In the corridor just outside Command, Aeryn paces about impatiently, her fingers drumming against the holstered pulse pistol at her thigh. Sounds of Rygel bitchin' and the dissonant chords of some sort of stringed instrument punctuate her glimpses of John pacing to, and stopping near, the forward Command console. Checking his notebook while he keeps a close watch out the forward portal.
Cut to close on D'Argo - teasing out the dissonant chords of 'music' as he tunes his Shilquin.
Rygel gets cut off by a well timed painfully off-tune chord. D'Argo smirks, annoyed.
Out in the corridor, Aeryn's steeled herself to just... go.the.frell.in, stopping again just outside the open door-- watching John leaned over the control console-- takes a deep breath and... lets it out in a frustrated sigh as she turns away again.
In Command John remains focused on the forward portal when Chiana enters, perching on the Strategy table between D'Argo and Rygel. Sikozu also sits at the table, watching John's progress-- her toes barely touching the floor.
Chi thwaps him playfully across the head.
Crichton, looking up from the console, paces toward the forward portal.
Sikozu stands, moving behind John.
John hands Sikozu the notebook.
In the containment cell, an anticipatory Scorpius also stands.
In the corridor, Aeryn stops pacing and slowly turns, and yes, she looks a bit afraid... some actual dread there.
In command Sikozu is giving John one of those admiring looks she'd been reserving for Scorpius. His attention is 'rivited' forward.
A long beat of silence while the faint music draws out the tension and... nothing happens.
Sikozu's expression crumbles a bit around the edges, Chiana relaxes and D'Argo sighs heavily in relief. John turns away from the portal, taking the notebook from Sikozu.
In the containment cell, a mildly shaken Scorpius sits again.
At the console, John makes a few notes in the book while Sikozu turns at his shoulder again.
He looks up, mildly puzzled, looks at Sikozu briefly before turning away with a vague shake of the head.
He moves to the exit, Sikozu in his wake.
John approaches the doorway when Aeryn steps abruptly into the opening, awkwardly cutting off his forward momentum.
They eye each other silently, though not unpleasantly, for a moment. Aeryn peers beyond John's shoulder and he turns to look back at gape mouthed Sikozu
John turns back to Aeryn after seeing Sikozu safely off. They exchange a few quiet words.
Those eyes slip from hers to her waistline and back again. She tilts her head a bit, indicating direction.
John nods slightly and she turns, walking away with John following when in another instance of incredibly bad timing a brilliant blue light floods command. John turns, looking out the forward portal.
Everyone in Command looks absolutely poleaxed. D'Argo standing slowly.
John and Aeryn step slowly back in from the corridor.
John crosses rapidly to the forward console, Aeryn enters more slowly, her eyes also on the portal and the deep bluish-white vortex forming there.
[And, okay, this is just me; but this stuff strikes me as hugely funny. John walks 'to' the door, he's openly examining the open notebook in his hands. Stops for a brief conversation in the corridor with Aeryn. Wormhole opens, he turns and walks back toward the console-- no notebook. Cut to forward view and-- there's the notebook in his hand. Too funny. The amazing appearing/disappearing props. *bag*]
In the containment cell, Scorpius leans back on his hands, head rolled back and eyes closing-- vastly satisfied... content. [ he needs a cigarette ]
View of the massive wormhole, smooth and steady, central vortex wide open. Chiana giggles, leaping off the table and wrapping her arms around John's shoulders.
She pulls him close for a hug while he just grins out the portal. Standing in the far background, Aeryn's small smile of triumph flickers out. [gee, you think she knows something that 'we' don't?]
Chiana turns in his arm, wrapped around her waist, to look out the forward portal, rocking him slightly, arms still wrapped around his shoulders.
John turns slightly to look at the absolutely beaming Sikozu, smirks a bit in return and turns back to the portal.
The wormhole flares and winks out, John releases his hold on Chi and slides from under her arm, heading back to the exit.
Rygel rattles on while John crosses command, Sikozu watching him go for a bit before turning back to the forward portal-- a huge frellin' grin on her face.
Slowing as he approaches Aeryn, John's smile is tempered slightly, a 'okay, where were we' look just before the ship rocks heavily.
Everyone stumbles as the ship rocks, explosions everywhere, and everyone hits the ground; John grabbing for Aeryn as she goes.
Sikozu fills the gap and shrieks!
Rygel peers out the forward portal and sees nothing but darkness, the same darkness in command as the smoke clears a bit. Reddish-orange emergency lighting flickers and flashes across Command.
John assists Aeryn to her feet.
On the floor near Sikozu, Chiana clutches her left arm. [it's a Zhaan homage people!]
John and Aeryn move close, peering out into the blackness.
Fade to black on Rygel's fearful expression.
A bit later. D'Argo 'rips' the cover off a control console, more sparks fly counterpoint to the flaring of sparks elsewhere and the smoke that fills the room. In the bg Captain Rygel continues whimpering, initially everyone shouts over the sound of continuing explosions.
At another console, John and Aeryn work side by side.
Sikozu works at the third console.
Rygel whimpers as another heavy explosion rocks the ship.
Chiana drags herself off the floor and staggers toward the semi-hysterical Rygel.
Everyone moves in different directions while Chi handles Rygel, slugging him hard enough to drive his thronesled back a bit.
Moving behind Rygel, a coil of cabling in her hand, Chi thwaps him on the back of the head as she passes.
The ship rumbles under another explosion. Pilot moans in pain.
Aeryn heads to the exit.
Aeryn exits, Chiana in tow. John moves toward another console as another explosion rocks the boat enough to make everyone stagger and grab onto the nearest surface.
Cut to the containment cell, in the gloom Scorpius lifts his carryall onto the bed.
He retrieves a few spilled cooling rods from the floor...
and we cut back to Command.
Long pause while they wait for an answer, and get none.
John moves quickly to exit and D'Argo follows his 'come on' gesture.
Noranti stumbles around in the dark, the reddish glow of emergency lighting seems to be of no assistance to her, appearing effectively blind as she feels her way around in the dark, muttering in an alien language, her third eye blinking and glowing by turns; blue, magenta and red.
But golly, the language 'sounds' Spanish with a bit of French thrown in. hehe
She knocks into some pots, sending them clattering to the floor.
She climbs into the window seat, peering out one of the portals.
Moya hovers in space, the worlds largest road kill draped over her nose and wrapped around her body to where it begins to taper toward her tail and fins. Bug ugly purple mohair sweater... something.
Sikozu works on repairing a console, Rygel hoving behind her.
Close on an exterior access hatch as it presses open slowly, tearing away the purple fibers of the plant. In the small opening created, John's EVA helmeted head peers out.
D'Argo gets a look from over his shoulder, only a breathing mask over his face.
Brief cut to Command.
Cut to close on John, peering up through the opening.
John pulls away and pan down to a DRD pinned and squealing against the interior of the hatch by the plant's purple tendrils.
Sikozu's work is interrupted by a comm.
In the containment cell, a compose Scorpius paces away from the closed door to near an access grate from which sparks fly and a cheerful fire burns.
Sikozu turns quickly toward Rygel, they both look worried. Chi looks a bit worried as well.
Sikozu drops everything and runs toward the exit.
Sikozu handles the fire with some sort of extinguishing agent. Chiana arriving just as the last is squelched, her weapon up and readied to fire.
Chi moves aside, allowing Sikozu to exit. Chi eyeballs Scorpius a moment, then backs out. The ship lurches a bit, and Chi slams Sikozu against the wall between her arms before activating door controls. The door slides closed.
Chiana looks in the indicated direction, another fire in another access grate. She looks back at Sikozu, teeth gritted angrily, slamming a fist against the wall beside her head.
She scoops the fire extinguisher from the floor and trots down the passageway. Sikozu turns and gives Scorpius another of those 'you're a god to me!' looks which are REALLY creeping me out.
John and D'Argo doin' exposition, a purple fiber coated DRD tucked under John's arm.
In another corridor, Aeryn does a bit of firefighting with another extinguisher.
D'Argo puts a hand on John's back.
Lo'La, hovering above the deck, jets pouring white smoke.
Inside Lo'La, D'Argo and John sit in the pilot seats, D'Argo in the left, John in the right.
D'Argo spits some white goop into John's offered hand.
Close on Moya's moss coated hull. The sound of an explosion heralds the exit of D'Argo's ship as he blasts a hole in the growth. The ship heads away at good speed amid the debris.
John and D'Argo get a good look at Moya's furry blue hull.
D'Argo shakes his head abruptly.
The ship rocks heavily. Standing behind the console [double-shot] off Pilot's right shoulder, Aeryn takes a hold of the console to steady herself while Pilot flails with the controls.
She moves to leave.
Aeryn reaches out, petting him softly.
Smiling gently before she turns and leaves.
D'Argo has the targeting goggles pressed to his eyes.
Slight shake of his head.
Returns to targeting through the goggles.
Aeryn stands near the wall, arms crossed, silent. A loud hissing sound accompanies a jet of vapor escaping from the wall and pouring into the corridor. Shot pans slight L as Chiana arrives, stopping on the other side of the hissing stream of vapor. She props her hands on her hips and tilts her head slightly, grinning at Aeryn, who continues to silently eye the phenomenon.
Aeryn looks up, a wide eyed glance at Chiana as Chi turns to look directly at the source of the stream. Looks back at Aeryn.
Chiana nods, her 'so?' goes unsaid.
Chi also passes on an, 'oh.', and sidesteps to stand between the stream of vapor and a curving rib. Squeaking of metal and she turns a valve, the vapor thinning, slowing and stopping.
Aeryn's response is softly spoken, nearly aside to the air.
A long beat as Aeryn takes a breath, lets it out, relieved to say the words. Aeryn's expression slowly softening as Chi takes a breath and begins to smile, stepping away from the wall.
On cue, Moya rocks heavily. They wait, hands on the wall, steadying.
Aeryn shakes her head, Chi mindlessly aping the motion in our mutual shock.
Chiana sighs, leaning her head against the curving wall.
Aeryn takes a step closer, her intense gaze on the girl.
Aeryn sighs with relief, placing a hand over Chiana's.
Chi puts her other hand on top of Aeryn's, then resting her head there.
Sikozu and Noranti fiddle with analyzing the sample John took earlier. Each in their own way. Sikozu with a very large test tube filled with red fluid or something. Noranti pops bits and pieces into her mouth while hovering over a boiling pot.
Noranti spits something out, puts another large fragment in her mouth.
Quick cut to Luxan Figher.
Quick cut to Luxan Fighter.
Bit longer cut to John and D'Argo in the Luxan Fighter.
Noranti lifts her large pasta pot off the fire, the bottom of the pot cracks open, dumping the steaming contents all over the counter and onto Noranti. The old gal howls in pain or fear or a goodly combination of both. Sikozu scuttles around the counter, grabbing her by the shoulders while she pants.
[you and me both, baby!]
Cut to Luxan Fighter
Cut to Center Chamber
Cut to Luxan Fighter.
D'Argo looks up from targeting for a moment.
John looks up.
John grins, turning back toward the controls. D'Argo grins, attention back on targeting.
Quick cut to Ext. Space, moss coated Moya hovering in the distance, the engines of the Luxan Fighter keeping it on target.
Cut to Center Chamber; Noranti finally making sense.
Quick cut to Ext. Space as D'Argo fires, the energy sphere tearing away from the fighter and rushing toward Moya; striking the nose and 'burning away' the plant growth as the energy of the impact spreads. Moya's golden hull revealed beneath.
Cut to int. Luxan Fighter. D'Argo nodding as he pulls away from the targeting goggles.
Laughing he claps his hand on John's shoulder. John gives him a wryly humorous grudging smile, nodding in agreement.
Quick cut to Rygel, appreciating an unobstructed view of the stars through the forward portal.
Cut to Center Chamber.
Cut to Luxan Fighter
Celebration frozen for a moment, D'Argo and John turn, giving each other 'the look'.
Angle up as John and D'Argo decend the ladder, stepping down from Lo'La.
In the Center Chamber, Sikozu gives the absent D'Argo a sour look, even looking 'up' in his abcense.
In the darkened Hangar Bay, John and D'Argo do the walkin' and talkin', giving us a nice look at Lo'La; eyes clear.
John and D'Argo enter the Maintenance Bay from the Hangar Bay, Aeryn enters from the Corridor.
D'Argo sneezes massively, then looks massively annoyed.
Something catches Aeryn's eye in the ceiling behind John, he sees that and turns before she can get the question out.
John steps onto a stack of crates, the better to look at a scattering of purple tendrils clinging to the ceiling.
John grabs a clump in his fist and pulls. A section of ceiling tears away under the pressure, a large mass of debris and vegetation tumbling after.
Catching a heavy misting of dust in the face, John raises his hands protectively, if belatedly, staggering away. Aeryn claps a hand to her nose and mouth, turning away.
When they 'can' open their eyes again, first thing; check on each other.
Fade to black on the trio looking around, clueless.
Shortly after end of Act I. In the red tinged darkness of the hangar bay, the tendrils of the plant, torn out from the gap in the ceiling are scattered over the surface of a worktable, and scattered around John's feet where he stands on top of the crates. D'Argo, wearing the rebreather mask, mutters his discontent; his voice vaguely distorted by the mask.
John looks down from peering into the opening in the ceiling while Pilot responds, his voice reflects the pain shared with Moya.
Aeryn enters, holding a smaller make over her nose and mouth, another in her hand.
John keeps peering up into the opening in the ceiling despite the obvious discomfort to all senses.
Tiny, pitiful, gasping noises precede Chi's face appearing in the opening, wide clear goggles over her eyes.
She disappears momentarily, turning to back out of the opening, sliding down into John's encircling arm.
John backs down off the crate, keeping one hand on Chi's arm while she crouches, twitching and humming in quiet distress.
Leaning across her to snag them, keeping one hand on her arm; taking great care-- she keeps crouched on top of the crates, twitching randomly. Above her mask, Aeryn's eyebrows furrow slightly in puzzlement.
He takes another step down, releasing her arm as she puts everything back in place. She has plant fiber remnants all over her clothing.
Still twitching, she reaches over her head, down her neck, then looks down, both hands at her stomach squealing in distress.
John takes her arms again, helping her down off the crates, murmuring something comforting.
John guides Chi into Aeryn's arms; naturally taking over the comforting as she guides her out of the room.
Aeryn and Chi leave, John takes the second mask from the table, pressing it to his nose and mouth.
Voice lovely distorted through the mask, shallow, tired breaths punctuating reassurance.
He pats D on the chest, still reassuring as they both turn to leave. And we get a lovely transition shot on the wall to...
Brief look at silent, empty corridor as transition continues. [Ian must be so proud of this white/black/red noir look he's got going in this ep. I've got an appreciation for it as well; but I'd also love to actually 'see' the characters. Damn ep is too dark.]
Pilot and Rygel, gettin' equal time-- shots cut between the two.
Pilot growls.
Chi creeps around in the dark with a big 'ol flashlight. For a really, really, long time. [startin' to snore here, Soph.] Eventually she hears a sound and stumbles on D'Argo, her pistol outstretched in her opposite hand. Wow. It's dark.
Chi tucks her pop-gun back into the small holster at her left hip.
They walk and talk into an area where the darkness actually reveals colors rather than only shadows.
D'Argo stops, looks down on her, an ironic twist in his tone, probably a smirk under that mask.
Eyes practically bulging with disbelief, tone subdued.
She glances around conspiratorially in the darkness.
D'Argo nods, 'of course'.
D'Argo sighs, tipping his head, an eyebrow arched over the mask. Acknowleding to her that he can't swear that. Moves off into the darkness.
She follows.
Another set plunged almost fully into darkness. Noranti mutters, sorting through a pile of plant fibers illuminated by a large lantern casting a pool of bluish light [ and J squeals with delight ].
She gives off sorting through the weeds and starts moaning, itching her forehead on either side of her third eye, above the limits of the goggles she's wearing.
Sikozu moves closer to the old woman and the lantern, but continues working on whatever concoction she'd been fiddling with. Noranti leaves off itching and moaning; a greater sadness settling over her. [Oh, interesting, just now struck me that Sikozu is the only one not wearing anything as protection against whatever is in the air-- even Rygel wears goggles-- oh, and Pilot, nothing for Pilot. Hm.]
She starts scratching at her forehead again.
Sikozu peers over her shoulder, can't tell if her concern is genuine or not.
The old woman murmurs an assent, nodding slightly.
Scorpius is working it out. Both hand inside the small access hatch opening where lately burned the fire. Harsh spurts of electric discharge accompany a few of his sharp movements. Shortly he's rewarded by a humming thrum and the overhead light shines down. He steps away from the wall, looking up into the light, sighing in satisfaction.
An odd chattering noise from an instrusion of plant fibers into his cell draws his attention and he steps closer. He extends a hand and the noise decreases slightly. He pulls his hand back, sighing slightly, obviously an interesting discovery we're not meant to share at this moment. And he... smiles.
And oh yeah, it's hard to tell in the frelling dark, but the central structure of the neural core is pretty hard to miss. Aeryn entering with requiste big 'ol flashlight; mask pressed to her nose and mouth.
Another flashlight beam precedes Chi's entrance, behind Aeryn on the other side of the core.
Chiana heads away, her light dimishing while Aeryn continues examining the area; abruptly recalling something, dropping the mask from her face.
Chiana turns back, and... [ARG! It's another frell up. The door behind Chiana is one of Moya's standard doors of which there are none in the neural cluster. *sheesh* Okay, nobody but me cares about this, right? Oy. Annoying tho. -- okay, it's dark, who cares. ]
She looks down and takes a few steps closer, moving out of the beam of Aeryn's flashlight, into the darkness.
Aeryn follows her with the flashlight as she turns, shaking her head in confusion as she trails off.
Tinges of disappointment on Chi's face force a further confession.
Chi nods slowly.
Aeryn turns to leave, Chi watching until she's out of sight. Moaning and flopping against the wall as soon as she deems it safe.
John steps close to the closed door, the wide strap of the mask around his head holds the mask to his nose and mouth, voice still lovely distorted. [We're voting for these masks more often just for the cheap thrill of obsessing over the 'voice'].
Scorpius leaves off examining the plant fibers protruding from the wall to approach the door. Eyes John briefly before a soft spoken word.
He walks back to the squiggling plant fibers, John watching carefully through the bars. He reaches a hand toward them and they 'squeal'-- retreating slightly into the wall. John unholsters his weapon, activating the door as the plant fibers disappear into the wall, stepping inside; urging compliance with the point of the gun.
Scorpius backs away from the door, allowing John entry.
He gestures to Scorpius with the gun.
Short cut to Aeryn, stepping away from the ladder in the Neural Cluster core.
Scorpius precedes John out of the cell, John keeps his gun carefully pointed to the floor in a two handed grip as he passes.
He follows Scorpius, another curt direction at the door.
Trailing Scorpius as he follows his directions, moving down the corridor to the right.
Aeryn continues her overhead examination of the area.
John and Scorpius make a slow progression down the corridor, John's weapon now up and covering his back.
Her eyes still to the ceiling, she hunches and drops to the floor reflexively as a enormous explosion erupts behind her, shoving backward with heels and one hand at a second explosion.
In the corridor John and Scorpius stop.
Another explosion and Aeryn continues scuttling away.
Flashlight slung over her shoulder by its long strap, Aeryn climbs the neural cluster ladder. Another explosion just behind her.
Another, more distant explosion and a gout of steam mark Aeryn's arrival at Pilot's level, climbing out at the join near the bridge and the central platform [annoying, must be more than the one ladder then, that comes up beneath Pilot. Hm.] Panting slightly, turning toward Pilot.
A brief shot of a slightly hunched and unmoving Pilot.
Flashlight in hand, she slowly moves closer, really slowly; looking around the enormous cavern as she approaches. Close enough finally to note the invasion of plant fibers than hang across the spurs below his crest. Abruptly Pilot's eyes bulge open and he begins to bob harshly, choking noises from his throat, the plant fibers dripping from his lips.
Fade to black as he groans loudly. Terrifying sound. [thankfully, didn't hurl]
John and D'Argo enter Scorpy's new home, Scorpy nowhere around. John's holding the mask on again.
John pulls the mask down, rubbing his eyes. D'Argo pulls Scorpy's carryall from beneath the bunk. Sikozu entering behind them while he rifles through it, John has a question for her...
Another cool device that obviously doesn't already work self-contained; one minute a solid carryall, the next glimpse the little centrifuge that holds the blue coolant rods is up, exposing the small round-up of tubes. Sikozu begins removing them.
Aeryn hauls Scorpius backward to recline on the console beside Pilot [and that's gotta be worth a triple-shot I'd say!]. He's chained securely to the wall, but feels free to voice his objections.
Aeryn grabs him by the shoulders and 'rolls' him toward Pilot. [god, I love it when she man-handles him. *g*]. The plant tendrils surrounding Pilot shrivel.
She pushes him back onto his back.
John holds one of the cooling rods in front of the intrusion of plant fibers and they shrivel.
[ Okay, I giggle when he says definitely. hehe... no, seriously. John makin' the BBQ spell. Yep. Mentally.Damaged. *g* ]
He hands the rod to Sikozu, she adds it to the pile already in her hand.
She heads for the door, John following until D'Argo calls him. He stops at the door, turning back.
Long pause while D decides what to say.
John looks away, vaguely uneasy. Emotions carefully reigned in. A question first, but can't look back at D yet. It's a close shot, just face and shoulders but you can tell he's reaching out to the wall, put fingers on the doorframe to anchor himself. [oy]
John nods, lips tightly pursed.
D'Argo kinda gives a sideways nod...
John nods once, eyes closing, lips in a thin line again. [Irony... not so funny when it's you.] He looks up a D, an 'ah, hell' expression on his face.
He waits expectantly, visibly bracing himself for whatever D'Argo needs to tell him.
and John is just 'looking' at him. Expression exquisitely blank, tiny nod.
D'Argo shakes his head, he looks so unhappy.
Still silent and unmoving, no small nod this time. A long pause and...
John looks away, briefly contemplating the doorframe, brows contracting for a fraction of a second. Then looks back to D'Argo. [and THAT look, that's the one someone should get a frelling screen capture of. Oy. Very painful.]
A long silent moment, cut back to D'Argo, just quietly waiting. Cut back to John and shot is med-long and we can 'see' that hand on the doorframe.
He turns and walks away, putting the mask back up across his nose and mouth.
Noranti and Sikozu, still workin' around the cauldron. [Hey, isn't there supposed to be a third witch?] Sikozu looks up just it time to catch Noranti taking a sip of the cooling rod fluid from a small beaker. Makes a yummy sound. [ew]
Valiantly cutting herself off and restraining her anger... semi-succesfully.
[Awgh! gross.]
The old bird scarfs another piece of the plant. The woman has an oral fixation to put John's to shame.
She must be desperate, cause she resorts to *gasp* sarcasm.
D'Argo enters, breathing heavily. It's becoming obvious that whatever is in the air is impeding the whole breathing thing.
He stops at a console, checking on things. Behind him, slumped over the strategy table, Rygel's thronesled hums, the lil toad sitting up, shining his tiny light toward D'Argo.
John and Aeryn move away from camera, both clad in full EVA suits, the white piping glowing in the dark. They each tote a large bucket of blue fluid which also glows mildly in the darkness.
D'Argo now faces Rygel across the table.
He peels the mask off his head, sitting at the table.
D'Argo sighs and places a large hand on a tiny shoulder.
Rygel lowers his head.
He stands to leave.
John arrives outside a small door criss-crossed by transparent panels, he peers inside at large golden fans suspended from the ceiling.
He pushes the door open and they step inside, careful not to be decapitated by the large spinning fans! [LOL! It's a Galaxy Quest homage! LOL. Very funny.]
They kneel down and crawl underneath one of the large four bladed fans spinning heavily in a horizontal plane above their heads. They push the buckets ahead to near another large fan, this one vertical, with many more blades in two sets, spinning counter to each other.
Elsewhere, in another corridor...
Unnoticed, of course, the plant fibers have gotten into the works of the circulation fans, a high-pitched metal screech also going unnoticed.
Nice pause while the high-pitched metal scream builds in intensity.
Right on cue, the central fan 'blows', the four main blades popping away from the central hub and crash to the ground sending fragments across the chamber. It's an impressive sight. John and Aeryn go down. Some fragments knock the buckets over, a bright blue flood rapidly staining the floor and trickling down an open grate. Metal fragments rain down on John and Aeryn.
As the noise subsides, John sits up quickly, surveying the damage, notes the blue fluid escaping down the grate.
He turns toward Aeryn, still prone on her side, nudging her with his hand.
She doesn't move, body just rocking slightly with the nudge. He leans in closer.
Rolling her slightly onto her back, he sees a bright stain of blood on her cheek in the light of the helment. Her eyes are closed.
Action steps up this Act, cutting between locations. John & Aeryn in the atmospheric scrubber, Rygel on Command, D'Argo in the hangar bay, Scorpius still chained to the wall in Pilot's Den, Sikozu and Noranti in the Center Chamber.
Aeryn's sitting on the floor, back propped against the wall, John kneeling beside her, his hand on her head, peering at her closely. The fans no longer circulating which probably accounts for why they aren't wearing their helmets.
She bats his hand away, annoyed.
John helps her stand, and they move out.
Pilot is wobbling and moaning beside him.
In the center chamber, Noranti has obviously gotten on the girls last nerve, she has one hand wrapped firmly around the old woman's neck.
A beat later and everyone... well, Noranti, Rygel, Sikozu and D'Argo are all in Lo'La while he readies the ship for flight.
Looking through one of Lo'La's forward eyes to John, standing in the Maintenance Bay, mask pressed to his face. Chi crouched behind him on a table, and a single DRD on the floor.
John turns away, heading back to the DRD.
Cut to the Maintenance Bay as the DRD rolls forward.
The DRD hums away and John stands, crossing to Chiana.
Quick cut to Aeryn in Pilot's Den, depressing a control panel.
She sighs, silently conceding the point.
D'Argo sighs, hanging his head briefly before turning to the others behind him.
D'Argo shifts his gaze to Rygel, Sikozu turning to glare at him as well. He remains silent-- Noranti pokes him, shifting his thronesled forward a bit.
Cut to John and Chi, waiting at the table, John turns to greet the new arrival... thronesled humming.
John turns back to Chi who is 'still' fiddling with something on the table.
He lowers the mask.
She maneuvers closer, beginning to daub a rich golden paste on his face.
He turns away a bit while she works the applicator down his jawline.
Inside Lo'La, D'Argo prepares for flight, Aeryn sits read in the co-pilot's position-- hands on the joystick.
John and Chi enter, John looking like some kind of sun-god with that golden face, but only John wears an EVA suit. Chi carries a long metal pole. They cross the room against a moderately strong flow of air.
They move to the far end of the room, the floor appears slightly sloped, the large ceiling fans no longer spinning.
They stop at the far wall, another large vertical fan, this one not rotating quickly, but the rush of wind through the large holes are making it difficult to stand. Chi wedges the pole between the vertical blades, jamming the fan and stopping the rotation.
Chi holds on for all she's worth while John moves away.
Rygel examines the controls dubiously, Scorpius coaching.
At about the center of the room, John leaps upward, snagging a flexible pipe and 'tearing' it out of the ceiling. His feet hit the ground again and a burst of purple mist flows from the broken end of the pipe.
Chiana struggles to keep the fan jammed, grunting against the strain and the wind. John props the pipe on his shoulder, holding what appears to be a highly pressurized stream toward the still spinning fan at the other end of the room.
Shots of the purple mist filling the corridors before we cut to the Den, the purple mist already invading there.
Behind Rygel, Scorpius looks a bit... blissed.
Rygel makes a nervous gulping noise.
Back in the scrubber, John keeps the mist pouring toward the still circulating fan. The opposing vertical blades scissoring together.
Lo'La lines up against Moya's lower hull just behind her nose, carefully pressed against her hull and looking a bit like a pilot fish as she nudges Moya starboard.
Aeryn and D'Argo concentrating on the maneuver.
Still holding the stream of mist steady.
Quick cut to D'Argo
Quick cut to Chiana, her feet beginning to skate on the tilted deck, pushing her shoulder into the wall.
Quick cut to ext. space, Lo'La still nudging Moya off vector.
The wormhole 'blooms', right on cue. Moya a close, but safe distance.
Aeryn holds it steady, a small smile on her face.
Insert a couple of shots of DRDs at various locations. 1812 stops circling, squeaks emphatically and deploys its small lazer.
Pilot grabs Rygel by the throat, lifting him above the control console. Scorpius struggles ineffectively with the chains looped over his shoulders.
Scorpius yanks savagely at the chain, trying to tear it away from the wall.
Snarling, Scorpius yanks against his chains, somehow freeing one arm he swings it downward against Pilot's arm, severing it from his body. The arm and Rygel both, tumble to the floor. Pilot, naturally, howls in agony.
Rygel struggles up from the floor, crawling halfway onto the console, and finally depressing the control. All DRDs fire into the mist, igniting a storm of radiation.
The purple mist filling the corridors ignites a bluish white hellstorm that races through the ship, all the way back to the atmospheric scrubber where the effect, most startlingly, makes John and Chiana both transparent and illuminating their skeletal structure as the wave passes through. [Cool. And we'd say something about bones here but... just don't wanna go there.]
The ignited radiation illuminates Moya's hull, a gorgeous golden light very reminiscent of the destructive fire. Lo'La is hove off at a respectable distance, yet...
Very one squints or shields their eyes against the sudden illumination.
The ship rumbles, rocking heavily.
Chiana loses her grip on the pole and falls, sliding across the sloped deck.
John drops to the floor, one hand still gripping the pipe, the other snagging her boot as she slides by.
He momentum dragging him forward, until they're caught up short by the limit of the length of the flexible pipe.
Chi's outstretched hands nearly touching the blades of the fan as she tries to push backward.
Rygel examines the console frantically.
The pipe gives way allowing both Chi and John to slide forward a few inches.
Hauled up short again, John adjusts his grip, releasing her boot a taking a fist full of her pant leg on her upper thigh, heaving back as much as possible, stretched between Chiana's struggling body and the completely unreliable pipe.
John's gloved hand digs into her leg, the fabric of her pants clutched in his fingers, the fabric only stretching as he pulls back.
Chiana pulls her hands back, pushing upward and arching her back, lifting her head away from the spinning blades scissoring a hairs breadth in front of her face.
Whimpering, she's bend nearly in half, trying to keep her face out of the fan.
Chi screams, her face all but 'in' the fan.
Rygel presses a control, strictly at random, and is immediately rewarded by a hum of power cycling down.
The fan cycles slower, shutting down. Still arched radically upward, Chi pants heavily.
John releases his grip, dropping his head against the deck with a solid thunk, he's also breathing fast and shallow. Another crisis averted, and absolutely none to soon.
Chi collapses as well, shoving away from the fan and rolling onto her back. John rolls onto his side, watching her.
Quick cut to the Den so we can enjoy Scorpius scowling at Rygel.
Chiana wobbles to her feet, and, interestingly enough, John's efforts to pull her back are evident in her trousers... the crotch pulled half-way down to her knees.
She peers down at him, he's not bothering to get off the floor.
John grins and laughs, a nice thick, rich, genuine, and only mildly lacivious. Chi laughs with him.
He takes a deep breath, amusement thick in his tone.
Chi bends over, grabbing the vacant material between her legs, and John laughs again, that lovely, genuine laugh.
She grabs her waistband and very ineffectively attempts to yank herself straight. John continues chuckling while she works at it.
Fade to black on John's continued soft laughter.
Probably seen this one a few times as well, Moya motoring at speed. Lovely transition shot. To some later moment in time.
Pilot, back to his bobbing and weaving self, a large golden sheet draped over his torso masks whatever damage Scorpius did.
Chiana and D'Argo clean up, Rygel hovers pretty uselessly.
Rygel grins, making appreciative noises, a bit of plant fiber in his fingers.
Back in his cell, Scorpius looks up from replenishing his coolant rod holder, smiling appreciatively; and quick cut to Sikozu in the center chamber, also smirking happily.
Noranti presses her palms together following a short florish, her eyes cast upward. Typical.
On command, D'Argo breathes a short laugh of slight surprise. He glances over to Chiana who gives him a satisfied smile. He appears pleased; pleasure balanced with a measure of dread. Rygel hovers off... likely to pout.
Kneeling on the floor, John works at clearing the debris of the exploded fan, placing fragments into a bucket. 1812 keeping him company. He looks up as Aeryn enters, looking down again as he continues clearing the floor.
She closes the door and turns, hands on her hips, just watching him. He looks up briefly, then back to the floor, more pieces dropped into the bucket. Aeryn moves close, crouching beside him. He gathers more debris, dropping it into the bucket before glancing up at her again.
He stops, still looking at the floor.
Aeryn's mouth gapes a bit, slightly surprised, her features hardening a bit.
Looks away again, plucking more debris from the floor. Stops again, still looking down. Asks... more a statement than a question.
And he looks it, his gaze unable to lock on any specific thing. She focuses him with a tangent of information without really answering his confusion.
He lowers his head, tired, resting briefly on the back of his hand, thinking... clears his throat before looking up again.
That produces a bittersweet smile on her face.
Long beat while they exchange a long, painful, silent look.
She's silent, no answer to that, just silent focus on the pain apparent in him; and he has to look away again. She looks away too, a bitterly ironic smile flits across her lips. When she speaks again, her voice is tight and dry.
He looks down, shaking his head vaguely.
He stands and walks away, leaving her to struggle with what looks like loss. And [swear to god] a single tear falls.
Fade To Black.