������"Wake up. " Jessie felt Liza shaking her slightly. "I said wake up!" Jessie was jerked upright. She let out a cry of protest. "Stop your whining. I'm not in the best mood. You've got to get up. We have to move."
������There was shuffling in the dark from Liza scooping things up quickly and stashing them in her bag.
������"What's going on?"Jessie asked.
������"What's going on?" Liza mimicked. "Is that all you ever say? What's going on is I told you we're moving.
������"Now GET UP!" She grabbed Jessie by the shoulders and yanked her to her feet.
������Jessie cringed as the bindings on her arms pulled tight. "Ow! I'm coming! Stop it!"
������Liza slapped her, making the bruise on her face a bit larger. "You move when I tell you and NO speaking unless spoken too."
������She settled the bag on her arm and pushed Jessie in front of her. "Just remember, my PPG can scream louder than you can, so I wouldn't try calling for help." Jessie felt the muzzle pressed against her back as they started walking. Jessie figured they must be going near people or Liza wouldn't be worried about her making noise. At least the exercise was getting the kinks out of her muscles. Again she wondered where they were going.
������"As close to topside as is safe." Liza answered her mental question. Jessie shuddered, she wished that woman would stay out of her head. "Even I was not thrilled about being so close to the refuse recycling plant. We'll follow the ducts to a place I marked out before. A couple days tops, and we should be able to get out of here. I'll have to find another mode of transportation. As much as I detest the thought, I might have to hire alien help."
������Jessie was getting very sick of Liza. She'd had just about enough of her scare tactics and abuse. She'd been through so much fear and emotion the last day or so she was beginng to become numb to it all.
������"Why don't you call your stupid Corp? Can't they come and get you?"
������Liza shoved her. "I don't NEED any help. I'd say I'm doing pretty well so far."
������Jessie stumbled but refused to allow it to get to her. "I'm hungry. Were you planning on feeding me?"
������"You'll eat when I decide you can, and not a second before.You keep this up and you won't get anything.
������Lord have mercy, if you and your mother were both this whiny, your father should have thanked me for taking him away from all that." She giggled nastily.
������A furious look washed over Jessie's face. She whipped around to face Liza. "You know nothing of my mother! She was more of a woman than you could ever be! My father loved her , even though they were seperated for 20 years. THAT'S what you can't understand. I'll bet no one ever loved you a day in your life!" She was practically screaming.
������Liza, without missing a beat, raised the muzzle of the PPG level with Jessie's head and triggered the power cell. Jessie heard the whine as it charged itself. Liza spoke low, but emphasized every word with a snarl.
������"Maybe I should just do everyone a favor and shoot you right here. Fry your sweet little brains into goo.
������What do you think?" She pressed the gun to Jessie's temple. She didn't need to be a telepath to figure out the woman was quite serious.
������Jessie trembled but stood firm. She hoped it would be over quickly. She breathed a quick prayer and squeezed her eyes shut. There was complete silence except for the clinking and clanking of the pipes overhead in the tunnel. Then........
������Jessie heard the woman suck in her breath sharply. She forced her eyes open. Liza had dropped the pistol to her side and looked stunned. She seemed to be concentrating on something only she could hear or see.This went on for a few minutes, then the woman turned her face to Jessie and leveled the gun at her again.
������"Well, my dear, it seems like we've both gotten what we want." A grin that could only be described as evil appeared. "Looks like Daddy has come for you after all. And he wants to deal for you. Something curious though. It wasn't him that just communicated with me. It was a woman. I'd be willing to bet it was that freak Alexander woman that let the aliens mess with her mind."
������All Jessie could heard was that her father was here. She knew he'd save her!
������"Yes, I can see how excited you are. Don't get your hopes up. The only option there is is that your father gives himself up and we all go back to Earth. Otherwise............if he tries anything, the only one going back will be me.You understand?"
������All too well, Jessie thought.
������"Good. Well, I guess our plans have been changed again. We're supposed to meet your father alone in a few hours. No doubt he's planning something with the help of the Station people here, but it won't work. If I have to , I'll cut my losses, meaning you, and leave. And we both know he wouldn't want that. "
������She prodded Jessie, indicating her to start moving again. Jessie thanked God again in her mind. Her father was here and that's all that mattered. She knew he would save her. He had too.

������Zack paced the floor. This wasn't going to work. He had a very bad gut feeling about this.
������The sound of his name pulled him out of his reverie. "Zack," he heard again.
������"Yes,sir," he answered the Captain. "I'm sorry, I was......." he searched for a word.
������"Brooding," Sheridan supplied.
������"Yeah," Zack grinned a bit sheepishly,"Sorry."
������Sheridan waved his apology away. "Don't worry about it. We're all a little uptight about this situation. I'm sure it's not pleasant to be personally involved. It's not easy feeling helpless to aid someone you care about."
������"No, sir, it isn't." He looked around the Stationhouse. Most of the team he had assembled were already present. They were just waiting for a few more. Everyone had been briefed and they were getting ready to move out.
������Edward Forrester walked in, looking less than confident himself.
������"I'm ready, Captain." Sheridan nodded as the rest of Zack's people came in.
������"Okay," Sheridan addressed the group. "We're ready to go. Just remember, try to avoid firing at all costs, but if the girl or Mr. Forrester are in danger of their lives, use your own judgement. "
������He turned to Edward. "Remember, we'll be in position around the empty storage bay. We'll be able to see you at all times. You've got to try to maneuver her so she's standing alone, and we'll move in and take her down. If things get hairy , we'll come in too. But from what you've said you'll have to move quickly."
������"Yes, I can only block her so long. She'll sense I'm not alone and she'll try to find out what I'm hiding. We have to get her before that."
������"We've got a sharpshooter," Sheridan pointed to Donna D'Amico. "If she refuses to move away from your daughter or threatens her, D'Amico here can take her out with one shot."
������Edward nodded. "Let's go then."
������They all filed out and headed for the storage bay where the "exchange" was supposed to take place.
������They were professional men and women, and good at their jobs. But still, it was never taken lightly when it was possible you might be walking into gunfire. You just worked as a unit, covered each other, did your job, and hoped no one got dead in the process. Therefore there was not the usual chatter present as they walked towards the rendezvous point. They focused themselves on the task ahead.

       
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