"Huff... huff..."
Amid his ragged panting, Lorne abruptly opened his eyes.
As his blurry vision cleared, an unfamiliar ceiling covered in mold came into view.
The air carried a mixture of cheap tobacco and mildew, pungent and unsettling.
This isn't the ship! The thought flashed through Lorne's mind. He jolted upright and swept a wary gaze around him.
It was a dim room in a cheap hotel, furnished with a battered wooden bed, a table with a corner missing, and a creaky chair.
The window was shut, and heavy curtains blocked the sunlight outside, letting in only a few faint slivers of light.
"Meow~"
A familiar cry came from beside the bed. Lorne instinctively turned his head and saw his orange cat, Lucky, sitting upright on the chair beside him, staring at him unblinkingly with her amber eyes.
"Thank goodness..."
Seeing Lucky eased Lorne's taut nerves a little, but his confusion only deepened.
His last memory was of Tracy ambushing him from behind, a pain in his neck, and then nothing.
How did I get here?
While his thoughts were still in turmoil, the room's door opened with a click.
Lorne's gaze instantly sharpened. He instinctively reached for his gun, only to discover that the Ripper, which never left his side, was nowhere to be found.
He turned his attention back and fixed his eyes on the person in the doorway.
Danitz entered carrying a plate of food, only to find himself pinned by Lorne's murderous stare. It made his skin crawl.
"Hey! What's with that look?" Lorne's stare unnerved Danitz so badly that he nearly dropped the plate.
"Shit! I saved your life this time! Is that any way to look at your savior?"
"Danitz... why are you here?" Seeing that it was Danitz, Lorne relaxed slightly, though his