Downward Spiral

By Donnie Thomas

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PART I

John Crichton stood alone on the terrace, looking out absentmindedly at the
stars. For once, he did not pay any attention to the fact that he was looking at
unfamiliar space. Even though it was late onboard Moya and everyone else was
asleep, the Human was very restless, still dressed in the new Peace Keeper
clothes he had taken to wearing, he had started aimlessly walking along Moya's
corridors and ended up on the terrace.

In the past few weeks things had gone from bad to worse for the crew of Moya,
everyone was already walking around on eggshells after what happened with
Tral'tixx. Then Mauldis had to show up and start playing with everyone's head.
That combined with the bombshell about Aeryn and Velorek really had the human's
emotions in turmoil.

"How the hell do we keep getting into these situations?" Crichton asked aloud,
not noticing that Aeryn had entered the terrace and was now watching him
silently.

"Just look at me." John laughed as he ran a gloved hand through his hair "Here
it is the middle of the night, and I'm standing out here worrying about all the
dren we always seem to get into. I just don't get it."

Crichton stiffened suddenly as a chilling voice called out, mocking him. "It's
because you're weak Crichton." Scorpius said as he moved to stand beside the
Human. "A weak, inferior Human, I see it, the others see it too. Why can't you?"

From her vantage point Aeryn's eyes widened in shock as she saw Crichton whirl
around to face the other side of the room, drawing two pulse pistols from behind
his back. She was about to ask him what the frell he was doing, but his next
words stopped her cold.

John couldn't believe it, how had Scorpius gotten aboard Moya undetected? He
took a step away and turned around to face Scorpius, drawing his pulse pistols
and pointing them at the Scarren's chest.

"What the hell are you doing here Scorpy? How did you get aboard Moya?" Crichton
became enraged when the alien just laughed at him. "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!"
screamed Crichton as he unloaded his pulse pistols into Scorpius' chest.

"How did you get aboard Moya? Tell me now or I'll…." John stopped, looking as if
he'd just woken from a deep sleep. He stared at the wall in horror; he had
completely charred the surface, and no sign of Scorpius!

*My God, I'm losing my mind* John thought as he quickly holstered his blasters
and ran from the terrace, never noticing Aeryn's pleas for him to stop.

PART II

Aeryn ran through Moya's darkened corridors, frantically trying to catch up to
Crichton. He disappeared down a side corridor and she lost him. "Come on John,
let me talk to you." She called out after she was able to catch her breath. Only
silence greeted her. She paced back and forth impatiently, trying to think of a
way to draw the Human out when suddenly she heard him cry out in terror.

Aeryn ran down to the end of the corridor and entered a small weapons locker,
there she found Crichton balled up on the far corner, shivering and whimpering
like a terrified child. As Aeryn slowly moved towards the frightened Human he
looked up at her with red rimmed, bloodshot eyes.

"S-Stay away from me!" John screamed, pulling out his blaster and pointing it at
her. "I'm warning you, whoever you are stay away." He whispered, barely
maintaining control of his shaking hand.

Aeryn stopped dead in her tracks; it broke her heart to see the state he was in.
Sure, they had all been wound pretty tight these past two weeks, but John had
been even more affected by what had happened then she or the others.

All at once, it hit her, it wasn't just the events of the past two weeks, it was
everything that had happened to him since he'd been here piled on top of each
other. Scorpius' Aurora Chair had started to unravel his control and everything
since then had added more and more pressure.

*And now* she realized, *his mind just can't handle the strain anymore and he's
slipping away right before my eyes.*

Aeryn cautiously squatted down so that she was eye level with Crichton and
slowly held out her hand. "It's all right John, I won't hurt you. I want to help
you, please give me the blaster."

"NO!!" John screamed, backing further into the corner. "You stay away from me!"
His gun arm jerking wildly with his efforts to get away from the Sebacean woman.

By now, Aeryn realized that the chaken oil in his pulse pistol was depleted.
With a swift jab of her left hand; she knocked the blaster from his grasp while
holding him against the wall with her right forearm across his chest. "Relax
John," she whispered, trying to stop his wild thrashing under her. "You're safe
here, I'm your friend." She soothed.

He looked at her, no recognition in his troubled eyes, and suddenly he went limp
in her arms, slumping back into the wall. Aeryn held him for a moment, running
her fingers through his hair while she tried to keep her own tears from falling.

After regaining her composure, Aeryn activated her communicator. "D'argo, meet
me on Tier 16, I need help with Crichton."

The Luxan's angry growl came back over the comm. "What the frell is going on
Aeryn, do you know what time it is?"

Aeryn suppressed a sigh of annoyance, "I'm perfectly aware of the time D'argo"
she snapped, "now get down here and help me get Crichton to Zhaan's lab." After
a few moments she heard D'argo growl "I'll be right there."

Zhaan was waiting for them when they entered the lab, D'argo carrying Crichton
while Aeryn followed closely behind.

"What happened to him?" Zhaan asked as D'argo gently laid the unconscious Human
down on a bed.

"I don't know." Aeryn bit out, obviously frustrated and worried. "I was walking
along when I heard a sound coming from the terrace. I stopped and looked in the
entryway and saw John standing there looking out at the stars. I decided to go
in and see what he was doing, but he started talking to himself."

Aeryn stopped for a moment and closed her eyes trying to compose herself. "All
of a sudden, his face became pale with fright and he turned to face the wall,
drawing two pulse pistols and saying something about Scorpius being onboard
Moya."

At this, both D'argo and Zhaan turned concerned eyes toward each other, and
Zhaan laid a gentle hand on John's forehead. "Go on Aeryn." The Delvian
whispered, knowing there was more to hear.

Aeryn nodded, "He started talking like Scorpius was in the room having a
conversation with him. Then he became enraged and emptied both pulse pistols
into the wall, he must have thought that he was shooting at Scorpius."

D'argo growled, clearly agitated. "No one would blame Crichton for wanting to
kill that piece of dren."

Zhaan gave the Luxan a hard look. "We are not blaming John for his actions
D'argo, but that is totally out of character John to act so violently." D'argo
nodded in agreement before turning back to Aeryn "What happened next?"
Aeryn looked to the floor as she continued, "After he had stopped shooting he
looked confused, as if he had just woken from a dream. He stood staring at the
wall for a moment, then he ran from the terrace. I chased him to Tier 16 and
cornered him in a weapons locker."

She looked up and both Zhaan and D'argo could see the pain in her eyes, she
cleared her throat and continued. "When I found him he was curled up in the
corner crying and whimpering, and when I tried to get closer he pulled his
blaster on me."

Now it was Zhaan's turn to interrupt, "He pulled a blaster on you?" the Delvian
asked incredulously.

Aeryn sighed in annoyance, "Yes, he pulled his blaster on me. He….He didn't
recognize me, he didn't know who I was. I was able to surprise him and disarm
him, that's when he passed out and I called D'argo."

No one said anything for a few moments, each lost in his or her own thoughts.
Finally Zhaan broke the uncomfortable silence. "I think we should all get some
rest. I've given John a sedative that should keep him asleep until morning."

Aeryn and D'argo nodded, then they followed Zhaan out, all they could do now was
wait.

PART III

Crichton's eyes snapped open and he rolled off the bunk to land on the floor of
the infirmary in a heap, head bouncing off the floor. Still dizzy and
disoriented, it took the confused Human a few moments to figure out where he
was.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Crichton asked aloud, wincing as his head
started to throb painfully. Stumbling towards the exit, Crichton palmed the door
open and started down the corridor, heading towards his quarters.

He reached the entrance to his cell just in time, as his legs suddenly gave out
underneath him. *What's happening to me?* John thought as he pulled himself
through the door with his arms, finally collapsing beside his bunk. *Maybe I
should have stayed in the Infirmary…* was the Human's last thought before
darkness claimed him.

Aeryn woke early, despite the late night before, and hurriedly dressed so she
could go check on Crichton. Walking into the Infirmary, Aeryn froze in her
tracks and swore under her breath as she spotted the empty bunk that several
arns before had contained a certain unconscious human.

"Pilot, do you know where Crichton is?" Aeryn asked as she walked further into
the room to stand beside the bunk.

Bending down to inspect a small pool of blood on the floor, the Sebacean became
increasingly nervous *Frell that Human! What has he done now?* Aeryn thought as
she put the tip of her index finger in the blood.

Pilot's image appeared in the viewscreen imbedded in the far wall, "Sensors show
that Commander Crichton is in his quarters, but he is not responding to my
attempts to communicate."

Aeryn swore again as she ran towards Crichton's quarters, fighting down the urge
to panic, she quickly hit her comm badge. "Zhaan, meet me in Crichton's
quarters, I think he is injured, he is not answering his communicator."

Aeryn thought she heard what might have been a Delvian curse before Zhaan
answered, "I'm on my way." And cut communication.

Aeryn arrived at the entrance to Crichton's cell and cautiously entered the
room, not wanting a repeat performance of the night before. What she found made
her heart constrict with horror, Crichton lay prone on the floor beside his
bunk, blood oozing from a gash across his temple.

Aeryn rushed to his side and carefully placed his head in her lap, dabbing at
the cut on his head with her shirt. "What the frell did you do to yourself
Crichton?" she snapped, trying unsuccessfully to bury her concern for the Human
with anger.

Zhaan entered the room a few moments later, and when she saw the state John was
in, she immediately knelt down at his side, placing a hand over his forehead and
closing her eyes. "What happened to him?" Zhaan asked as she looked up at Aeryn.

"I don't know, he was like this when I found him." The Sebacean woman replied,
her eyes never leaving John's face. Suddenly Aeryn stood, and in a gruff voice
said, "Come on, let's get him into his bunk."

Together the two females hauled Crichton up and laid him on his bunk, "You stay
with him, I shall go get something to treat his head wound." Zhaan said as she
covered John with a blanket.

Aeryn just nodded as she watched the Delvian leave the room.

EPILOGUE

The next few days were tense aboard Moya as everyone waited for Crichton to
regain consciousness. After Zhaan had healed John's head wound, D'argo had
carried him back to the infirmary so that Zhaan could monitor his vital signs.

Zhaan was deeply concerned by what she had saw when she had joined with Crichton
to try to communicate with him. A jumble of horrible images and feelings of
dread had threatened to overwhelm her, after she had come back into herself, she
had begun to work on a plan to heal his fragile psyche.

There was no question in Zhaan's mind that the crew of Moya would all have to
work together if they wanted to save the Human's sanity. She only hoped that
they were not too late.

TO BE CONTINUED…