once, the fact that he didn't recognize any of the constellations didn't bother him. He had other things on his mind.

Aeryn came closer, standing next to him. "You shouldn't be standing on your leg," she tried, hoping to at least start a conversation.

It had been a week since the Zogarians left their ship, and Crichton had yet to actually speak with any of them. He had only spoken when he needed to. Aeryn never thought she'd miss his constant talking.

John glanced at her, then continued staring at the stars. "Should you be walking around?" he countered after a few moments of silence.

"I faired a lot better through the whole thing than you did," she answered after a second.

"Yeah, well you didn't look so good after they shot you." 'When I was dragging your ass around, not knowing if you were gonna die,' he thought to himself but didn't say it aloud.

"And you think you did?"

He lapsed back into silence.

Aeryn sighed, forcing herself to calm down. She really couldn't understand humans...or at least she couldn't understand Crichton. He always asked her to talk to him about what was bothering her, but the minute he was upset, he wouldn't talk. She was about to voice that when he did start speaking.

"Aeryn, you've killed people, right?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

She was momentarily surprised by the question. Then she reminded herself that Crichton had not been brought up as a soldier. "Yes. I have." She knew he knew the answer, but she said it anyway.

"What do you tell yourself?" He looked at her again, and she wasn't surprised to see the pain in his eyes. It still made her feel bad, even if she expected it.

She shrugged. "I never told myself anything." She paused, trying to find the right words. "I just did it automatically. That's what I am -was- trained to do. From birth I was supposed to be a solider. The only thing I ever thought about casualties were how many of them. The more there were the better the chances of a promotion." She stopped.

"I wasn't trained like you were...why the hell do you think I wind up getting my ass kicked all the time? Before I ended up here, I was in exactly three fights, and I lost two of 'em. The other was pulled apart before anything could happen." He realized he was rambling, and stopped.

"You had no way of controlling it, John," Aeryn said after a moment of silence.

"I still killed two people." He looked away from her, back out at the stars.

"Using something that you couldn't control." She hesitated for a second, but then deiced to push on. "Just like with Crais' brother."

"That's different."

"How?"

More silence.

She sighed. "Look, this is the last time I'll say it, so listen." He turned to look at her, surprised. She continued, not giving him a chance to say anything. "This whole thing, none of it was your fault. They forced their way onto this ship, and they attacked you -us- first. The result of that was not your fault at all -you had something in you that you couldn't control. And you did figure out a way to end it all peacefully. So stop acting like any of it was your choice!"

He sighed and looked at her for a long time before glancing away again. "I know all that Aeryn...I really do...it's just that it doesn't make it feel any better."

Feelings were still somewhat new to her, but she understood him all the same. "I guess it'll take time, John. But it really was not your fault."

He looked back at her and smiled. "Thanks, Aeryn." He wasn't feeling totally better, but definitely better then when he had originally come out to the terrace.

She returned the smile. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again, the smile still on her face. "On the bright side, nothing like this will ever happen again."

He turned to look back at her, surprised. "Why not?" he asked, taking the bait.

"D'argo is never going to let you go down to another commerce planet."

He gave a short laugh. "May not be a bad idea."

Thanks a ton for reading this all the way through...I know it was on the long side...Please, please please please please please e-mail me comments!