itsallovernow | Chapter 9 A

Let's get this out of the way and say it's a cheat. I'd finish 9B, but I have to go teach unexpectedly. Also, this part is just killing me. I know what I want to have happen, but it's taking way too frelling long.

Also, I'm breaking with tradition. This is in two POV's.

Chapter Nine

Anix tried to stay silent, tried not to let the heavy panting breaths give her away to the potential enemy. Her heart pounded in her chest so forcefully that she was sure it was making her shirt thump with it. She bit down her rising panic, concentrated on the myriad lessons given to her over the years. Find a secure spot, contact your superior, stay calm, stay focused, stay alive. She ran through the streets, darting from shop to shop, from pile of rubble to abandoned dwelling. The crunch of debris sounded impossibly loud to her, and she willed her boots to be quieter. She knew she shouldn’t go too fast; she’d get lost or worse, draw attention to herself.

She had been afraid before, the tangy bitterness of fear a familiar companion, but those incidents had been nothing compared to this. Even the back of the Scarran had been menacing, it’s height and bulk far greater than Crichton’s, the leathery protection of it’s hide an obvious advantage. Sending her away had been a calculated risk. There could easily be other Scarrans around, but she was undoubtedly more adept at hiding, had been trained since birth to do so, and they both knew that he couldn’t protect her. She was ashamed of leaving him there, but the practical side of her nature agreed that this was the only option for both of them. She couldn't remember feeling so alone.

She again tried to subdue her breathing, calm her erratic heartbeat and listen for other signs of danger. Hearing none, she crept across a deserted street into an empty building. Tucking herself down into a corner, far below the level of the windows, she tapped her com badge, and tried to call for help. Her voice was choked and squeaking and she dug her nails into her palms, drawing blood, willing herself to calm down. She took a deep breath and hit the badge again.

“Mother? D’Argo? Teyvn?” There was no response, and she repeated her actions, fighting against the rising inflection in her voice, unwilling to betray her terror.

“Mother? Mother!” her voice was shrill and frantic, and when Aeryn and D’Argo simultaneously responded with shouts of her name, she sighed in relief.

“Anix, what is it?” Aeryn asked sharply.

Struggling against her wavering vocal chords, she tried to tell her. “We’re in town, away from the city center. There’s a Scarran and I think he’s got John.”

She tightened herself further into the corner, pressing her back up against the wall. She wanted to cry again but knew this was too important. She could hear the muffled, indistinguishable curses of Luxan rage in the background, followed by Aeryn’s bellowed order to shut up.

“Are you safe?” her mother demanded.

“I think so. John made me run as soon as we saw the Scarran.”

Aeyrn muttered, “Frelling human.” and then D’Argo’s booming voice came through. “I have your position Anix. Stay where you are if you can.”

She nodded, and then realizing they couldn’t see her, said, “All right.”

“Anix,” her mother’s voice was emotionless. “Did you see any other Scarrans, any evidence that there was a striker patrol?”

She thought about it for a moment, tried to recreate the scene, remember things from their walk through the city and finally had to reply, “No, but I didn’t really look, I just tried to get away. I wanted to stay…” her voice trailed off.

“No,” Aeryn insisted, “Crichton did the right thing. He’ll be alright, love.”

The endearment triggered the silent stream of tears that Anix had been holding at bay, but she just said.

“He’s only got a pulse pistol, and I don’t know what happened to him.”

“We’ll find you, and then we’ll find him.” She replied in her don’t frell with me, I’m the Captain voice. Anix couldn’t imagine even the Scarran arguing with her mother at this point. She swiped the tears away with the back of her hand, and rolled back her shoulders. Hearing her mother and D’Argo, knowing they were on their way had soothed her panic.

“ A soldier doesn’t cry,” she said quietly to herself, glad her mother wasn’t there to see her unchecked fear. “A soldier does what she needs to do.”

She unholstered her pulse pistol, it’s weight in her grip an additional comfort, and waited.
***
Tyno’s infinitely reasonable voice woke him up. “We thought you were going to sleep all day, Crichton.”

John was hot and groggy. His eyes were sticky as he forced them open and his head rang like a bell.

Tyno was sitting in a chair next to his bed and the chamber was brightly lit. It seemed like the sun was streaming in, but he didn’t remember there being in windows in his quarters in the Palace. He forced himself to sit up, wincing at the pain in his head, and looked around. He was naked, lying in a rumpled bed with white cotton sheets. He scrubbed at his eyes, scratching through his hair.

“Dude,” he asked, trying to rid his mouth of the tinny morning taste “ what the frell was I up to last night.”

Tyno got up, pushing John back down. “You were in an accident,” he answered. “Let me go get the doctor. Everyone will want to know you’re awake.”

John sank back down into the bed, throwing his arms out and groaning. He felt like he’d been hit by a Mack truck. He must have dozed off because another voice woke him up, light and soft, full of worry accompanied by the feeling of a body settling beside him on the bed.

“John, thank god, we were afraid that something was really wrong.”

He wrenched his eyes open again and saw Katralla sitting next to him. Her blond curls danced around her face, and she wore a white sundress and an expression of concern. She picked up his hand, holding it in her smaller ones, and he tightened his fingers around hers.

“You’re okay?” he whispered, shocked. He couldn’t even begin to process this.

“John, I’m fine.”

“The baby?” he choked out, afraid to ask. She shook her head, and he tightly shut his eyes again. “John, we don’t have a baby anymore,” she said softly, clutching his hand more tightly.

“I know, honey. I’m so sorry.”

She sounded scared when she replied to that, her nails digging into his flesh. “John, are you okay? The doctor said that you might be a little disoriented, but I’m getting worried.”

He opened his eyes yet again and struggled to sit up. The heat was making him feel sluggish and dizzy.
He laid his other hand over hers. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what you’d want to do. We never talked about this.”

“John stop it,” she said, jerking her hands away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps and then a body barreled onto the bed wrapping around him. All he was aware of was dark hair and long limbs and the muffled whoosh of someone shouting “Dad”, as he was hugged fiercely.

Katralla chuckled in relief. “Anna, he’s still recovering. Let him go.”

She sat back and he looked wide eyed into the bright blue gaze of Anix Sun.

“She hasn’t been a baby for a very long time,” Katralla added, reaching forward to stroke the girl’s hair away from her face. “I know Jack would love it if we had more, but you my dear, are trouble enough.”

John’s stomach lurched and scooted back as far as possible on the bed, trying to take the sheet with him.

“What the fuck is going on,” he demanded.

Katralla stood up and instinctively grabbed Anix, yanking her off the bed. Anix just rolled her eyes, and unfolded her long limbs, shaking off Katralla’s grip.

“Jesus Mom, overreact much?”

She leaned forward and to kiss John’s cheek. “He’s just disoriented. He’s been out for days. But Dad,you better get dressed. Everyone in the whole freaking state of Florida is here to see you.”

She walked by Katralla, giving John a full view of her outfit and he pulled the sheet up further, the sweat pouring off him. Painted on jeans, a tank top and flip flops were definitely not on the what’s hot list of the UT’s and he started to shake.

Katralla gave him a small smile and said with a sigh, “She’s right. There’s a houseful of people here, including the woman who found you. She just stopped by to see if you were all right, but I figured she might as well hang out with the crowd.”
She looked down at him, and gently stroked his hair. “Do you feel like getting up?”

John nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take a shower. Get dressed.”

She bent down, repeating Anix’s motion, kissing him on the cheek and left. As soon as the door closed, John sprang out of bed, ignoring the pain and stiffness, and bolted to the door. There was no lock, and he turned, bracing it with his back and looked around. There were windows, yellow sun pouring over the pale furnishings of the room. It looked nothing like his quarters on the Royal Planet, but was still familiar and he felt the roiling anger building up.

“Okay you bastards,” he yelled, looking at the ceiling. “Game over. This ends now.”