Julia Heller had been genetically altered with a specific purpose in mind. She had been created to be many things: a medical genius, a servant of the Counil. She’d been designed with any number of traits in mind. She was analytical, deductive, she had an eidetic memory. ‘Social’ was not a trait her parents had had in mind when creating her.

As a result, the inimitable Dr. Heller felt distinctly ill at ease in social situations, such as the farewell party the night before the Eden ships left the Stations. If she could have, she would have stayed away, locked herself in the laboratory or her room and continued working. But Doctor Vazquez, the chief medical officer for the Eden Project, had insisted all members of his team attend. Most hadn’t needed much encouragement.
But Doctor Heller had sighed inwardly, donned her most attractive outfit and attempted to fit into the party mood. It wasn’t working very well. She certainly couldn’t mingle with the high-level Council workers or make small talk with the guests from the higher social stratas. Julia had never learnt that particular art. The other medical crew had expressed no desire to develop any form of friendship beyond the most cursory of professional relationships. She suspected they were resentful of the advantage her genetic alterations, in utero, had given her. She’d encountered the problem before with colleagues who knew she was a chromo-tilt.

The ship crew were enjoying themselves - loudly - in one corner. Joking with each other, teasing camaraderie, raucous laughing... Julia envied them their companionability.
She lowered her lashes and focussed on the wine glass in her hand. Alcohol, in the small quantities consumed at such social gatherings, which was the only time she drank it, never effected her metabolism. With a sigh, Julia tilted her head back and swallowed the majority of her glass in one swift swallow.
"Whoa, easy there, Doc... Don’t want you passing out before the fun begins," a teasing, husky voice interrupted her. Heller swung around, looking at the speaker with a mixture of irritation and fright and confusion. Then it was gone, her mask was back up.

Alonzo Solace watched the shutters draw down within her eyes and frowned to himself, even as he grinned teasingly at her. He’d watched this pretty young female with an eye towards seducing her, but it had become swiftly obvious, as he watched her stand alone in a crowded room, that she was not the type. She wasn’t for him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy being near her. Alonzo sternly informed himself that he was not going to make a move on her. He simply wanted to try to make the desolate, lightly frightened look leave her eyes.

Julia tilted her chin, looking at Solace coldly. She was well aware of his reputation and she did not intend to be another female in a long line of conquests. "I’m quite capable of consuming much larger quantities of alcohol without suffering undue effects," she informed him icily.
"That a fact?" Solace asked casually, still giving her that charming grin and lounging beside her as though he planned to stay a while. He seemed totally uneffected by the cold glare she was directing at him. "Well, mind if I hang around a while? Maybe it’ll rub off on me."

Julia looked up at the man, trying to conceal her irritation with a polite, if cool, smile. "Thank you, but no. I was just about to leave."
"Why?"
The sudden question was gently mocking, and she met his eyes icily, her lips thinning. “Why am I leaving?” He nodded, black eyes intent upon her. Julia was grateful she had such control over her body; the intensity of that gaze, the sensation of being the only focus for his attention at that moment, was very stimulating. “Because I wish to,” she informed him, her voice harsh to conceal her own response to the overwhelmingly attractive man.
“Because you feel out of place here,” Alonzo corrected softly, and Heller felt her stomach clench at the warm concern in that voice.
Turning slowly, every hard line of her body betraying her reluctance, she looked him straight in the face. And was nearly bowled over. She’d avoided meeting him straight-on before, but suddenly, staring directly at his black eyes, those lips... Julia swallowed, and shook her head.
“Thats none of your business, Mister Solace.”
“It is when I came over here to keep you company,” Alonzo replied, tilting his head. A charming smile lit his lips, and Julia was not totally resistant to that. He saw that, recognising the oh-so-subtle softening in her body’s tension. But then, he was adept at interpreting feminine body language, particularly in relation to himself. Alonzo had no intention of seducing her, but the way her barriers had gone up... It was instinctive, he realized, eying her speculatively. Defensive. He settled himself into a nonthreatening pose, exuding as much soothing interest as he could, not wishing to frighten her off.
“Why would you do that?” Julia inquired, her voice smooth, impassive. It did not betray her inner skepticism, nor her fright. He was too close, and she was feeling edgy, though she concealed it. She was a master at concealing emotions.
“Because you looked like you needed it,” Alonzo explained, then cringed inwardly as he saw her eyes freeze over. This was a woman who would instinctively reject any suggestion that she needed anything.
“How considerate. Excuse me, Mister Solace. I really must be going now.”

He made no move to stop her, and for that Julia was intensely grateful. But she was confused. Alonzo Solace struck her as a strictly get-some, get-gone man. Why would such a man concern himself with a strange woman because she looked a little out-of-place? With a shrug, Julia dismissed her concerns, and returned to the Advance ship. She’d been a fool to stay as long as she had.

Doctor Vazquez was concerned as he ran through the projections just one more time. The best computers medical science had invented, the best money could buy... And they all said the same thing. Survival rate for the 22 light year cold sleep was 75% for a Syndrome child. For a healthy adult, it was 99%. Recommended treatment was constant monitoring to correct minute chemical imbalances - themselves innocuous but deadly when combined with the cryogenic medication in the frail body of a Syndrome child whose immune system was already severely impaired. He frowned to himself, absently chewing on his lower lip. His eyes glazed over. The majority of his medical crew were on the Colony ship; only he and his young intern, Julia Heller, were to remain onboard. He felt confident that she would be able to take care of any minor emergencies and he would certainly be back in time to monitor young Uly Adair prior to cold sleep. Vazquez nodded, smiling happily as he found a solution. Yes, a quick check on the Colony ship - not that he doubted the ability of his crew! - would certainly allay his fears and concerns.
He could take the chance to, once more, reassure the worried parents. No one would know he was gone, except Julia, whom he’d have to tell. He’d swear her to secrecy...
Vazquez could well imagine the wrath of Devon, or that Commander O’Neill, if they discovered he’d left the ship after everyone had boarded for departure.

Standing, Vazquez motioned the petite young intern over. Julia nodded and made her way to him, lifting an eyebrow in query.
"Yes, Doctor?"
"Julia, I’m just going over to the Colony ship to make one last check on the children..." he began, and saw the mutinous look in her eyes.
"Doctor Vazquez, you know you’re not supposed to leave. We’ve already boarded, we can’t just jump ship now!" Julia reminded him, nervous. She couldn’t disobey the direct instructions of a senior doctor, and it was true, Vazquez’s experience with the Syndrome children was more intensive - and extensive - than any of the other medics onboard the Colony ship. So, as Doctor Vazquez brought these facts up, one by one, his tone persuasive, Julia found herself at a loss. What would be the harm, after all? He’d be gone an hour, two at the maximum. They weren’t launching until tomorrow. Finally she sighed, and held up a hand.
"Doctor Vazquez, you’re right, I can’t forbid you to go," and her eyes narrowed as she used his word. “I could inform Commander O’Neill or Ms Adair of your departure the moment you left this room...” She saw the startled expression flicker over his eyes. “But I happen to believe you’re right. One last check, Doctor,” and she nodded. “I won’t report you.”
“Ahh, thank you, Doctor Heller...” Vazquez gave her a bemused look. He hadn’t expected her defiance and, in the face of her agreement, he didn’t understand it. Perhaps because she was a chromo-tilt, he mused, then shrugged in dismissal and turned, leaving the room.

Heller watched him go, biting her lip and sighed. Whatever the Council had planned for this Project - and she knew they had something up their sleeves, more than they were telling her - she hoped it would wait until Doctor Vazquez had returned. She didn’t fancy the thought of being the only medic on G889 for the two years before the Colony ship and Dr. Vazquez caught up with them.

Julia felt the sour taste of fear in her stomach as she listened to the Yale repeat his words. “We’re leaving now?” she echoed, her voice almost a squeak. Now that wouldn’t do. Even in this situation, she must have better control over herself. Yale looked at her in concern.
“Yes. The Council has raised some last-minute objections to our Project, I’m afraid.” Some very vehement objections, Yale reflected with an inner sigh. But that certainly didn’t explain the reaction from Doctor Heller.
“But we can’t! Mr Yale, we don’t have...” She broke off, a haunted look in her pale blue eyes. Yale looked down at her in concern, his dark face reflecting it.
“Don’t have what?”
Julia lifted her chin, dismissing the emotionally-charged reaction. She had been bred to rise above them, though emotions still touched her. She simply couldn’t vent them. “We don’t have a doctor, Mr Yale. Doctor Vazquez left an hour ago to check on the Syndrome children.”
She watched, with clinical detatchment, the growing expression of horror in the contained old man’s eyes. She knew what would be going through his mind. No doctor, Uly was at risk. She was aware of the role Yale played in young Ulysses Adair’s life; tutor, uncle, companion. The old tutor no doubt had strong feelings for the fragile child, but they were nothing compared to those of Uly’s mother. Julia steeled herself inwardly for that particular confrontation.
“You let him go?” Yale questioned darkly, eyes narrowing.
“He left,” Julia repeated stubbornly. She’d had no real authority to stop him, and the fact that she could have - should have - reported it to Ms Adair was irrelevent. At least to her. Vazquez was correct to do as he’d done; 250 Syndrome families needed him more than one woman and her son. Julia could certainly take care of the boy for cold sleep.

But for two years? The niggling self-doubt remained, even after Yale had turned away to call Devon down. Could she - barely an intern - really care for the Syndrome child who had sparked off this whole expedition? And could she survive the mother’s grieving rage, should she fail? The weight of responsibility settled heavily on Julia’s shoulders, but she knew she had no one to blame. No one but herself, for failing to prevent Vazquez’s precipitious departure.

The ship was eerily quiet now, bereft of the bustle of chaos it had enjoyed only hours before. It stood now like a ghost ship, only the steady thrum of the engines sounding through the deck plates. Julia cast a long glance down the corridor, noting the steady green pulse next to each cryo-chamber; watching as Adair’s chamber settled steadily into its hold.

Already the rest of the crew were in cryo-sleep. After Uly, the young doctor had spent the next five hours placing first colonists then crew into deep sleep. Adair had resisted her suggestions to join her son in deep sleep until everyone else was tucked safely away. At least, Julia had shown herself to be competent and skilled, while Adair watched over her shoulder, figuratively and sometimes literally.

“Ready for a nice long nap, Doc?”

The voice splintered the quiet, crackling through the silence and Julia’s head snapped in his direction. The pilot, Solace, stood waiting by the lowered cryo-bed, that rakish grin hovering about his mouth. It was standard cryogenic procedure for the senior doctor and pilot to enter cold sleep last, so both could make last-minute checks on the various equipment of their respective fields. She was familiar with it, but she’d forgotten how damned unsettling the ship could be, with only the two of them awake.

“I trust you know what to do, Mister Solace,” Julia managed to reply, casting a meaningful glance at the bed. She saw something mischievious touch his dark eyes, but he climbed onto the frame without comment. Indeed, his very familiarity with the procedure showed in the casual manner he settled down, almost instinctively turning his head to expose his neck to her hypo. Not entirely able to explain why, Julia paused as the hypoderm hovered over his neck and she met his eyes. “How many sleep runs is this for you?”

Alonzo’s mouth curved into a half-smile as he watched her hovering above her. “What’s the matter, doc. Didn’t you read my med-records?,” he teased, keeping his tone light and enticing. He wasn’t sure why, exactly. Maybe he just liked rattling her cage. She looked down with him, her eyes turning cold, as she almost vindictively jammed the hypo against his neck.

“Ahh... you’ve sure got a... delicate touch... Doc...” The pilot’s voice was already slurring as he felt his muscles relaxing against his will. Felt his body go slack, his thoughts slowing... Before his body died on him completely, his blurry vision caught Julia’s face once more, outlined with angelic halo from the safety lights behind her.

“Sleep well, Mister Solace,” Heller murmurred coolly, his slurred comment making her ashamed of herself. His records were patchy at best, with no definitive number listed in the cold-sleep category. In all honesty, the woman suspected even Alonzo wasn’t certain. That still didn’t explain her unprofessionalism though; wouldn’t Mother be disappointed. With a sigh, Julia lifted her gaze to the monitors over his head. They read as she expected; heart rate slowing, blood pressure lowering, core temperature lowering... She waited until his body settled into the deep-sleep rhythm, then tapped at the keypad controls that lifted the frame.

Determinedly, Julia turned away from the rising coffin, and proceeded down the corridor to her own bed. The intern took another long glance down the line of chambers then, with a quiet sigh, she climbed onto her own. The hypoderm rested in her hand, as she set the computer to auto-respond to her declining body rhythms. Julia injected herself, and as she looked up, her body already falling into that little death, she found nobody there to wish her good-night.

Solace heard a hiss behind him and his eyes began to sparkle as he identified it as the cockpit door opening. The softness of the vibrations beneath his feet ensured him the footsteps were light enough that they must be feminine. Still, he didn’t turn around. The footsteps paused and Alonzo felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the newcomer stared at him, silent, presuming themselves unnoticed. Under the guise of checking the bank of monitors above his head, Solace looked upwards, catching a glimpse of something pale, blonde, white, reflected in the screen. His lips twitched against a delighted grin. His luck just kept getting better and better, Alonzo thought as, for appearances sake, he flicked a switch, checked the green ‘GO’ light appeared, then flicked it off. He felt her stir behind him and he spoke casually.

“Isn’t standard operation for me to verify our position so you and I can hop back in the big sake if we’re a couple hundred million miles off course?” His voice was husky and rough from 22 years of disuse, but previously lovers had ensured him it was sexy.

Julia Heller stepped forwards with a jerk, sternly controlling the blush of embarassment at being caught watching him. “Thats right.” Covering her gaffe, she continued her forward motion towards the hotshot pilot, lifting her right arm, upon which her diag-glove was nestled securely.

Finally he turned around, searching her pale eyes, her porcelain features. Her hair was mussed and she looked nowhere near as in-control as she had back on the Stations. Solace decided he liked her better this way. He gave her a cheery smile that lost not an ounce of its sensuality for all its merriment.
“You’ll be happy to know that my records intact...” He lowered his voice for effect. “I haven’t missed yet.”
Her lips moved in an imitation of a smile that didn’t get anywhere near her eyes. “Okay,” she murmurred, concentrating on the readings she was getting from her diag-glove.

Alonzo observed her from beneath his lashes as she lifted her begloved hand to his neck. He shivered slightly, finding the sensation of cold plastic against his neck strangely erotic. For a moment, Alonzo simply enjoyed her nearness, breathing deeply and tasting her delectably feminine scent. Alonzo could wander down to the crew quarters of the ship and get any unattached woman he wanted, so why was he wasting his time with this one? What was it about her that intrigued her so? He knew she’d never fall for one of his one-line come-on’s. She wasn’t his usual type - Sure, she was blonde, which he was admittedly partial to, but Solace preferred softer, more sensual women. Warm women who invited him. Was it Doctor Heller’s cold-as-ice, don’t-look, don’t-touch attitude, the reluctance he sensed in her? Was it because she challenged his ego? Alonzo fought the desire to roll his eyes. Doctor Icicle, she was, refusing, ignoring, and hiding her femininity. He hadn’t suspected he was such an emotional masochist. Or was it just that he couldn’t refuse a challenge?

Solace dismissed these thoughts as he realized the silence had extended too long. She was nearly finished her routine check. He took advantage of the fact that this scan forced her to allow him inside her personal space and leaned forward, his mouth near her ear. He felt her tense, and pitched his voice low, his breath hot on her ear.
“Y’know, I could postpone everyon’es defrost... Celebrate life for a little bit... Whaddya say?” Even as he gave her his most engaging grin, Alonzo wondered why he’d said that. It was too obvious, too fast for a woman like this to accept. Was he testing her, testing himself?

Julia was confused, sternly controlling her physical reactions. It was a natural biological response to the stimuli of warm breath teasing her ear, a husky voice, and the presence of a very virile male. But that didn’t explain the fog these stimuli were creating in her brain. Or was it the residual effects of 22 years of cold sleep? Whatever the reason, Julia was immensely relieved when his oh-so-obvious come on evidently cleared it. She stepped back, removing herself from his intimate persona space and removing her diag-gloved hand from his neck. As she lifted it towards her to check the readouts, Julia let herself smile sardonically. She sensed a response was necessary and kept her voice lightly mocking.
“That the only come on you sleep jumpers can come up with these days?”

Her tone, Julia knew, implied intimate experience with both such approaches and with sleep jumpers. She flickered her eyes upwards momentarily, just in time to catch the surprised, but serious expression on Solace’s face.
“You’ve worked on sleep runs before?” he asked curiously.

Encouraging the impression of experience to protect her dignity and save her from looking like some sad little virgin, Julia lifted an eyebrow and let a knowing smile pass over her lips as she angled her body away in readiness for leaving. “Lets just say,” she remarked confidently, “that your reputation precedes you.”
He didn’t touch her, barely moved, but something about him was suddenly different and Julia paused in confusion. His dark eyes were black and blazing with perhaps the first real emotion she’d ever seen from this man... Trouble was, she couldn’t identify it. His intensity bordered on eerie and Julia’s eyes widened.
“I don’t have one...” His voice was lower than before, his eyes had lost their sparkle. “I’m not around long enough to make one...” Was it sadness she saw there, in his eyes? But it was gone too quickly, that teasing glimmer was back. “But you -” His voice caressed her again, and so did his hand, as he lifted it to her face and touched the inside corner of her left eye. Julia jerked back in astonishment, the heat from his skin burning through her.

“You have some sleep in your eye...” He leaned in closer, the corners of his mouth turning up as his eyes locked fiercely upon hers.

Julia drew back. She certainly didn’t want what he was offering. An hour of pointless, if no doubt, wonderous sex to be forgotten the moment it was over. There was no point to it.
“What -” she jerked away skittishly, turning in relief as one of the Ops. crew, Danziger or something, crashed through the door that hissed open. Heller hastily stepped away, out of range of Alonzo’s hands and eyes and made her escape as soon as possible.

Julia sighed as she reluctantly looked up from her diag-glove. Alonzo lay before her, babbling softly to himself. The news on the scanner screen before her was not good... she could see the break clearly, and knew that in Alonzo’s current state of mind, it was best he have something to do, to take his mind off everything. He insisted that he was fine, she insisted he wasn’t.
“Look, you’re going to have to take 24 hours,” she informed him irritably. What was it with his damned arrogance, that self-assurance that he was invincible? Was it a male thing, or just a flyboy thing? She didn’t much care, particularly not when she saw the disbelieving look on his face. “You did take a bone-healer vaccine?” she queried, her voice cool, her heart beginning to plummet to some point around her knees.
Alonzo leaned forward, a sardonic, even cynical grin drawing his lips back. “They were for the colonists!” He mocked her naivete. “I wasn’t even supposed to be landing!”

Julia rocked back on her heels, her pale-blue eyes widening in horror. Saints help her... Did he realize what he was saying? What this meant, for both of them? As she realized the implications, her lips parted in astonishment and growing anger. She forced it back, her voice devolving into ice. “Alonzo... Ms Adair specified that all personnel on this voyage, whether they were landing or not, were to have taken that vaccine...” Not to mention that even in his line of work, taking the vaccine was advisable. Devon’s specification was eminently sensible; saved her from liability, at the very least. “Why didn’t you?” Julia’s voice could have frozen a volcano.

Angry, bitter black eyes locked onto hers, slightly glazed with the pain. “Cuz I damn well didn’t want to, okay?” Seeing her arch expression, he scowled and looked away, relenting enough to admit, “Okay, Doctor Heller...” He said the name as though it tasted bad; Julia hid a wince. “I was gonna go get Vazquez to do it before we left.... then Adair and O’Neill decided we had to go early...” His cynical expression turned her stomach. “Then what with all the bombs, cold sleep and crashing, I didn’t really have a chance to keep my appointment.”

Heller gave him a disgusted look, pulling the diag-glove off and setting the scanner to one side. “You’re being childish now, Mister Solace.” She had already done a quick inventory of her existing medical supplies; not much. There wasn’t much she had to offer him just now, but a pain relief. “I’m going to have to set the bone, do you understand?” The professional in her was mildly concerned: his eyes looked vaguely glazed. The woman in her wanted to break his other leg for his behaviour.

Alonzo narrowed his eyes at her.
“What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Your leg is broken, Solace!” She resisted offering him a medical description. “I have to set it again, so move your head... just a little...” She nudged his chin with her fingers, trying not to feel the rough stubble on his chin, the hard silkiness of his skin, and pressed the hypoderm against his neck. It hissed, and Alonzo sighed a moment later in relief. Julia nodded coolly at him. “You might want to close your eyes. A lot of people find this disconcerting.” He rolled his eyes at her, male ego rising to the surface.

Julia shrugged, smiled sweetly and put her hands on his leg... she shifted them, instinctively seeking the right spot. Then she lifted her eyes to his, and twisted. There was the sickening crunch-snap as the bone was twisted and pushed back into place.

Alonzo let out a gutteral whimper as he heard and watched his leg move in a totally unnatural way. He raised his eyes to hers and snarled something to soft for her to ear. She suspected it was probably better that way. Her own ego may have been forced to take umbrage.