JOHN HARRISON


2 months ago, Starfleet HQ.

Jane grumbled under her breath.

Someone had thought it was hilarious to record a starlog of her speech during the awards ceremony and circulate it online, titling it as 'EPIC FAIL'. The video already had amassed more than five thousand views. She was too embarrassed to read the comments. A link at the bottom of the page connected to another starlog – this time someone had even created a song out of her speech by autotuning, editing, layering and adding music in the background.

While Jane continued grumbling and muttering angrily, Clara (her bubbly, larger-than-life and all-in-one colleague, trusted friend and roommate) who was sitting directly opposite her in the table chirped out, "Hey, you remember that tall, dark-haired, brooding man you were speaking to during the awards ceremony?"

"What about him?" Jane asked, as she looked away from her PADD. Clara must be asking about John Harrison. She then briefly recalled that he had called her 'interesting' and since then, she hadn't seen him around. Nor could she really get him out of her head which she found strange for no-one had been able to preoccupy her thoughts for a long time as such.

"Well, what I'm curious about is..." Clara said, staring at her bowl of vegetable bouillon, stirring it slowly with the dining hall's cheap plastic spoon in hand. "If there is something going on between you two?"

"No. Why do you ask that?"

"Because he's sitting over there, staring at you."

Immediately, Jane choked on the Groatcake she had been chewing and began coughing loudly and uncontrollably, spewing grains out everywhere, "…What?" She managed to croak out, thumping at her chest with her fist.

Clara slammed her palms flat on the table in shock. "You haven't noticed at all, Janey? He's right over there." With that, she made a simple gesture with a nudge of her head.

"You're kidding, right?"

"See for yourself."

"I don't really want to."

"Just do it quickly."

Jane nervously turned to look over her shoulder and slid her gaze to the direction where Clara had indicated to, her eyes landing on none other than the very agent they were gossiping about. Harrison was sitting rigidly in a four-seater table not too far away from theirs. He was indeed staring at her. The table beside him was hogged by a small group who were chatting loudly to each other but he seemed oblivious to their conversation. Once their eyes met, he held her gaze without even moving his head, or blinking for all that mattered.

Jane looked away immediately, "Holy Klingon. How long has he been there?"

"Since we got here." Clara murmured, "He's just sitting there by himself though."

"Has he eaten anything?"

"Nope. He's just sitting there, watching you. Watching your back. Watching you EAT. Just watching. Watching YOU-"

"Alright, cut it out. You're scaring me."

"Seriously? You didn't notice him? At all?"

"He's sitting behind me! How would I have known?" Jane exclaimed anxiously, "Besides, I have my hands full with research and I'm up to my neck with space rocks; I don't have time to notice anything or any particular human being in general these days."

"Wow, you are so blissfully, wonderfully ignorant. You do realize that he's been sitting in the back row during all your lectures? I noticed he also comes to the dining hall whenever you come. Oh, and when you're in the lab, I see him walking past occasionally. You can't see him though because of the one-way window."

"What?" Jane shrieked, her eyes widening. Lowering her voice again to a quiet whisper, she hissed out, "How long has this been going on?"

"Ever since the awards ceremony, I think, so... two weeks ago?"

"Two weeks?!"

"Who is he, Janey?"

"He's an Agent from Section 31." She replied, "Clara, what do you think he wants? Do you think he wants my job? He knew a lot about my expedition."

"Oh yeah, like totally, an agent -you know, a high-ranking elite soldier with expert combat skills, enviable intellect and sheer physicality who works for the Admiral himself- is after YOUR job." Clara brushed her off with a scoff, "…Say, if he works at Section 31, what's he doing here?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe he likes you?"

Jane shook her head fiercely, "I highly doubt it."

Clara proceeded to dip her spoon into her soup and sipped greedily. "Well, he's not being very subtle about it." She murmured nonchalantly, as though the entire ordeal was rather amusing to her. "Why don't you go up to him and ask what he wants?"

"What! No, are you crazy?" Jane shook her head furiously in protest. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"...He...he kinda scares me..." Jane mumbled. Clara hadn't spoken to John Harrison before so what did she know? With that said, Clara shrugged helplessly whilst Jane was left squirming in her seat. From the corner of her eyes, she could feel Harrison's perpetual, insistent gaze on her. She lifted the remainder of the Groatcake to her lips but discovered that she could not make herself to take a bite any longer, knowing that she was being watched.

If he was trying to make her feel uncomfortable, it was working.


Present.

Harrison carried the unconscious woman into the small medicine bay of his ship and lay her down on the awaiting biobed.

It was only a faint blow to the back of her neck yet he'd rendered her impotent and insentient. The humans of this era were far too weak and fragile for his liking despite the technology and discoveries. Jane was no exception. His gaze landed on her broken, bloody leg and her foot which seemed to be pointing the wrong direction. How she put up with that and still attempted to steer a ship was either bravery or plain stupidity, according to his understanding.

He went to the cupboards and took out a pair of scissors along with a med kit; returning to her side, he proceeded to snip open her sweater. Once her sweater, and a vest, was removed, he took off her slacks and shedded the rest of her outer clothing, leaving her in her underwear.

Months of training and hardships at the Academy had made her physically fit for deep-space travel; he let his eyes wander over her body, memorizing it for later. He rested his hand on her cheek, tracing lightly over her soft skin before he reached the bottom of her chin. He slid his fingers under and lifted her face up for closer inspection. She had a nice and sharp, angled jaw that complimented her features. Next, he checked her pulse. Then he took her hand and held it. He felt nothing. Her little hand in his grip was warm, lithe and sinewy, yet the sight of perfection was soiled by the bitten fingernails. An anxiety-prone chewer, it seemed.

Finally, he attended to her injuries. He could always inject her with his blood for a speedy recovery but he chose not to. He needed her crippled and helpless for now.

After his revival at the hands of the Admiral and being updated of the current century he was in, his circumstances and what was expected of him, he was furious. As if adding insult to injury, he was forced to abandon his name and was given a new one, a new identity: John Harrison. He was an agent from London, headhunted and brought into Section 31 by the Admiral himself because of his intellect, talents and strength. From now on, he and Marcus would begin to work closely together…very close together indeed.

Not a moment too soon or too late however, he started.

Harrison started planning and scheming. He would bow to nobody, certainly not a feeble, decrepit old man called Alexander Marcus. Harrison began extensively searching through confidential archives. Out of the thousands of records he'd reviewed concerning all females currently associated with Starfleet, he found Jane Morrow. He did not require a partner, a servant or friend. He needed a vessel. A host. He examined her records two or three times thoroughly before he came to a conclusion.

Jane Morrow was ideal.

Carol Marcus had also been on his shortlist but he already had other plans for her. He was going to kill her father in front of her very eyes. Her screams would be music to his ears.

At first, he observed Morrow and her daily routine. She didn't notice until a fortnight later. It became far more amusing then. She tried to evade him, run from him. Eventually she took off into space in hopes to avoid him.

Jane was unique in her own way. Her age was appropriate; she was nearing her mid-twenties and she was established, hailing from a background he deemed adequate. Furthermore, she had a respectable education and was reputed to consistently achieve high grades. She possessed no risk of any hereditary diseases thanks to her spotless family tree, no blood dysfunction, no additional or faulty gene, no other medical fault that would hinder her in the future. There were no generation gaps or genetic disorders present. The only problem was that she was human… but for a human, her genetic makeup was desirable.

When he saw her in person at the awards ceremony, he believed a formal introduction would assuage levels of suspicion; people would merely believe that their relationship –if one should strike up- was strictly a working one. Formal, professional and limited, maybe even romantic, but only if he wanted. The Admiral would not suspect him. He'd just think Harrison was frustrated, lonely and deprived of female comfort… he would merely think they were natural urges manifested from three hundred years of solitary slumber.

Eventually, the woman he'd been pursuing began to stir and he watched her awaken. She twitched slightly, groaning. "…Unhh…whu…where am I…?"

"You are safe." he replied.

Immediately, her eyes sprang open and she jerked up at the sound of his voice but he was faster; before she could flee -although any means of escape would be pointless here- he'd pinned her over the bed and Jane found herself stuck in a deathgrip, seized by his massive palms that were placed flat on the sides of her head; his long, powerful fingers dug into her, his nails scraping into her flesh as he applied more pressure. The pain he was inflicting on her unimaginable and she cried out.

"You still attempt to escape from me?" He growled as she whimpered, wrestling with his hands that had seized her, "Your foolishness knows no boundaries."

"Let go!" She began screaming, "Let me go-!"

He let go of her roughly as she requested, but not only until after a few more minutes; she stumbled and held at her head which he'd almost crushed should he desire it. It would not be a difficult task at all.

Too many things were happening at once. She knew she was in Harrison's ship. Her leg was in agony and she could not even stand properly. The fact that he'd almost squashed her head like a melon wasn't exactly helping, either. Finally, Jane threw her glance down at herself. Upon realization that she was only clad in her underwear, she gasped in horror and quickly covered herself as much as she could using her hands since the biobed appeared to have no blanket. "What the hell did you do to me?! Where are my clothes?"

"I undressed you." He uttered, before he gestured to a pile of spare clothing that was atop the counter. "And left those for you."

She felt violated in every possible way. "I don't want your clothes! I want my own!"

"I have disposed of them. If you wish to remain unclothed in my presence, then-"

"No, wait-" Jane hopped towards the counter before he could take the clothes and grabbed them –they turned out to be a black sweatshirt and pants that were identical to the ones he wore- and bundled them up in her arms. "...Will you get out so I can change?" She growled next.

"No."

"Could you turn around?"

"No."

"Can you at least look away?"

His expression did not budge and with another growl of "No," she knew his word was final.

Her face was burning with embarrassment. She limped behind the biobed, squatted and hastily shoved the items on. "Are you even aware of what you're doing?" She was exclaiming at the same time, trying to stuff one arm into the sleeve while he watched her unabashedly, "You sabotaged a government spacecraft - you've committed a serious crime against the Federation!"

"Yes, and I will be committing many more once we return to earth."

She had a bad feeling in her gut as she pulled the jumper down her head. Harrison had gone rogue. "What do you mean? What are you talking about? Why are you even doing all of this?"

"You cannot possibly comprehend the reasons."

"Then I'm going to stop you."

"You? Stop me?" Finally, his mask cracked and he was smirking bemusedly, "According to Starfleet records, you are dead, Jane. You did not survive the crash of the USS Ganymede. Jane Morrow courageously went down with her ship, a duty expected from any Captain. If you decide to return to the Academy, what will you tell them? Where is your evidence? You have the utmost confidence that they will trust your word over mine?"

"They'll find out it was you. You-you'll slip up and-"

"I do not make mistakes." He declared, "The crash of the USS Ganymede will be a black mark on your records permanently. Your capabilities, resolve and leadership will be questioned. I suggest you consider twice if this is what you truly wish to do."

Her lip wobbled. The injustice of it all made her blood curdle. She hadn't even embarked on the actual expedition yet. She was still seething from the revelation that he was the one who had meddled with and sabotaged the voyage for the sole purpose to have her at his mercy...now he'd also positively ruined everything she had worked for...

With a roar, she lunged at him in a blind fit of rage with her raised fist; before she could reach his face however, he caught her clenched knuckles with his palm, then grabbed the rest of her outstretched arm, spun her around before finally subduing her by grasping her neck. He pulled her flat against him with her back to his chest and his lips were by her ear. "What do you think you are doing, Jane?"

Jane Morrow was perhaps the first and only woman to even attempt to assault him like this. Apparently her stupidity had no boundaries, either.

Whilst she struggled feebly, she could feel his warm, biting breath all over the side of her face as he applied more pressure to her neck with his fingers. Anymore of that and he might snap her neck in half. The bay fell silent as she squeezed her eyes shut yet he was gazing at her, his eyes raking down her form and up. Eventually, he released her and she went careening over the biobed. Jane croaked out, "You've taken everything away from me. My career is over. It's ruined."

"Your loss is incomparable to mine, and I am perfectly capable of doing much more than simply 'ruining your career'. This is only the beginning of what I will do to you, Jane Morrow, if you continue your senseless, futile resistance. Cease this miserable defiance or else it will cause you more grief than you can possibly imagine." He sneered, "...Stop trying to fight me, Jane. You will only hurt yourself."

She fell silent, blinking numbly into empty space. No-one had ever made her feel so inferior, so dumb and helpless like the way she was feeling right now. A few seconds passed. The silence was comforting for she didn't think she could stand another one of his remarks.

Then he uttered, "Your leg requires attention-"

"My leg is fine." She snapped as Harrison sat himself down beside her on the stool and reached for her; she attempted to retreat yet he grabbed her dislocated leg near the top of her knee and calf, and held her still despite her reluctance. "Don't touch me."

"Don't move."

"Don't touch me."

"Jane, do as I say." He murmured, sliding her pants up slowly to expose her injury.

She threw her glance at his hands. Her leg was playing hostage, his touch sending chills down her spine; she didn't appreciate his hand on her leg at all. Without any form of warning, his grip on her leg increased tenfold and before she knew it, he had twisted and yanked, forcing a scream from her lips. Her foot returned into its proper position with a loud 'pop' and so did her leg. She clamped her eyes shut; the pain was too much. Tears began leaking from the corner of her eyes uncontrollably.

Finally, a stream of the entire solar system's dirtiest, rudest words sprung forth from her mouth all at once.

He appeared unaffected by her outburst of vulgarity, though it was rather repelling to witness his chosen one cursing and screaming and crying simultaneously. Once she had finished blubbering, she was wide-eyed, sweaty and breathing heavily, sucking in raggedly and exhaling noisily.

"Lie down." He instructed next. "Do it."

Jane hastily smothered away her tears and as she hiccupped and sniffed, she threw her shaky glance to him; he returned her stare with a stern look of his own. Eventually, she obeyed and inched herself to lie over the mattress, hissing with pain. When the back of her head touched the pillow, she stared miserably at the bright spotlights above her that were attached to the ceiling whilst Harrison fixed her tarnished leg. He wasn't going to let her go...

She began to think of an escape plan.