Title: The Traveller: Crossover.
Could be an episode of a completely different TV series, although sadly not one that exists in real life...
Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own these characters... blah blah... wish I did, I'd be rich. But I do own Milon though, so hands off! Although he hasn't brought me much money as of yet…
Spoilers: Not for Andromeda, it's all made up stuff. Spoilers for the Traveller maybe...
Rating: PG-13, I guess, I'm not that good with these things. There be violence and some reasonably foul mouths. Might even be some "romance" in the future, if you're lucky!
Reviews: Oh yes please! This is the first ever fanfic I've written, so I'd really like to know if it's worth while bothering, or should I just stick with my original characters?
Still confused? Check out www.continue.to/brinkofmadness and click on the pentagram-in-a-ring type symbol to go to EterniVision Cracked...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Prologue. Of a sorts.
It happened so fast. Too fast even for him to keep up. Crossing over, one second standing in the pentangle between the Channellers, watching the veil become transparent. Then a street. Fire, screaming and the veil solidifying again behind him. Leaving him alone. Well, if you didn't count the cameras.
Then something lunged at him from the shadows, knocking him to the ground during the vulnerable first second in this new world. Someone was standing over him, pointing something at him. He had time to hope that the people back home would pull him out when they saw how badly things were going. Then there was a flash, and things went black.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Chapter One: He followed me home, can I keep him?
Earth. What a cesspit. Tyr could not understand what possible value a stopover here could have, but after this long couldn't really be bothered arguing the captain's decisions when they meant nothing to him. "Don't sweat the petty things" in other words. (And don't pet the sweaty things. Old Earth saying apparently, according to Harper.) Besides, it was kind of nice just to get out and stretch your legs. Get in some quality time with the guns and that. Being stuck on a spaceship for months on end was enough to give a man cabin fever. Well, a lesser man anyway. And even Tyr had to agree that you can only do so many laps around the Andromeda before those corridors start losing their appeal.
The plan had been simple enough. Dock ship. Get map out. X marks the spot. Go off and purchase those bits of technology that "you didn't get for anywhere near that price at any other place in the entire the galaxy, possibly even the known universe…" That was roughly about the point at which Tyr had stopped listening. Suffice to say that they had set out in a group of three. Trance, Harper and Tyr to baby-sit, make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Yeah, the plan had been straightforward. Of course, things rarely go to plan these days now, do they?
So what had gone wrong? Didn't really matter. They had arrived at the 'shop' only to find its owner pretty much turned into minced meat. The phrase 'there was blood everywhere!' applied. Then there had been gunfire, screaming and a fair amount of running. The group of three was now a group of one, which was just the way he liked it anyway. The others had taken off in the opposite direction, i.e. away from the ship. Tyr doubted that it was due to a cunning plan, it was more likely that their sense of direction was nowhere near as good as his. So that left him with two options; go back to the ship only to have Dylan tell him to go back out there and find the errant crewmembers, or go looking for them on his own initiative. Tyr had always preferred his own initiative.
The streets were strangely desolate in this area. None of the buildings seemed occupied, doors and windows were mostly boarded up. It was like everybody had just upped and left the place. Tyr couldn't blame them. That seemed like the best way to deal with this entire planet in his opinion.
A sudden gust of wind came sweeping along the street, blowing litter and grit along the ground. It grabbed a hold of a door that was slightly ajar and flung it open. Tyr spun around. Not because the sound fooled him, he recognised it for what it was, but if anybody was trying to ambush him they might take this as an opportunity, thinking he was distracted. Behind him, the street was just as empty as it had been.
The now wide open door seemed to be the only one along the whole street that had not been nailed shut. Tyr knew the other two had disappeared off somewhere into this area, and this seemed like as good a hiding place as any. He pulled his gun for safety and stepped through the doorway.
The building he entered had probably once been some kind of warehouse, but lately it seemed to have been used for an entirely different purpose. Strange symbols were painted along the walls in a dark red colour that looked suspiciously like blood. He couldn't tell at this distance because the whole room stank of it anyway. The interior decoration left a lot to wish for. A few broken chairs, candlesticks in abundance and... was that a shopping trolley? Earthmen, lunatics the lot of them. Just as well the place was deserted.
The layout of the building was that of an L-shape, the part where he had entered a kind of foyer off the end of a long, narrow hall. As he turned the corner, he realised that he had been wrong. The place was not deserted after all. At the far end of the hall, a man was standing. No, not so much standing as hanging. He was shackled to the wall; his arms wide apart over his head and his feet clamped together on the floor. Tyr found the whole scene vaguely reminiscent of something religious.
The second thing he noticed was that the man's hair was completely white, in fact so much so that it seemed almost like it was glowing in the dimly lit room. He was only wearing a pair of torn, bloody jeans and there were smudges of blood on his chest and face, but Tyr could not see any cuts or bruises so it was hard to tell if the blood was his own or if somebody had smeared him with it. His head was hanging down; he was either dead or unconscious. If it hadn't been for the stench of blood Tyr would have been able to tell from his scent, but as it was, he would have to walk up to the man to determine his condition. He holstered his gun and walked the length of the room in a couple of long paces.
As he came closer he saw that despite the white hair, the man did not appear to be very old; the body was that of a young man. Quite slim, but with finely shaped muscles. His skin was pale, only a shade from that of an albino. Tyr put a hand under the man's chin and lifted his head to look at his face. Yes, he was young, even younger than Tyr had thought. In his early twenties, maybe, although it was hard to tell exactly. He had a soft, clean-lined face that might very well make him appear younger than he was. He was most likely human, although there was something about him that made Tyr think he might not be. He seemed too… perfect.
Suddenly, the young man's eyes fluttered open and he gave Tyr a look filled with apprehension. Well, that was an understatement, it was fear, really that he saw in those light green eyes. But there was something else there as well. Something that told Tyr that despite how it might look, this was not yet a broken man. Hope was maybe too strong a word for it, but... there was something.
"What is your name?" Tyr asked.
"Get me down and I'll tell you."
Tyr's eyebrows rose in surprise and he could almost feel a smile coming on.
"Do you really feel that you are in a position to negotiate?" he said.
"Aren't you always?"
Tyr found himself stepping back to give the man's forearms an involuntary glance. Not that he had ever come across any Nietzschean pride where white hair was present in the young. And, of course, the man's arms were smooth, no sign of any bone blades. Still, he seemed so together, for a human.
"So tell me then, why should I set you free? What could I possibly have to gain from it?"
The young man gave him a look that showed only the slightest hint of desperation.
"A warm feeling of helping out your fellow man?"
"But you are not my fellow man. You are human, are you not?"
He looked the man into the eyes, where he now saw only confusion.
"Of course! Aren't you?"
Tyr could not believe his ears. This was earth, this man was human by his own admission, and still he asked something like that?
"No, I am a Nietzschean," he said calmly.
He folded his arms across his chest. As if he needed to make any demonstrations to this boy.
"Oh, right."
Oh, right? One of those? It was incredible; the boy sounded like the name meant nothing to him. That could not be.
"Yes. So, tell me again, why should I help you?"
"I guess the goodness of your heart is out of the question too, eh?"
He had an accent Tyr could not place. Not that he was much up on earth lingo. He had some nerve as well, talking to Tyr like that. All the same, he could not deny that the boy impressed him slightly with his courage. Tyr drew his gun and powered it up. That lit the fear back up in those green eyes.
"Hey, hang on now…"
The young man's words were cut short by the sound of Tyr's gun. In one fluid motion he shot the first manacle off the wall, then the second, and caught the prisoner as he fell forward. The boy immediately started to struggle to free himself and stand up, but Tyr fired his gun again, this time at the shackles around his feet. The now free man got to his feet and across the room in a heartbeat. He almost seemed more wary of Tyr now that he had released him. Clever boy.
"Thanks," he said.
Kid was wired tight like a spring, rubbing his wrists where the manacles had been, ready to bolt for the door at any false move. Tyr didn't really care if he ran, what would he want with him anyway? He re-holstered his gun and started to turn away.
"I'm Milon," he kid said, "Who're you?"
Tyr looked at him. Did he really not know how lucky he was he had been found by the right kind of Nietzschean? Obviously not. For a split second he considered giving him the full presentation, but then he decided to leave it at:
"Tyr."
"Well, Tyr… you seem like a decent enough bloke, what with the letting me go free and all… maybe you could tell me… where am I?"
This was just getting weirder.
"Earth," Tyr said.
To his surprise, the young man actually smiled.
"Well, yeah. Care to narrow it down a bit?"
"No."
Mostly because he couldn't remember the exact name for the area. He had not even paid attention any further than the 'Tyr, can you keep them safe and help them carry?' bit.
"Fair enough," the white-haired boy said, but he looked a little disappointed, "So… where are you from then?"
"Most recently, the starship Andromeda."
"Starship? You said 'starship,' right?"
"Yes."
"Cool. So, you're really an alien then?"
The kid was looking at him funny. Well, not funny, but… intently. Like he was trying to tell if he was telling the truth or not.
"I have already told you, I am a Nietzschean. And I do not have time for this…"
Tyr started walking away. The boy was either simple or out of his head on some drug. What he said did not make any sense. Still, Tyr could not escape the feeling that neither of those things could be further away from the truth.
Suddenly there was a sound around the corner, out near the door. Somebody was coming into the building. Tyr quickly drew his gun and stepped up against the wall. Whoever it was, they were walking lightly, trying to be silent, but Tyr could still clearly hear the footsteps coming closer. A shape emerged from behind the corner. Tyr extended his gun hand.
"Do not move."
The person froze. Then Tyr recognised Trance's purple form and lowered the gun.
"Oh, it is only you."
"Tyr! I'm happy to see you too!"
Then Trance spotted Milon and took a couple of steps towards him. Tyr could see the young man's eyes go wide, this time more out of curiosity than fear.
"Who are you?" Trance asked in a friendly tone.
"Um… my name's Milon… and you are…?"
"Trance. Are you hurt?"
"Not really. Just tired."
The alien and the human stared at each other. A little too long. What was going on?
"Trance!"
"Yeah?"
"We have no time for this. Let us go."
"No, we have time! I found Harper, he's waiting outside… and we can't just leave… Milon here."
"What is it that you propose we do with him?"
Trance gave him one of those annoyingly cheerful looks, one that said she wasn't going to let this one go easily.
"We should take him back to the Andromeda, or at least to the Maru down the station… make sure he's not hurt!"
Tyr was just about to voice his opinion on just how bad an idea that was, when Harper came running into the room, waving his arms about.
"Hey, guys, time to get moving, company coming this way, and fast!"
He had hardly time to finish the sentence before running footsteps were heard outside. Tyr drew his gun and headed for the door.
"Where are you going? You're gonna run right into them!"
It was Milon. He sounded genuinely surprised.
"I do not see that we have much of a choice in the matter," Tyr replied offhandedly.
"We do. Back door."
He started off towards a dark corner, and a second later a rectangle of daylight appeared in the far wall. Tyr thought it very unlikely that this was some kind of elaborate trap, so after quickly weighing his options he followed the three of them out the new door.
They ran, not even staying to see how many their pursuers were. Too many, that's how many. And too heavily armed. Tyr would not really have minded staying and fighting, but he had no reason for wanting his fellow two crewmembers dead, and that was most likely what it would come to. As for the white haired boy, running seemed to be what he did best. He was keeping up with Tyr's fast pace, not problem, although he did look tired. They ran down the street, and down towards the docking station. It seemed like they had actually managed to shake off the enemies. Good, they could leave now. Tyr had had more than enough of Earth for one day.
He stopped and waited for Trance and Harper to catch up. Milon stopped next to him, staring down at the harbour and the ships docked there.
"So, I guess you weren't messing, eh? Those things are really… spaceships, aren't they?"
Tyr turned his head to look at him. He looked exhausted, but strangely elated at the same time. Tyr found himself wondering if the boy had never been outside that warehouse. But if so, why had he been abandoned after such a long time? He was a mystery, and Tyr could not deny that he was slightly intrigued.
"Hey, who's this guy?"
Harper sounded out of breath, it made his voice a bit high-pitched.
"I'm Milon."
"Milon, eh? Those guys friends of yours?"
He made a gesture down the now empty street behind them.
"No, I don't know who they are… I don't even know…"
His voice trailed off and he put a hand over his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Trance walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tyr saw the boy twitch, shying away from the touch. He was certainly on his guard with them; still, there was something quite… ingenuous about him. Whatever. It was time to leave him and go… home.
"Where are you from?" Trance asked Milon.
"Well… Earth… not around here though…"
Suddenly, the boy's legs seemed to fail him and he sank down with his back to one of the large containers littering the docks. Tyr could almost smell the exhaustion on him, and it was definitely not only from the running just now.
"We should get him to medical," Trance said.
"Why? He is not our problem. You cannot just pick up any stray off the streets and bring him aboard the ship."
"Why not?"
She was doing it again. Looking at him with that frustrating, good- natured smile.
"Do I really have to explain it to you?"
"Yes."
"Uh, maybe not right now, eh guys…"
Harper was pointing down towards the end of the street, back the way they had come. The followers had… followed them. They were coming down the street fast, about twenty of them. An angry, ragged-looking mob of… humans, it seemed. They were not the same people that had been at the parts shop, not the ones that had been chasing them as they had been separated earlier. What were these people doing chasing them now?
"Great."
Tyr pulled out his gun and aimed at the first man.
"Go!"
"You trying to say you'll cover us?" Harper called over to him.
"Just go!"
Trance and Harper took off towards the ship. Tyr fired a shot at the mob to see if they would get the message. They didn't even slow down. Milon looked up at him from the ground.
"They're after me," Milon said, "you should go."
"And risk being shot in the back? Hardly."
"Don't think they'll shoot at you. Not after they get what they want."
That made sense. He really should go. Leave the kid behind, unarmed and defenceless, and just go. No problem. Right?
"They want you alive?" he asked.
"Yeah. Definitely."
"Do you have any problems with leaving this planet?"
"You mean... actually leave the planet, right? Not as in dying? Um... I guess not."
"Then run."
Milon looked at him with unbelief in his eyes.
"You had better hurry up before I change my mind."
Curse this newfound conscience. He had been on that ship for far too long. But it was not really like he was putting his life on the line for this stranger. He could take this rag-tag army, no doubt. If he had known what kind of people had been chasing them the second time around, there would have been no running in the first place.
Milon gave him a last, doubting look, and then he was up and gone. Tyr fired off a rapid series of shots as he got up and started backing off. Some of the pursuers fell by his gun; a couple more stumbled over the bodies. Strangely enough, nobody seemed to be returning fire. Maybe they had no long-range weapons. All the better. Tyr threw a glance over his shoulder. Trance and Harper had already reached the ship, and Milon seemed to be well on his way too. He certainly was very fast, Tyr had to give him that. After firing off another couple of shots, and still getting no return fire, Tyr felt confident enough that he was not going to get shot in the back. Besides, the half or so that was left of the group were now close enough for Tyr to see what a pathetic bunch they really were. Armed with knives, and nothing more, blood smeared on their faces. Some kind of cult fanatics. He supposed he could have stayed and done away with the few remaining lunatics, but it was not really worth getting his hands dirty over. Waste of ammunition. He turned and ran for the ship.
The second door of the airlock closed behind him with a hissing sound. He could hear an irregular, distant thumping as the followers pounded their fist against the outside door. No risk of them breaking in though. He walked over to the small "bridge" on the ship.
Milon was sitting on the floor with Trance squatting by his side. Incredible how quickly the girl got attached to strangers. Harper was in the pilot's chair, making preparations for take-off. They were really going to bring this man, whom they knew nothing about, with them to the Andromeda. Well, if that was the case, Tyr had a couple of questions he wanted to ask first. He stepped over to Milon, grabbed the boy by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"Why were they chasing you? Who are you?"
"Hey, put him down!"
Trance was shouting and pulling at his arm, but Milon seemed calm enough, just looked into Tyr's eyes with a tired look on his face.
"I don't know. I was just walking along when they jumped me and knocked me out. Then they tied me up in that room... I was mostly unconscious. Then you came along and saved me. End of story."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Tyr sneered.
"It's true..."
The ghost of a smile swept across Milon's lips. True. Yeah, right. Tyr let him go, dropping him to the floor. He would find out what the boy's secret was sooner or later. He could wait. It was not like there was anywhere for him to go once on board the ship.
"Okay people, get ready, we're clear for take-off! You better find something to hang onto 'coz I'm putting the pedal to the metal and getting the hell out of here!"
What pedal? Tyr thought briefly, but he had long ago given up hope of making any sense of the engineer's ramblings. There always seemed to be so much talk and so little content in what he said.
The lift-off was unnecessarily rough, the ship tearing itself free from the planet's gravity and shooting straight up like an arrow fired at the sun. They were really not in this much hurry, but let the boy have his fun. Tyr did not mind because he had jumped into the second chair as Harper gave his split second warning. Trance and Milon on the other hand ended up in quite a tangle, thrown into a corner by the G-force. They broke through the atmosphere, leaving the little blue planet behind them. The ship levelled out and Harper engaged the artificial gravity on board. All sense of speed and movement stopped, leaving the vessel's interior in a quiet calm. Looking over his shoulder, Tyr saw Milon scramble to his feet and walk up to the window, which now held quite an impressive view of the outer planets in the solar system.
"Oh wow..." he breathed, sounding slightly panicky.
"Are you by any chance new to the pleasures of interstellar travel?" Harper asked cheerily.
"Aha, you could say that. So, this is the ship you were talking about?" he asked Tyr, "what was it, the Andromeda?"
The comment made Trance giggle, Harper laugh out loud, and even Tyr couldn't hold back a smile.
"No, this is a spaceship. The Andromeda is a starship. You will understand when you see it," Tyr said.
"Which shouldn't be long now," Harper filled in, "We're nearly there. And if you think this trusty old girl is impressive, the Andromeda will take your breath away! It's simply one of the most beautiful spacecrafts you'll ever have the fortune to lay your eyes on, not to mention the A.I, which by the way yours truly stitched up an impressive, if I do say so myself, android body for and..."
"Oh do shut up!" Tyr snapped.
The failure of this mission was beginning to grate on his nerves. Not only were they returning to the ship without the equipment they had set out for, but they had also spent the last hour running instead of fighting. The frustration was rapidly becoming an unwelcome threat to his patience. And then there was Milon. It was so obvious that he was not telling them the whole story, and still neither Trance nor Harper seemed to find anything wrong with taking him back to the Andromeda. Not to mention the way Tyr had passed up his chance to leave him behind earlier. It was acting out of character. Tyr did not like it.
"Wishing you'd left me back there?" Milon said suddenly, looking Tyr straight into the eyes, a tiny smile on his face.
"It makes no difference. You are here now."
"And you don't seem to happy about it."
"Ah, no, that's the way he always is," Harper said, "As a matter of fact, I think he's having one of his good days. You can tell from the lack of scowling. Oh, I was wrong, there it is now."
Tyr glared at him. He was sick of working with such children. All he wanted now was to get back to the Andromeda and go a round or fifty with the punching bag in the gym. That would vent some of this... annoyance he was feeling.
"Ah! There she is now. Would you look at that, home sweet home!"
The majestic silvery shape of the ship appeared from behind a planet. The sun of the system bounced its golden rays off the metal hull, making it glint like a small star.
"Alright... I do see what you mean now," Milon smiled, "That is nice, isn't it."
"Nice?" Harper started, but Tyr cut him off before the onslaught of adjectives that was sure to follow:
"It is a high guard ship that travels all over the galaxy. There may be some time before we return to Earth. Maybe never. Are you sure you have not changed your mind?"
"It's a little late for that now, isn't it? Besides, I like travelling."
There was that secretive smile again. He almost reminded Tyr a little of the way Trance would smile, avoiding to answer any questions about her origins. Great, that's just what they needed on board that ship, another indeterminate factor. This one was not going to get away with it though, Tyr intended to see to that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Could be an episode of a completely different TV series, although sadly not one that exists in real life...
Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own these characters... blah blah... wish I did, I'd be rich. But I do own Milon though, so hands off! Although he hasn't brought me much money as of yet…
Spoilers: Not for Andromeda, it's all made up stuff. Spoilers for the Traveller maybe...
Rating: PG-13, I guess, I'm not that good with these things. There be violence and some reasonably foul mouths. Might even be some "romance" in the future, if you're lucky!
Reviews: Oh yes please! This is the first ever fanfic I've written, so I'd really like to know if it's worth while bothering, or should I just stick with my original characters?
Still confused? Check out www.continue.to/brinkofmadness and click on the pentagram-in-a-ring type symbol to go to EterniVision Cracked...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Prologue. Of a sorts.
It happened so fast. Too fast even for him to keep up. Crossing over, one second standing in the pentangle between the Channellers, watching the veil become transparent. Then a street. Fire, screaming and the veil solidifying again behind him. Leaving him alone. Well, if you didn't count the cameras.
Then something lunged at him from the shadows, knocking him to the ground during the vulnerable first second in this new world. Someone was standing over him, pointing something at him. He had time to hope that the people back home would pull him out when they saw how badly things were going. Then there was a flash, and things went black.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Chapter One: He followed me home, can I keep him?
Earth. What a cesspit. Tyr could not understand what possible value a stopover here could have, but after this long couldn't really be bothered arguing the captain's decisions when they meant nothing to him. "Don't sweat the petty things" in other words. (And don't pet the sweaty things. Old Earth saying apparently, according to Harper.) Besides, it was kind of nice just to get out and stretch your legs. Get in some quality time with the guns and that. Being stuck on a spaceship for months on end was enough to give a man cabin fever. Well, a lesser man anyway. And even Tyr had to agree that you can only do so many laps around the Andromeda before those corridors start losing their appeal.
The plan had been simple enough. Dock ship. Get map out. X marks the spot. Go off and purchase those bits of technology that "you didn't get for anywhere near that price at any other place in the entire the galaxy, possibly even the known universe…" That was roughly about the point at which Tyr had stopped listening. Suffice to say that they had set out in a group of three. Trance, Harper and Tyr to baby-sit, make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Yeah, the plan had been straightforward. Of course, things rarely go to plan these days now, do they?
So what had gone wrong? Didn't really matter. They had arrived at the 'shop' only to find its owner pretty much turned into minced meat. The phrase 'there was blood everywhere!' applied. Then there had been gunfire, screaming and a fair amount of running. The group of three was now a group of one, which was just the way he liked it anyway. The others had taken off in the opposite direction, i.e. away from the ship. Tyr doubted that it was due to a cunning plan, it was more likely that their sense of direction was nowhere near as good as his. So that left him with two options; go back to the ship only to have Dylan tell him to go back out there and find the errant crewmembers, or go looking for them on his own initiative. Tyr had always preferred his own initiative.
The streets were strangely desolate in this area. None of the buildings seemed occupied, doors and windows were mostly boarded up. It was like everybody had just upped and left the place. Tyr couldn't blame them. That seemed like the best way to deal with this entire planet in his opinion.
A sudden gust of wind came sweeping along the street, blowing litter and grit along the ground. It grabbed a hold of a door that was slightly ajar and flung it open. Tyr spun around. Not because the sound fooled him, he recognised it for what it was, but if anybody was trying to ambush him they might take this as an opportunity, thinking he was distracted. Behind him, the street was just as empty as it had been.
The now wide open door seemed to be the only one along the whole street that had not been nailed shut. Tyr knew the other two had disappeared off somewhere into this area, and this seemed like as good a hiding place as any. He pulled his gun for safety and stepped through the doorway.
The building he entered had probably once been some kind of warehouse, but lately it seemed to have been used for an entirely different purpose. Strange symbols were painted along the walls in a dark red colour that looked suspiciously like blood. He couldn't tell at this distance because the whole room stank of it anyway. The interior decoration left a lot to wish for. A few broken chairs, candlesticks in abundance and... was that a shopping trolley? Earthmen, lunatics the lot of them. Just as well the place was deserted.
The layout of the building was that of an L-shape, the part where he had entered a kind of foyer off the end of a long, narrow hall. As he turned the corner, he realised that he had been wrong. The place was not deserted after all. At the far end of the hall, a man was standing. No, not so much standing as hanging. He was shackled to the wall; his arms wide apart over his head and his feet clamped together on the floor. Tyr found the whole scene vaguely reminiscent of something religious.
The second thing he noticed was that the man's hair was completely white, in fact so much so that it seemed almost like it was glowing in the dimly lit room. He was only wearing a pair of torn, bloody jeans and there were smudges of blood on his chest and face, but Tyr could not see any cuts or bruises so it was hard to tell if the blood was his own or if somebody had smeared him with it. His head was hanging down; he was either dead or unconscious. If it hadn't been for the stench of blood Tyr would have been able to tell from his scent, but as it was, he would have to walk up to the man to determine his condition. He holstered his gun and walked the length of the room in a couple of long paces.
As he came closer he saw that despite the white hair, the man did not appear to be very old; the body was that of a young man. Quite slim, but with finely shaped muscles. His skin was pale, only a shade from that of an albino. Tyr put a hand under the man's chin and lifted his head to look at his face. Yes, he was young, even younger than Tyr had thought. In his early twenties, maybe, although it was hard to tell exactly. He had a soft, clean-lined face that might very well make him appear younger than he was. He was most likely human, although there was something about him that made Tyr think he might not be. He seemed too… perfect.
Suddenly, the young man's eyes fluttered open and he gave Tyr a look filled with apprehension. Well, that was an understatement, it was fear, really that he saw in those light green eyes. But there was something else there as well. Something that told Tyr that despite how it might look, this was not yet a broken man. Hope was maybe too strong a word for it, but... there was something.
"What is your name?" Tyr asked.
"Get me down and I'll tell you."
Tyr's eyebrows rose in surprise and he could almost feel a smile coming on.
"Do you really feel that you are in a position to negotiate?" he said.
"Aren't you always?"
Tyr found himself stepping back to give the man's forearms an involuntary glance. Not that he had ever come across any Nietzschean pride where white hair was present in the young. And, of course, the man's arms were smooth, no sign of any bone blades. Still, he seemed so together, for a human.
"So tell me then, why should I set you free? What could I possibly have to gain from it?"
The young man gave him a look that showed only the slightest hint of desperation.
"A warm feeling of helping out your fellow man?"
"But you are not my fellow man. You are human, are you not?"
He looked the man into the eyes, where he now saw only confusion.
"Of course! Aren't you?"
Tyr could not believe his ears. This was earth, this man was human by his own admission, and still he asked something like that?
"No, I am a Nietzschean," he said calmly.
He folded his arms across his chest. As if he needed to make any demonstrations to this boy.
"Oh, right."
Oh, right? One of those? It was incredible; the boy sounded like the name meant nothing to him. That could not be.
"Yes. So, tell me again, why should I help you?"
"I guess the goodness of your heart is out of the question too, eh?"
He had an accent Tyr could not place. Not that he was much up on earth lingo. He had some nerve as well, talking to Tyr like that. All the same, he could not deny that the boy impressed him slightly with his courage. Tyr drew his gun and powered it up. That lit the fear back up in those green eyes.
"Hey, hang on now…"
The young man's words were cut short by the sound of Tyr's gun. In one fluid motion he shot the first manacle off the wall, then the second, and caught the prisoner as he fell forward. The boy immediately started to struggle to free himself and stand up, but Tyr fired his gun again, this time at the shackles around his feet. The now free man got to his feet and across the room in a heartbeat. He almost seemed more wary of Tyr now that he had released him. Clever boy.
"Thanks," he said.
Kid was wired tight like a spring, rubbing his wrists where the manacles had been, ready to bolt for the door at any false move. Tyr didn't really care if he ran, what would he want with him anyway? He re-holstered his gun and started to turn away.
"I'm Milon," he kid said, "Who're you?"
Tyr looked at him. Did he really not know how lucky he was he had been found by the right kind of Nietzschean? Obviously not. For a split second he considered giving him the full presentation, but then he decided to leave it at:
"Tyr."
"Well, Tyr… you seem like a decent enough bloke, what with the letting me go free and all… maybe you could tell me… where am I?"
This was just getting weirder.
"Earth," Tyr said.
To his surprise, the young man actually smiled.
"Well, yeah. Care to narrow it down a bit?"
"No."
Mostly because he couldn't remember the exact name for the area. He had not even paid attention any further than the 'Tyr, can you keep them safe and help them carry?' bit.
"Fair enough," the white-haired boy said, but he looked a little disappointed, "So… where are you from then?"
"Most recently, the starship Andromeda."
"Starship? You said 'starship,' right?"
"Yes."
"Cool. So, you're really an alien then?"
The kid was looking at him funny. Well, not funny, but… intently. Like he was trying to tell if he was telling the truth or not.
"I have already told you, I am a Nietzschean. And I do not have time for this…"
Tyr started walking away. The boy was either simple or out of his head on some drug. What he said did not make any sense. Still, Tyr could not escape the feeling that neither of those things could be further away from the truth.
Suddenly there was a sound around the corner, out near the door. Somebody was coming into the building. Tyr quickly drew his gun and stepped up against the wall. Whoever it was, they were walking lightly, trying to be silent, but Tyr could still clearly hear the footsteps coming closer. A shape emerged from behind the corner. Tyr extended his gun hand.
"Do not move."
The person froze. Then Tyr recognised Trance's purple form and lowered the gun.
"Oh, it is only you."
"Tyr! I'm happy to see you too!"
Then Trance spotted Milon and took a couple of steps towards him. Tyr could see the young man's eyes go wide, this time more out of curiosity than fear.
"Who are you?" Trance asked in a friendly tone.
"Um… my name's Milon… and you are…?"
"Trance. Are you hurt?"
"Not really. Just tired."
The alien and the human stared at each other. A little too long. What was going on?
"Trance!"
"Yeah?"
"We have no time for this. Let us go."
"No, we have time! I found Harper, he's waiting outside… and we can't just leave… Milon here."
"What is it that you propose we do with him?"
Trance gave him one of those annoyingly cheerful looks, one that said she wasn't going to let this one go easily.
"We should take him back to the Andromeda, or at least to the Maru down the station… make sure he's not hurt!"
Tyr was just about to voice his opinion on just how bad an idea that was, when Harper came running into the room, waving his arms about.
"Hey, guys, time to get moving, company coming this way, and fast!"
He had hardly time to finish the sentence before running footsteps were heard outside. Tyr drew his gun and headed for the door.
"Where are you going? You're gonna run right into them!"
It was Milon. He sounded genuinely surprised.
"I do not see that we have much of a choice in the matter," Tyr replied offhandedly.
"We do. Back door."
He started off towards a dark corner, and a second later a rectangle of daylight appeared in the far wall. Tyr thought it very unlikely that this was some kind of elaborate trap, so after quickly weighing his options he followed the three of them out the new door.
They ran, not even staying to see how many their pursuers were. Too many, that's how many. And too heavily armed. Tyr would not really have minded staying and fighting, but he had no reason for wanting his fellow two crewmembers dead, and that was most likely what it would come to. As for the white haired boy, running seemed to be what he did best. He was keeping up with Tyr's fast pace, not problem, although he did look tired. They ran down the street, and down towards the docking station. It seemed like they had actually managed to shake off the enemies. Good, they could leave now. Tyr had had more than enough of Earth for one day.
He stopped and waited for Trance and Harper to catch up. Milon stopped next to him, staring down at the harbour and the ships docked there.
"So, I guess you weren't messing, eh? Those things are really… spaceships, aren't they?"
Tyr turned his head to look at him. He looked exhausted, but strangely elated at the same time. Tyr found himself wondering if the boy had never been outside that warehouse. But if so, why had he been abandoned after such a long time? He was a mystery, and Tyr could not deny that he was slightly intrigued.
"Hey, who's this guy?"
Harper sounded out of breath, it made his voice a bit high-pitched.
"I'm Milon."
"Milon, eh? Those guys friends of yours?"
He made a gesture down the now empty street behind them.
"No, I don't know who they are… I don't even know…"
His voice trailed off and he put a hand over his eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Trance walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tyr saw the boy twitch, shying away from the touch. He was certainly on his guard with them; still, there was something quite… ingenuous about him. Whatever. It was time to leave him and go… home.
"Where are you from?" Trance asked Milon.
"Well… Earth… not around here though…"
Suddenly, the boy's legs seemed to fail him and he sank down with his back to one of the large containers littering the docks. Tyr could almost smell the exhaustion on him, and it was definitely not only from the running just now.
"We should get him to medical," Trance said.
"Why? He is not our problem. You cannot just pick up any stray off the streets and bring him aboard the ship."
"Why not?"
She was doing it again. Looking at him with that frustrating, good- natured smile.
"Do I really have to explain it to you?"
"Yes."
"Uh, maybe not right now, eh guys…"
Harper was pointing down towards the end of the street, back the way they had come. The followers had… followed them. They were coming down the street fast, about twenty of them. An angry, ragged-looking mob of… humans, it seemed. They were not the same people that had been at the parts shop, not the ones that had been chasing them as they had been separated earlier. What were these people doing chasing them now?
"Great."
Tyr pulled out his gun and aimed at the first man.
"Go!"
"You trying to say you'll cover us?" Harper called over to him.
"Just go!"
Trance and Harper took off towards the ship. Tyr fired a shot at the mob to see if they would get the message. They didn't even slow down. Milon looked up at him from the ground.
"They're after me," Milon said, "you should go."
"And risk being shot in the back? Hardly."
"Don't think they'll shoot at you. Not after they get what they want."
That made sense. He really should go. Leave the kid behind, unarmed and defenceless, and just go. No problem. Right?
"They want you alive?" he asked.
"Yeah. Definitely."
"Do you have any problems with leaving this planet?"
"You mean... actually leave the planet, right? Not as in dying? Um... I guess not."
"Then run."
Milon looked at him with unbelief in his eyes.
"You had better hurry up before I change my mind."
Curse this newfound conscience. He had been on that ship for far too long. But it was not really like he was putting his life on the line for this stranger. He could take this rag-tag army, no doubt. If he had known what kind of people had been chasing them the second time around, there would have been no running in the first place.
Milon gave him a last, doubting look, and then he was up and gone. Tyr fired off a rapid series of shots as he got up and started backing off. Some of the pursuers fell by his gun; a couple more stumbled over the bodies. Strangely enough, nobody seemed to be returning fire. Maybe they had no long-range weapons. All the better. Tyr threw a glance over his shoulder. Trance and Harper had already reached the ship, and Milon seemed to be well on his way too. He certainly was very fast, Tyr had to give him that. After firing off another couple of shots, and still getting no return fire, Tyr felt confident enough that he was not going to get shot in the back. Besides, the half or so that was left of the group were now close enough for Tyr to see what a pathetic bunch they really were. Armed with knives, and nothing more, blood smeared on their faces. Some kind of cult fanatics. He supposed he could have stayed and done away with the few remaining lunatics, but it was not really worth getting his hands dirty over. Waste of ammunition. He turned and ran for the ship.
The second door of the airlock closed behind him with a hissing sound. He could hear an irregular, distant thumping as the followers pounded their fist against the outside door. No risk of them breaking in though. He walked over to the small "bridge" on the ship.
Milon was sitting on the floor with Trance squatting by his side. Incredible how quickly the girl got attached to strangers. Harper was in the pilot's chair, making preparations for take-off. They were really going to bring this man, whom they knew nothing about, with them to the Andromeda. Well, if that was the case, Tyr had a couple of questions he wanted to ask first. He stepped over to Milon, grabbed the boy by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"Why were they chasing you? Who are you?"
"Hey, put him down!"
Trance was shouting and pulling at his arm, but Milon seemed calm enough, just looked into Tyr's eyes with a tired look on his face.
"I don't know. I was just walking along when they jumped me and knocked me out. Then they tied me up in that room... I was mostly unconscious. Then you came along and saved me. End of story."
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Tyr sneered.
"It's true..."
The ghost of a smile swept across Milon's lips. True. Yeah, right. Tyr let him go, dropping him to the floor. He would find out what the boy's secret was sooner or later. He could wait. It was not like there was anywhere for him to go once on board the ship.
"Okay people, get ready, we're clear for take-off! You better find something to hang onto 'coz I'm putting the pedal to the metal and getting the hell out of here!"
What pedal? Tyr thought briefly, but he had long ago given up hope of making any sense of the engineer's ramblings. There always seemed to be so much talk and so little content in what he said.
The lift-off was unnecessarily rough, the ship tearing itself free from the planet's gravity and shooting straight up like an arrow fired at the sun. They were really not in this much hurry, but let the boy have his fun. Tyr did not mind because he had jumped into the second chair as Harper gave his split second warning. Trance and Milon on the other hand ended up in quite a tangle, thrown into a corner by the G-force. They broke through the atmosphere, leaving the little blue planet behind them. The ship levelled out and Harper engaged the artificial gravity on board. All sense of speed and movement stopped, leaving the vessel's interior in a quiet calm. Looking over his shoulder, Tyr saw Milon scramble to his feet and walk up to the window, which now held quite an impressive view of the outer planets in the solar system.
"Oh wow..." he breathed, sounding slightly panicky.
"Are you by any chance new to the pleasures of interstellar travel?" Harper asked cheerily.
"Aha, you could say that. So, this is the ship you were talking about?" he asked Tyr, "what was it, the Andromeda?"
The comment made Trance giggle, Harper laugh out loud, and even Tyr couldn't hold back a smile.
"No, this is a spaceship. The Andromeda is a starship. You will understand when you see it," Tyr said.
"Which shouldn't be long now," Harper filled in, "We're nearly there. And if you think this trusty old girl is impressive, the Andromeda will take your breath away! It's simply one of the most beautiful spacecrafts you'll ever have the fortune to lay your eyes on, not to mention the A.I, which by the way yours truly stitched up an impressive, if I do say so myself, android body for and..."
"Oh do shut up!" Tyr snapped.
The failure of this mission was beginning to grate on his nerves. Not only were they returning to the ship without the equipment they had set out for, but they had also spent the last hour running instead of fighting. The frustration was rapidly becoming an unwelcome threat to his patience. And then there was Milon. It was so obvious that he was not telling them the whole story, and still neither Trance nor Harper seemed to find anything wrong with taking him back to the Andromeda. Not to mention the way Tyr had passed up his chance to leave him behind earlier. It was acting out of character. Tyr did not like it.
"Wishing you'd left me back there?" Milon said suddenly, looking Tyr straight into the eyes, a tiny smile on his face.
"It makes no difference. You are here now."
"And you don't seem to happy about it."
"Ah, no, that's the way he always is," Harper said, "As a matter of fact, I think he's having one of his good days. You can tell from the lack of scowling. Oh, I was wrong, there it is now."
Tyr glared at him. He was sick of working with such children. All he wanted now was to get back to the Andromeda and go a round or fifty with the punching bag in the gym. That would vent some of this... annoyance he was feeling.
"Ah! There she is now. Would you look at that, home sweet home!"
The majestic silvery shape of the ship appeared from behind a planet. The sun of the system bounced its golden rays off the metal hull, making it glint like a small star.
"Alright... I do see what you mean now," Milon smiled, "That is nice, isn't it."
"Nice?" Harper started, but Tyr cut him off before the onslaught of adjectives that was sure to follow:
"It is a high guard ship that travels all over the galaxy. There may be some time before we return to Earth. Maybe never. Are you sure you have not changed your mind?"
"It's a little late for that now, isn't it? Besides, I like travelling."
There was that secretive smile again. He almost reminded Tyr a little of the way Trance would smile, avoiding to answer any questions about her origins. Great, that's just what they needed on board that ship, another indeterminate factor. This one was not going to get away with it though, Tyr intended to see to that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------