Death to Furlow!

By Bob Hutchinson (UCSBDad)
Copyright 2001

She opened her blue-green eyes and looked around her. Nothing looked familiar. Where the frell was she? What had happened to her? She tried to lift her hand to brush her long, black hair out of her eyes. She found that her hands were strapped to her side. A quick look down showed that her long, slender legs were also strapped into some sort of a chair. Frell!

Suddenly, she heard movement behind her. She craned her head around, but could see nothing. The footsteps stopped just behind her.

"Do you know what you're sitting in?" said the voice. A female voice. A voice she knew from somewhere.

"Why have you kidnapped me? I have friends. Theyíll be looking for me."

A bolt of pain hit her head. "You didnít answer the question."

She took a deep breath and replied. "I have no idea what the chair is."

No pain this time, only a soft chuckle. "You should, It's an Aurora chair. The Peacekeepers used them to extract information. The early ones were quite painful. The Peacekeepers didn't bother to improve them, but I managed to do so. Would you like to see your past life?"

Before she could reply, her memories started replaying in her head. First, they were a meaningless jumble, then they became longer and more meaningful And they showed one man, John Crichton. She knew who had captured her and why.

Her tormentor walked out from behind the chair. She stopped and looked down, and then, gently brushed the raven black hair away. Her hand slid gently down her captive's slender, well-muscled body.

Her captor walked all around her, examining her closely and finally stopped by her head. "I suppose I should be flattered. The hair, the eyes, the face, the body. They're all mine."

She sighed. It was pointless to lie. "The legs are a little longer and the boobs a little bigger. Oh, and the nose is different. I didn't want to look exactly like Aeryn Sun when so many people want to kill you, Aeryn. But it's the best new body money could buy. And I still have plenty of money, Aeryn. I didn't want John to die, and I know he wouldnít want you to kill me."

Aeryn Sun smiled down at her. "Indeed he wouldn't." Aeryn stopped and stared off into space. "The best new body money could buy." Then she turned on her heel and left her captive.

John walked through the throngs in the central market of the commerce planet. Ahead of him, a crowd had gathered. John shrugged his shoulders and headed for it. "All this time in the Uncharted Territories and I'm still a damned tourist." he muttered under his breath.

The crowd was gathered around a large cage, suspended over the market. Inside was a six-limbed gray critter that was all fangs, claws and growls. The crowd was pelting it with garbage. A few of the braver were beating on the cage with long sticks, occasionally jabbing the beast.

"That's a gray moulmien." Said a familiar voice at his side.

"And a gray moulmien is what, Aeryn?" He slid his arm around the waist of the woman he loved.

Aeryn shrugged. "In this case, a killer. This one apparently killed a child on the outskirts of town. Because it's an animal and has no sense of right and wrong, it's not killed, but caged here and fed on scraps and garbage until it dies of old age."

John shuddered slightly. "I think death would be preferable." Then he brightened. "So, let's have some dinner. Did you ever track down that friend you said was here?"

Aeryn smiled back. "Not yet, but I'm sure she's hanging around here someplace."