PIYW1

There is a strange collection of multifaceted, interconnected objects floating in space. They make up some sort of unique ship or space station. Inside one of the objects, Chiana is looking at a painting that has a three dimensional cube inside it. The painting itself consists of three triangular panels, one each of yellow, green and blue. The shopkeeper, an older woman with her hair piled on top of her head comes up behind Chiana. She has a scarf tied around her hair like a gypsy.

Shopkeeper: "There's no rush. Browse all you like." She comes right up to Chiana as she is looking at the painting.

Chiana looks at her and quickly moves away. "I don't care much for room decorations." She goes to a shelf with jewelry and knick-knacks on it. "I, uh... I prefer to decorate myself." She picks up a piece of jewelry and looks at it. "Mmm. Like this for instance."

Chiana wanders away from the shopkeeper and finds herself once again in front of the painting. Now, however, there is a picture of Chiana herself near the center where the three triangles meet.

Rygel: "Authentic Neltoth? Nonsense. It's a cheap copy. And I should know. I gave 'em to all my wives."

Aeryn watches Chiana who is starring at the painting which seems to have changed again. She has her hand out, just touching the face of the painting.

The shopkeeper has joined Chiana in front of the painting again. She puts her face right next to Chiana's.

Chiana points to something on the painting: "Hey. That's my favorite neck lace. I lost that half a cycle ago."

In the maintenance bay, D'Argo takes a piece of wire out of a pile of stuff. He walks towards John with it. John is working on a piece of equipment that has wires sticking out all over it. A DRD sits on top of it, also working.

John: "This defense screen is pretty much fried. I'm not even sure if it's worth fixing." He puts the handle of a tool in his mouth.

Suddenly sparks fly out of the equipment John is working on. D'Argo dodges back, to avoid being hit. John ducks down behind the equipment.

Pilot: "It is. But Moya's been experiencing a number of minor power anomalies. I'm trying to isolate them."

Pilot: "Scheduled maintenance... which is overdue. She would not be pleased to postpone it further."

Chiana walks down a corridor, carrying the picture the shopkeeper gave her. She is looking at the picture as she walks, turning it this way and that. A DRD passes her, going in the opposite direction. It has a necklace held in one of its tools.

Chiana: "Is that mine?" She sets down the painting and walks over to the DRD. She bends down to get a better look at the necklace.

Chiana: "And how did she know you'd find it?" She stands up, staring at the painting. She continues to stare at the painting as she starts to walk towards it. The DRD starts forwards as well and Chiana trips over it. She falls to the floor and screams. She screams again and again, staring at the painting that shows her severed leg.

Chiana has the necklace in her hand, shaking it, in front of the picture. John's hand is holding the picture upright, by the corner.

Chiana: "Well first, it didn't even look like me at all. Then it showed me with a necklace, then it showed me with a broken leg, okay? You know what I think? I... I think it can predict the future."

John: "My Aunt Ruth can do that, cept she uses tea leaves." He crouches in the corridor, behind the picture. Zhaan is kneeling nearby.

Chiana: "Oh, okay. Then, how do you explain this? And this?" She holds up the necklace, then points to her broken leg.

Zhaan puts her hand on Chiana's arm and interrupts her: "Could Aeryn and Rygel have switched it for another, or tampered with it somehow?"

John: "Aeryn's not exactly the joking type, and Rygel, I can... I can see him pullin her leg but not exactly breaking it."

John stands there and shakes his head. He takes a step closer to Zhaan and Chiana: "Well, there we have it. Coincidence... bad luck... maybe a bit of power of suggestion thrown in." He crouches next to Chiana.

John: "Zhaan... how about if you take... like a tiny little chip off someplace where it doesn't show? Would that work for you?"

He takes the vial he is holding and sprinkles something from it onto the tiara he purchased from the merchant. There is a sizzling sound.

Zhaan has come into the lab and stands quietly behind him. She reaches down and grabs Rygel by the ear.

Zhaan: "I'm surprised you're using my possessions without my consent, Rygel. Especially after what I did to you the last time."

Rygel: "Well it's not. And that fool Kyvan sold it for a single food cube. Hah! Silly old woman had no idea what she had." He comms: "Pilot! Reverse course."

Zhaan closes her eyes and sighs: "Ignore him, Pilot. Moya has better things to do than search for Kyvan's vessel."

Rygel turns to Zhaan: "What the yotz are you talking about? We have a chance to turn a tidy profit here. Have you any idea what this is worth?"

Zhaan bends down slowly and speaks directly in Rygel's face: "We are not returning to that ship, Rygel. Now, get out!"

D'Argo stands, leaning against a door support, looking at Chiana. His hands are crossed in front of him. She is lying on her side, looking at the painting.

Chiana: "Isn't this something? Wonder what it'll show me next?" She gets up on her elbow, still looking at the painting which shows her with her broken leg.

Chiana: "It brought me back my necklace and then it turned around and broke my leg. Why would it do that?"

D'Argo straightens up and walks over to Chiana: "Assuming all that is true, do you really... want to know what the future holds?" He sits down on the edge of the bed.

Chiana scoots back a bit and looks at him: "Of course I do. Come on D'Argo, don't you wanta know if you're ever gonna find your son?"

Chiana: "Well it might keep you from... from spending your whole life searching for something that's never gonna happen."

D'Argo: "If I don't try, it will definately never happen. Now... I want you to get rid of that." He points to the painting.

D'Argo whispers: "Listen to me... I do care about you. That's why I want you to start being sensible and get rid of that."

Chiana: "Oh... okay, so I'm not being sensible now? Well, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but I'm keeping it!" She glares at him: "I need to rest now." She moves back, away from D'Argo and lays back down. She lifts her head up momentarily: "Alone." She turns her head to the side.

Aeryn is sitting behind him, gnawing on something: "Even if the object did change, It's still just a trick. I've seen con artists on many planets pull off bigger frauds than that."

John: "Yah, well she got it for free, so it's not much of a score if it's a con." He wanders around the galley, stopping at a ledge in front of the window.

Aeryn: "Chiana insulted Kyvan's artwork. Maybe Kyvan wanted revenge or something." She swallows, then takes a drink out of cup.

John: "So, what? You think that she rigged the painting so that Chiana would be spooked into breaking her leg? That's a bit of a stretch."

Aeryn: "What's your theory? That it can predict the future?" She glances sideways at John as she puts another bite in her mouth.

John: "No. I don't have a theory... just a hypothesis. We should've steered clear of Kyvan's ship." He climbs over a table and comes back towards the food compartments. He takes a container off a shelf.

Aeryn: "And, as usual, we have Rygel and Chiana to thank for that. There isn't a single, flying junk dealer in the Uncharted Territories that they'd pass up."

John is standing on a bench, near Aeryn: "Well, you know what I say... I say we lock all of Moya's doors... we don't let anybody in... we don't let anybody out... "

He opens another container and sniffs it: " ...that way we get no alien critters, no shape-shifting bugs, no ... " He sniffs again loudly, puts the top back on the container and sets it down: "... mind-altering viruses, no freaky-deaky artifacts." He picks up another container.

John sits down, looking in yet another container: "Huh? Rygel I can sort of understand, but Chiana?"

John stands up: "Pilot. Let's get rid of Pilot. That'd be good. Then you can have the whole ship to yourself." He starts to walk away.

Inside Zhaan's lab, there are quiet, whispery noises. Zhaan is bent over, examining something. She straightens up with a jerk when she hears the noises, looking around. Finally, she bends back down to her work.

Zhaan looks up at him: "How can I tell you what I don't know? Every test I try finds nothing unusual in... in the material of Chiana's portrait."

John: "Look, don't worry about it, okay, you know? The painting probably never changed. Chiana was hallucinating. It's all in her mind." John points to his forehead and starts to leave. Zhaan grabs his arm and stops him: "No, John. Believe me. This is not in Chiana's mind. She's in danger."

Zhaan: "I can't tell you yet. All I have are suspicions. But, if I'm right... " She looks down again, then back at John's face: "John... soon there may come a time when I need you... and everyone to do exactly as I say. Quickly, and without question. Do you have enough faith in me to obey?"

John looks at her for a microt: "Okay... Zhaan. Whatever you're doin... takin a flyer, playin a hunch... I'm in. Can't speak for the others, but when the time comes for you to make your move... I'll back you up."

The painting shows Chiana with a part of her leg broken off. She is standing on a floor that is bordered by a row of windows or arches. The painting begins to shift and change. The figure of Chiana washes away to become just her face, surrounded by flames.

John walks quickly past a junction in the corridor. D'Argo walks towards him from the other direction.

D'Argo: "Crichton!" He moves into the adjacent corridor, following John. "I've decided we must take that painting away from Chiana. It's no good for her."

Chiana: "I'm gettin outta here. Let's go!" She hops away from John. As she does, she stumbles and falls forward. D'Argo catches her before she hits the floor. Chiana looks up at him and pulls herself up on his arms. She is crying.

Aeryn reaches up and puts a hand on Chiana's shoulder: "Chiana, you're fine. You don't even feel hot."

John: "Zhaan... it happened again. Chiana said it happened in the blink of an eye." He hands the painting to Zhaan.

Zhaan stares at the painting. She gasps and leans over a bench, setting the painting down on it. She places both her hands over the portrait of Chiana's face, on the painting, and holds them there. There is a hissing sound and Zhaan jerks her hands away.

Aeryn: "Are you completely out of your mind? If she doesn't freeze to death in there, she will suffocate."

John comes into the cargo bay, behind them. He comms: "Pilot? How long can Chiana last in there?" He strides over to the others.

Zhaan stares intently at the painting. She pulls back, looking alarmed. She gathers herself and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes to meditate. Suddenly, she gasps and shivers, taking a step backwards to maintain her balance. There are strange noises in the lab, like whispers or echoes. Zhaan looks around, steadying herself by holding the edge of the bench, but there is no one there.

Chiana is inside the freezer, crying. She has her hand on the door panel. She whimpers and pounds on the door. There is a bright, yellow light behind her.

D'Argo: "Pilot... this door is jammed. Open it!" He slams his hand against the door, trying to open it.

Aeryn: "Stand back!" She draws her pulse pistol and points it at the freezer door. D'Argo hurries to stand behind her as she fires at the door control.

John and D'Argo both rush to the door and try to force it open. Chiana continues to scream as the flames climb higher around her. They are now both in front of her and behind her. D'Argo picks up a bar to bash the door with.

The door to the freezer compartment raises. There is a smear of soot near the bottom, as though a bit of the fire had burned through. The compartment is full of smoke. On the floor, directly inside the door, Chiana's necklace sits atop a small pile of still smoldering ash. John leans against the doorway, looking in. Aeryn peers in over his shoulder.

Zhaan: "At least we tried. Which is more than I can say for you! Where were you when she died? Sleeping? Eating?"

Zhaan: "I should have gone down to the ship with them. I should have stopped her from bringing it back."

John: "There are a number of things we all should have done. And we can do one of 'em right now. Zhaan, how do we dispose of this piece of junk?"

Zhaan takes a deep breath: "Fire would be a fitting end." She stands up and picks up the painting. She carries it to her workbench and lays it down. Picking up a copper jar, she pours a pile of green slime on it. She lights a torch and sets the green goo on fire. It burns and bubbles on top of the painting. As the others watch, Zhaan steps back and begins to chant: "Kylaan, kylaan, eeytah myah kosa. Kylaan. Kylaan."

The flames shoot up and reflect in D'Argo's eyes as he watches it burn. Tears run down Zhaan's face: "eejah neeyah myah kosa."

Aeryn: "There has to be!" She holds her arm out towards Pilot: "Wh... what about a defective... power doubler in the freezer?"

Aeryn: "Ah... all right, we said that Moya had um... some energy surges and other anomalies that you couldn't isolate. Maybe this is related to it."

Pilot: "I've told you... no malfunction of Moya's caused that fire. Nor was it an error of control on my part."

Aeryn rubs the back of her head, then pats her hand on Pilot's console: "All right, I'm not, I'm not blaming you, Pilot, but something had to cause it..."

The painting now shows D'Argo standing on the slated floor. His back is arched and his head is thrown back, chest pushed forwards. The line where the glass joins crosses D'Argo's chest.

D'Argo reaches over and picks up the painting: "I agree." He lifts it back, over his head, and smashes it onto the floor. It breaks into many small shards with a loud crashing sound.

D'Argo: "Then it shall do so in space. Pilot, where is the nearest access shaft? I want to get this thing as far away from Moya as I can." He kneels on the floor to gather up the broken pieces.

Aeryn starts to walk away: "I'll go find that trader and get some answers. Pilot, is my prowler ready?"

John and D'Argo look at each other, then go back to gathering up pieces of the painting. Zhaan watches them, breathing heavily.

D'Argo pulls a small, triangular cover from the side of one of Moya's walls. John kneels down and shoves the pieces of the painting through the hole. They fall with a loud crash.

Zhaan hurries towards the sound. She slows down when she reaches a junction point. The voice comes again: "Zhaan" It seems to be laughing as it says her name.

Zhaan slowly walks down the corridor, one step at a time while the voice whispers: "P'au Zhaan. P'au Zhaan. P'au Zhaan."

At the controls, Aeryn pushes the nose down and puts the module into a dive. Behind her, Rygel cries out: "Ohh! Ohh!" He bumps into the back of Aeryn's seat.

Rygel: "Can't I accomplish both at once? Chiana was given a dangerous product. Kyvan, therefore, owes us restitution."

Rygel: "Punitive damages... that's what Chiana would have wanted. She was quite a lot like me, you know. She had spirit... ambition... ha! Large appetites. She would have made an excellent Hynerian. I'm... actually going to miss her." He hangs his head.

The painting appears. It now shows D'Argo standing, his head thrown back and his chest out. There is a pointed object, like a spear or harpoon, sticking out of his chest, from his back.

John: "Zhaan! All right, kids. Time to think. First off... what the hell is that supposed to be?" He points to the object that protrudes from D'Argo's chest in the painting.

John picks up the painting and carries it across the bay, past Aeryn's prowler: "Next... we get you into a big, open space..." He sets the painting down behind a barrel. "... as far away from any pointy objects as possible."

D'Argo spins around and sees sparks coming from the front of the prowler. John starts towards it, but D'Argo grabs him and flings him aside. Steam gushes from the prowler engines and the harpoon swings around.

The prowler's harpoon impales D'Argo through the chest. He cries out and shatters into a thousand pieces. John stares, in disbelief.

D'Argo screams: "John!" and flails his arms, trying to gain his balance. He is standing on the wooden corridor floor, inside the painting. The wall to his left has keyhole shaped openings in it, at regular intervals. The whole room appears to be shimmering or shaking. As the room steadies, he reaches down and feels his chest. There is nothing wrong with it. No harpoon sticking through it and no wound. D'Argo takes a deep breath and sighs. He takes a few panting breaths while looking around.

D'Argo twists and turns, trying to find where Chiana's voice is coming from. The air appears ripply around him. D'Argo takes a step towards one of the keyholes.

D'Argo steps through one of the keyholes and finds himself in the dark. The geometric shape that sits on the painting is suspended near him. He looks this way and that, finding nothing. He goes back through the keyhole and then past a couple more, looking in towards the dark place.

D'Argo laughs. Chiana's head and torso are suspended in front of him, filling up one of the keyhole openings. She is upside down.

John walks up and down by the prowler's harpoon, running his hand along its edge. Zhaan stands behind him, looking over his shoulder.

John: "It punched... right through him... and then he disappeared. No blood, no guts, no nothin. Where'd he go? We gotta get him back. He... look... he cannot just vanish, Zhaan!"

The portrait shows him with his arms out to his sides, with waves of something like electricity striking him in the chest.

John: "Batter up. Is this great, Zhaan?" He laughs: "This thing is pickin us off like flies and nobody even knows what it is."

John: "Come on... Zhaan! This magical, mystery crap is your speciality, not mine, you just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!" His voice gets louder as he speaks.

Aeryn grabs the old woman and turns her around roughly. Kyvan gasps. There is a loud crash and clatter from things being knocked around.

Rygel: "It's a very bad idea to annoy her when she's in this sort of mood." He is floating by the ladder.

Aeryn shouts: "Well, that's unfortunate for you, isn't it? Because if you had something to tell me, I'd have a reason not to shoot you, but since you're not telling me anything..." She brings up her pulse pistol in a two-handed grasp, pointing it at Kyvan.

Zhaan walks over to John: "We only dispersed him. I knew he'd coalesce again someday. I never dreamt it would be this soon."

Kyvan is sitting on the floor between a couple of barrels. She picks up her head and listens as John speaks.

She takes a couple of steps towards Kyvan and puts her right foot up on a step. Her holster with the pulse pistol in it are next to her hand.

Kyvan keeps her head down and her face averted: "Nothing that I can tell you will do any good. Maldis is too powerful."

John: "Zhaan... " He stands up and grabs Zhaan's wrists, forcing her hands away from her face. "Zhaan! Stop buggin out." He turns her around to face him, staring into her eyes. "We beat Maldis before, we can do it again. Don't go chicken on me here."

Zhaan suddening grabs John's head with her hands over his ears. She leans her head forward and puts her forehead against John's. There is a sort of ringing noise...

Zhaan: "John... I speak to you by the bond of unity we shared. Now is the time to trust me. I have a plan. You must focus Maldis' attention on you for as long as possible. Ignore what I say next."

Zhaan: "Maldis cannot be defeated. He's already taken Chiana... and D'Argo. He's gonna take you next, then the rest of us... one by one."

Zhaan looks up at John. She steps towards him and touches his face with her hand. She whispers: "I am." She screws up her face as if to cry and shoves John in the chest. He falls backwards onto some equipment and a DRD. He is surrounded by sparks and shatters in many sharp fragments. The DRD squeaks and squawks. Zhaan looks down at them. She hears a voice calling.

There is a shimmering, shattering sound. John cries out as he lands on a hard surface. He looks around and sees many moving, geometric shapes. One looks like it is from the center of the portrait. The space around him continues to move and spin.

John: "D'Argo!" He looks around. There is a line of archways beside him. Through one, he sees D'Argo, large and suspended in midair at a 90 degree angle to John's point of view. John hurries over to the arches and steps into one.

John stops in mid stride. He hangs onto the archway with his hand to stop himself. Beyond the arch, it is dark and there is only a reflection of the room behind.

John: "Wh... what the hell? D'Argo?" His call echoes in the reflecting room. John pulls himself back into the lighted hallway.

John: "Great. It's not just a painting, it's a maze." He laughs and steps away from the arches. "Terrific. And, I know who built it." He calls out: "Maldis! Come on down!" His voice echoes.

John begins to walk down the corridor, calling: "Mal... dis! Mal... dis? Come on, you old bastard, show me your ugly face!"