Darkness. She had felt the blow to her face and then nothing. Meryl opened her eyes wearily and tried to stand up. She found herself lying on the floor of a cell. But not like any cell she had ever been in before. The ground was a carpet of dirt and the walls seemed to be made up of different sized stones. There was very little light and a nauseating odor coming from the other side of the room. Something moved off to her right. She caught the shadowy outline but no features.

"So, you're alive." The creature leaning over her was a female. The girl had to be about seventeen or eighteen. Just old enough to carry a pulse rifle. It amused her to think that she had been the one standing over the body more times than she could remember. Now the situation was reversed. "Where am I?" Her throat burned as the words came out. Using what little strength she had, Meryl lifted herself off the ground. "You're in prison. What did you do?" Meryl didn't reply. There was someone else in the room with them. Lying against the far wall. She walked over. "I wouldn't do that!" It was too late. The man was dead. As she moved closer, signs of a savage beating were all over his face. "Alec."

The door slid open slowly and a beam of light cut across the dark room. Meryl and the girl shielded their eyes and moved away. "Bring her forward." A guard in black uniform entered and grabbed Meryl by the neck. He tossed her towards the opening. It took her a few moments to adjust to the light. Dr. Kodetova stood over her. His face was badly bruised and scarred but he was smiling. "Leave us." The guard nodded and stepped outside. Kodetova kneeled and pulled a syringe from his case. "This is to make sure you don't get any ideas." He grabbed her arm and injected the liquid inside. Instantly, she felt her body go numb. The only thing keeping her up was his hand on her back.

"We've known about their weapons stash for some time now. Although we didn't think they'd be stupid enough to try anything." He pointed towards the dead man. "That is, until you came along." She felt the anger swell inside of her again. "You killed them?" Kodetova shook his head and laughed. "Of course not. But examples have to be made. Their leader, and you unfortunately." The anger subsided slightly. A more sickening feeling settled in its place. She was going to die.

<<<<>>>>

0377 watched the village from a hilltop not far away. The oculars that Sargas had lent him gave a perfect view over what was going on. The center building had been destroyed. In its place now stood a large platform. On it sat two black chairs. He shuddered as he pictured what they were for. Each one came with a neck holder attached to the back. He could see needles protruding from the inside of them. They were going to execute someone. His comm crackled to life. It was John. "Hey, are you ready for us yet?" He took one last look down at the village. "Not yet."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn stared at the hideous creature from behind the glass. Her first instinct had been to shoot the thing and move on. But John had not allowed it. She heard him enter from behind. "Did you talk to him?" He nodded. "0377 says to wait a little longer." She frowned. "And you trust his instincts?" John tapped the glass with his finger and then turned to face her. "If you were down there, I wouldn't be messing around."

<<<<>>>>

He pulled his hand away and she hit the ground hard. There was blood in her mouth and the metallic taste made her choke. "You had so much promise Meryl. I am more than a bit disappointed." Kodetova stepped back and closed the door. Darkness filled the room again and her eyes readjusted. The girl was by her side in an instant. "You're Meryl Raynor?" Meryl nodded and closed her eyes. "I heard about you at the academy. You got over a hundred kills in the Curulan conflict!" Memories of bloodshed and chaos resurfaced. With what little strength she could muster, Meryl pushed herself away from the girl and towards the wall.

"They'll be coming for us soon." She awoke to find the girl sitting next to her. Watching her with what seemed to be reverence. "My name is Delia." Meryl looked at her with tired eyes. "What are they killing you for?" Delia looked away in shame. "I'd rather not say. It would lower your opinion of me." Meryl actually laughed at this. "Believe me, nothing you could do at this point would lower my opinion of you." They watched each other carefully. Finally, the younger woman seemed to relax. "I wouldn't kill a child. It was stupid me, but the frelling thing reminded me of my brother." Meryl reached out her hand and put it on the girl's shoulder. "I've done much worse."

<<<<>>>>

Sargas was not with 0377 on the hillside. Meryl Raynor had commited treason. She would pay the price now. He didn't like it. She had been a very important person in his life. He valued her leadership and the relationship they shared. But he could not interfere with peacekeeper commands. Sargas was a soldier. He would stay only to see the deed finished. "You are Lt. Sargas?" The words caught him by surprise. An odd looking man in rags stood in front of him. He recognized him immediately. "You're the Nyid prisoner who escaped." Bob grinned and nodded. "I cannot lie." Sargas smiled back. "So what are you doing here?" Bob reached a hand into his coat. "I've come to kill you."

<<<<>>>>

0377 heard the gunshots and ducked behind a bush. Was it possible that someone had seen him? He didn't think so. He pulled his own gun out and looked back towards the village. The farm workers were all assembled outside. Guards corralled them around the center platform. 0377 noted that there were not that many guards. From his spot on the hill, he counted ten. Tapping his comm, he said "It's almost time." Standing up, he ran down towards the village as quietly as humanly possible.

<<<<>>>>

The footsteps grew louder as they approached the cell. Meryl tensed up immediately as she spotted the boots in the small space between the door and the ground. Delia noted this as well. She turned to Meryl with her strong face gone. "I don't want to die like this." Meryl hugged her. "I'll be right beside you." She felt warm liquid touch her skin. The girl was weeping into her chest. The door crashed open loudly and a pair of soldiers barged in. Meryl stood and brought Delia up with her. "Will you go peacefully?" The question seemed odd coming from a man holding a pulse rifle. She nodded.

Delia was shaking as they exited the tiny hut and into the dry outdoors. The sun was shining brightly and it blinded them. Meryl turned to her companion. "Give me your hand." The girl was confused at first but quickly complied. Hand in hand they walked slowly towards the center platform where Kodetova was waiting. They both saw the chairs. A basic execution device. Meryl had seen it done before. You sit down and the operator pushes the needle forward and into your neck. The kill shot acts quickly. Delia's hand was sweating. "You're a peacekeeper. Die like one." Meryl heard her mutter the words again and again. She told herself the same thing.

As they reached the platform, Kodetova shook his head. Meryl stared right back at him without flinching. She wouldn't let him see her cry. Delia was ripped from her grasp and pushed into a chair. Then it was her turn. They sat side by side. Meryl reached for Delia's hand again and the frightened girl took it. They held on to each other firmly as the operators prepared behind them. Meryl closed her eyes and whispered to herself. "A peacekeeper must die with dignity." She clenched her teeth. "I will not cry out."

Her thoughts turned to all that she was leaving behind. She remembered the first time she had stood on the bridge of the Hyperion. The first time she had seen it in action. The ceremony where High Command had added the word captain to her title. Then she saw him. The human stared back at her in her thoughts. The innocent face that had ended her career. The strange emotion she had felt when he touched her shoulder in the cell. "Frell." She tried to hate him with everything she had but it wasn't enough. Meryl was going to miss the pathetic little creature.

"Ready." One the operators had spoken. She couldn't tell which one. Kodetova walked in between the two women. "Proceed." A low electronic hum began sounding from one of the chairs. Delia cried out in pain as the needle pierced her skin. "Meryl?" She heard her name but did not dare to open her eyes. The grip on her hand tightened for a moment and then went limp. Meryl could not hold the tears back any longer. She felt one trickle down her cheek as something hit the ground and brushed her foot. "I'm going to enjoy this Meryl." He whispered the words into her ear. She tried to hit him but her arms were fastened to the chair. The needle burst into her neck.

Meryl opened her eyes momentarily and saw Kodetova smiling back at her. The sun burned brightly behind him. She tried to spit but her mouth held no saliva. She closed her eyes to block the light but something beat her to it. A shadow blocked out the sun for a moment before passing over her. She felt her hair fly up around her face. The wind had picked up. Angry shouts could be heard around her. An immense roar came from above and the sound of footsteps slamming against dirt. She couldn't help herself. Meryl opened her eyes.

The area around the platform was deserted. Soldiers and villagers alike had run off. Kodetova was nowhere to be found. Meryl leaned forward and felt the needle slide slowly out of her neck. She didn't know if the kill shot had been injected yet. Someone stepped in between the sun and her. A hand reached out and touched her cheek. "I'm not too late am I?" Despite the overwhelming pain she felt, Meryl smiled. 0377 began pulling the restraints off. "Sorry." He stopped and looked at her. She tumbled forward and into his arms. Without the restraints to hold her up, she slid down and hit the ground. He stood over her body. "Meryl?" She did not respond.

"It's too late for the both of you, boy." 0377 turned to find Kodetova standing behind him with pulse rifle aimed. "You're ship has my entire squadron chasing after it. But I did not stray too far." Without another word, he fired point blank at 0377's head. The body dropped down next to one he had come to rescue. Kodetova stood over the two with a satisfied grin on his face. The moment of triumph ended quickly. A footstep caught the doctor's attention. "Its you." Bob nodded to him and stepped forward. He looked down at the bodies. "You were given instructions doctor." He ripped the gun out of Kodetova's hand. "These lives were not yours to take." There was a flash of light from Bob's side and Kodetova fell to the ground dead.

<<<<>>>>

A foul odor tore him away from the dream. Tom found himself lying in a pile of trash bags and smelly rain water. The broken pieces of a fire escape lay beside him. He looked around and realized what had happened. He had fallen from the roof. Putting his hand to his forehead, Tom felt something warm. His hand was covered with blood. The sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention. His mother walked out from behind the trash bins. "Tom, what the hell are you doing out here! You haven't been here all night have you?" The look of anger changed to concern. She stepped over him and leaned down. "Mom, what are you doing?" She slapped him hard.

She pulled herself from the deep sleep. Meryl was laying on a small cot in Moya's infirmary. Zhaan stood over her with a wet cloth. "Am I dead?" The blue woman smiled warmly. "No quite. Though it did take quite a while for all those depressants to wear off." She thought back to the shot that Kodetova had given her in the cell. "Very potent." Zhaan's words were soothing. Meryl turned her head to look around the room. 0377 lay in the cot next to hers. She saw the bandage on his head. "Is he dead?" She did not want to hear the answer. This time Zhaan's expression was not as pleasant. "We hope so."

Meryl stood up carefully and moved to his side. She had been waiting long enough. "Wake up." She spoke the words softly and he did not respond. "Wake up!" Louder now but still no response. She waited for Zhaan to leave the room and then slapped him hard. "Mom, what the-." He shook violently and covered his face with his hands. She tried to steady him as best she could. "0377, it's me, Meryl." He looked at her strangely. "My name's not zero-three-. Who are you?" She stared at him angrily as he babbled incoherently. There had to be some way to shut him up. She leaned forward and kissed him. He blinked several times. "Oh, right." He lifted himself up and sat beside her.

<<<<>>>>

2 HOURS LATER:

John sat in between the neural clusters with one of the sensors that Pilot had given him. "What are you doing?" Aeryn walked in and knelt beside him. He turned away from his work. "I'm just checking Moya's integral systems to make sure nothing was damaged during starburst." She smiled. "So you're not calling it a wormhole." He put down the device. "Moya can't tell where the wormhole will take us. We could try it a thousand times without ever finding Earth." She leaned forward but stopped when Zhaan entered the room. The usually calm woman seemed annoyed. "What's the problem blue?" She turned to them. "I need my lab John. They've been in there for almost two arns now." He looked at Aeryn.

They stood outside the lab. The door was shut and locked. John shook his head. "I can't believe this." Aeryn was confused. "What do you mean?" He knocked on the door gently. "They've known each other for what, a few weeks?" He saw her angry expression and shut up. "I don't understand what would bother you about them-." She stopped herself. "Oh." John tried not to look at her. Aeryn didn't let it go. "You can't be sure that they're doing that." He motioned for her to come closer. "Listen." She put her ear to the door and blushed involuntarily. John smiled triumphantly. She turned to him. "I guess some people have to be more patient than others." Without saying another word, she turned and left.