Survivor 2: The Arrival
By ISIS
Disclaimer and Notes: See pt 1
The contestants moved slowly, cautiously out of the automated transport that had brought them to the derelict freighter where the contest was to take place. Already, hovering vidcams recorded every move. A vidcam had been assigned to film each participant. There were also several others hovering nearby to take in the entire group from various angles. Fulax was set on getting the most footage from his assembled players.
"Crew quarters are down this way," Aeryn said, pointing down a corridor strewn with debris.
"And how do you know that, PeaceKeeper?" the Scarran G'Maz snarled.
Aeryn ignored his hostility, keeping her voice neutral. "This is a standard Bateem class freighter. They're all laid out the same way."
"She's right," A'Nara piped up. The Scarran glared at the Zenetan. "My gang captured many for their cargoes," she boasted, ignoring his hostility
G'Maz merely growled and followed the rest of them out of the wrecked docking bay. John waited until the Scarran had left then grabbed up his own knapsack and followed the others. Ahead of him, he saw Aeryn slip in beside the Tavloid. *Tavlek*, he automatically corrected himself, grinning as he heard his crewmates's exasperated voices in his mind.
"What's so funny, Human?" a voice hissed in his ear. John found himself staring into the glittering black eyes of the Scorvian. He shuddered to think about the genetic process required to turn a vaguely insect-like Scorvian, with its external skeleton and three-eyed face with bone-crushing mandibles on either side of the more human-looking mouth into the Illonic-looking Matala.
"Nothing. It's personal," John replied, trying to project an air of confidence and danger. The Scorvian hissed again and brushed past him roughly. John let the breath he had been holding escape in a sigh of relief.
Aeryn walked cautiously beside the young, seemingly inexperienced Tavlek. He appeared about the same age as the boy they had captured aboard Moya when Rygel had been kidnapped -- perfect for putting her plan into action. Aeryn glanced at his forearms, exposed by the ragged tunic he wore under his rough homespun cape. The Tavlek caught her glance and returned it with a grimace of suspicion on his ugly scarred face. "No Gauntlet, I see," she commented.
Under his metallic helmet, the Tavlek's face darkened. Aeryn could not tell if it was in anger or embarrassment. "What do you know of Gauntlets?" he demanded.
"Well, I've encountered your kind before. And defeated them, I might add. I've even worn a Gauntlet. A formidable weapon, but too unpredictable."
The Tavlek Greshak growled ominously. "So why are you telling me this, PeaceKeeper?"
Aeryn looked suggestively over at the Human. "Because I know that the Tavleks are honourable. They do not believe in cheating. And I want this to be a fair contest."
Greshak followed her eyes and gazed at the frail-looking Human. Then he turned back to her. Aeryn wished she could see his eyes but they were concealed under the metallic helmet he wore like an external skull. "You believe the Human will cheat?"
Aeryn looked at John and then away. "No, not cheat exactly, but Fulax said his race invented this game. Don't you think that gives him an undue advantage?"
The Tavlek looked back at the Human who had now noted their interest in him. The Illonic and the Nebari were also watching the conversation between the PeaceKeeper and the Tavlek with great interest. John tried to keep his face neutral, but his thoughts were racing. *What the hezmana is she up to?* he wondered.
"So what do you propose, PeaceKeeper?" Greshak snarled. "Kill him?"
Aeryn smiled unpleasantly, "With all these cameras recording it? I don't think so. Why don't we use the game against him. Tonight, at the gathering, we vote him off. Then it will leave a more equal contest."
Greshak stared at her, then his mangled mouth spread into a grin. "I didn't think PeaceKeepers could be so devious."
"I'm not your average PeaceKeeper," she hissed before moving off. She walked on, leading the group towards the crew quarters. Glancing back she noted the Nebari move forward and begin to speak to the Tavlek. Soon they were both looking back at John, much to his discomfort. He turned and raised an eyebrow at Aeryn, but she ignored his attempt to communicate. Her plan appeared to be working. John would be voted off and safely returned to Moya before the night was out.
When they reached the relatively undamaged crew quarters, the contestants all chose a room for themselves, each eyeing the others suspiciously, watching to see if there was a reason for the choice made that would give the chooser an advantage. Aeryn tried hard to ignore the fact that John had chosen the room next to hers, attempting to make it look random. Finally they all backed into their quarters and proceeded to hide their belongings. Aeryn saw her assigned vidcam try to follow her into her quarters. She glared at the hovering camera and deliberately slammed the door shut, grinning in satisfaction as she heard the intrusive machine knock against the door in futility.
Once in her quarters, Aeryn looked around the room carefully. The cell was fairly standard, buried deep within the freighter, away from the outer hull. Aeryn went over to examine the bulkhead which showed a great deal of corrosion and decay. The bunk, nothing more than an offshoot of the bulkhead, was bare, without mattress or blanket. Aeryn dug around in her knapsack and pulled out a thermal blanket. She checked the rest of the supplies she had been given, then, like the others, distributed them in hiding places around her quarters, making it harder for anyone to find all of them, though the room did not allow for any particularly inaccessible or perfect hiding places.
Just as she had finished stashing her supplies, Aeryn heard a curious scraping sound coming from the wall that separated her room from the one John had chosen. Aeryn immediately drew her pulse pistol and moved carefully toward the sound. The wall seemed to pulse and throb outward. Aeryn spun away and leaned back against the bulkhead beside it, aiming at whatever was coming through. Suddenly the wall flopped inwards, leaving a gaping hole. A brown-haired head popped through. John saw Aeryn up against the wall, her gun drawn, and grinned. "Hi there, neighbour!"
Aeryn closed her eyes in despair, then reached down and roughly hauled her Human crewmate into the room. "What the frell do you think you're doing?"
John looked at her furious face and smiled sheepishly. "I thought it would be better to keep in touch without the others knowing."
"And what if one of them comes in here and sees that? They will know we're working together!"
"And are we, Aeryn?" John countered. "What was all that earlier with the Tavloid -- er Tavlek?" he corrected quickly, seeing the fire in her eyes. When she refused to answer him, John sighed. "Look, Aeryn, I know you're angry with me for crashing the party, but I couldn't let you do this alone. Some of these guys are scary. Have you seen Zenya's eyes? She's insane! And what about the Scarran? You've told me what they do to Sebaceans." He saw Aeryn raise her head and gaze at him, some of her anger gone, replaced by worry. He smiled gently and touched her cheek. "Hey, don't worry. We're a team -- Butch and Sundance -- together again. We'll win this contest then keep all the money for ourselves and drive Rygel out of his mind." He finally saw Aeryn smile slightly at the image. He traced over her smiling lips with his thumb. "That's better." He gave her a boyish grin. "So, are you still mad at me?"
Aeryn's eyes flashed but before she could answer, there was a blood-curdling scream from out in the corridor. Both Aeryn and Crichton sprang into action, racing out into the passageway with guns drawn. Two doors down from them, Zenya poked her head out of her quarters. She noted the fact that the Human and the Sebacean were coming out of the same room with a smirk, then she too focussed on the commotion at the other end of the hall.
At the far end of the corridor, the Tavlek Greshak was screaming and thrashing around, fighting desperately to throw off the small creatures that were clinging to him. His face and hands were already covered in blood. His legs were buried under the creatures, which were about the size of Aeryn's hand. They were shrieking with a high-pitched squeal as they literally attempted to devour the hapless Tavlek alive, tearing through his leggings to rip off chunks of his flesh. All the contestants stood in shock for a microt then Aeryn raced down the corridor followed by John. She adjusted the setting on her pulse gun to the lowest and began to pick the creatures off Greshak, firing carefully so as not to hit him. John fired at the creatures on the floor. The Illonic and the Zenetan both followed John's lead, firing at the wave after wave of ravenous creatures. But they just seemed to keep coming. When Aeryn had shot the last creature menacing Greshak, she pulled him behind her, where he stumbled and went down in a pool of blood. Then she joined the others firing at the creatures.
"Out of the way!" the young Sheyang ordered, pushing through the others roughly. He stood in the middle of the corridor, breathing deeply several times, then he breathed out, spraying the creatures with fire. They squealed again and finally retreated, flowing back into the hole in the bulkhead through which they had poured into the passageway. The contestants listened in horror as what seemed to be thousands of the creatures scurried through the walls around them. The group was frozen in a tableau, waiting for the next attack, but soon the scurrying stopped and it was silent except for the moans of pain from Greshak and the soft whirring of the hovering vidcams that had recorded the battle. John caught Aeryn's eye in horror then looked at the Tavlek. Aeryn holstered her gun and dropped to her knees beside the Delvian and the Nebari who were already trying to stop his bleeding. John looked around him and saw the Scarran and the Scorvian exchange significant glances, then turn back into their side-by-side quarters.
John stood watching Aeryn help the Delvian and Nebari bandage Greshak's extensive injuries. He heard the Illonic, the Zenetan and the Sheyang move forward without a word. The Human turned to the Sheyang and smiled. "Thanks, Bron is it? I don't think we would have defeated those things without you." He watched the Sheyang's amphibious eyes blink, the lids closing vertically.
The alien relaxed somewhat. "You're welcome, Human," he replied deeply. Then John turned to the others. "What the hezmana were those things?" He picked up one of the dead ones gingerly and studied it. It was made up primarily of row upon row of razor sharp teeth. There were no eyes, just a jaw, powerful jaw muscles and four short clawed legs attached to a body that seemed to be all stomach and digestive tract, as the gaping wound in the side of the one John held revealed.
The Illonic woman shook her head in confusion but the Zenetan looked at the others, then down at Greshak with a shudder. "I think they're called Phageri. They are mindless, collective raptors. They were originally developed as omnivores by scientists on the planet Ataliff to solve their garbage problem. But they devolved back into the carnivorous creatures from which they had been genetically mutated." The Zenetan A'Nara shuddered again.
"So what happened to Ataliff? I've been all over the Uncharted Territories and I've never heard of it," Bron asked, his voice raspy after his fire-breathing.
A'Nara stared at the Sheyang as if the answer were obvious. "Their creation devoured them. And everything on the planet. It's now known as Deomai, the barren world." The Sheyang's eyes widened in shocked recognition, then he too shuddered.
"Great! Just great!" John said. "So now we have *Alien* and *Piranha* all rolled into one!"
The others looked at him with something akin to hatred. "What are you complaining about, Human! Your race invented this game!" Ramala snarled, then turned and marched off down the corridor, her tentacles flying.
John looked at the others guiltily then crouched down beside Aeryn. "So how is he?"
The Delvian's red eyes met his. For a microt, John thought he saw white-blue lucidity, then the eyes reddened again. "He is badly injured. He needs better medical treatment than we can provide. He needs to get off this derelict!" She looked at the others, her meaning crystal clear. The Zenetan, the Sheyang and the Nebari all nodded in understanding. Zenya turned her red gaze on John, who nodded as well. He saw Aeryn refuse to meet the eyes of the others, standing and helping Hedyona carry Greshak back to his quarters. Zenya looked after them then back at the Human, a look of speculation in her eyes. John avoided her gaze and headed back down to his quarters, to await the first call to the central chamber and the first vote.
***************
"So explain this to me again," D'Argo growled. "How does Aeryn win the money?"
Chiana sighed and patiently began to outline the rules again. "Every night, the contestants get together and vote against one member of the group. The one who gets the most votes gets booted off the derelict. That goes on until there are only two of them left. Then the audience votes and chooses the one they want to win the million credits."
"And if there's a tie, who decides?" Pilot asked.
"The viewers," Chiana replied.
"So you're telling me that we're counting on Aeryn to win what is basically a popularity contest?" Rygel exclaimed. "If I'd known that I never would have wagered money on her!" The rest of his crewmates looked at him in horror. "What?" he asked in seeming innocence. "The money she wins will already be spent on Crichton and D'Argo's son. Why shouldn't I profit a bit as well?" Rygel asked, his earbrows rising. "Not that I will win now! If Moya had been this derelict I would have voted Aeryn off the ship the first chance I got!" He looked around at his fellow shipmates accusingly. "Come on, people! You know you would have done the same!" He could tell by the way no one would meet his eye that he was right, even if they would not admit it. He grinned smugly, then floated off to the central chamber."Call me when the first show is broadcast!"
Zhaan watched the Hynerian hover off as she entered the Command in a swish of blue robes. Then she turned to her two companions. "Have either of you seen Crichton?" she asked, her face reflecting her concern.
"No, not since that transmission from Aeryn." D'Argo said. "He went off in a snot!"
"Snit. I believe the word he uses is snit," Zhaan corrected with a gentle smile.
"Whatever," D'Argo dismissed the Delvian. Behind him, Chiana choked back her laughter. "Pilot, can you locate Crichton?"
Pilot's image returned to the clamshell screen. "Commander Crichton went down to the planet surface nearly twenty-four arns ago."
"What!?" Zhaan, Chiana and D'Argo all cried together.
"Yes, he asked me not to tell you, but he went down after Aeryn," the symbiont replied calmly.
"Has he been in touch with you since?" Zhaan asked.
"No. Shall I try his comm now?"
"Yes, Pilot!"
They watched the symbiont's four arms move over his console, then his face tightened with worry. "I'm sorry, Zhaan. He is not responding."
"Frell!" D'Argo cursed.
"I am receiving the transmission that you requested from the planet though. Shall I put it through to the main screen?" Pilot added.
"Yes, and tell Rygel to get his butt up here," Chiana replied, excited despite her fear for her lost friend.
The screen in front of them blazed with dazzling images of aliens of various races locked in battle with each other while music blared. The announcer's voice came through, advertising the show Survivor and listing a number of sponsors. An image appeared. The screen was filled with the rather ugly face of a large tusked alien sitting in a sumptuously decorated studio. Behind him were several blank screens.
"Good evening. My name is Fulax and I am the host and producer of Survivor, a new concept in entertainment. Tonight is the first of what will prove to be ten exciting episodes of our as-it-happens broadcasts. First, we will meet our ten lucky contestants who have all been aboard the derelict freighter since this morning, facing danger from both their environment and each other. Then we will join them live as they decide who will be the first contestant voted off the freighter, the first loser. In the event of a tie, our studio audience and you, the viewers, will decide the outcome by comming one of the two numbers on the bottom of your screen."
The camera shifted to another angle and Fulax turned towards it with a toothy smile. "But first, our contestants." The first screen behind him sprang to life. The ugly countenance of a Scarran appeared. He snarled at the camera, waves of heat clearly radiating from him. "Our first contestant is a Scarran. G'Maz is the veteran of several campaigns and clearly a survivor."
The screen shifted to show the bright blue face of a Delvian. Zhaan gasped as she saw the red of madness in her eyes. "Zenya!"
"You know her?" Rygel demanded from his throne chair.
Chiana moved closer to the screen to study the image. "Why are her eyes red, Zhaan?"
"Yes, I do know her, Rygel. She was with Tahleen and the others down on New Delvia. She obviously succumbed to the same madness as Tahleen and her father. That is why her eyes are red, Chiana," Zhaan explained, clearly upset. She bowed her head in prayer for her misguided fellow priestess.
When the announcer came to the image of the Nebari, it was Chiana's turn to gasp. "Hedyona!"
Rygel groaned and met D'Argo's eye ruefully. "What is this, an Uncharted Territories reunion?"
"Do you know this one, Chiana? Is she dangerous?" D'Argo asked the little Nebari.
"I do know her but I haven't seen her since we all left Nebari Prime. No, she's not dangerous. At least, not unless you sleep with her. She was infected like Neri and I were, but to my knowledge she did not receive the antidote," Chiana said sadly.
"Well, she'll pose no threat to Aeryn then," D'Argo replied, watching the screen with half an eye as it showed Aeryn herself. The Luxan could hear the sound of booing from the studio audience when Fulax introduced the PeaceKeeper.
Then the last screen came on. "In keeping with the unpredictable nature of our show, we had a little drama before our contestants even made it to the derelict. Nopo of the Ja-Kench had failed to disclose the fact that he was wanted on several planets for extortion and murder, but the fine authorities here on Adhafera caught up with him. Lucky for us, we were able to replace him at the last microt."
"Dren!" D'Argo exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to the screen.
There was John Crichton's smiling face as he was introduced to the rest of his fellow contestants. Chiana groaned as the Nebari and the voluptuous Illonic fawned all over him. Zhaan closed her eyes in despair as she thought she saw a spark of recognition in the mad Delvian's eye when the camera panned around the room. But it was the barely concealed fury on Aeryn's face that caught Rygel's eye. "Crichton's a dead man!" he stated with a satisfied chuckle. The others looked at him in confusion at his reaction. "Well, if Aeryn kills him, we won't have to spend our winnings on his medicine. All the more for the rest of us!" He deftly avoided the smack that Chiana aimed at him, lifting his throne chair out of her reach. "What! I'm only trying to be funny!" he harrumphed indignantly. "We all know Aeryn won't hurt him. She's more likely to get killed herself." He pointed to the way the Scarran was fixed on her, an ugly look of menace in his eye.
The remaining crew all looked at each other in silent concern as the screen shifted to a series of commercials. Then the show returned. "Well, the first day for our contestants has already been fraught with peril." Fulax said. The next microt the screen was filled with the sounds of high-pitched squeals and screams of pain. The crew watched in horror as the contestants' battle with the voracious creatures unfolded. The cameras showed Aeryn picking off the tiny creatures expertly. Then the Sheyang came forward, spitting flames at the attacking beasts, driving them back. Finally, the audience was shown the Tavlek, seriously injured, being treated by the Delvian and Nebari, then helped to his quarters by Aeryn. "It seems that today's heroes are clearly the Sheyang, Bron and the PeaceKeeper, surprisingly. Aeryn is showing a compassionate side for which her race is hardly noted." Fulax tilted his head, listening to a communication from off-screen. Then his smile widened, his tusks catching the studio lights. "Well, now, it seems our contestants are assembled in the central chamber and we're ready to see who will be the first one to be voted off the derelict. Stay tuned."
Chiana turned to the others, her eyes wide. "What the frell were those creatures? They practically ate the Tavlek alive!"
"They are Phageri; genetically designed to eat garbage, but mutated into the carnivorous raptors you saw there. They have been plaguing this area of the Uncharted Territories for over three hundred cycles now. A Delvian science vessel brought them back to Delvia by accident. It took all our planet's resources to destroy them." Zhaan sighed. "They are a testament to the errors of unchecked genetic manipulation."
"We've got to get John and Aeryn out of there!" D'Argo declared. The others looked at him in agreement.
"But how?" Rygel asked. "We have no way of locating the ship. Fulax explained that it was cloaked so the contestants could get no help from the outside."
"Well, we're just going to have to find a way!"
The screen in front of them switched briefly to Fulax then to the scene on board the hidden freighter. "Hello there, everybody. How was your first day?" Fulax asked. The screen plainly showed that the contestants were all shouting and complaining, demanding to be freed, but there was no sound. Fulax tapped his comm spuriously then grinned insincerely. "I'm sorry, folks. It seems we're having sound difficulties. We can't hear what you're saying. It's time for the vote. Does everyone have their marbles?" Fulax grinned at his joke. Then he grew serious. "Then let's begin."
Moya's crew watched tensely as John and Aeryn moved to their places in compartments set up against the walls. Then one by one, each contestant walked around the room, placing a marble in the box in front of each of their rivals. When the last contestant had finished and returned to his place, the boxes fell open to reveal the results. John and the Scorvian female each had one black ball amongst the white. The Scorvian glared at the Illonic woman, who smirked back at her. John looked around at the others in bewilderment. Aeryn's marbles revealed two black balls. The Scarran grinned in triumph as her eyes flew to his. None of the others had any black balls. The Tavlek looked briefly saddened at the six black balls in his box, but his wounds were so serious he was barely conscious. Instead he met the eyes of his fellow contestants with something akin to gratitude.
Fulax's voice returned. "The vote is done. Greshak, the Tavlek, is the first loser. Sorry, Greshak," he smirked and hit a switch. The others watched as Greshak's compartment sealed with an opaque barrier. Their expressions turned to horror as the compartment suddenly filled with Phageri. The Tavlek screamed in agony as the creatures devoured him alive. Soon, nothing could be seen of the unfortunate competitor through the blood spattered panel. The movements in the compartment ceased. One camera showed Aeryn's face drain of colour and her eyes fly to John's in shocked guilt. The remaining participants were petrified into silence then they all turned to the vidcam, angrily. "Sorry, folks, that's all the time we have." The screen behind the host darkened. "Tune in tomorrow for another exciting episode of Survivor!"
D'Argo cut the transmission and looked at the others in horror.
"Frell!"
***************
Back on the central chamber, chaos reigned as the contestants came to the horrified realisation of how they had been duped. First they turned on John. "Your race invented this game? What kind of monsters are Humans?" A'Nara demanded, her tattooed face darkened in anger. She stepped forward menacingly, her hand hovering over her weapon. "Maybe we should just get rid of you now!"
Aeryn stepped between the Zenetan and the Human. "What, and increase the odds of getting voted off yourself! Splendid logic! But what would you expect from a Zenetan?" she taunted.
"She's right!" the Sheyang interrupted. "The more of us there are, the longer we stay alive. The longer we stay alive, the better the chances that we figure out a way out of this dren!" He looked back and forth at the rest of the players. "Agreed?"
"And is the PeaceKeeper now in charge?" G'Maz snarled. He stepped forward and let his hot breath wash over Aeryn.
John grabbed her arm and hauled her back behind him. "No one is in charge! But it's going to take all of us, working together, to stay alive!"
"How do you expect me to work together with that ... that trelk!" Urba snapped, her carapace mottled in fury. The Scorvian pointed a clawed hand at the smirking Illonic. "She voted against me!"
"And I will again! Your people destroyed my family!" Ramala screamed back, lunging forward to attack the Scorvian. The others separated the two females while the Scarran looked on. Then he went over and grabbed the Scorvian's arm, dragging her from the room with him.
The rest of the group looked at each other with a mixture of sadness and suspicion. Then the Nebari's face brightened and she hurried from the room. The Zenetan looked after her in confusion. Then her eyes widened and a greedy look came over her face. She raced out after the Nebari, intent on sharing in the looting of the dead Tavlek's belongings. The Illonic was next, followed by the lumbering Sheyang. Finally, after staring at the Human and the PeaceKeeper with a secret smile, the Delvian left the room. John looked at Aeryn and started towards her, but her eyes went to the watching camera and she shook her head almost imperceptibly. She left the room without a word. John waited a safe interval, then followed her.
"Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into, John," Scorpius hissed over his shoulder when he got back to his room.
"Leave me alone, Scorpy!" John said, trying to avoid the vidcam that hovered over him.
"You make my job so difficult at times. I only want to keep you alive, John. Alive and well. What is this self-destructive tendency you seem to have? Is this a racial trait or unique to you alone?" The neural clone's grinning face appeared in the mirror in front of John.
The Human turned quickly away, flailing his arms to try to stop the voice in his head. "Stop it, you freak. Get out of my head!"
Interested by the Crichton's behaviour, the vidcam hovered closer. John suddenly drew his pistol and fired at the machine, shattering it. He holstered his weapon, a smug look of satisfaction on his face.
"Good shot, John!" Scorpius applauded, his image clapping its gloved hands together.
"Yeah, thanks," John said dismissively. Then he bent to crawl through the hole in the wall into Aeryn's room.
He found the Sebacean sitting on her bunk, her head in her hands, her shoulders slumped in an uncharacteristic posture of defeat. She did not react when he entered the room. John came over and knelt in front of her, waiting. When she still did not move, he reached up and pulled her hands from her face. Aeryn's blue eyes were dark with horror in her pale face. "John, I'm so sorry," she said brokenly.
"It was you, wasn't it. The black marble was yours."
She closed her eyes in despair and nodded. "I thought I could vote you off. I tried to get the others to vote with me. I thought you would be safe." She drew in a deep breath to try to control her fear. "I had no idea." She stared at him again. "If it had worked ... if the Tavlek hadn't been injured ... you would have been ... been ...," she covered her mouth with her hand, unable to go on.
John reached up and wrapped his arms around her shaking form. "Shhh. It's okay. I understand." He stroked her hair, holding her to him until she stopped shaking.
"I'm sorry, John, for dragging you into this mess," Aeryn murmured against his shoulder.
John cupped her head in his hands and lifted her face to look at him. "YOU got US into this mess? Ha! I should be the one apologising, Aeryn. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, as usual." His voice started to rise hysterically. "It's my fault! It's Scorpy's fault! Hell, it's the universe's fault! But not yours!" He leaned his forehead against hers. "Never yours!" He tilted his head, nuzzling her soft cheek. "Never yours, Aeryn," he whispered before capturing her lips with his.
The kiss started off gently. John felt Aeryn respond to him, parting her lips with a sigh. Then her arms went around his shoulders, pulling him up against her. John angled his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss hungrily. Aeryn kissed him back desperately. John's arms wrapped around her and he crushed her to him as he knelt in front of her.
John groaned in disappointment as he felt Aeryn's hands start to gently push him away. She pulled her mouth reluctantly from his and avoided him when he tried to kiss her again. "No, John, not here, not now. We need to rest." Aeryn gazed at him, still in the warm circle of his arms.
John saw his own desire mirrored in her eyes and he smiled sadly. "You're right."
He let her go, turning towards the hole in the wall but she stopped him. "No, stay! I'll take the first watch." She slid down off the hard bunk and patted it. John grinned and lay down. Aeryn sat down on the cold floor, leaning back against the bed. John saw her shiver, her thin top offering no protection against the cold that permeated the ship. He leaped up from the bed and disappeared into his room, returning with his own thermal blanket. He draped it around Aeryn's shoulders before lying back down under her blanket. He scooted over as close to Aeryn as possible and let his hand rest on her shoulder. She smiled and entwined her fingers with his. Soon, his gentle breathing announced that he was asleep. Aeryn rubbed his hand against her cheek and slipped it under the warm blanket. Then she pulled John's blanket around her and settled in for a long, cold night.