Wormhole Destinations:

A Changing of the Laws

BY: Phi Phi Le "Trelk"

Disclaimer:
All original Farscape characters belong to Henson & Company.

Rating:
NC-13

Feedback:
Good/ bad...lay it on me. Not too much bad though guys. Phi Phi's Psyche is so delicate, no but honestly all feedback is greatly appreciated.

Summary:
Another whacked lesson for John in Wormhole anatomy. One of these days he'll figure it all out!

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John stood staring out at the darkness of Space. "Wormholes...huh. This was never about me. It's always been about Wormholes." Hidden thoughts changed immediately to the one person they centered on constantly, Aeryn.  "Where are you babe?"

They'd followed Narshu and Baswik's instructions, but upon exiting the Wormhole, John found himself aboard Moya without Aeryn. The reality seemed the same only Aeryn was dead, just like the last reality. Only this time there was no Zhaan and Noranti, Sikozu and Scorpius were the new boarders. Just the way it had been before he'd left in the beginning, only there was no Aeryn. Would his life's path have ended this way without Aeryn? Something was off and he could only wonder if that skeletal mirror of death had anything to do with it.

"John"

He knew that oily voice anywhere. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." He murmured to the visitor. "What do you want Scorpy? Did you get lost searching for Oz?"

Scorpius ignored John's usual wit and moved on. "You have been caught in your day dreams for far too long. John, you must continue your Wormhole research. Aeryn is dead and has been for over two cycles. You must except this and move on."

John moved so suddenly, that Scorpius never sensed his action, but found himself shoved forcefully up against one of Moya's command panels. "You don't get to tell me to move on. I'm aware that the Aeryn of this reality is dead. The problem is, that when I traveled through this last Wormhole, I was not alone. There was another Aeryn, from another reality. She disappeared, why? And while we're asking those oh so important questions Scorpy, how is it you're aboard Moya? In the reality I left you were only aboard because Aeryn made us accept you."

Scorpius' gaze shifted away from John. "I do not know. You are more aware of Wormhole laws and concepts than I. I can only say that I have been aboard Moya for almost two cycles. After Aeryn's death I was allowed to join you as I helped you escape Peacekeeper custody." Scorpius changed the subject, trying to distract John's and guide it in the direction of wormholes. "The existence of more than one Aeryn intrigues me, how is this possible?"

"What? You mean you don't know everything?" John snorted, dropping his hands away from Scorpius' chest. Shaking his head he moved back to the view screen. "Beat it Space Invader."

"While my intellectual prowess is unmatched, I do not know everything. As I said before, your knowledge of Wormholes far surpasses mine. I only ask that you share a bit of that knowledge."  Scorpius moved silently to stand directly behind John.

"Scorpy get away from me." John pushed away from Scorpius. "I would rather drink liquid Drano, than share one iota of knowledge with you."

Pilot's voice interrupted suddenly. "Commander, Moya's internal senses are picking up a heavy build up of electromagnetic energy. It seems to be confined to a very small sector!"

John rushed to the Command's sensor panel. Staring down at the readings he addressed Pilot. "Pilot I'm not reading any abnormal atmospheric movement, around Moya's exterior."

"It's not coming from outside of Moya, Commander." Pilot's voice was laced with anxiety, both his and Moya's.

"What are you saying Pilot? That the readings are coming from inside Moya?"

"Yes! The readings are coming from inside Moya, her Command actually..." Pilot's answer was interrupted by the liquid blue luminescence of a small Wormhole.

D'Argo entered the Command in a dead run, followed so closely by Chiana, Sikozu and Noranti that when he stopped suddenly, the three women toppled into each other.

"Is that what I think it is?" Chiana breathed. She stared at the bright spherical opening.

"John in your Wormhole research and experience, have you ever encountered or come across the possibility of such a Wormhole?" Scorpius asked. He was completely floored by what was happening. High Command would be able to use such a weapon to surprise not only the Scarran's but to destroy them as well. He had to know the possibilities of such an anomaly happening again.

'No my theories are relative to Space...out there." He pointed at the view screen. "Space...time...movement ...speed, never this. What I want to know is why aren't we not to mention everything else being pulled toward it? Why isn't Moya destabilizing?"

"You sensed nothing at all Crichton?" Sikozu edged up to stand between Crichton and Scorpius. She reached a hand out to touch the opening, only to have John smack her hand away.

"Don't touch that." John smacked Sikozu's hand away. He was more interested in who had opened the Wormhole from any of the other possible points of entrance. "Pilot? How's Moya doing?"

Pilot's voice was completely calm, odd, in the face of such an unknown entity. "Moya's fine. While the Wormholes outside of Moya are daunting, Moya feels that this is more of a single passageway and quite a stable one at that."

D'Argo's gruff voice interrupted. "Are you saying that someone opened this Wormhole on purpose?"

"Moya and I believe so. Moya senses a familiar energy signature within the passageway. It's moving through now!"

John, D'Argo and Chiana drew their weapons and aimed them at the opening. Everyone watched transfixed as a figure suddenly appeared, stepping from the opening. After gazing around at the others, the figure collapsed.

Rygel entered Command, yawning plaintively. "What the frell is all the commotion about?" He took one look at the figure lying on the floor and immediately went into a fit of the entons.

"Aeryn!"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John sat by her bed waiting. She'd been unconscious for the last two arns. He'd subconsciously crossed referenced her energy signature, finding that this was not his Aeryn.  Regardless of whether she was his Aeryn or not she'd never looked more beautiful to his eyes.

"Aeryn? Honey you have to wake up and talk to me."  He stood to stretch. With his arms above his head, he walked slowly around the room. His back was towards Aeryn and he missed the wide gaze until her raspy voice caught his attention.

She opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze traveled the room until it lit upon him. Even with his back towards her, she knew it was John. She focused on the soft hair that would never quite lay smooth down, the broad shoulders that she'd grasped in the grips of passion, weakness, pain and simple companionship and ooohh...that derrière...it looked good in and out of anything, what leather did for that derrière. She raised an appreciative eyebrow. Yes she would know this man anywhere. Only this wasn’t her John. She'd come through this portal for a reason.

"John." Her raspy voice wove its way through every cell and nerve in his body.

John swung around; he stared at the face that had etched its way across his heart and mind. He rushed to the bed. "Aeryn are you okay?"

Aeryn moved to sit up. "I'm fine John." She swung her feet to the floor. She glanced around searching for her shoes.

John caught sight of them and knew in that instant that this truly was not his Aeryn. He stooped to grab the white tennis shoes from under the bed. He focused on her clothing and realized just how familiar her clothing was. Earth! She wore jeans, a thick red t-shirt with embossed white, black and gold IASA logo across the front. There was a leather Bomber jacket at the foot of the bed. Standard Peacekeeper issue it wasn't. This Aeryn had to be from Earth! Taking a very shallow breath he asked quietly, just barely above a whisper. "Aeryn where did you come from?"

Aeryn finished tying her shoes before answering. Shoveling her hair back from her face she focused on John's waiting expression. "I came from Earth."

Shaking his head in agreement, he suddenly realized that something was off. "But we never met. You're wearing an IASA shirt and we never met. Why?" he frowned in confusion.

"I know, but it's complicated."

"Try me! I'm the king of complicated thought!"

"Different Dimensions." Aeryn answered simply. "I'm not your Aeryn and you are not my John. You and he existed on Earth, same time...different dimensions. My John figured this out. He developed an equation, using time, space energy and speed.  These three elements combined, created a passageway through the seams of reality. When John was sure that the passage was stable enough for human travel we took the leap, moving from one dimension to the next. While were in the passageway a temporal rift occurred and the passage splintered, we were separated; he was pulled down one path and I another. I have been searching for him ever since."

"Oh God! Not this again..." John could tell by Aeryn's expression she felt just as lost and alone as he did. He wanted to hold her, to touch her but she wasn't his and his mind realized this as well as his heart. It would be okay!

"What?"

"No...nothing...it just sounds like the wormholes I'm used to traveling, that's all." John answered offhandedly. "They branch off."

"No...this type of passage...er...wormhole shouldn't have branched. It was an anomaly within an anomaly. Dimensions travel in a straight path, while realities branch into infinite directions." Aeryn followed John out of the Med Bay and into Moya's corridor's. "Is this Moya?"

John stopped suddenly. "Yeah! How did you know?"

"I've been on Moya before only she was different and there were others. A tall alien with tentacles, a gray girl, a..a Pilot thing...it looked like some kind of large sea creature." Aeryn's brow furrowed with the attempt to recall her travels.

"And me?"

"You...you weren't there. Well you were there but you were not on Moya. Not at first anyway. You boarded later with a military team. You were a...umm..damn! Why can't I remember?"

John felt his heart drop. "Peacekeeper? Was I a Peacekeeper?"

Aeryn's head shot up, she snapped her fingers in mid air. "That's it! Yes...you...you were. You kept asking me what I was doing aboard Moya with escaped prisoners. You said something about me being on a retrieval mission. I still don't know what he meant. His men started arresting the others and I slipped away when the wormhole opened again."

"You and I were both Peacekeepers?" Rubbing his lower lip, John mulled this over in his mind. "We knew each other. Interesting."

"Yes, it seems that way in most of the realities and or dimensions that I've visited." Aeryn nodded.

John rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How many realities or dimensions have you entered?"

Aeryn shook her head slowly. "Unknown. I can tell you that I have actively participated in three. This dimension not included. "

John's confusion increased tenfold. He ran his fingers roughly through his hair and returned to pinching the bridge of his nose. "How were you able to participate without interrupting your path?"

"The same way you do very carefully.'

"Huh, if you only knew how far from the target you are on that one." John snorted. "How long ago did your John disappear?"

Aeryn closed her eyes over the painful memory. "John disappeared about six weeks ago. Why?"

"Because I arrived back here." He pointed to the floor. "In this reality six weekens ago, .I mean weeks...six weeks ago and my Aeryn disappeared. I entered this time without her. Though she didn't belong in this reality, we had something to accomplish."

Aeryn nodded. "Hmmm, yes. You were trying to correct the corruption in my time line."

"You know about that?"

"Yes, of course I do." Aeryn frowned, shouldn't he know that?

John blinked several times. "How? How is that possible?"

Aeryn spoke slowly, as though he wouldn't understand if she spoke to fast. "Because John, I'm Aeryn Sun."

John grabbed Aeryn's arm and dragged her quickly behind him. "That's it we need privacy!"

"What for?"

"Because I got pieces of an incomplete puzzle in my head and you seem to carry a few pieces of your own. I say we put the pieces together and see just how much of the big picture we come up with."

"Oh...uh...okay." She allowed him to pull her down Moya's corridors.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



John and Aeryn sat undisturbed on Moya's observation deck. John had requested secure comms, but had ended up tossing his comm somewhere in the hall on the way to the deck.

"Okay Aeryn how do you know about the time line? Really?"

Aeryn licked her lips and smiled slightly. "I know about the corruption because I can feel it unraveling the stitches of time that are my past and present, changing my future...destroying my future."

"But how is that possible, honey?" He couldn't catch himself. The endearment had slipped out. This Aeryn was so much like his Aeryn, yet there were subtle differences.  This Aeryn smiled easier and seemed more carefree.

Aeryn tossed her thoughts around, picking and weighing her answers carefully. "During my wormhole travels. I met a race of aliens. They called themselves The Ancients. They described the existence of wormholes, their purpose and their differences. When I asked them why they'd chosen me, they simply said that I was the Navigator of my line."

"What is that?"

Aeryn's shocked gaze met John's. "You should know. You're the Navigator of your line." Did he really have no idea? "They said that they'd been in contact with you."

John nodded. "Uh...Yeah they did, but it would seem, that they left something out. I think they were a bit busy telling me that since they had put this wormhole knowledge in my head, I exist to serve a larger race and so forth and so on." Twirling his index in the air, he watched her shake her head. "What?"

"They didn't really put the technology in your head. You were born with it. While 'The Ancients' are a somewhat benevolent race, they are not above manipulation; as I'm sure you realize by now." She shook her head once more. "No...you were definitely born with it, just as I was. They just tapped into that hidden font you have full of such goodies."

"Wait...you said that your John had figured out the equations."

"The equation yes, the actual technology and the ability to navigate, no. I always cataloged the signatures and opened the wormholes.  We traveled on my time line, just as you travel along yours." Aeryn stretched her long legs out in front of her.

John examined the information that he'd just received. He raised his finger to make a point. "Umm...I have the equation in my head in my head as well as opening and   navigating the wormholes."

Aeryn nodded. "Un huh. You should be able too. Why? Because you are the dominant signature of your line and because all wormhole knowledge in the universe to date, flows from one point of discovery," She paused to give a chance to add it all up. "You.."

"What? What about you?" John frowned. What the frell was she talking about.

"All recorded wormhole knowledge began with you. All original knowledge began with the dawn of the human race. All those of our race whose time line crosses yours will carry the ability. They may never use it but they do carry it!" She frowned slightly. "Because my line does cross and becomes intertwined with yours my knowledge of wormholes is only second to yours. However, this reality of yours would be the only reality where you navigate the wormhole instead of or better than me."

"No, not really. My Aeryn can navigate wormholes much smoother than I can. She's a pilot."

"As are most of the Aeryns in separate realities. I am a pilot with IASA.  I was born to navigate time and you were born to bridge it." She raised her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. "My John developed two equations. The first one created a bridge through Space-time, the second, bridged dimensions."

John sat forward, inhaling her sent. He remembered that cologne from Earth, It was the exact cologne he would have chosen for his Aeryn. "What is the difference? I thought that they were one in the same. Realities...dimensions...yadda...yadda...yadda"

Aeryn giggled at the familiar phrase. "No. They are not. You travel through wormholes, switching realities based on the signatures you catalog. A dimensional wormhole or rather a dimensional portal allows you to jump from one dimension to another while still in your chosen reality. Everything remains the same with exception of one fact. Sometimes it's a noticeable difference and sometimes it's so minute as to be completely imperceptible. Dimensions of the same time line may appear the same, they are however very different, which is why you and my John could exist on earth at the same time and never meet. You are both of the same signature, but you are the dominant energy signature of the John Crichton time line."

"Wait! How can you know that? I just found out a few weeks ago." John laughed humorlessly. "What? Can you feel it or something?"

"Un Huh. Like you, I can catalog signatures and cross-reference them instantaneously. While cross-referencing, I can gage the strength and purity of the set signature or a signature strand and yours is pure." She tilted her head, squinting her eyes. "Can you not tell that I'm not the dominant signature of my line?"

"If you're not the dominant of your line, how do you know all of this?"

Aeryn searched for the right words. "Uh..well...You see my line is a bit more evolved than yours. I don't really know how but while your genetics are earthbound all of mine don't seem to be. It's hard to explain. What's important is that you understand the time travel and the laws that govern it!"

John felt as though his head were spinning. "Whoa! I'm familiar with the laws of wormhole travel, but the dimensional line jumping seems a bit at odds. I'm not seeing a true difference." John ruffled his hair. "You know what? Call me dumb...slow...hell call me a Hynerian Donkey but I need an example, some idea of just what the hell you're really talking about."

Aeryn sighed; she reached forward, to smooth the wild locks. Should she tell him? Why not! "We thought that they were similar at first also, but they definitely aren't. As I said before there are sometimes subtle differences in time arrangement or the physical placement of things For instance. I have traveled this same time line and visited over five different dimensional outcomes. I am only present in one, physically anyway. In the others I may have moved to another room, or left the point of entry all together. Dimensional travel is very tricky. The danger of creating a paradox is extremely high. Dimensional travel is the only time you are allowed to actually exist beside yourself within the same reality. You are never allowed to engage yourself in anyway. To do so could wipe out your line and corrupt others."  She watched his expression. He actually understood what she was telling him. Good!

John grabbed her knees. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? "What do you mean you only existed in one physically? Were you dead in the others?"

Aeryn had to calm him down before he ran off in some half-cocked attempt to change time. "No I was not dead. I can't be dead in one dimension and not be dead in the others. That can only happen with in separate realities.
What I meant to say is that I was actually present in one of the other dimensions."

"How do you know?" John asked, his breath so sketchy, it resembled Chiana's.

"Because in all the other dimensions, I appeared as I am. In one particular dimension, I caught a glimpse of me and I...the other me...was very pregnant...wha!..." She never finished; John grabbed her by the arms and twirled her around. Once he'd settled down she found her voice. "What on earth is the matter with you?"

"Aeryn...honey...that's my Aeryn! If you saw her...or rather became her, then she's still alive." John stared out at the stars, trying to calm himself down. He swung back around to Aeryn. "Aeryn, you've got to show me that dimensional equation!"

Aeryn stared around her. "And I will. This is an amazing ship!"

"Yeah...I said the same thing." Shaking his head to clear it of drivel. " About that equation..."

"Yes John I know. I will be happy to help you unlock the equation. The smaller portal is a lot easier to detect. Given the right atmospheric irregularities, you can almost open it yourself." Aeryn frowned slightly. "Though I do not suggest you practice opening it with the irregularities. I did and ended up in a very dangerous situation. Somehow I'd flipped into a different reality and a past dimension. You'd gone mad. Something about a neural chip in your brain. Everything was chaos! You attacked me...knocked me out cold. I came to...there was a flight chase...All I can remember is cold water...ice cold. I didn't think that I'd make it. Everything went dark."

John's heartbeat sped up. He was sure she could hear it. "How did you make it out?"

"A dimensional portal opened in forced myself through. If I hadn't I'm sure I would have died." Aeryn shuddered with the memory.

John grabbed her shoulders. "Did you catalog the signature? Can you take me there?"

"Of course I cataloged it." She shook her head sadly. "But I can't take you there."

"Why not?"

"Because that is the path that contains the Vortex. If I go back to that path the corruption remains. I am not the right signature for that path. If I die instead of the intended signature, the corruption in the time line will deepen and your job will be even more difficult."

"But you're just showing me the path. Once we arrive. You can leave."

"No John I can't. To show you the path is to travel it. The moment I step into that dimension, I become the Aeryn of that particular line. If I'm there for even a second, something changes. It doesn't matter what it is. It could be something as simple as touching a wall. It's a movement that shouldn't be there, a movement created by a signature at odds with the time flow. It will create a ripple back affect." Aeryn stared down at her shoes. "And it will corrupt my line even further. I shouldn't have been there in the first place. I shouldn't be here! As soon as I realized that my John wasn't there, I tried to leave! This Dimension holds you, the dominant signature, so corruption by me at this point and time is virtually impossible."

John cleared his throat. "The John of that path you visited was me. It is my true path."

"Not by the time I visited. You the dominant had moved on. The John there now is a secondary, until you step back into that dimension. But remember it cannot be your line that you travel on. It has to be mine. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"No...no I don't! Not really anyway. I already know about the traveling of ones own time line. That's why I want you to take me there!" He began twirling around wildly in exasperation.

"John I can't travel my own line and can't travel it alone. The only Aeryn that can travel that line is the Aeryn that should have died there. The one you were separated from. Because I dared to travel that dimensional line, I corrupted the line even further. My dominant signature is dying and unless the line is corrected. The Aeryn Sun time line will cease to exist." One glance at John's grief stricken expression and she decided to take a chance. "I can guide you to the dimensional path where the Aeryn you seek resides now. You must then make your way through the Vortex."

"Alright, I understand." He truly did understand. This whole wormhole deal could destroy the one thing held dear. He cleared his throat again. " This Dimensional wormhole...is it a separate theory or just an embedded equations...inside the original wormhole equation?"

"Well, it's something like that, but it has more to do with Earth and us, her inhabitants." Aeryn had no idea how John would take the information she was about to share.

"Earth? What's happened?" John felt a fear slither it's way up his spine.

"Earth is fine. This deals more with our history...our beginning if you will. I don't believe that we originated on Earth."

John stared, suddenly realizing that her theory wasn't too far from his own. "What makes you think that?"

"We journeyed through the wormhole first and one of our destinations was a planet call Arnessk. John was still with me. There was no one there, just old ruins. John decided to try the dimensional passage. We exited the passage twelve thousand years behind our time line on that same path. We saw them all John."

John was reeling, his thoughts swinging back and forth through his own experiences on Arnessk. "Who? Who did you see?"

"Us...humans...we saw at least four separate races."

"Do you remember the name of these races?"

"Sebaceans, Interions and a third race I'm can't remember. I don't think we ever heard their name, but they seemed to be very powerful. We arrived in the middle of what seemed to be a council debate. There were several races but these three seemed to lead the debate."

John moved closer, his attention completely caught. "What were they debating about?"  

"They were discussing the Shul'ri and their possible destruction. They were trying to hide them." Aeryn finished.
"So what makes you think that humans are involved?" John's mind was in overdrive. He'd visited Arnessk but he'd only gain suppositional knowledge.

"Humans...hmmm...that is the name we gave ourselves John. I did a little cross-referencing Shul'ri is of the Egyptian language, it means hidden treasures.
Ask yourself why are we the only beings in our solar system, with only two viable planets? Yet on this end of the Galaxy, nearly every planet is inhabitable." Aeryn raised an eyebrow. "What would we really be doing on Earth? Without interstellar travel we can't get to anyone else and they can't get to us. Earth is the perfect hiding place. If the Shul'ri were moved to Earth over twelve thousand years ago and forgotten over time by all except the Mystics of Arnessk and the unnamed race that transported them there, then we...the Shul'ri were completely safe." She stopped suddenly running her fingers through her hair. "That is until now. Your trip through the wormhole has alerted all to our presence, including the enemies that attacked Arnessk."

John rubbed at his lower lip with an index finger. "I hear you, but this is all so much to take in and analyze. The only ones even aware of my presence and possibly Earth's are...the Sebaceans, the Luxans, the Nebari, the Hynerians, the Interions, the....oh hell! Okay fine half the damn galaxy knows I'm here. And what you say does answer a lot of questions. There were several names given to our race before the term human settled."

Exactly, I think the Mystics and the race that transported the Shul'ri to Earth, implanted the seeds of wormhole knowledge in the minds of the very first settlers. The knowledge has been built upon subconsciously until now." Aeryn straighten her cloths.

"Yeah but why? I thought the Ancients implanted the knowledge all this time. So why would this race give the settlers the knowledge?" John asked more to himself then to Aeryn.

Aeryn shrugged. "So that we could find our way home. Remember the Ancients needed you for a purpose, they would tell you anything to garner your involvement"

The answer was given so simply that the truth of it almost passed John. "Huh! You know that makes more sense then most things in my life, up to this point. "One problem. Until the Ancients I didn't know anything about wormholes, let alone how to create and traverse one."

"Not true!" Aeryn walked toward John shaking her head. "How did you get here?" She pointed to Moya's floor.

John picked up on her thoughts. "Through a...wormhole."

"Exactly! You created a theory. Proving that theory caused a wormhole to open. From the moment you were born, every action...step you took, led you to your ultimate destiny, wormhole travel. The speed...the force coupled those with the unknown quantity of Space and you created a wormhole. You didn't navigate the wormhole you were pulled through the first time.  I believe as I said earlier, that though all may have been given the wormhole knowledge, the skill only manifested itself in a few. Some are closer to the navigational side, while others may be closer to the theoretical...or creative side."

John chuckled softly, shaking his head, but accepting his realty just the same. "Just when I think I have it somewhat straight, a strand is pulled and it all unravels. It's like a changing of the laws and bylaws. There's new dimensional travel, human origins someplace other than Earth. Boy fate is on a role. My life just refuses to settle down. You know that question they ask you in college? The one that asks what type of life you want, I said an exciting one. Huh I think somebody took that answer and ran with it. HELLO FATE!"

Aeryn rubbed John's back in gentle circles. "It will become easier John, I promise. We just need to take it on step at a time. We need to find your Aeryn and my John.  We may not be able to do that together, but I can teach you the dimensional equation, or rather help you unlock the equation."

"Maybe we should take all the portal signatures that we've catalogued between us, cross-reference them and define them by equation. That way we'll be able to swap info." John suggested, he might not understand it all, but it would help him find Aeryn.

"That would be a good idea." Aeryn ran her fingers through her hair, pulling up and away from her neck. "You may not need to travel back through the original wormhole. I encountered your Aeryn in a Dimension similar to this one. The only difference was me.  That was not a separate reality rather a separate dimension. I can help you unlock the pathway.  But you must remember that there is a difference between realities and dimensions. While traversing a wormhole can be done from past to present, or restarting a specific event given the reality, dimensional travel is bit more rigid."

"Okay. But what if I move ahead too far on the dimensional line?" John asked trying to categorize all the rules. Lord save him from wormholes.

"Can't happen, dimensions travel a straight path through reality. Wormholes are pathways to realities, which allows them to branch infinitely. Opening a dimensional portal creates a bridge from dimension to dimension, but through only one reality at a time." She smiled at the look of frustration working its way across John's face. "For instance. "You've visited realities that were completely different from this one. Some completely opposite while some were almost similar to this one. When traveling to a different Dimension, the reality remains the same; it's the time frame that may be different. It may be different by seconds...milliseconds or even years."

"Okay so that's like traveling back on my time line?"

"Um hm, as long as you don't branch into a different reality."

"Obviously I jumped the wagon somewhere between Einstein, Baswik and you."

"It's not really that confusing John. You just have to relax and let the information find its roots. Here I'll give you an example. The year is two thousand and three. The reality is now. If you were to travel dimensionally, the reality would be as you see it now only five minutes ahead or behind the time you stepped through the dimensional portal."

"Okay I'm with you." John nodded, getting a picture of her example.

"Now, you open a wormhole in space and travel through, choosing one of its branches. You exit the wormhole and you are a peacekeeper, and have been all your life. That is a different reality. Within that reality you have the ability to move dimensionally...back in time forward in time. Get it?" Aeryn's eyes lit as she recognized the pure understanding that began to suffuse John's face.

"Yeah! So moving too far ahead is actually impossible."

"Yes, theoretically the possibilities are endless, you shouldn't be able to go any further than your reality exists."

"In other words there is no such thing as future travel, because theoretically it has happened yet. I could die right now and there would be no dimensional travel five minutes ahead to travel to."

"Again theoretically yes for you, because you are dead. But you must realize that particular reality still exists whether you are there to perceive it or not. Your existence within that time frame is no more."

"Right...right...right! The difference between realities and dimensions, I got it! So no My Aeryn is not in the same reality or dimension?"

"Nope...same reality...different dimension. The same anomaly that allowed our dimensional portal to splinter, allowed the dimensions of your reality to intersect for a brief second. Neither of these things should have happened. When negative anomalies occur with in the realm of Space-time it causes deviations. The subject traveling through the wormhole or dimensional portal can be catapulted through a vortex. Quite literally, the traveler can end up in any reality or time." Aeryn shook her head sadly. "My John could be anywhere."

"Baswik said only a Mystic could create a vortex." John remembered the teachings of the little bird-like creature.

Aeryn squinted, trying to recall Baswik. Had she met this person? "A vortex is a rift in time, and while it's true a Mystic can create one, a rift can also appear at any point in time."

"So finding your John could be a random possibility..." John's voice faded toward the end.

"While finding your Aeryn is not. The dominant signature's health commands the strength of its line, but any signature can corrupt its line dimensionally. It may not necessarily be the fault of the dominant signature." Aeryn finished quietly. "There is one central problem for both of us now, which is main reason for my visit."

"What?" John almost knew what was coming.

"If my John has now slipped through a vortex, like your Aeryn then that means that your line is corrupted just as mine is now."

"How will I know if my line is corrupted?" John didn't need this additional drama. Damn! The last thing he needed was a corruption in his own line, while trying to correct Aeryn's.

"You will begin to feel it. The unraveling of one's time line is not a pleasant feeling." Aeryn grabbed John's hand. "Now it's time to learn a new equation."

"Yeah, we've got our little journeys ahead of us. I've got to fix your line." John took the lead.

Aeryn smiled, he was her John through and through, always the knight. "Yes and I must correct yours. Do you think we will succeed?"

John stopped suddenly, turning he cupped her cheek. "I know we will babe. Time...it's always about time." He gathered her into his embrace, wanting to keep her safe and at his side. Even as he longed for the moment when he would be able to hold his Aeryn. But which Aeryn would that be?

Aeryn sighed; it felt so good to be held by these familiar arms. This might have to last them both an eternity. "Um...yes...time, a relative quantity, yet there is never enough of it."


THREE SOLAR DAYS LATER....


John woke suddenly he would never be able to say why. He glanced down at the foot of the bed and there she stood. At first he thought it was Aeryn, but it wasn't it was someone else all too familiar yet the memory of her, had been an elusive one until now. This was the third time she'd visited him, before he'd assumed it was a dream, but now he knew it wasn't. "I know you! You were there before Aeryn and I went through the wormhole."

She answered simply. "Yes"

"You came to me before..." John gestured haphazardly around his quarters. "Before all this, didn't you?"

Again she answered simply, but moved to stand over him. "Yes"

"Why are you here now?" He searched for it... her name and it found its way into his consciousness. "Eilan...your name is Eilan."


She smiled. "Yes John Crichton and it is time for you to remember all."

"All of what?"

"The true reason you are here." She reached down and cupped the back of his neck. John immediately lost consciousness.