Dean watched as Shawn tested what he could do with the chamber in his current state. The older warrior sighed, “Make the prison cell as pretty as you like, it still isn’t freedom.” Dean couldn’t make eye contact, knowing that the lecture would circle back. “You would think after everything Equinox did you would know how I feel about copying me. The confusion it causes and my own feelings about multiple mes running around.” The illusory man seemed to finally relent, “But you are just training the newest members of our little disaster. I may be a training dummy, but I’m also an entire course and the owner’s manual to the ship. Hell, depending on what has changed I might as well be an encyclopedia for them.” Dean waited to see if this was becoming praise. “Sai!” The figure seemed excited. “Shawn Artificial Intelligence. Sai.”
Dean laughed, receiving a quick but limp wristed backhand. Barely feeling it, Dean continued to chuckle, “Alright, Sai. Sure. Not your best name for a thing but it does set the foundation for the Marvelous Dragonfly effect to start.”
Sai nodded, adjusting his physical appearance some as he tried to find a look that worked for him, but always seeming to be floating around what Shawn looked like. He was still too fresh to this existence to decide beyond that. They looked around the old Cosmic Patrol headquarters that had been generated and Sai shook his head. “It won’t look like this when you get there but when you find Tim, give him a back pat for me. And keep him out of trouble.”
Dean nodded, asking delicately, “Are you going to start calling them in now?” Sai got a distant look in his eye. He seemed to be mulling something over before he nodded. “Send Ani in first. And when she says no, send in the idiot with the top hat.”
——————
Anisa sat at her station on the bridge, watching Sasori pace the bridge. The insect hissed, “I saved your sister’s life. I saved this ship. You should be thankful. Appreciative.” She didn’t seem angry or even bitter. Her voice was matter of fact and certain. As she walked between the stations, Anisa tried to parse this new manifestation. The face change made violence less immediate, but her grudge was still very real. As she sat there, watching this new force and trying to fetch all data from the infiltration. Most recording devices were frozen from the processing draw but she was going to find something to get a better idea of what is going on.
When her communicator lit up, she turned it off, trying to process recent events. This world was terrifying and full of uncertainty and she was getting the feeling it would only get worse.
——————
Katsi was in her room, hitting a heavy punching bag with everything she had. Every blow was his stupid face. He wouldn’t even let her hit him even though he deserved it. Dean took his side too. Just another point of rage. How dare he say that. Talk like he knows anything about her. She had lost her chance at a peaceful life and it was all his fault to save her dumb sister.
As she vented her outrage she hoped to quell the sea of pain and doubt bubbling below. She had fought. Fought hard to try and prevent their executions. To hide them as they made their escapes. To give them less dangerous assignments. What more could she have done?
She hated that man. No matter what training he gave, she was gonna kick his teeth in and break his arm.
——————
Pine continued to explore the service tunnels in the walls, leaping along hidden trails, discovering rooms with hidden devices for producing food and places where one could sleep safely. These tunnels were practically a mansion to those with the knowledge of how to navigate them. He would occasionally hear some odd sounds, but they would fade into the rest of the noise of the machines.
As he found all of these scattered secrets he couldn’t help but begin to feel like he had been invited into someone’s home. Finding one of the hidden beds, Pine settled down for a nap and enjoyed the quiet.
——————
Tak looked through all of her notes and finished sending them to the training room console. She waited to hear back from him about Anisa and what he intended to do. She rolled around the med bay, sorting through the medical reports of all the members of the crew and trying to reassure herself that she didn’t miss anything. That they are all okay. That she hadn’t missed anything. She didn’t know enough about these people yet but she wanted to make sure that they had her best. Still, looking at Gavin’s records she realized she had been leaving some things out for the sake of his privacy.
As she thought about it, she heard her console light up. Rolling over to see his response, she was a shade disappointed.
‘Appreciated, but I do my best work off the cuff.’
She tapped her pen and wondered why he was so resistant to her notes? This whole ship was his brain child. Wouldn’t these things be right up his alley?
——————
Gavin was in the engine room, checking for any damage that might have been done in the infiltration. Last thing they wanted was any sabotage. The claw marks, blood stains, and wall damage that their captain was responsible for was going to be a minor headache, but they could be managed.
Despite this, he felt himself fidgeting with irritation with the stone in his pocket. That stupid hologram thought he knew everything. Gavin had been through too much to be so easily summarized. So easily predicted. What the hell did that jackass think he knew? Suffering? What it takes to survive. No way. A guy like that doesn’t know anything about the real world.
As he was working on the console, he heard the voice of his friend speaking gently, “Hey, kid. He’s ready for you.” Gavin nodded slowly. A sigh came from the detective, “Look, whatever happens in there is between you and him. He sees the best in all of us, even if he isn’t always the best at pulling it out of us. Go in being everything you are and he will accept all of it, even when you can’t.”
Gavin didn’t make eye contact as he left the room. Dean meant well but he couldn’t know. Gavin had built this ship, but not only had it not been there when he needed it to be, but he had someone telling him who he was again. He would show this man who he was.