The Elephant Ep10: They Grow Up So Fast

Tom finished getting dressed and stood from the bed. He rubbed his eyes and turned to look at his companion. "Can I ask you something?" Meryl was lacing up her boots on the other side of the bed. She turned towards him. "What?" He hesitated for a moment. The words were on the tip of his tongue but somehow he found it difficult to use them. "Are you happy?" She frowned and walked over to him. "I'm not sure what you mean." His stomach turned. A positive response would have been much more comforting. "Its been three weeks since you got here. We come in here, do....that, and then nothing. You hardly even acknowledge our relationship when we're with the others." Meryl was mystified. "This bothers you?" Tom sighed and reminded himself who he was talking to. "We'll talk about this later."

Aeryn hid herself as Tom stormed out of the room. The look on his face reminded her of someone. She had heard the short conversation. Looking in through the doors, she could see Meryl standing over the bed, obviously confused. The younger woman felt her gaze and looked up. Their eyes met for a moment and a sense of recognition passed. "They're not like us." Aeryn almost whispered the words. Before Meryl could respond, she turned and headed town the corridor.

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John pushed the module as fast as it could go. He glanced at the timer for the third time in as many minutes. The ship just couldn't match the speed he wanted. A blip on the radar caught his attention. Something big was coming up right behind him. "Crichton! What are you doing?" The hoarse voice was easily recognizable. The Scarren had followed him. "Not now Kezia." There was no response at first. Then an enormous shadow fell over the module. He could the tips of a large ship pulling up alongside. "Just because I agreed to your plan doesn't mean I trust you." The vessel pulled in front of him and they almost collided. "Get out of my frelling way!" A door opened up on the back of Kezia's ship and he felt a docking web grab hold.

The module landed softly inside the much larger craft. John threw the hatch open and climbed outside. The walls were cold grey steel with dangerous spikes pushing out from all directions. He was reminded of his first time on Moya. This was completely different. Kezia's voice came on over a loudspeaker system. "I'm watching you Crichton. Follow the doors to command." John obeyed and stepped inside. He found Kezia sitting in the cockpit, pressing buttons with incredible speed. "This ship can go three times as fast as yours. Where do you want to go?"

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The water inside the container had grown increasingly warmer. The machine had its own regulatory system for an emergency such as this one. The creature felt the tiny cables attached to its skin begin to pull away and fall to the bottom. Opening one eye at a time, it met the new world that awaited. The increase in size allowed it to touch the bottom and still reach above the water level. Air forced its way into his lungs, bringing relief from the burning sensation. Yes, the creature was a male. He reached his hands out of the container and began to climb out.

D'Argo smelled the terrible stench from his place on the bed. Chiana and Rygel had insisted that someone keep watch on the container at all times. He had no intention of volunteering but Aeryn of all people had insisted. Something about giving the others some private time. He opened his eyes and looked around. "What the frell?" He jumped off the bed and ran over to the container. Its contents had spilled out and the creature was gone. Tapping his comm, he signaled to Aeryn. "Our little friend has escaped." There was no response. "Aeryn!" He could hear something rustling on the other end. "I'm going to kill him." He shook his head. "Crichton."

"Its going to need a cold environment." Aeryn lifted her pulse pistol and moved stealthily down the corridor. This little problem had her jumping at every sound. How could she kill what she couldn't find? "How do you know that?" D'Argo's voice came in over the comm. "Because Scorpius does." There was a short silence. "And how do we know that this thing has the same needs?" She rolled her eyes and turned another corner. "Have you got a better idea?"

Meryl walked into command and found Rygel sitting alone in front of John's chess set. "Aeryn and D'Argo were looking for you." She did not realize that he knew she was there. "For what?" He waved his hand at her without looking up. "How should I know?" She sat down across from him and reached out her hand. Just as the tips of her fingers reached his face, Rygel pulled back in disgust. "How dare you touch me without asking." She ignored him. "I've never seen a Hynerion before." He was shocked. "And you call yourself a captain." Meryl stood from the table and headed for the door. She stopped short and turned around. "How well do you know Chiana?"

The creature could feel the heat rising inside of him. Like a burning that wouldn't subside. He had attempted to drink the fluid from the container but it was too warm. They were stalking him. He could sense it. Robotic animals about half his size were lurking everywhere. One had come close enough to stab him with some sort of organism. He could feel it moving through him now. Something was moving close by. Footsteps. A woman with a gun. She had not seen him yet. Detection had to be avoided at all costs. That was the only thing he was certain of now.

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John sat as co-pilot for the giant Scarren. Not a word passed between the two. He glanced over a few times and found Kezia staring off into the space. The urge to talk was there but John couldn't think of anything. Finally, after the silence became overwhelming, he opened his mouth. "So, why are you in exile?" Kezia grunted and kept his eyes on the stars in front of him. "I blew my cover. Wasted years of careful planning by my superiors." The silence didn't last long this time. "How did you blow your cover?" Kezia made no attempt to answer the question. He looked up at the readings over his head. "Did Scorpius have something to do with it?" John was guessing but it seemed to fit. "Frell him." Kezia smacked the panel in front of him.

Bob maneuvered his small ship into the gaping doors of the Scarren vessel. He had been following it for arns now, waiting for just the right time. Opening the hatch, he listened carefully for any movement outside. There didn't seem to be anyone waiting for him. Just as his feet touched the cold metal ground, an electronic signal went off in the cockpit. "Not now!" He dove inside and answered. He prayed that his presence had not been uncovered. "Is there something wrong?" The face on the vidlink was one that he had come to know well. "Not at all General. Everything is under control." Chernov frowned as he saw the surroundings of Bob's image. "What are you doing in a Scarren ship." Bob smiled. "Long story."

Kezia arched his ears outward as the sound reached him. "Did you hear that?" John shook his head. "No, of course you didn't." He stood up and made his way out of command. "Don't touch anything." The human nodded and turned back towards the stars. Kezia opened the door and looked around. The area seemed to be clear. "Computer, scan for life-forms." He waited patiently as the system went over the entire ship. "None detected." He continued forward. Working as a spy, he had met more than one race that could escape detection. A footstep up ahead echoed towards him. Kezia growled.

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"Pilot, have you picked anything up yet?" Aeryn repeated the question into her comm before charging into yet another empty room. Pilot's voice came through. "Yes, Officer Sun. One of my DRD's has come into contact with an unknown creature. "And?" She stepped back into the lighted corridor and waited. "It injected translator microbes. What else were you expecting?" She groaned and continued forward. "Keep looking." His answer came back immediately. "I will Officer Sun."

He pushed himself out of the maintenance hatch. It took most of his strength just to pull through. He was growing larger every microt. His feet froze as he realized what had happened. The woman was standing just ahead of him. Her gun was held out in a defensive position. He tried to make as little noise as possible. Retreating back into the wall, he was met by another of the mechanical creatures. "Ahh!" He could not help but scream. Aeryn turned and looked right into the eyes of the disgusting creature. She had seen those eyes before. Without hesitation, her gun went off.

"Aeryn! Did you get it?" D'Argo ran down the corridor towards the scene of the blast. He found her crouching next to the maintenance hatch with gun in hand. "I hit the frelling thing but it got back inside." She poked her head through and looked around. "Its gone." D'Argo punched the wall in frustration. This situation seemed all too familiar.

He felt the wall shake as the creature outside pounded against the wall. Current events had forced him to come to a conclusion. The beings outside were going to kill him. If he was to survive, then he would have to strike first. The mechanical animal that lay beside him was dead. It had been much easier than he had imagined. Ripping the small needle from its head, he continued down the passageway.

Meryl knocked on the door and waited for a reply. The young Nebari inside heard the knock but was hesitant to answer. Her quiet times were few and far between. But curiosity soon took control of her. She walked up to the door and let it open. The sight that waited for her was a surprise. The new peacekeeper woman was standing there. Chiana couldn't believe her luck. Every time a new female came onboard, it had to be warrior or an enemy. The only other female she could talk to was Zhaan. And that didn't even happen much any more. Imagine her surprise when the Sebacean spoke. "Can we talk?"

Rygel moved his throne around the room with graceful precision. The food cubes that awaited him at the other end would serve as a worthy prize for his efforts. He grabbed the box off the shelf and tore it open. The hard squares tumbled down his throat and dissolved in the stomach acids. He was about to swallow another when the sounds came. Something was moving inside the walls in front of him. His memory went back to the dreadful creatures that had infested Moya all those cycles ago. "Not again."

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Bob watched the Scarren enter the hanger with alarm. The mere size of it was enough to frighten the bravest warrior. He stepped carefully back into his ship and waited for the monster to come closer. Kezia sniffed the air and looked towards the back of the hanger. A strange vessel sat where none had been before. He walked up and opened the door. The cockpit was empty. His confusion did not last long. The intruder was standing right behind him. Before he could turn, a large metal pipe crashed down on his head and fell to the ground unconscious.

"John! I've come to rescue you." Crichton turned in his seat and found Bob standing in the doorway. "Rescue me from what?" The Nyid stared back at him in confusion. "The Scarren." John jumped up and ran past him. He found Kezia lying on the floor with his mouth wide open. He slapped the dozing creature across the face and he stirred. "Kezia, wake up!" John looked up at Bob and groaned. "He's with me." Bob made his best attempt at looking surprised. It had been difficult to justify the words he had spoken to Crichton before. But in their own way, they were the truth. Kezia gradually opened his eyes. "What?"

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Meryl sat down beside the excited Nebari and looked at her hands. "What did you want to talk about?" The older woman eventually met the other's gaze. "Rygel said that I should talk to you about relationship problems." Chiana grinned from ear to ear and tried her best not to laugh. "He said you had extensive experience." Meryl felt insecure, but she would not run away from this. "What's the problem?" The girl looked at her eagerly. What could it hurt. "It's Tom. He seems to be upset because all we do is have sex."

Aeryn and D'Argo were walking down a corridor on tier six. D'Argo stopped and put his ear to the wall. "Did you hear that?" She turned around and listened. "That's impossible. There's no one else on this tier." But then she heard it too. "Someone laughing. Chiana. It must be echoing from down below." They shrugged and continued on their way.

Rygel stared at the wall in frustration. Something was definitely moving inside but he couldn't tell what. Moving his throne a bit closer, he attempted to get a better look. The sounds stopped and he breathed a large sigh of relief. Turning his back on the wall, Rygel returned to his eating. It was too late when the sounds started again. The creature had jumped from its hiding spot and collided with him. Rygel hit the ground hard and lost consciousness. The creature looked down at him momentarily before jumping on the throne and taking off.

Aeryn heard one of the other comms go off. The sound of steady breathing came through clearly. It sounded like Rygel. "What is it?" Her Luxan companion looked at her with a questioning glance. "I think his majesty activated his comm while rolling over in bed." He laughed and continued forward. A low humming noise was coming from the corridor beyond theirs. "Speaking of Rygel." Aeryn ran to get a look and caught the throne turning a corner. The thing on it was definitely not a Hynerion. "D'Argo!" She fired her pistol but it was too late to hit anything. With incredible speed she took off after it.

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Three men stood together inside the hanger. Kezia and Bob watched each other with distrust. John stood in the middle trying to mediate. "He sneaks onto my ship and expects me to welcome him with open arms?" Kezia growled angrily and lifted his arm. Once again the rippling affect came out but soon disappeared. He grumbled something to himself and turned away. "I was only doing what was necessary. Crichton took off without finishing our conversation." This time John was the angry one. "What else do you know?" Bob smiled and pulled the viewer from his bag. "This may not happen if we get there in time. See, the image has already changed." John stared in amazement. Moya was no longer destroyed. She floated aimlessly in space and Aeryn was still dead.

Kezia ripped the viewer away. "This is all superstitious nonsense. For all you know, the seer could have been swindling you." The words did not provide much comfort for John. He had learned one important fact in dealing with new things. The more impossible it seemed, the more likely it was to be true. "So how do we keep it from happening?" Bob frowned and looked back at him. "Get there as quickly as possible." Kezia groaned. "I'll go see if we can get any more speed."

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He felt the heat of the pulse blasts but did not dare turn around. The being that were hunting him could catch up easily. The floating device he had obtained was not very fast. Something flashed before him. A streak of blue against the golden walls. It was another woman. He swerved to avoid her but she had other plans. The throne hit her head on and he was thrown to the ground.

"Zhaan!" Aeryn caught up to the confused Delvian and checked her over. "Are you alright?" The calm priestess nodded. "Perfectly all right Aeryn. What is going on?" The soldier looked back at her with surprise. "You mean no one told you?" Zhaan shook her head. "It has been so long since I meditated completely. I locked myself up here away from everyone else." Aeryn kneeled down beside the creature. It was still awake and almost her height now. "Did it say anything?" Before Zhaan could answer, it started coughing and looked up. "Don't kill me please."

Meryl stood to walk out the room but Chiana told her to stop through choking laughter. "I'm sorry, please don't go." Suspiciously, she sat back down and once again stared at her hands. Whatever courage she had built up was barely keeping her there now. "What else does we want to do?" The question struck her. "I don't know. He didn't say." Chiana shook her head. "That's the problem with these humans. They talk and talk but never say anything important." Meryl smiled for the first time. "How do John and Aeryn deal with it?" This almost made Chiana break out into more laughter. "They don't."

All the different conversation on Moya came to a halt as Pilot's voice broke through the fray. He seemed agitated. "Aeryn, D'Argo...There's something big approaching. It's surrounding us!" The entire ship shook with violent force as a shimmering blue light came in through every window and porthole. Aeryn tapped madly at her comm. "What is it Pilot?" There was no answer. She raced to the nearest window as fast as she could. A wormhole had opened up right beside them. With a flash, the phenomenon disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Something had come through. "Frell me." A blast hit the ship and all power went out.