Chapter 1: What If...?

"HYA!"

Trevor struck, only to have his saber parried once again. Moving like lightning, he ducked a slash aimed at his neck, and threw forth a front thrust kick. The Rogue he was battling was caught off guard and stumbled back. Trevor's followed up attack was the exclamation mark at the end of the Rogue's life, sliding cleanly through the centerline of the badger's head. He fell to the ground as Trevor deactivated his weapon. Retrieving the Rogue's saber, Trevor bowed to his vanquished opponent, and the fight was over.

*Bsst* "Trevor."

His went up to his com-link, allowing him to send his message. "What's up?" he asked into the mic.

"I've got the files," Boomer said back, "What's your status?"

"I'm slightly short of breath, but unhurt. I've talked to one of the Rogues, and by just looking at his present situation, anyone could see that he won't be getting ahead anytime soon." He didn't have to place emphasis on any of the words to get a sigh from his partner. "But that still leaves one unaccounted for," Trevor added. He had a suspicion that the other Rogue had been dealt with already, but it never hurt to be safe.

"Copy that. Meet me at the door. I'll buzz the rest of the team and see how they did."

"Sounds good. Adder out."

Quickly racing back to the designated meeting place, he forgot that it would have taken him less than two minutes to move from there to his last location. Two minutes if he hadn't had to chase that Rogue around, at least. Boomer had been hacking files for seven minutes, and fortunately, nothing happened to her. That bit of information hadn't helped to improve his mood any, but it was good news regardless. Several minutes later, the Black Dolphins had assembled and escaped with the required information. The rest would be up to Ariel, and since the rest was more or less them getting paid, it was pretty important. Ariel was a professional. Getting paid would be no problem. On the flight home, everyone was happy.

Back on the New Atlantis, the story was a little different. Although everyone spent time relaxing, Trevor was not his usual self. No one could ever really tell, but he seemed more withdrawn now and then, less likely to enjoy himself after a job well done. This time however, it was easy to see that he was more withdrawn. He sat down once they got back and didn't speak or do much except eat and drink, and he didn't even do much of that. "A'ight, spill it Trev," Wolf said flatly, sitting down next to his friend, "What's the matter?"

Trevor leaned back and sighed lightly. He had everyone's attention now, as they had all noticed his oddly changed demeanor. "Have you ever done something," he said, "And when you finished, you couldn't anything but, 'That royally sucked. I could've done better'?"

Wolf thought for a moment or two. "Well, yea, but nothing I'm willing to share in front of everyone sans Ariel," was the reply.

"Wolf," Shade said, "Pictures..."

"Ha! You wish."

Shade's expression soured, and everyone else stifled laughter. Trevor leaned back, taking a deep breath. "I needed that Wolf," he said.

"Anytime bro."

Mariko tried her luck. "You're disappointed about your fight with the Rogue because you didn't perform as well as you expected too," she stated.

"Yup."

"Well, what for?" she asked again, walking up behind the chair he occupied.

"I don't know," the fox admitted, "I've just been feeling out of shape and lazy as of late."

"Well, considering how much you sleep..."

"Hey!"

"Aw, poor Trevor." Mariko gave him a hug, which he seemed like he needed.

"Trev, look, yer perfectly fine," Wolf jumped in, "Ya didn't hafta use two sabers. Ya didn't hafta take your coat off. Ya beat 'im hands down. An' on top of that, yer probably the best fighter in the galaxy! Look at this..." Wolf quickly yanked Trevor's shirt up, exposing his stomach. "You could grate cheese on those abs!"

Unable to resist, Mariko reached down and grabbed those abs, Trevor's only ticklish spot. The tussle lasted only a few seconds and ended with everyone joining in a pillow fight.

After a minute or so, it was decided that enough was enough, and a truce was called. Much to everyone's surprise, Trevor decided to go to bed early. "Com'on now. I'm tired, and I'm going to alter my training routine and see what happens," was his reasoning. No one could find space to argue, so he bid everyone a good night and went to bed.

"Sleep does sound like a good idea," Ariel said, standing up and yawning, only to be swept up in Wolf's arms.

"With O'Donnell's Taxi Service, you'll be there in no time!" he exclaimed as he started off down the hall, mimicking a commercial they had seen earlier that week. Everyone laughed at his parroting.

"Oh, so you're a taxi service now? Then I want to be at my room as soon as possible!" Ariel said loudly. Wasting not another moment, she reached around behind and gave Wolf a powerful slap. "Giddyup!"

The lupine yipped and sped up with a "Yes ma'am!". Again, everyone laughed, harder this time. Soon, they all decided to get some sleep, and before long, only Trevor was awake, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. Finally, he developed a plan and made a resolution. Smiling, he rolled onto his and soon fell fast asleep.

Chapter 2: Research and Disablement

Walking to the kitchen and dining area, Ariel inhaled the air, catching the scent of breakfast. Still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she quickened her pace slightly. A good chat with Mariko in the morning was always enjoyable. "Good morning."

Ariel's eyes snapped open in shock and surprise. "Trevor! What time is it? Did I sleep in?"

"Uh, no...I just woke up early today."

"Oh." With that knowledge now in hand, she accepted the mug of coffee that Trevor passed her before he went back to cooking. It was then that a thought popped into Ariel's mind. "Trevor, you are wearing pants, right?" she asked.

"Yes. Why?" he asked back.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Ariel asked again, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Um...I felt like grating cheese." Within an instant, the coffee that was in Ariel's mouth was on the floor. She could not remember laughing that hard for a long time. Trevor was trying to hide his own amusement, rather unsuccessfully. Finally managing to calm herself, Ariel sat down, waiting several seconds before she dared drink more coffee.

"Ok, so what's happening in here?" Mariko entered next, obviously having heard the fits of laughter. "Trevor! Did I-"

"No, I'm just awake early." That settled, she also sat down after Trevor passed her a cup of hot tea.

"So, why aren't you wearing a shirt?" she asked after several seconds. Trevor turned and started to say something, but was consumed with giggles and could not continue. Ariel too had choked and had to spit her coffee back into its mug before it ended up on Mariko. "Ok, so I'm better off not knowing," Mariko said as if agreeing with them.

"Either of you hungry?" Trevor asked, still getting over his laugh attack. Both the women nodded, and within a few seconds, Trevor had for them bowls of salad, his own recipe: fresh green leaf lettuce, diced tomato, grated cheddar cheese, mushrooms, minced red peppers, purple cabbage, daikon radishes, and a salad dressing he made himself. He would never reveal the ingredients to them, but it always had a pleasant bite to it and tasted really good in the morning, no matter what. The few seconds it took for said salads to arrive seemed to indicate that he had them waiting, meaning he had been up for quite some time already. Quite odd.

By the time everyone else had meandered in, it was readily apparent that Trevor had been up a long while before they had been. Ham and cheese omelets (big ones), freshly cooked, crisp bacon, plump sausage, and biscuits with sausage gravy. Next to that, those salads may not have seemed like much, if not for that fact that they were each almost big enough to feed two people. Trevor would've had to wake up at least an hour before everyone else. Quite odd indeed. Nevertheless, it was a breakfast that they all enjoyed very much, although midway through, Wolf had become strangely quiet and forlorn. Everyone tried to cheer him up, but he said he was all right, and just continued eating. Oddly enough, he also took care of the entire cleanup for Trevor, and even refilled his teacup without being asked. Everyone else said that Trevor was lucky because Wolf was being so helpful. Trevor said that Wolf was scaring him by being so helpful. Eventually, everything was finished and Wolf sat down with everyone, who looked at him, as if he was going to reveal a big secret that would determine the fate of the universe. "A'ight Trevor, whadya have? AIDS? Cancer? Leukemia?" he asked.

Trevor looked at him like he had lost his mind, and after several seconds, recalled being up early, and the huge breakfast, and put 2 and 2 together. "I'm not dying, Wolf. And if I was dying, then you would be dreaming," he said confidently. Everyone else figured out what was going on, and they were all able to understand Wolf's concern. This was very out of character, even for Trevor.

"So, yer not dying?" Wolf asked, making sure.

"Of course not, Wolfie! Considering everything that I've been through, especially the towel incident..." Wolf winced at that, remember how he had narrowly escaped Trevor's wrath, "...I'm probably going to live forever!"

Remembering back, Ariel instructed Wolf to pull pranks like the towel incident more often. Before long, a wrestling match between Ariel and Trevor had broken out, which the rabbit clearly won. When she complained that he wasn't even trying, Shade pointed out where she had shoved Trevor's face during her headlock, and stated that he wouldn't have been fighting back either. Before long, a pummeling match between Shade and Boomer had broken out, which Boomer won by a landslide. When it was done, Wolf commented that the difference between wrestling a woman and getting pummeled by a woman is the difference between "coping a feel and getting yer ass kicked."

After the antics of the morning had settled down, it was back to business as usual...almost. Mariko knew that Trevor could sometimes try unique training strategies, but this was the most bizarre of all. He wasn't really even training. He was watching a sparring bot slash at empty space with a practice sword. Shrugging, she supposed that she would figure out what he was doing soon enough.

Trevor wished he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that it was stretching far, and might prove futile, but he watched the bot regardless. The speed of the slashes was never constant, nor was the location it struck, or the pattern in which it attacked. The first day had yielded only small insights. The second also yielded only small insights. Between contracts, his normal training, and this new technique, Trevor was almost always busy. He continued this pattern for weeks that stretched into months. Mariko was most definitely beginning to show signs of being pregnant, and in fact, was having to gradually limit her physical activity. Trevor, too, was beginning to see the fruits of what he had been doing.

Horizontal slash to the torso. He thought to himself. An instant later, the practice bot had completed the same motion he had just listed in his mind. He had successfully trained himself to predict attacks as they were occurring, to determine the areas of maximum vulnerability during such attacks, and the best way to counter those attacks. He had begun experimenting with his own attacks and counterattacks. At last, after three months of testing, he was ready to test his creation.

"Delphi," Trevor said, getting the attention of the ship's central computer, "I'm about to try that is something completely new and very dangerous. In the event that I become injured, would you be so kind as to halt all training programs and alter the rest of the crew as to my whereabouts?" "Of course Trevor. Try not to get yourself killed. Who else has your unique ability to grate cheese?" a feminine voice replied. Trevor laughed at that comment. "You aren't attempting something that might actually result in your death, are you?" Delphi inquired, sounding slightly concerned. "Considering my karma and what I'm attempting, who knows what will happen," was all Trevor said. If computers could fear for the life of a friend, Delphi would have been doing just that. Trevor stared intently at the practice bot, which charged at him. He held the practice sword tightly, watching his opponent draw closer.

The bot drew closer still.

The bot prepared to strike.

The bot slashed, and Trevor seized his opportunity, aiming to strike the bot down. One second afterward, the both halted it's function, and Delphi immediately contacted the rest of the Dolphins, sending the New Atlantis to the highest state of emergency possible. Trevor crumpled to his knees, fighting to stay up, clutching his chest. His vision blurred, and he fell forward, unable to stay conscious. Wolf and Mariko were the first to arrive, fear giving them wings. They rushed into the room, finding Trevor collapsed face down in a pool of his own blood, his torso sliced opened. Managing to gather his wits, Wolf rushed to the wall and grabbed a first aid kit, just as Ariel arrived, screaming obscenities at Trevor as loud as she could.

Chapter 3: Rivals

The world was dark. Silently, Trevor wished that someone would turn on the light, and give him some painkillers for the throbbing in his chest. When no one did turn on the lights, he started to get annoyed. His eyes refused to open, and that only annoyed him further. He had just gotten in the habit of waking up early, and he was not about to get out of it. He forced his eyes to open, revealing a world so fuzzy, he couldn't recognize anything.

"He's waking up! Delphi, tell everyone he waking up!"

Had to be Mariko. Trevor couldn't understand why him waking up would be such a momentous event, but whatever. He'd enjoy every ounce of glory he could get. Now, if only he could focus...

"Trev! You ok man?" That was Wolf.

"Yea, I'm good..." the words seemed almost forced, and his ribs hurt when he spoke, "Where are you?"

"Wha? I'm right here, can't ya see me?"

"Not really, no. It's blurry..."

"Trevor!" Before long, the entire crew, plus Delphi were all gathered round, pretty shouting at once.

"You're ok!"

"You idiot!"

"What were you thinking?"

Trevor's head was spinning. "One at a time, please. Head hurt," he said. He managed to get one of his arms to work, and started reaching around, stopping when he got a hold of someone. "OK, you talk."

"Are you insane?! What were you thinking you moron?!"

"Shade, stop talking." Again, he reached around.

"Uh, who did I just grope?"

"It's nice to know that I have a fan, but those are reserved."

"Sorry Ariel. Want to fill me in on what's happening, since I can't see well enough to figure it out myself?" Trevor also made a point of quickly removing his hand from its perch.

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news, as far as we can tell, is that you ordered a training bot to try and kill you," Ariel scolded, "What exactly were you thinking?"

"I remember that now. I was testing a new move. Guess it didn't go quite as well as I hoped," Trevor replied weakly.

"I have half a mind to throw you off the team for pulling a stunt like that," she said again, still upset. Trevor managed a smile. "Then the other half obviously wants me to stay and has my full support." He couldn't see it, but his remark did help to lighten the mood a little. "Well," Ariel continued, "The good news..."

"I've won the Dumb Ass Award?" Trevor interrupted.

Ariel smiled in spite of the situation. "The good news is that you get to stay. Don't ever do something like this again."

"If you get me a shot of whiskey, then it's a deal. My chest is killing me." No one argued, and so, it was a deal.

Trevor was tough, everyone would admit to that. But he had never been injured this severely before. Even the Gauntlet had left him in better shape than this. His recovery was anything but pleasant, and like the training that left him this way, took months to complete. He was also left with a permanent scar on his chest, a testament of his refusal to die, if nothing else. Ariel had revoked his access to the training room. Even if she hadn't, Trevor knew that Delphi would never let him in anyway. He was not allowed to go on contract runs, and had Mariko not decided to stay behind due to the birth of her child drawing near, Trevor would have been bored witless. Eventually, he had talked Delphi into letting him see the security tape of his training mishap.

"I don't see why you pursue this Trevor," Delphi informed him, "It doesn't seem possible."

"It's possible, just very difficult," Trevor replied looking over every possible mistake he made. Stance was not it, because he should be able to perform this no matter what stance he used. Speed, maybe. No, the speed of his attack was even faster than during experimentation, probably from the adrenaline. Frustrated, Trevor leaned back in his chair. He had done everything perfectly. Maybe Delphi was right, and maybe it was impossible. He was so certain that it could be done...

Trevor froze. Can't I? he thought, repeating the phrase again. Could that momentary doubt have been it? Not possible...or was it? He checked the tape again, increasing the frame rate to slow down the action. He had to repeat the process three more times, increasing the frame rate every time he watched it. Finally, he saw it: momentary hesitations just before his attack. A split-second reconsideration, an instant of doubt. The secret of this technique was complete, unfaltering confidence, which Trevor realized he didn't have. Well, at least I know it can be done, even if not by me, he thought, disappointed. If not now, then perhaps at a later date, after a more thorough recovery. "Thank you Delphi," Trevor said, rising to leave the room.

"What shall I do with this recording?" the computer asked.

"Whatever you want." That said, Delphi elected to save the tape, burying it deep in her system. Knowing Trevor, he would want it again one day.

"Mariko!" Trevor shouted, prowling around the halls.

<"Yes?"> Was the reply in Imperial, <"I'm in here.">

Trevor followed the source of the voice to the dining area, finding Mariko enjoying a snack of peanut butter and apple sauce. After several months of behavior like this, Trevor wasn't surprised anymore. <"I'm bored. Let's go do something,"> he said, sitting down across from her.

<"Like what?">

Trevor shrugged. <"Window shop, lunch out, a movie, take your pick, I have more.">

Mariko considered those options for a moment. <"Window shopping is always good. Who knows, maybe we'll see something worth buying?">

<"Sounds good,"> Trevor said in agreement. A few minutes later, they were ready to go, although Delphi wasn't quite sure about the idea.

"What exactly will I do for amusment?" she asked.

"Well," Trevor said, "I'm sure you've compiled several recordings of me parading around shirtless, and probably a few of me in nothing but boxers." If Delphi was capable of smiling, she probably would have been.

After arriving on the surface of a nearby commercial world, the pair set about window shopping immediately. There was a great deal of interesting shops of all types. There was an entire shopping center devoted entirely to electronics, although that wasn't exactly what they were looking for. In fact, they weren't really looking for anything, merely using the time to exercise and chat. After some time, they settled into watching a toy display. <"Cute,"> Mariko said, <"But a little pricey, don't you think?>

"........"

"Trevor?" Mariko looked over to find him in far more serious mood than when they had left.

<"There's Rogue nearby, Mariko,"> he said bluntly. Screams of terror from behind them verified this. Mariko spun quickly while Trevor calmly turned around. Sure enough, a Rogue was behind them. A young tiger, built much like Trevor, though a little taller. The masses of people, though eager to see what would happen, wisely kept their distance.

"What an odd place for out fourth meeting, Black Adder," the tiger said, a malicious grin on his face.

"Dantess. The infamous Jaguar Tooth. There's a face I haven't changed in a while," Trevor quipped lightly. "I'll see to it that you don't change any faces for a good while. Draw you weapon." Trevor was no longer in a joking mood. <"Kindly stand out the way, Mariko,"> he said.

<"Trevor!"> she exclaimed in protest. He forcefully clamped her mouth shut.

<"Do not argue with me. Just get out of the way."> Mariko had seen this side of Trevor only once before, and that was during his fight with her. This was a very serious matter, made more serious when he immediately drew both his sabers instead of only one. He had left his coat behind, and the situation grew more serious still. Mariko elected to quickly step aside and make certain that none of the bystanders came to harm.

When two Knights of nearly equal skill enter battle, time is measured in milliseconds and eye blinks. Before anyone except Mariko could comprehend what was happening, the duelists had launched at each other. Blows were exchanged rapidly, at speeds even Mariko had not seen before. They broke combat, Trevor kicking himself away with a cartwheel while Dantess executed a back handspring. They stood still for a moment, and then began to circle. Walking at first, but rapidly approaching a run. The tiger charged Trevor, who deflected the attack and leapt into the air, executing a triangle jump off the wall and landing outside the crowd. His opponent followed him closely the entire way, and Mariko tried to keep up. The fighters broke again and dashed off down the street at top speed, pacing each other. Even Mariko was having difficulty staying within sight of them.

Trevor broke "formation" first, cutting across the road and darting in front of a vehicle, and attacked with a virtual whirlwind of slashes, most parried or avoided, the rest slicing only fabric and dealing fleeting wounds. They engaged in melee once again. Trevor sliced diagonally down and in with his left and horizontally at the chest with his right, while Dantess blocked both while backpedaling. The tiger threw a thrust kick, and while Trevor was able to avoid it, he had to stop pursuing his foe. Mariko stopped about 20 meters away and watched, noticing how Dantess used his saber like a rapier, stabbing rather than slashing. The combatants faced off again, and charged into each other. Trevor used every saber attack he could think of, while Dantess parried, working his own weapon in short, small circles to meet Trevor's attacks. His own thrusting attacks were deflected, Trevor spinning his sabers expertly and even throwing crescent kicks to disturb Dantess' balance. Again, they broke and squared off.

"You've improved greatly, Dantess," Trevor complimented, spinning his right saber to loosen up his wrist.

"And you haven't been practicing," Deantess replied.

"Well, I've been bedridden for about a month."

"You? Bedridden? You actually allowed someone to order you around?"

"Well, no. They had to tie me down."

Dantess laughed out loud, and quickly resumed his seriousness. "I've developed a new attack. Come closer, and I'll say you what it is," he said, grinning sadistically.

"I'd rather stay over here while you come over and show me whatever joke of an attack you've cooked up this time," Trevor replied, sinking into a defensive stance.

"Fine." Dantess charged, and began his attack, Trevor moved to parry, and realized his mistake the instant the saber stabbed through the back of his right flank. With a swift kick, Trevor was lying on his back, and although he could not feel the pain, he could tell that his kidneys had just received some unwanted ventilation. In every encounter, Dantess' "specialty attacks" had always been flashy and elaborate, high of style, low of practicality. His newest move was just the opposite: it with a simple thrust with all of his power behind it. Trevor did not expect it in the least, and now was paying the price.

"Well, everyone has to fall sometime," Dantess said, preparing a deathblow.

Chapter 4: Good Enough

"Couldn't you have given me more of a challenge?" The taunt stung Trevor, angering him despite his wounded state.

"Trevor!" Mariko shouted as she dashed into the fray, bring her own saber to bare. Trevor could tell Dantess had been training himself hard, because he not only saw Mariko coming, he parried her attack with batting an eye. The Gauntlet's attack, however, had caught him mostly off guard, and it was only through quick thinking and reflexes that he saved his sword arm, allowing his other to be gouged opened by the barbs. Sensing that close combat would be suicide, or at least very unhealthy, he tried to break from combat, but Mariko was stuck to him like glue. She was also worried. She was attacking like an insane woman, but only a few of her attacks were getting through. This tiger, with some more training, would be close to Trevor's level in skill. She rushed into him, knocking him off balanced, and prepared for a finisher.

{Left eye!} the Gauntlet screamed.

Too late. Mariko's inertia pulled her into the flying fist of Dantess, a left cross that caught her cleanly in the face. Trevor forced himself to lunge for a nearby saber, because he knew that Dantess could care less about Mariko. He wanted his nemesis. Trevor fingers fell around and found one of his weapons and activated it. He turned to face Dantess, now less than ten feet away. Time seemed to freeze, pushed along by Trevor's heart beat.

Dantess drew closer.

Muscles tensed and prepared to exploded, driving the saber into Trevor's heart.

Dantess twisted his torso, adding more power to his thrust. That was the attack that would end Trevor's life. He saw to target, the origin, the air parting as it sped towards him. Everything.

Mariko managed to focus enough to see the ultimate of demise of the adversary who had become her second brother. She barely saw what happened, Trevor movements accelerated by defiance, adrenaline, and pure force of will.

"HYA!"

The sound of flesh being slashed and burned. Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. I won? Trevor thought, collapsing from over-exertion. I lost? Dantess thought, the air around him exploding in a crimson rainbow as he fell. Mariko rushed to Trevor's side, overjoyed that he was alive. She rolled him onto his back and propped him up, his eyes fluttering opened. <"So that's what you nearly killed yourself trying to do,"> she said, tears falling from her eyes, <"Did the result satisfy you?">

<"Good enough,"> Trevor choked out, <"I fear I've managed to put myself into bed again."> Mariko just hugged him as tightly as she could, she later concluded that she had hugged him too tightly, for a moment later, he had passed out.

* * *

"Alright, let me see if I understand this," Ariel said, "You go shopping, run into a Rogue, and now both of them are in the same hospital?" She was obviously not thrilled.

"Well...yes." What else could Mariko say?

"Ugh. I don't believe this guy...how long until he's out?" Ariel asked.

Mariko shrugged. "Maybe a week or two. Plenty of time to think up choice words, I'm sure," she replied, smiling weakly.

Ariel glared daggers at her. "If you don't give me some space in about five seconds, I'm going to practice on you!" Mariko split, running as fast as she could. Moments later, Ariel exploded in a fit of anger and frustration. Her insults and obscenities were so unique, Wolf found himself writing some of them down.

Mariko sighed, absently rubbing her belly. Trevor would most certainly be back in time to see his "nephew," provided nothing went awry. Hopefully, he would avoid getting injured, now that his quest was completed. Thinking about the things Ariel would do to him once he did get back, however, Mariko realized that she was hoping for something impossible. He would be seriously injured at least one more time, at the hands of his commander. Ariel, seeming to have run out of steam, shouted one, final insult directed at Trevor.

On the planet below, in a lonely hospital room occupied by only one other person, Trevor sneezed. "Great, am I getting a cold too?" he wondered. No one answered, however, and before long, he had drifted off into a peaceful sleep.