John looked up from where he stood with Kholif dumping more things into the capsule. His jaw dropped as Chiana and Chey came racing out with the other Nebari. Chiana wrapped her in a blanket as Chey settled her to the floor.

"I was afraid of something like that," Kholif sighed as he turned to a wanted beacon and began to play it. After it had displayed Grayza reporting John and Chiana he looked to them again. "Looks kind of like you two," he stated as John knelt beside the other Nebari, tilting his head to gaze into her bruised face. "She looked just like her a weeken ago."

John raised himself, aiming his pulse pistol at Kholif.

"Rygle's still in there," Chiana stated as she cut her eyes to him. "They - they got to get out of here."

"Not a problem," John stated flatly without straying his eyes off of Kholif. "We'll take her and Rygle to Moya ourselves."

"She said Moya - something about a wormhole. I don't think - I think it's just her and Rygle."

"There've been no other Leviathan here," Kholif confirmed as he stared back at John with his elbows on his counter. "If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't even have a pod that usually goes with one."

"They come with us. You're just going to go in there with me and find Rygle, right Kholif?"

"You can't," Chey snatched his shoulder, searching his eyes intently as he chewed on his lower lip. "Think of what you're saying John. Look at her, look at us! ... just let her go. Give her and Rygle the pod back and let them go."

"We need the pod."

"Frell! The pod!" Chiana cut in tensely. She grabbed the other Chiana, Pip's leathers and slung them into the capsule. "This is for sale John, how much does he want for it huh? Couple dozen krendars for my - my - her corset, the boots? How much of a cut is this bastard getting for every frell they're getting from her!" She jerked at her shoulder, thrashing her head as she let out a sharp screech, sucking in her breath through it.

John stood, slowly stepping towards Kholif with his pistol aimed into his face. "I don't like this," he muttered. "This is a bad coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidence," Chey spoke up carefully as she dared closer to him. "We can take his transport he offered me earlier ..."

"We're not turning Raishen into a taxi cab!" John shouted. "He's not even yellow!"

"What about Chiana!" Chey persisted. "The high realmer can get us another transport pod! He may even help us pay for the diagnosan for Raishen! How do you plan on our getting out of this moons sector with escaped prisoners and a wanted beacon over your head? Don't suck her down with us Crichton, she's hurt!"

"I don't do slaves, or bounties," Kholif raised his hands. "I told you it's bad for my reputation, half my business have bounties. She's no prisoner of mine. I'm just here for trade, you want that girl and her friends freedom, it's none of my business! Chey has the right idea there though. Take the high realmer, he'll fix all of this, there won't be any escaped prisoners on your hands and everyone goes free."

"No!" John shouted. "Not only no but hell freaking no! I'm not putting my friends off on some third wheel king pin bull crap! Don't make me crazy Kholif, you get it? Why is Chiana here, where's Rygle, what are you people trying to pull over on ole Johnny boy this time!?"

Kholif gaped at him wide eyed as he raised his hands. "She just looked like her, okay? Don't shoot me."

"Why not?" John twisted the pistol in his hand at him as he leaned closer.

Kholif glanced to Chey, his eyes pleading for help as he didn't dare move.

"Because, hm'mm" Chey cleared her throat slightly as she lowered her head, glancing to John. "He has - toilet paper."

John swung around to her, aiming the pulse pistol at her. "Don't patronize me missy."

Chey crossed her eyes briefly as she kneeled to the two Chiana's on the floor. "He won't tell us where it is if you shoot him."

The Chiana she knew chuckled, almost manicly as she glared up at John beneath her brows. Kholif sighed, his shoulders sagging with relief as John came to the girls, helping hold the wounded Chiana, Pip.

"Chiana," he whispered into her neck. "Yo Pip, wake up sunshine. Just for a tiny little bit. Can you hear me in there?"

"John," she barely opened her eyes as he cradled her.

"You're just having a really bad dream," he muttered softly. "Actually I'm - where am I?"

"Burial space," Pip muttered, closing her eyes as she turned her face away from Chey trying to put a salve on her darkly bruised cheek, pushing her hand away weakly. She tried to raise up out of John's arms, moaning in fear as he held her firmly but gently. "Nnnnn! N-n-no - no more. Please. Please ...!"

"Shhh," he took her hands, drawing them to her chest as he rocked with her. "We're just helping. You're safe now, it's all over. No more bad guys, I promise. No more bad guys."

Pip nodded slightly, her eyes barely opening again, meeting into the other Chiana's eyes who was on her knees at her feet. Chey glanced to her as well, wondering if the twin recognized the Chiana she knew but she was hiding most of her face away within the long strands of her dirty bangs, trying to keep her gaze on the wounded Chi at the same time.

"Pip, what burial space?"

"Leviathan ..." Pip closed her eyes again, wincing as she pressed her back against John, this time accepting a small amount of liquid from a vile Chey brought to her mouth. "It's sacred - went to bury Talyn there. Y-you'll be there ...?"

"Never left it," he smiled as he brushed his hand over her brow, caressing her forehead gently. "It's gonna be alright now. Just think about kicking my ass, it'll get you there sooner."

She barely nodded again as she drifted back into sleep.

"I'll take her to the pod," John stated as he motioned Chey to help him. "Chi, you watch Kholif, don't let him go anywhere."

Chiana jumped up, glaring into Kholif as she crouched on her haunches on his counter, resting on one hand. "You wanted me to see, didn't you ..." she swayed, rocking in place with her lips drawn apart as she searched his eyes.

"Frelling door is wide open!"

Chiana jumped down to Kholif, kneeling at his feet as the man who shouted entered the shop with several others.

"Kholif! I thought we told you to keep your frelling section locked up!"

Chiana looked to a large pulse rifle on the shelf in front of her. She smiled, drawing her tongue across her upper teeth as she picked it up, laying down as she aimed it into Kholif's crotch. He sucked in his breath as he raised his hands in surrender and then quickly lowered them. "Ah! Oh frell! Hezmana, I told you bunch of creeps to stop sneaking into my half of it to use my stuff! It isn't free you know, you got a tab going and everything I'm missing is on it!"

"The Nebari escaped, did you see her?"

"Try that way, get the frell out of my shop!"

Chiana listened carefully for their footsteps, peering up only when she thought they were gone by a few good microts.

"Where you going?" Kholif asked as Chiana began to move around the counter with the rifle.

"I'm gonna free Rygle."

"You can't go with that thing! Put it down."

She tocked her head slightly as she looked to a much larger weapon on the wall. "You're right," she chuckled as she tossed the rifle and strapped the larger arsenal to her. She leaned back with its weight mostly on her hip, groaning as she struggled to hold her balance and step into the passageways of cells.

*************

John brought Pip to the pod, laying her down as Chey followed in. "How are we going to do this? We have no transport of our own again."

John wiped his face, kneeling over Pip as he touched the tender bruise that covered half her cheek. It seemed like her cheekbone must have been broken. "This old man, he played one. He played nick nack on my drum ... with a nick nack - patty whack, give'a dog a bone ... this old man came rolling home ..."

"We can take the ..."

"She could take us," John interrupted as he studied Pip's face. "Right to Moya."

Chey came to his side, pulling the blanket closer around Pip. "It sounds like her crew is scattered up. Crichton ... the pod, it's still configured to Raishen. We can catch up with her using it as our homing beacon. They should think we are all on Raishen, chase us while she gets away. Is there something wrong with you that you can't agree?"

"You got some great plan cooking, Calamity Jane?"

She shook her head as she met his eyes.

"Just hang with her until we come back with Rygle," John's eyes softened on her as he clasped her shoulder, pushing himself up with it as he turned to leave. "Uh ..."

"Stand where you are!" The man shouted as he stepped into the pod with two others.

"Oh," John winced his eyes as he pulled Wynona and began to fire. Chey quickly grabbed Pip, dragging her into the cargo bay of the pod when its hatch slipped open. Chey looked to it wide eyed as she crouched with Pip in her arms. She glanced around herself desperately as two more men stepped inside. She saw a pulse pistol and lunged for it, yanking it up to the first mans chest level. He froze, slapping the second man in the chest to stop his advance. He smiled then as she heard screams coming from the pods helm that sounded like John.

"Pull the trigger, or put it down."

Chey twisted her face into a dark scowl as she fired, hitting everywhere but the two men.

***********

Chiana walked through the cells again, searching for Rygle and for her clones captors. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to do at this point but she didn't care. John had always tried to show her about trust. She trusted him, even when he was ranting at Moya's walls or becoming Harvey. But even in not being the real John, the Crichton on Moya, it seemed like he was just learning the harder lessons of betrayal she had already been through a few dozen times before him ... and she was younger.

It was all so mixed up, everything so frelled. At least it was better now that she had ditched her comms for good. The whispering had stopped, at least for now while she wasn't on Raishen and the - those crunchy things. She tocked her head as she tried to remember if they were real or she was just seeing things again. It was getting more and more difficult to find the moments of clarity. Sometimes it felt like a tidal wave. Everything would wash out, only to come back again like a black sea filled with turmoil and debris. In it she could remember flashes of Rhovu and the Kreshure, the Zariag. The only thing she couldn't really remember was being dead ...

"Help me!"

No great lights, none of the things Zhaan always hinted at. Though she thought ... maybe she did believe she was flying somewhere ...

She heard footsteps rushing towards her. She whirled around, gasping in her breath sharply as she tried to keep the massive arsenal held up. Her eyes flew open wildly at the empty hall behind her. She began to back up, stepping side ways to keep a clear view of both ends of the hall until she came to a crossing one. Something rushed out at her, she caught only a glimpse of a shadow. She cried out as she fired. The practically cannon knocked her back against the wall as she blew a hole through a cell into the next cell down. She blew at the dust in her face, spitting it out of her mouth, shaking it out of her hair. "Whoa."

"Is there someone there!?" She heard Rygle shriek. "Help! Get me the frell out of here! I'll pay anything!"

She lunged forward, stepping quickly as the weight of the small cannon pulled her forward.

"Yotza!" Rygle gasped as he came to the bars of his cell. "Chiana! Get me out of here!"

"Yeah," she nodded sharply, more dust flying from her hair as she tried to swing the cannon around. "Yaaaaaaaaa!" She fired, the arsenal kicking her off of her feet as it blasted through the cell bars, twisting and melting them as it punched a massive hole through the thick wall. Rygle sucked in his breath as his body froze, his eyes flying open like round saucers as he fell over on his back.

"Rygle!" She shouted as she scrambled to her feet, half dragging the cannon with her as she stuck her hand through the twisted metal. She picked Rygle up by his foot and shook him. "Rygle stop frelling around!"

"What in frelling hezmana!"

Chiana struggled to get out of the straps of the arsenal at the sound of the mans voice. She took some of the explosives out of the side of it and dipped into Rygle's cell as they rushed forward, scrambling through the hole in the wall.

"What the - grab the Hynerian, search the cell block!"

Chiana slipped through the twisted bars of the next cell, smiling broadly to herself as she rounded the corner and came up behind the men. She followed behind them closely as they carried Rygle, Chey and the other Chiana, Pip.

"Didn't you hear all that?" One of the men protested as he stepped into a large room, throwing Rygle across it where his small body bounced against the wall and rolled into a corner.

"Hear what?" The guard at the table asked as the other two men dropped Chey and Pip on the floor at his feet.

"Where'd this one come from?"

"She was trying to get away you idiot. Who the frell was it that blew the cells up?"

"Well it wasn't me!" He protested.

"Get off your deaf ass and go help the others look!" One of them snapped as he grabbed the man by his hair and yanked him out of his seat, kicking him as he went stumbling for the door. Chiana pressed her back against the wall, watching the guard wide eyed as he spilled out in a floodgate of curses. She tilted her head as he whirled around to flail his verbal assault on the other men inside. She pursed her lips, not keeping her eyes off his back as she flipped the activation device on the explosive in her hand and dropped it into his back pocket.

"And you just keep your hands off them till I get back!" He shouted in final as he bounded out.

She pressed the side of her face against the wall as the explosion went off farther down the cells like a thunder crack. The rest of the men came rushing out of the room. Chiana slipped inside, resting her back and hands against the wall as she stared down at Chey and Pip on the floor.

Pip was getting up, holding the side of her head as she looked around. She crawled to Rygle, gaping at him as she began to massage his earbrow with her thumb.

"Are we free?" Rygle gasped as his eyes flew open. "Did we escape?"

"Get going!" Chiana rasped harshly as she pulled away from the wall and tried to force Chey to stand. "Get back to the transport pod!"

"You frellers don't move!"

Chey stood, wobbling as she tried to figure out what was going on. She turned wide eyed to the guard standing in the door way. He snatched her, pulling her to him. She tried to struggle out of his grasp when she felt someone shove her hard, knocking her and the guard against the wall. The same hands whirled her around. She gaped at Chiana who had her by her arms, looking into her eyes wildly. It was the Chiana she knew but if her hair was only a little different she would be a splitting image to the one who was still on the floor with the Hynerian.

"Get out of here," Chiana said to her in a low but commanding tone. "Take - take them to the pod. Go with them if you have to."

"But ..." Chey gaped at her, wide eyed as she shook her head. She heard a low growl escape from her as she yanked her forward. Chey reached out quickly at the table coming for her, slamming her hands down on it as the edge caught her smartly in the hip. She turned, her gaze meeting Chiana who was holding the Hynerian hooked into one arm. She creased her brows, unsure of which one she was for a brief moment but the Chiana from Moya had stranding hair. The differences were so subtle. In her eyes she seemed more sure, more collected, just scared.

Chey turned at the sound of a dark hiss. The Chiana she knew was in the grasp of the guard, struggeling with him as he held her from behind. She threw something toward them. The one holding Rygle caught it, aiming the guards pulse pistol at both of them.

Chey felt like the one holding Rygle was just as unnerved as she was as the Chiana being held by the guard let out a sinister chuckle, glaring on Pip. "You taaaake Chey - take her with you."

"I-I-I," Pip stammered nervously, trying to search Chiana's face. It seemed to Chey like she could almost recognize her now but the Chiana she knew turned most of her face to the guards chest to hide her likeness.

"Frelling yotz!" Rygle shouted. "Would someone move!"

Chey didn't resist as Pip grabbed her by her arm but she didn't stray her eyes from her Chiana in the guards grasp. It could be the last time she ever saw her again.

Chiana's gaze followed them. She smiled darkly as the guard jerked her back, watching the last of Pip and Chey bolt out the door. "She's got a bad habit of that."

"Her mistake," the guard snapped as he forced her towards the door. "We'll have them back in a few microts."

"Why worry about them," Chiana pushed back at him, raising her face to his neck. "C'mon, let them go. Everyone's just running around right? We could have a little talk - while they're busy."

The guard snorted as he turned with her, shoving her at the table. "You've no idea what you've gotten yourself into," he stated coldly as he released the small prod from his belt and jammed it into her back. He activated it. Chiana choked in her scream as she writhed from the electric current.