#when she says that she hates that dutch looks like aneela she really means it

[swallowedabug]

KILLJOYS 5.01 (2019)

[maykonguyendaily]

[Date: August 29, 2019]

By all accounts, every single Killjoys fan should probably hate Delle Seyah Kendry (Mayko Nguyen). She was a member of the Nine families on Qresh who sought to control the people of the Quad, and let’s not even talk about what she did to Pawter (Sarah Power). Yet somehow, over the course of the SYFY and Space series’ five seasons, Delle Seyah has managed to make viewers actively root for her, turned into an unexpectedly loving mother to Jaq (Jaeden Noel), and is part of one of the show’s most favorite couples. (Long live the #GreenQueens!) The fact that viewers have taken such a big liking to this queen is first and foremost surprising to Nguyen herself.

“I don’t think I clued into the fact that people actually liked Delle Seyah until maybe the third season. I had no idea that people liked her as much as they do,” Nguyen recently told The TV Junkies. Despite her past misgivings and the horrible things she’s done, Delle Seyah, along with her girlfriend Aneela (Hannah John-Kamen), give Team Awesome Force a lot of hope for a victory over The Lady (Alanna Bale). When we last saw the couple, they had finally reunited, got over the fact that Delle Seyah is now human, and safely tucked Jaq away in the cube before heading off to save the Quad!

That’s why we thought it’d be the perfect chance to catch up with Nguyen, who took a break on set from filming Season 2 of Citytv’s Hudson & Rex, about Delle Seyah’s journey over the years. She also discussed what it’s like to work with John-Kamen as Aneela, and why despite being thrown unexpectedly into parenthood, it’s something that Delle Seyah has really now embraced.

The TV Junkies: I think back to when we first met Delle Seyah in Season 1, and she had some great hate-flirting moments with Dutch, but then to see her as this character that’s become so integral to the show is just kind of wild. Did you have any idea of the journey you’d go on with this character and how important she’d become?

Mayko Nguyen: No way! I had no idea that she would become so integral to the show, ever! I thought she’d just pop in here and there for that one season. It really delights me to hear that people took to her right away because I’ve never played that kind of role before. She’s not very likeable in the beginning, and you always worry about characters like that because you don’t want a completely hateful character. I just never really knew, and when you’re playing these parts you’re not objective because you’re inside it. So you have no idea what the character will come across like and it’s hard to get a sense of how your work will translate and how people will respond. It’s really nice to hear that people enjoyed her from “Go!”

I had no idea that she’d carry further into the show, but also that she’d have the journey that she gets to have. When we see her in Season 5 she has grown up a lot. She’s not someone, from when I first encountered her, that I felt like needed to grow up. That’s not something I even knew about her.

TTVJ: She did say in last week’s episode she’s still “a really terrible person,” but I love her so much that sometimes I even forget that she’s the one that freakin’ killed Pawter! We should hate her, but I can’t help but love her so much. [laughs]

MN: Yea! But I do think she has changed and definitely Aneela has a lot to do with that. I’ve described her before as never having attachments to people or things, but there’s something that happens when you become invested in someone or something, where it just changes things. I feel like after Aneela came into the picture she had this purpose that she didn’t have before. I think she’s grown and changed immensely because of that.

TTVJ: Speaking of Aneela, the Green Queens really have their own way of conveying this real love they have for one another. You have played opposite Hannah for years as Dutch, but what is it like to work with her in this new capacity as you guys portray this couple and build that relationship together?

MN: From the actor’s standpoint, it was very interesting to see Hannah switch over to this other part. It was such a surprise because her take on Aneela was so different and so peculiar. To watch her do that part and expand that role was just fascinating. In the same way that I, Mayko, was fascinated, I felt like Delle Seyah was equally as fascinated. I don’t think she’s ever met somebody with the power Aneela has or is so cutthroat in a way that Delle Seyah relates to. I think Delle Seyah was constantly surprised by finding someone that she kind of understood, that she got, and that she related to.

It was fascinating watching Hannah work. She’s exceptional in everything. As an actor, to watch her put those fight scenes together — she does it in a heartbeat and it’s kind of insane. But to see her embody Aneela, that character is so intriguing, and so nuanced, and has such peculiarities that it was always a fun surprise to see what she would do.

TTVJ: Speaking of the fight scenes, Delle Seyah is getting to be a bit of a badass in Season 5. She starts off by throwing knives and then gets to have a bow and arrow! We’ve always known she’s a badass, but what was it like to bring out a more physical side of that with her?

MN: That’s always very fun, but as a person, I’m not the most coordinated. There was that knife throwing sequence, which is really basic compared to what Hannah has to do, but I’m not the most coordinated so I was a little nervous. You want to do it well too, and particularly for a show like this, with sequences that are so elaborate and well done. You want to stay in line with that. It was definitely fun to play though, and our stunt coordinator [Alicia Turner] was really great, took her time to work with us, and accommodated what I was capable of doing. It’s always fun to do that stuff though because I usually never get to do that.

TTVJ: I would also like to address Delle Seyah’s amazing wardrobe in Season 5. Everything that Trysha [Bakker, Killjoys costume designer] does is so great, but this archer outfit with the cut off sleeves seemed next level. How does wardrobe help you get into character?

MN: I think any actor will say what we put on our faces, our hair, and the clothes we wear is impactful in letting us feel that part. Trysha is incredible though, and I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed my wardrobe on something as much as this. Also, the way she evolved with the character. When Delle Seyah was pregnant, the wardrobe was much softer and flowy, and then in Season 5, it’s much more edgy, especially with the haircut and bangs. Definitely the wardrobe helped in feeling that more physical aspect of Delle Seyah.

TTVJ: It’s also been so much fun, as a viewer, to watch Delle Seyah, Aneela and D’av all get unexpectedly thrown into this world of parenting with Jaq and then, how they each deal with it. Despite everything, why does this family, who is a bit dysfunctional, still seem to work so well together?

MN: It comes back to what I said before, when you have something that you are invested in, that takes priority. Delle Seyah doesn’t have any idea what it is to take care of a child or love a child, but you can definitely say that she knows how to watch out for herself. Now that she has these two beings that mean the world to her, that need for self preservation just extends outward. It goes for everybody else, we don’t know what we’re doing. Take D’av even, he’s just trying to save the world and that includes his son. It’s all instinctual and you just do it. It was definitely a fun dynamic to play.

TTVJ: In looking back over the series, what is your favorite thing about Delle Seyah?

MN: My biggest surprise with her is just the change that happened. When I did that role I never thought she’d be anything beyond what she was in Season 1 — a callous, self serving, not so nice person. It was interesting for me to find out that she could be more than that, but her circumstances had to change to find that within her. That’s something, as an actress, that surprised me because I wasn’t expecting that — just the evolution of what she became was fun to witness unfold. I don’t think it was anything I ever consciously did. It was just working with what the writers gave you, and then it’s this weird thing that happens sometimes when you’re acting, and you realize a character has become something, even though you never actively did anything to make her that way. For me, it was just the surprise I felt watching her character unfold.

TTVJ: Now that you’ve been removed from her for awhile, have you had a chance to tie a bow on that chapter and say goodbye to her?

MN: I don’t think I quite closed that yet. I need to watch the final season. I like to binge so I’ve just been waiting, and I’ve not had time because of Hudson & Rex. I don’t think I’ve shut that down yet because it’s still out there and still happening. It’s not quite done in my mind.

TTVJ: You went almost immediately into shooting Hudson & Rex, which will be back for Season 2. Anything you can tease about that show’s second season?

MN: We just started shooting so I don’t quite know yet where we go over the year. It’s fun to be back and after the first season you always feel more settled. I think we’re more settled in our dynamics with each other too. Also, the dog is still really amazing! So expect more fun like in the first season.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Killjoys 4x09 "The Kids Are Alright?" Review

Last week’s episode of Killjoys, written by Julian Doucet and directed by Stefan Pleszczynski, was an incredible ramp up to what I’m sure will be an equally intense and emotional finale on Friday. It has some of my favorite lines to date, and some absolutely incredible acting from Kelly McCormack (Zeph) and Atticus Mitchell (Pip), both of whom I already loved, but who hadn’t had as much of a chance to shine yet. There are a couple of emotional deaths (par for the course for the penultimate episode of a Killjoys season), but also some fun moments, including some goofy undercover outfits and Legolas and Gimli Fancy and D’avin competing for Hullen kills.

The Kids are Alright? opens with Delle Seyah in Khlyen’s lab on Arkyn, going through Khlyen’s research on the plasma, when suddenly the computer alerts her that there’s been a breach in the docking bay. The cameras are down, so as the intruders near, Delle Seyah hoists a massive cannon-like weapon — but it’s just D’avin and Johnny who burst through the door. They toss Jaq’s backpack in her direction and give her a recap: Osman is now going by Jaq, the Lady is after him, and Arkyn with Delle Seyah would be the safest place for him until they defeat the Lady. As D’avin goes to fetch Jaq and the rest of his gear, Delle Seyah explains to Johnny that she hadn’t returned to Qresh because she’s waiting until Aneela can rule by her side, and that she’s been tracking down Khlyen’s safe houses in search of a weapon he’d created to destroy the Lady. Luckily, we (and Team Awesome Force) found that very weapon — a spore that destroys and nullifies the plasma — just last week. Delle Seyah also reveals that since all the plasma has been frozen, she hasn’t been able to get back into the green space to reach Aneela. Seeing the pain on her face, Johnny tells her that he used to dream of seeing her hurt like this, after she killed Pawter. But, he promises her, they will find Aneela.

On Lucy, D’avin is packing Jaq’s clothes and belongings, labelling each item despite Jaq’s protest that he’s the only kid there. Dutch tells Jaq to be sure to learn from Delle Seyah — knives and guns aren’t the only way to fight. D’avin gets choked up at the thought of leaving Jaq behind, and when Jaq reassures him, “Dad, I’ll be fine,” he gets even more emotional, choking out “I was just getting used to [being called Dad].” Like Dutch told Jaq earlier, D’avin may be big and strong, but he’s made of marshmallow. D’avin gives Jaq a printout of his Killjoys ID photo, the only photo of himself he had. “Don’t forget me,” Jaq whispers into D’avin’s chest as they hug one last time. (Dutch told Jaq that D’avin would cry “like, snot-bubble hard” at the goodbye, but I’m the one who’s bawling here.) As Jaq walks away with Delle Seyah, D’avin shakily says to Dutch, “promise me, when you kill the Lady, you will make it hurt.” “Right through the heart, Papa Bear,” she responds.

At the Armada, Turin lays out the plan for getting the children back. Two teams will intercept Black Root ships, steal the Hullen uniforms, and take the Hullens’ places in order to infiltrate the Hullen-occupied RAC. On Westerly, D’avin and Fancy have taken out the Hullen and bicker about each other’s fighting styles, and decide to place a bet — if Fancy kills more Hullen on the RAC, he gets D’avin’s gun. If D’avin wins, he gets Fancy’s ponytail. But there’s time for that later — right now, it’s time to infiltrate the RAC. Weej and Turin’s team of Killjoys lead the charge, undercover in the first Black Root ship, with D’avin and Fancy’s ship following, and Dutch and Johnny bringing up the rear in Lucy. But as Weej pilots the ship toward the RAC, a force field suddenly appears as Weej’s ship smashes into it, vaporizing on impact. Turin rarely looks flustered, but the death of “his guy” Weej sends him reeling. The other two ships retreat to the Armada, and Johnny explains that, based on the final reading from Weej’s ship, the force field works like an immune system, only letting Hullen through. Weej should have been able to pass through, since he was ex-Hullen, but since there were humans on the ship as well, the field stopped the ship.

While Johnny works to figure out a way around the field, Dutch has Zeph look at the wound she seems to have gotten through Aneela. The scar looks years old, and as though it were caused by a laser or a brand. The intricate markings seem like they must be some sort of message. She runs the symbols through her database, and the closest match she finds is Scarback, so Zeph and Pip take a trip to go visit Fairuza, the ex-scarback monk. She identifies the mark as a shadow scar, the language of the scarbacks’ dead. Every scarback creates their own to be carved on their body at death. Each scar is made of 3 smaller symbols—the ones on Dutch’s back are “ascend/evolve,” “elixir,” and “disappear/dissolve.” Not that that clears anything up. Zeph tells Pip that she needs to think, with a meaningful look, and the two find a spare room to… bang some things out. It doesn’t do any good, though, and Zeph has no idea what to do with the meaning of the scar. As they lay on the bed, Pip asks Zeph about her necklace — “It’s from the Badlands, right? The freaky farmers on Leith with the bonnets and the babies?” “Also known as my family of origin,” Zeph responds. Pip apologizes, but Zeph shrugs it off, saying, “This is why I don’t do relationships with dudes.” (And yes, according to Kelly McCormack, who plays Zeph, Zeph is in fact “hella bi.”) Pip knows that their original arrangement was just sleeping together, but he wants to know her, and asks if they can talk. Still clearly stinging about his comment about her family, Zeph makes a snarky remark about them talking about how her sisters were treated like cattle and how fun it is to be shunned. She then says one of the most striking and relevant lines of the season, if not the show:

“If everything I want and everything I choose is just some message of trauma, what gets to be mine? When do I get to stop being a victim and get to be the authentic me?”

The two cuddle and talk some more, and you get the feeling that they’re becoming much more than “bang buddies,” as Pip so eloquently put it.

Lucy and Johnny find a patent for a device, called a regressor, that can alter one’s DNA for a short time. In theory, they can connect Johnny to both the device and the plasma Zeph had syphoned from Weej, and he can control the field, letting the Killjoys through. Until the seizures start. The only prototype is on Leith, with a hippie cult. So it’s time for, as Johnny puts it, “sass, wigs, and possible punching.” Dutch and D’avin don wigs and robes and join the hippies in the forests of Leith. They’re welcomed by the cult leader, who has Dutch put on a white glowing mask (that looks suspiciously like one of those anti-acne LED masks) and tells her that he will help her “unlock the potential of her genes” using the regressor. As he activates the device, Dutch experiences flashbacks of Aneela’s life, ending with her in the green space reaching out with the symbol carved on her hand. Dutch cries out, and D’avin pulls the mask from her face, ending the spell. They then knock the cult leader and his guards out, whip off their robes to reveal jumpsuits, put on baseball caps, and pretend to be taking the regressor out for maintenance. “Lots of confusion on the astral plane,” D’avin says, with Dutch adding, “The chakras are completely tits-up.”

While Dutch and D’avin are infiltrating the cult, Johnny works on a plan to get the green pool out of the RAC. He plans to use Khlyen’s jump cube to whisk the pool and its contents onto the Armada. While he works, Lucy notes that his dopamine levels have decreased since their return to the quad, and wonders if he’s worried about fitting into Dutch and D’avin’s lives, with them in a relationship. Johnny tells her that there’s no one he’d rather third-wheel with than “those dysfunctional dumplings,” but admits that he wishes he had someone himself. Lucy points out that he has her, and he smiles, saying “Always and forever, Lucy-girl.”

Now that they have the regressor, Johnny will be able to temporarily lower the field around the RAC, but if they don’t get back out before he has to disconnect from the regressor, they’ll be done for. Pree and Gared will rescue the children and head for Westerly, Fancy and D’avin will keep the Hullen away from Pree, Gared, and Dutch, and Dutch will get to the green pool, throw a transponder in so Lucy can use the jump cube to port it onto the Armada, and meet up with Fancy and D’avin. They’ll have about 30 minutes to do all this before Johnny’s brain starts rejecting the regressor. Let’s see if the plan works this time.

In the lab, Zeph is working on connecting the regressor to the green, when Pip surprises her wearing a Hullen uniform. Zeph insists that he doesn’t have to prove himself to anyone, but Pip is determined to go on the mission — after all, with Zeph and Johnny staying behind, they’ll need a designated geek. “Look, I can do the whole ‘I’m dying, not really living,’ thing, or I can dress up like a mime and go rescue a bunch of kids from the world’s worst sleepover,” he tells her. Zeph hugs him tightly, and tells him to make sure he rides with Dutch — she may hate him, but she owes Zeph, and an assassin is a good person to have as a bodyguard.

The three teams take off, and Zeph gets Johnny all hooked up. He apologizes for leaving her to do everything while they were missing, and promises that he’s going to help her fix both Dutch and Pip when this mission is over. Johnny successfully connects to both the regressor and the green, and the six make it onto the RAC. While Dutch and Pip crawl through the air ducts (Dutch grumping at Pip’s slowness), Pree and Gared blend right in with the Hullen controlling the RAC, easily making their way toward the kids. Fancy and D’avin scout ahead, clearing the way of any Hullen who might oppose them, and having a Legolas-and-Gimli-level competition to see who can kill the most Hullen. As Dutch and Pip drop out of the air vent (Pip half-slithering, half-caught by Dutch), Pip wheezes a little from the dust and asks Dutch if she brought his inhaler. (This has absolutely no bearing on the plot, but was too cute and goofy not to note!) Dutch drops the transponder into the green pool, Zeph sends the jump cube, and they successfully steal the pool. Pree and Gared get the kids onto the ship and head down to Westerly, but the others are still in the RAC, and the regressor is starting to reject Johnny. But just then, Johnny pulls his hand out of the green, saying that he felt the shield die. But that’s not as good of news as it sounds. The ship is going through a hard reboot, which will give the Hullen control over the RAC’s cannons. The green that powers the Armada’s engines is all still crystalized, so they can’t get out of range or raise their own shields. They don’t have enough time for Pip to hack into the system, and not enough manpower to take down all the cannons manually. The only option is to use Turin’s master code to set the whole station to self-destruct. But the code has to be entered manually — someone isn’t coming back.

Right about now you’re probably getting a sinking feeling about who the notorious Episode 9 death is going to be this season. Fancy, Dutch, and D’avin start arguing over who it should be, each suggesting themselves. But then Pip speaks up, saying, “Whatever RAC rises from these ashes, it’s gonna need Killjoys. And a designated asshole. It’s okay; I know I’m a dead man walking — it doesn’t scare me. The thing that put a spider in my brain, that does. And I know that you guys are the only ones that can stop it.” Dutch says that she can’t let him do it, that she promised Zeph she’d keep him safe. But Zeph would never forgive herself when she couldn’t find a way to save him, Pip points out. But she will get over him dying to save the rest of them. The three Killjoys salute Pip, as Turin sends the self-destruct code to him. In the lab, Zeph is totally unaware that her friend-with-benefits-turned-something-more is about to sacrifice himself. Johnny comes and tells her that they’re using the self-destruct code on the RAC. “But those have to be entered manually,” she protests, then realizes the somber look on Johnny’s face. “Dutch?” she asks. “No.” “Fancy?” She knows who it is by now, but is hoping against hope. As Pip prepares to input the code, the others safely away, Zeph’s voice comes over his coms. I can’t even describe the scene, in which Atticus and Kelly (who play Pip and Zeph, respectively) absolutely blow it out of the water and shatter my heart, so I’m just going to transcribe it.

“Pip?”

“I was wondering when you’d call.”

“I want you to get out of there, and I want you to do it now — do you hear me?”

“Then the RAC would blow you up, and I’m not cool with that.”

“Why are you doing this, Pip?”

“Because if I didn’t, then I’d probably never get laid again.”

“But I haven’t figured out how to get into the green yet. We have so much thinking to do. Just find Dutch — she’ll get you out; she’s magic!”

“You scientists don’t believe in magic.”

“I will if it’ll bring you back.”

(If you’re not crying by now, you don’t have a heart.)

“You’re looking at this the wrong way, Zephyr. A genius farm girl from Leith almost falling for a svelte loudmouth from Qresh? Hells if that ain’t magic.”

“Pip, I—”

“It’s okay, Zeph. I know.”

Pip starts the self-destruct sequence, and we watch as the RAC combusts into rubble. Turin looks shaken, having lost “his guy” and his second home in one day. Johnny holds Zeph as she sobs on the floor.

Later, we see our trio on Lucy recovering from minor brain surgery. They made a remnant of the knowledge of Jaq’s location, so that the Lady won’t be able to glean the information from their minds, and destroy the remnant. Once it’s all over, Jaq will find D’avin. Zeph comes onto Lucy, asking to speak with Dutch. She gives her all the information she’s found on the possible meanings of the symbols, and some ideas to serve as a springboard for John. She doesn’t even look Dutch in the eye. Dutch tells her that they need her, and that it was Pip’s choice, but Zeph points out that everyone knows that Pip made terrible life choices. “You know what they say about Team Awesome Force?” she asks. “They say, ‘D’av will take the bullet, John will fix what’s broken, and Dutch will bring you home.’ You were supposed to bring him home.” Dutch doesn’t know what to say to that, and Zeph runs out, tears streaking her cheeks.

On Westerly, D’avin watches the children running through the streets, and Fancy comes to collect his prize, since he beat D’avin by two in their Hullen-killing contest. He puts his hand out for D’avin’s gun, but as D’avin starts to hand it over, he pulls the trigger, hitting Fancy in the chest with a stun blast. “Now we’re tied,” he declares, striding toward the Royale. “Ex-Hullen count for two.” Inside, Dutch and Johnny are waiting with drinks. They toast to Pip, and Dutch takes a swig from her flask. After Zeph left, Dutch had another flash of Aneela and realized what the message was — she wasn’t just telling Dutch how to get in, she was telling her how to get Aneela out. Dutch staggers, and Johnny looks at what was inside her flask: green. “You’re the thief who saved my life,” she says, panting. “But you need a better guide.” She collapses to the floor and stops breathing. A moment later, she gasps and sits upright. You can immediately tell from just the way she breathes that it’s Aneela who lies before D’avin and Johnny (Hannah John-Kamen regularly blows my mind). We then go into the green space, where Dutch is now in Aneela’s place, sporting her signature braid, and says, “Hey Lady, miss me?”

I’ll be honest, I’m a little lost as to what the words “ascend/evolve,” “elixir,” and “dissolve/disappear” meant to Dutch. We saw flashes of Aneela draining herself of plasma in her cube, with the word “ascend,” Aneela drinking plasma, with “elixir,” and her disappearing into her green pool, with “dissolve,” and while I get the correlation between each of those, I’m not sure how that translated in Dutch’s mind to “I need to drink green to bodyswap with Aneela.” Other than that, though, it was a completely solid (if heartbreaking) episode! I’m really looking forward to seeing the boys interact with Aneela, especially since Dutch implied that Aneela will be of more help in figuring out how to defeat the Lady than Dutch would be — it reminded me of Waverly taking the demon goo back from Wynonna in Wynonna Earp since she knew that Wynonna would be able to figure out a solution better than she would.

Based on the trailer for the finale, it also looks like D’avin and Johnny go into the green, and Johnny in particular relives the moment when Delle Seyah killed Pawter at the end of season 2. I can’t help but wonder if they’re going to bring her back—after all, Aneela went into her memory and brought back a copy of her younger self (which became Dutch). Dutch and Aneela’s mother is also in the trailer, and I’m excited to see more of her (though it doesn’t look like they inverted her color palette, which I feel was a missed opportunity)! I’m not one of the lucky reviewers who received screeners this season, so this is all wild speculation, but I’ll see you right back here after the finale, where I’ll discuss and dissect and speculate about Season 5!

The Season 4 finale of Killjoys airs tonight at 10/9c on Syfy.

Michaela’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[shannyfishwriter]

Killjoys: “Kindred” 10

Title: Kindred Rating: T Summary: Post 3x05. Dutch, D'avin, and Johnny are captured by Aneela. *~*~*~*~*~*

"No."

"Hey," Johnny said as he pulled her into a hug.  She clung to him, not wanting to let him go.  "It's going to be okay," he whispered as his hand smoothed her hair as he held her.  It was always hard for them to separate and go their own ways...they'd been each other's anchor.  The last time he'd gone away was after Pawter...he'd not wanted to bring down trouble on Dutch and D'avin because he'd 'killed' Delle Seyah...but he'd also needed the space.  Things were different, he needed to push her into going because she needed to stay safe.  "It's only going to be for a little bit."

"Maybe you should come with, Blue Eyes," came the suggestion.

Johnny had certainly thought about it.  Dutch was the last one who needed to be fussed over and as much as she was all about the mission...their family always came first.  He couldn't leave D'avin.  He felt like he was choosing as he thought about that...and he would normally always choose Dutch.  Not this time.  He couldn't.  

"No," she whispered as she pulled back from him.  He held tight to her arms, staring at her even though she was looking downward.  

"Dutch--"

"It's going to be fine, you're right," she said as she looked up at him, tears in her eyes.  Feelings were not something that frequently came out between the three of them...and there was always this acknowledgement that they could just pretend that it never happened.  "You need to be here with D'av and Zeph."

"You say the word--"

"I know," she said and she was clearly pressing a smile forward in that moment.  "I just...I just got back to you guys."

And he felt the same way.

They'd just all been reunited and now they were tearing the team apart again.  

"Where will you go?" Johnny asked Bellus, whom they'd picked up from Leith.  Probably if it had been any other Killjoy, Bellus wouldn't think to do what she was doing for Dutch...but it was Dutch.  There was some comfort in knowing that Dutch would be in good hands...and familiar ones at that.  

"Better that you don't know...just in case," Bellus told him.

"There's a ship waiting for you on Westerley," D'avin said.  

"Can I say goodbye to Pree while we're there?" Dutch asked.  

"No need," Bellus said.  "He'll be joining us.  There's no way I'm going to be able to tolerate your hormonal shit on my own...someone's going to have to help me on that front."

He felt even better in that moment, but he'd rather that he or D'avin were also going with her.  He looked back at his brother and realized that it had to be just as difficult for him...maybe moreso.  The list of people they knew that they could trust was a lot smaller than any of them would like.  "So, that's the plan?  Dutch goes into hiding with Bellus and Pree?  You, me, and Zeph go out after the Hullen on Lucy?"

"Fancy's going to be meeting up with us, too," D'avin said.  "And then we'll figure out the rest."

"Time to go, Dutch," Bellus prompted.

It was clear that this was too much for Dutch, it was something unexpected and it was just as hard on them.  She'd packed a small bag and hadn't known what was going to happen...and now they were splitting up and it felt like the worst thing in the world.  He watched as she turned to D'avin, trying to wear a brave face.  Johnny could see right through it.  

"Promise me that you'll look out for each other," Dutch asked of D'avin.

"I promise," D'avin replied, obviously trying just as hard.  

She hugged him tight and John noticed that it took his brother a moment to wrap his arms around her.  Was he just so in shock?  Was he trying to distance himself?  Johnny knew that D'avin had been shouldering too much, just like Dutch always did.  They both always felt the need to protect him even when he could take care of himself...and could help them shoulder things as well.  

"Try not to be such a pain in the ass for Bellus and Pree...and I promise that we'll be back together as soon as it's safe," D'avin told her.  

"Be quick," Dutch whispered as she pulled back to stare at D'av before kissing him.  "Be good."

"Tap my heart."

When Dutch moved away from D'av, Johnny found himself pulled into another hug.  He held her and tried not to get any more worked up than he already felt.  She needed to go...she didn't need to worry about them.  They'd be okay.  "Be safe."

She pulled back and cupped his cheek with one hand.  "I love you, Johnny Jaqobis.  I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"You're going to have to put up with my bright personality," Bellus quipped.

There was a small rumble of laughter.  "I love you, Yalena Yardeen," Johnny said.  It wasn't often that any of them used Dutch's name...the name that she'd given up.  It felt right.  "And we'll be right back to get you once it's safe."

"And we've got the protocols in place, right?" D'av asked and it was clear that this was to Bellus.

"Believe me, they'll be there and I hope that I don't have to wait a long ass time to hear from you," Bellus stated.

"Go," Johnny said as he guided Dutch towards Bellus.  It was going to be hard for her to leave no matter what.  D'av was definitely right, this plan sucked...none of them liked it...but it was the right one and it was necessary.  

"Lucy, keep an eye on our boys for me," Dutch said.

"Always," Lucy replied.

They watched Dutch and Bellus get into the smaller ship before the airlock closed.  Johnny didn't know how much time would pass until he saw them again, but he already missed Dutch.  He snuffed and pushed the tears that were falling away.  He hated being strong, especially when it came to Dutch.  This was one of the few times where they needed to protect her and it felt so wrong that their way of protecting her had to be to basically give her up to someone else and not be able to do anything to actively protect her.  

"Johnny?" D'av spoke up after a few minutes.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"I'm sorry."

He turned to his brother, trying to be calm and to bottle his emotion.  "Why are you sorry?  Your plan sucked, but it was what needed to happen…"

"You should have gone with her."

"No," Johnny said firmly.  "I couldn't leave you.  As much as I wanted to go with Dutch, I'll make the biggest difference helping you win the war.  That means my place is right here."  He paused and stared at D'avin.  "I know it couldn't have been easy for you to let her go either."

"Are we really going to share our feelings?"

"Why do you have to be such a dick?" Johnny asked, thankful that D'av had lightened the mood.  He shook his head, but he wasn't sincere in his words or his tone.  

"Consistency."

"Well, I guess I'll give you that then."

"Hokk?"

"I thought we were going to go over our next move?"

"Our next move is to get drunk while we let Zeph figure things out."

Johnny decided he really wasn't going to argue with that.  "Okay."

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[shannyfishwriter]

Killjoys: “Kindred” 16

Title: Kindred Rating: T Summary: Post 3x05. Dutch, D'avin, and Johnny are captured by Aneela. < Ko-Fi >  < Twitter >

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"You know, have we thought about how we're going to get them to trust us enough to let us even get close to their ships let alone Aneela?"

Johnny stared at his brother for a long moment.  "You don't think I'd present you with a plan--"

"A crazy as all hells plan."

He gave a nod, almost proud of himself in that moment.  "Yes, a crazy as hells plan...without eventually figuring out that part, right?"

"So, what did you come up with?" Dutch asked.

"We say that our baby is sick and no one's been able to do anything."  Johnny was pretty damn sure he was even more of a genius in that moment.  "Think about it, there's no way they'd skip basically an offer to look over your child...especially if it's them trying to make it so the Hullen can reproduce."

"Slight snag, Johnny," Dutch spoke up.  "Our child isn't here and won't be."

"I know."

"So, they're not just going to believe us because Dutch is here," D'av pushed.

"Remember the school for smart kids from Westerley?  Remember Olin?  He had us chasing the hologram?  It even tricked him," Johnny said.  "I'll program a holographic baby."

"I thought those kids were way smarter than you."

Johnny just glared at his brother.  "No."

"Don't worry, John, I'll help you," Lucy piped up.

"Thanks, Luce."

"My pleasure."

"You think that'll be good enough to get us on the ship?" Dutch questioned.

"They'll say no weapons, but we shouldn't need them as long as we can get to Aneela," Johnny told her.  He was confident that it was going to work.  It seemed like a lot, but it was really just three steps.  Make the hologram.  Get on the ship.  Get Aneela on their side via the memories.  

It had to work.

"If we had a reference to work off of," Johnny started, but was quickly interrupted by Lucy.

"RAC Agent Fancy Lee uploaded footage from the last time your team encountered Aneela, Delle Seyah Kendry, and the child Caspara."

"You have footage?" D'av question, obviously surprised by this information.

"Yes."

"That'll work," Johnny said.  "They probably look alike, plus...babies...they all look weird."  He didn't miss the looks he was getting, but he wasn't going to take it back.  This was going to work.  "Leave it to me and Lucy."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's so weird."

"Why?"

"Because it looks so real."

"It's supposed to," Johnny said.  

"Too real."

Johnny sighed.  "Seriously?"

"What?"

"Just thank me for the awesome work I do, don't complain about it," Johnny told him with a shake of his head.

"It's creepy, okay?"

"Okay, okay...don't look at it then."

"They're going to want a name," Dutch brought up from behind.

"Which means we have to decide on a gender since I've got no other details, but babies all look the same at this age anyways...they wouldn't expect the baby to really look loads different, right?"  He could tell that both Dutch and D'avin seemed uncomfortable, but this was what they had.  This was what they needed to do to make it all work.  

"Six months."

"What?"

"That's the age of the child," Dutch said.  It seemed like she was thinking for a moment before she spoke up again.  "Make it a girl, like theirs...maybe it'll up sympathy."

Johnny stared at her, he could tell that she was trying to remain detached, but he hated how she sounded in that moment.  He knew Dutch and he could see and hear the pain buried there.  He wanted this to all be over...for her...for all of them.  This was a step they had to take though.  "Okay," he said finally.  "A name then."

"Emily?" D'avin suddenly threw out there.

"Doesn't sound like a name Dutch would pick," Johnny threw back.  "Emily Yardeen doesn't sound too royal, does it?"

D'av goaned.  "Tamsen?"

"Are you going through old girlfriend names?"

"No," Dutch spoke up.  "No, it's good.  Tamsen."

"Do Qreshis believe in middle names?"

"Tamsen Emily Jaqobis Yardeen," Dutch said with a smirk as she looked between them.  

"Sounds like a goddamn princess name if I ever heard of one," Johnny said as he worked away.  He and Lucy were creating a false medical file in the records on the ship.  Maybe they really didn't need it, but it made it more real.  "Okay, so...how do we contact them?"

"Put out a distress call...let me talk," Dutch said.  "She'll come if she knows it's me."

"Okay, Lucy open--"

"No."

"No?" he and D'av asked at the same time.

"No, you two need to go.  I need to be alone when I'm doing it.  Make it more believable.  It's just an audio message.  It'll give you time to work on the hologram because when Aneela does come, it has to look perfect.  We all have to be perfect."

"This is how we win the war," D'av said.

Johnny drew in a deep breath.  "Yeah, no pressure me."

"I believe in you, John," Lucy chimed in.

"Thanks, Luce."

"Please don't screw this up."

"Hey!  What happened to the trust?"

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[shannyfishwriter]

Killjoys: “Kindred” 11

Title: Kindred Rating: T Summary: Post 3x05. Dutch, D'avin, and Johnny are captured by Aneela.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I know it's not a resort or anything, but things aren't that bad."

This was the third time they'd moved in the last two weeks.  It was actually the nicest place they'd been in so far, but that wasn't why she was in a mood.  She was homesick...homesick for Lucy...and homesick for her boys.  "It's great, Pree," she responded, not looking at him, trying to muster some semblance of contentment.  

"Bitch, you better remember who you're talking to."

He saw right through her.

Between him and Bellus, there was no getting away with anything.  If Bellus was tough on her, then Pree was there to smooth things over.  She wondered if this was what Johnny felt like when she and D'av kept things from him and tried to protect him at every turn.  Pree sat down on the bed next to her, his hand covered hers, and she looked up at him.  "I'm sorry I'm being so--"

"Don't you dare apologize," Pree told her.  "Don't think that I know you'd rather be out there with Johnny and D'av."

"I love you, Pree, you know that."

"I do."

"I just...I'm not used to being the one who doesn't have any control."

"Oh, Honey...we know."

Dutch smiled at that.  "When do I get to start blaming things on hormones?"

"Two weeks ago."

She actually laughed at that.

"I've missed that."

She sucked in a breath and blew it out, the smile still on her face.  She felt almost guilty for being happy in that moment.  "How long do you think it'll be?"

"Until you pop or until they call for us?"

"Both...actually."  

In all honesty, no one had any idea how far along she was.  She was obvious months along, but she also hid it well.  Bellus had kept going on about how Dutch might have felt like she was the size of Lucy, but that in reality she was tiny compared to other pregnant women that Bellus had seen in the bazaar on Leith.  She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but it was just another thing that Dutch didn't know and it sucked.

"Bellus and I were talking about seeing if we could round up a doctor tomorrow," Pree told her.  "This place looks fairly decent.  It's just going about it and making sure that they're not compromised."

"You mean Hullen."

"I mean Hullen and I mean shady with an agenda," Pree corrected.  "So, you can be sure that one of us will be ensuring that your doctor bleeds tomorrow before they can even get in the same room as you."  He paused.  "As for the other...I don't know…  It all depends on Bellus' gut apparently.  Of course, if we keep moving it makes it harder to be found...but at the same time...moving so much can get us caught.  It's one of those fine lines that we have to toe."

Dutch just nodded and was silent for a long moment.  "All I can think about is that if Pawter were here--"

"Oh, Red…" Pree breathed, clearly caught up with emotions.  "I miss her.  Every single day.  Some days I'll look to the stairs and half expect her to walk down from her room.  She might have been born on Qresh, but she was one of us."

"She was."

"And Johnny...I imagine it would have been perhaps slightly easier to let you go if he knew that Pawter was with you."

"He might have been more willing to come along as well," Dutch put out there.  She was trying to think happy thoughts of Pawter instead of sad ones.  They might have not gotten along at first, but Pawter was a good person...and she'd loved Johnny.

"She would have told him that he needed to stay with D'av, watch over him because you wouldn't be able to," Pree said with a shake of his head.  

"You think they're okay?"

"I think they're arguing...and probably yelling...and drinking Hokk...and missing the hells out of you," Pree said.  He paused for a long moment.  "Yeah, they're okay."  They were both quiet for a while, but Pree broke the silence as he stared at her.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm scared."

"With those boys on your ship...I would be too...they probably don't pick up after themselves."

"I've trained them better than that," she responded, her mood lightening for a moment before turning serious again.  "But that's not what I meant…  I'm scared about the baby…"

"It's a baby…"

"What if it's not?  What if it's some kind of Hullen experiment?"

Pree seemed caught off guard by this.  He was calm, though, when he finally responded.  "Sweets, we are going to find you a doctor...and we're going to get every single question answered before you're any further along…  I don't want you to worry…"

"I can't not worry."

"Try."

She just stared at him.  "I hate not knowing what she did to me, Pree.  Did she just really get me pregnant with D'av's baby or did she do something else?  You weren't in that lab.  You haven't met her special crazy--"  

"Whoa...whoa...okay," Pree said as he held onto her arms.  "Okay, I get it.  I'm just saying...try to relax until we can get you that doc.  Bellus is going to make sure that it's someone we'll be able to trust--"

"Or someone disposable that's good for the short term."

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