The first rays of sunlight had just begun to fall over the little village. Four shadowy figures moved into and out of the center building with supplies in hand. Not a word was spoken among them. 0377 watched the two women in front of him with substantial amounts of fear and awe. They moved systematically, like robots. No questions were necessary between them. He put down the bundle he was carrying next to the others. Each one was filled with more weapons than he had seen in his entire life. Everything from small pistols to what looked like a rocket launcher. As the last shipment was carried out, the four gathered together.

Meryl was in charge here. There was no questioning that. The others could see clearly the amount of resolve she had. Pulling them all into a huddle, she discussed the plan. "Aeryn and I will go in through the front. Once we've cleared a path, Sargas, you and 0377 will come in after us and find the prisoners. Sargas nodded and turned to gather himself some weapons. "Isn't knocking on the front door a little dangerous? I've seen enough movies to know that." Meryl didn't bother to answer. Seeing his confused expression, Aeryn felt a strange need to provide comfort. "She knows the risk. But it has to be done."

<<<<>>>>

"I suppose another diagnostic check might be necessary." Pilot groaned and began pressing buttons on the console. Since the first day he had been implanted in Moya, there had always been plenty of people to keep him busy. He was all alone now. There was nothing to do now but stare at the wall and run yet another check on the ship. Looking down at a scurrying DRD, Pilot wished to himself that the little contraption knew how to talk. A slight crackling sound caught his attention. It sounded as if one of the comms had been activated. "That's impossible. There's no one else here." But obviously that wasn't true. He had just felt something drop and hit the ground hard on one of the tiers below him.

The freezing cold mist swirled around John's legs and he cursed himself again for not bringing his coat. The chamber reminded him of the diagnosan's lab back on the ice planet. But there was something distinctly more sinister about this place. The walls were lined with glass containers, both large and small. Inside he could see tiny creatures at different stages of development. Some looked Sebacean and the others were anybody's guess. "I think you'll find this very interesting Crichton." Kodetova flipped a switch on the wall and part of it disappeared. John felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He stepped forward and put his hand against the glass. "It can't be."

Pilot felt every footstep as it hit the ground on the way to his chamber. Whoever it was had avoided every attempt he had made to get a view. The comm channel came on again and he heard the faint sound of someone breathing. "Who's there?" He held is breath and tried to quiet Moya down. Her voice kept ringing with alarm inside his head. "If I knew who it was, I wouldn't have asked." Finally the footsteps were at his door. It slid open slowly and he caught a glimpse of a black boot. "Pilot, you alone?" He breathed a huge sigh of relief. Chiana walked up next to him. "What's wrong? You don't look so good."

The creature on the other side of the glass was worse than anything else he had seen in this house of horrors. It was smaller than the length of his arm and yet the face left no doubt. There was a little baby Scorpius staring back at him. "Is it alive?" The doctor chuckled to himself and patted John on the back. "Of course he is. High command is very adamant about this type of situation. Always have an extra." John tapped the glass lightly. Common sense told him otherwise, but he was sure that it had just smiled at him. The man in uniform stepped out from his place in the shadows. "Can we get down to business now Crichton?" John turned towards the man. "What do you want?" The man smiled. "My name is General Chernov and I have a proposition for you."

<<<<>>>>

"They're parasites you know." Aeryn and Meryl stood just outside of the facility's detection range. Both women were covered head to toe in weapons. Each carried a high density energy blaster. Aeryn checked her cartridge and slammed it back into place. "They grab onto you whether you want them to or not. And when they're finished, you've either gone soft or you're dead." Meryl shook her head. "But you love him." Aeryn turned to look at her. "Yes, I do. And I'm beginning to see the same look in your eyes." Meryl turned away. "I don't know." She aimed her gun towards its target and began to walk forward. "Its time."

"There are those of us in High Command who wish to see Peacekeepers cleansed of their imperfections." John smiled devilishly. "You mean Scorpius." The man nodded. "He has the wormhole technology and that makes him very powerful. Too powerful for a person such as myself to challenge him." Both of them knew where this was going. "He has one weakness that we know about. You, John Crichton, are the only man who has ever hurt Scorpius directly." John stood and turned his back to the visitor. "You want me to kill him? Why would I agree to that?" Chernov knew he had the human's attention now. "Because you hate him as much as we do. And, we would also be willing to overlook certain crimes commited by you and your comrads." Before John could respond, he noticed something peculiar. "Hey doc, did that thing just move?" Kodetova moved forward to see. "No, the whole building is moving."

"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK - THIS IS A FULL ALERT." Alarms blared all over the building. Kodetova rushed into security control and brushed past the guard on duty. "What the frell is going on?" The young tek in front of the monitor spoke quickly without taking his eyes from the screen. "There are intruders attacking the building sir." The doctor growled angrily. "How many?" The tek turned slowly towards him with a confused look on his face. "Two." Kodetova pushed him out of the way and checked the camera view. "Meryl?"

Chernov tossed John back into the cell. "If you survive this, Kodetova knows where to reach me." With those words, he turned and left them there. John turned towards his friends. "Crichton, where have you been?" Zhaan stood and started checking over him. D'Argo eyed him carefully. "Did they torture you?" John shook his head. "No, no. They just wanted to talk. Listen we've got bigger problems right now. Someone is attacking the building." Rygel poked his head out from behind the much larger Luxan. "Then get us the frell out of here!"

<<<<>>>>

"Do you see anyone Chiana?" Pilot tried in vain to reach the stubborn Nebari. He had warned her not to go up there. Finally, her voice came through over the comm. "No Pilot, there's no one out here. All the guards are gone." He smiled. "Well then get back inside." He sensed the latch being shut up above him and began preparations.

They were at the doorway now. Or at least what was left of it. The entire front entrance of the facility was burnt and smashed to pieces. "Shall we?" Aeryn nodded to Meryl and the two of them stepped inside. A long corridor awaited them. Large metal pillars made it difficult to see the other end. "There's a metal door at the end of this hallway. If we can get through it, I know the rest of the way." Meryl ran out in front of her companion. Within seconds of her movement, a barrage of energy blasts flew around her. She was stuck behind a pillar. "Um, Aeryn, I think we have a problem." Aeryn pushed herself over to take a look. The door at the other end of the hall had opened. More soldiers than she could count were filing out.

0377 and Sargas watched the commotion from outside. "How does it look?" Sargas pulled on the oculars. "Hold on. I can't see them yet." There was a loud boom and smoke billowed out of the front entrance. They stood from their hiding spot and moved towards the facility. "I'm going to go check on them." 0377 nodded as the older man stepped through the ruined doors. Looking around him, he couldn't help but notice that the area was eerily quiet. Except of course for what was going on inside.

"How many grenades do you have?" Aeryn yelled over to Meryl from her spot behind the rubble. Meryl opened her pack and sifted through the contents. "I've got fifteen." Aeryn pulled out two pulse pistols. "Throw them out." Meryl knew not to ask questions. She did as she was told. In one fluid motion, Aeryn threw herself around the pillar and ran after the bag. The soldiers ahead of her had their guns raised. Thin red lines darted across her body but not a shot was fired. As the bag reached the other end of the hallway, she fired.

Sargas was just getting past the debris when he heard the noise. He rushed inside and found Meryl kneeling up ahead. An immense cloud of smoke filled the rest of the large room. He could see pulse blasts illuminating the inky blackness. "What the frell is she doing?" Meryl motioned for him to join her. "She went out there a few microts ago. I don't know if she made it." The smoke began to dissipate and a strange quiet settled over the room.

Pilot reassured Moya once again that it would be alright. Chiana sat beside him, holding on with all her might to the console. The room began to shake violently. "She pulling at the restraints!" He had barely gotten the words out when a loud snapping sound filled the chamber. "She's free!" The shaking leveled out and Moya began to rise. The next sound they heard was the smashing of glass above their heads. The ship rose out of the facility and into open air. Chiana turned to the distraught Pilot. "What do we do now?"

"That's it!" D'Argo stood up and ran for the glass door. "I will wait no longer." John did not open his mouth. With one quick slam of his fist, D'Argo smashed through the door and stepped outside. He fell into a fighting stance but there was no one to fight. The entire area seemed to be empty. Zhaan and Rygel rushed to his side. John walked out slowly. "You three go get Moya. I have to go pick something up." He turned and ran in the opposite direction. Zhaan looked at D'Argo with confusion. All he could do was shrug.

Aeryn was sure that she had been hit. She found herself lying on the floor, surrounded by bodies in black uniform. Her gun lay just out of reach but it didn't matter. The cartridge inside was dead. She coughed a few times and tried to lift herself up. Blood was trickling from a wound on her leg. "Meryl! Are you alright?" The shout came back quickly. "Yes, and you?" Aeryn lifted herself off the ground and walked back to meet the others. She saw Meryl and Sargas huddled together behind the pillar. "Where's 0377?"

0377 tapped at his comm furiously. He hadn't been sure at first, but then again what else could it be. Moya had risen out the facility and was now hovering above him. "Hey kid, is that you?" He recognized Chiana's teasing voice. "Yes. Are you all up there?" He waited for the reply and started walking towards the front entrance. "We got D'Argo, Zhaan, and Rygel. But John's still inside. How about you?" He looked into the destroyed lobby. "I'll have to get back to you on that."

"That had to have been most of the guards. We should be ok from here." Aeryn, Meryl, and Sargas stood at their hiding spot behind the first pillar. A noise from behind them caught their attention and instantly three guns were drawn. "Hey, its only me!" 0377 stepped out the shadows and joined them. "I have good news." They eyed him suspiciously. Three peacekeepers and a human. "Moya's free. Everyone's onboard except for John. They said he's ok though." Aeryn was immediately concerned. "What do you mean he's not on board?"

John rushed into the chamber and looked around. Everyone seemed to have cleared out in a hurry. He searched the walls frantically until he found it. The small button that Kodetova had pushed. The wall section dissolved to reveal baby scorpy floating in the clear solution. John grabbed the container and lifted it out of its place. The damn thing was heavier than he had anticipated and the creature inside rolled from side to side. "I wouldn't." He froze as he heard the words. Kodetova was standing behind him, pulse rifle in hand.

"I'll go get him." The others stared at Meryl in confusion. Aeryn shook her head angrily. "No. He's my responsibility. I'll get him." Neither woman budged. "Aeryn, I know this place. Let me find him." 0377 put his arm on Aeryn's shoulder. "She's right. You could get lost." Reluctantly, she agreed. "Alright, but don't take too long." She walked back towards the entrance with Sargas in tow. 0377 turned to Meryl. "There's something else isn't there?" She refused to look him in the eye. "I have something personal to finish."

The container sat on the floor next to John's boots. Kodetova walked over and searched him for weapons. "You weren't seriously considering that offer were you?" John stared forward and said nothing. "You'd never get to him. He's smarter than you are." The doctor placed the gun against John's temple. "What was in there that he wanted so-." He froze in mid-sentence. One of the elevators outside had just opened its doors. "Kodetova!" It was a woman's scream. Both men looked at each other with completely different reactions. John smiled wickedly. "Ooh, he's got a problem." Kodetova smacked him hard with the rifle.

The first gun blast very nearly hit John in the head. Kodetova turned towards the sound, leaving John unwatched. A much larger rifle than the doctor's appeared in the doorway. The hand attached to it was Meryl's. She nodded towards John. "Get out of here. They're waiting for you outside." John picked up the container and ran out of the room. Kodetova did not try to stop him. "Its been a long time doctor." Her words were soft but her face wasn't. It was curved into a vicious scowl that would have frightened the bravest man. "I never hurt you Meryl. I took care of you." His words came out meek and flat. "Drop the gun."

0377 was waiting by the door when John stepped out of the elevator. "What the hell is that?" He pointed at the strange creature in the container. John shook his head. "I'll explain later." The younger man looked back towards the elevator. "Where is she?" John stopped. "She's finishing something." 0377 pressed the up button and stepped inside. "Hey, where are you going?" He didn't answer.

Kodetova was pressed against the wall now. The gun lay on the floor, out of his reach. Meryl was advancing slowly. She lifted her rifle up to the height of his head. He closed his eyes. She smashed it into his jaw with enormous ferocity. The force of the blow sent him crashing through the glass shelves he leaned against. Kodetova tasted blood. "This is for fifteen years!" She hit him again and again, eventually knocking him to the ground. His face was covered in blood. He was used to the sight of it after so many years. But not his own. Kodetova's shoulders slumped and he lay still as she continued.

As Meryl lifted herself up again, she saw him. 0377 stood in the small doorway watching the horrific scene with wide eyes. She stared at him, angry that he had to disturb her now. "You're just going to kill him?" He whispered the words but she heard them perfectly. Looking down at the sorry excuse for a man, she dropped the rifle. 0377 held his breath as she walked away from the bloodied thing at her feet. He saw something frightening in her eyes as she walked past him. He turned and followed.

Sargas was waiting for them outside. He led them to a clearing not far from the facility. The two prowlers were waiting there. He jumped into one and 0377 climbed into the other. Meryl stood in front of them. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. There was blood on her hands and she wiped it off on her pants. Looking up, she realized something. Both men were expecting her to leave with them. On one side she saw Sargas, and the familiarity that had been with her always. On the other she saw 0377, and the uncertain. She stepped forward.

"Freeze!" None of them had seen the soldiers approaching from behind. It was too late now. Two of them grabbed Meryl. She had no weapon and their grip on her was strong. She looked back at the two men in fear. "Get out of here!" She shouted it several times but neither budged. The soldiers didn't go after them. They wanted her. Meryl watched on the soldiers pull out his gun. The last thing she saw was it gliding towards her face. Then there was only darkness.