Title: Out of the Labyrinth
Author: Lily Among the Thorns
Fandom: Andromeda
Setting: During "Into the Labyrinth"
Rating: PG-13, to be safe. Some vague sexual references, and sensual imagery.
Characters: Harper, Satrina
Summary: "You can hear him, can't you... Whispering in the darkness?" Harper's mind races as the Abyss calls to him.
Author's Note: Obviously, the characters are the wonderful Gene Roddenberry's. I own nothing. No money. Jack. Oh, and this is my first attempt at an Andromeda fic, so, please, be gentle. ;)
It came slowly, at first. Whispered softly at the back of his mind like the twinge of doubt that hid behind even his most confident smile. He had barely noticed the noise as his eyes hungrily took in the woman's lush figure and her scanty outfit. Who cared if she was out to seduce him over to her side? She was hot!
He even ignored the throbbing sensation about his dataport, though it shot up his neck in a series of sharp pains, warning him that the tesseract generator he had plugged in was dangerous. It had to be; it came from her, and she was nothing but another con artist. But con artists he could deal with. Especially 5'8", blonde-haired, full-lipped, and long-legged con artists. She wasn't so tough, he had told himself.
But the pain grew worse, now, the whispers became louder and louder in his mind. Incoherent. Staticy. But enticing. He couldn't help but want to understand them. "Agh... what is that sound?"
"You can hear him, can't you?" she asked him in her silky voice. God, he wanted her. But now wasn't the time, he reminded himself. "Whispering in the darkness?" She smiled then, a sultry smile that made him want to give in, just for the sake of her. No one made his mouth water like she did. He was not quite sure why excluding her ... appealing body but this Satrina was insanely intriguing. Perhaps it was the fact that she had actually seemed attracted to him?
His moment of thought was interrupted by a rise in the voices' volume. It pulled at his mind until he could think of nothing else. The strength, the allure of its aura, of its power, drew him in easily. He didn't want to resist. Its mystery captivated him.
"He's speaking to you," she continued, as his will to resist weakened still, "and all you have to do is answer him." Her face was inches from his, now, but he hardly noticed. His body may have been with her, tense and ready for action, but his mind was elsewhere.
He could scarcely breathe, now. He wanted it. More than he wanted her. It seared his vision, tightened his muscles. Oh, God, he loved the feeling. Wanted more of it. Didn't want it to go away. "I can hear him," he rasped to her, eyes distant, searching. "...I have to go."
Without giving her a chance to respond, he phased out, desperately seeking what called to him. It became louder, still, as he did so.
Everything flashed before him, with such ecstacy that he felt as if he could have been engaged in a dozen other acts at once. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, surged and pumped in his ears and chest. He saw all that went on... he could have been a god.
There they were... all his friends, fighting for their lives against Satrina's minions. What had he called them? Technicolor yahoos? He chastised his own foolishness, seeing their true potential for the first time. "It's so beautiful..."
"All that power...
"... the power to change things..."
He drew in a sharp breath, loving how wrong it all seemed. Taking such pleasure in the others' pain. It just... felt... so good. He thought back to Satrina. "The power to set things right."
"... the power to kill." It seduced him, like Satrina had tried. Only, it was working this time. On oh, so many levels. He loved it, hated it, wanted it, had to have it. It was like a drug. More deadly than Flash, with twice the buzz. But it wouldn't kill him. No. not if he gave it what it wanted. It would take him in, make him its own. And he would be happy... and loved.. And, oh Gods, what was he thinking?
"No! No, no... I won't let you... I won't let you do this to me!" He was tired... it took all his energy to resist. The temptation was so great... he had almost let it take him. But, no. "'Cause I have the power!" he cried, drawing strength from the words. "The power to kill your power!" He scarcely believed himself.
His chest heaved with effort... he could take little more of this. It hurt too much. "I can do that..." he muttered through clenched teeth. The question was how. How could he defeat something so powerful? "I can..." It came to him, then, like a bright white light at the end of his own tunnel. "I can find the ship... I can kill the power!"
Though the pain, he felt his lips part in a bleak smile. Ha. He could resist, after all. No momentous wealth, great power, or even unbelievably hot babe was worth betraying his friends. Nope. Seamus Zelasny Harper would never surrender to that.