A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I have had lots of projects going on. Also, this story has slight spoilers for Bunker Hill…Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the next installment.
Chapter 2 Greetings
After exiting Slipstream, Harper set the Eureka Maru on auto pilot. Rommie, who was seated at the fire controls behind him, decided to strike up some idle conversation. "So Harper, mind explaining to me why you never mentioned a sister?" Harper simply shrugged. "I guess I thought she was better off there…with Brendan watching out for her." Rommie nodded, though she didn't fully understand. "But you always talk about how much you hated your life on Earth; why would you leave her there?"
Harper closed his eyes, as if remembering. "You don't understand Romm-doll…When I left Earth, I had no idea where I was headed. And I certainly couldn't have asked Beka, 'Hey, by the way, can I bring a five year old along with me?'" Rommie quickly saw the logic in his decision. In an attempt to make the trip from Saturn to Earth a bit more unbearable, Rommie asked, "So, why don't you tell me about your mysterious little sister?"
Harper seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, but first things first…She's my baby sister, not little sister. Anyway, I'll tell you what I remember. She was five when I left, but she was already shaping up to be just like her big brother," Harper explained proudly, "she could already work a shriller like a pro ." Rommie raised a quizzical eyebrow, "shriller?" "Yeah, it was something I invented…It was just a toy, but it bugged the hell out of the Neitzchean ear drums." Harper explained. "The only problem was that as good as she was at hiding, she couldn't run very fast." Harper stopped, as if remembering something he didn't want to. "When she was born, my family didn't think there was going to be enough food to feed another mouth, but my mother and father and I weren't going to let anything happen to her."
Rommie obviously found this very confusing, because she twisted her face up in a strange way. Harper recognized the look. "On Earth it's dog eat dog. A little baby can't do anything but cry and make a fuss. A couple of Aunts and Uncles thought she was a security risk." The look disappeared and Rommie couldn't help but ask, "So why did you and your parents keep her?" Harper looked at her with mock surprise on his face. "What Rommie, did you think I was incapable of love?" Rommie smiled and rolled her eyes saying, "You know what I meant." "Yeah, I think my parents wanted their children to make a difference in the universe, but it would be hard to do that alone. So, they decided that there should be two of us…so we could look out for one another. It's a good thing too. When Molli was almost three, our parents were killed and each other was all we had. She was the main reason I stayed sane in that hell hole."
There was a moment of silence, and then a few sirens sounded alerting them both to matter at hand. Some how, they had to get through the Dragon's defensive satellite array. "Any ideas, my android babe?" Harper asked, already having a plan in mind. "Why don't I let you pull your own weight Harper?" she smirked, keying in a few commands. "Ohhhhh…sure, pick on the little guy…you're lucky I can't resist your beauty." Harper complained while hacking into the defense array, to lower their chances of being seen. Once that was done, they hitched a ride in between several in-coming cargo runners, making them seem as innocent as the Vedran Empress.
Luckily, the plan worked. The Maru was assumed to be allies of the Dragons, here on a mission to drop supplies. Harper smirked at his own genius, while Rommie simply sat back shaking her head. Once they found a good place to land, close to the city but far from the danger of being found, Harper set her down and marveled at the smoothness of the landing. A little confused, he turned around to face Rommie. Now it was her turn to smirk, "What, did you think I was just sitting back here twiddling my thumbs?" Harper simply sighed, "You really are hot when you're being sarcastic." He continued to look at her dreamily for a moment, until she reminded Harper about the mission, saying, "Harper, I'm sure your sister, the one who needs medical attention, would appreciate you flirting shamelessly, instead of trying to help her." Harper cleared his throat, "Right…on to Boston!" And they left the ship, as it was a long walk to downtown Boston.
It didn't take long for the former Earthling and the warship android to find a way past the guards 'protecting' the city. Though Rommie was fully for killing them, Harper was sure that killing them would alert the rest of the city to their presence there. So, they took the stealthy route and found an underground entry point that Harper had known about since he was a young child. "What is this place?" Rommie asked, trying not to ruin her Commonwealth standard issue combat boots. "These are the drainage pipes that Brendan was talking about in the transmission. They run from every major Dragon compound…including the armories…straight to the ocean." Rommie, again had that quizzical look. "I know…I know…why don't they keep them under lock and key, right? It's because no one has actually gotten into the armories before. My opinion is that the pipes were forgotten about two generations after the original ubers took over the place."
Only two hours of wandering the pipes and Harper had found the exit. Of course, it was only a rickety rebar ladder to another layer of the underground. Still, Rommie was grateful for the change in scenery. She was quickly beginning to understand why Harper left in such a hurry. It was hard for her to believe that anyone could survive in this disgusting excuse for a sewer. It seemed to her to be even too horrible for the rats that Harper had told her so much about. Even as she was about to ask him to show her a rat, he stopped quite abruptly. "What's wrong?" she asked, her hand poised inches from her force lance. "Oh nothing…I was just going to tell you, don't tell anyone you're an android…kay?" Rommie relaxed a bit. "Alright Harper, even though I am not too keen on having to pretend to be a human." she answered annoyed. "You don't have to pretend to be anything Romm-doll, just be yourself."
With that they found themselves standing in front of two small girls. Harper realized immediately that neither was Molli. So, he decided to use this to his advantage. Leaning down, and in his most kind voice he said, "Do either of you ladies know Brendan? Could you tell him that his cousin Seamus is here?" The two girls turned and ran, without so much as glancing back.
Unsure if the girls had even understood him, Harper began to follow them down the passage with Rommie right behind him the entire time. They hadn't gone ten steps before Harper was stopped dead in his tracks by a face that appeared in front of his own. This face, which was upside down and hanging from the deteriorating ceiling supports, was one Harper had so often seen in the hours alone in his machine shop…in the place where he was awake, yet still had dreams. His mind raced, looking for the words to say. The words that would explain to his baby sister why he had deserted her so many years ago. But, none would come. It was as if his brain, for the first time in his life, had simply ceased to function. Rommie seemed to notice the struggle he was having, even though she couldn't fully understand it.
The girl, the same one from the transmission, only minus a Neitzchean bone blade protruding from the arm, was smiling from ear to ear. Despite the fact that Rommie had a force lance trained between her eyes, the girl seemed uncannily unafraid. In an attempt to get a response from Harper, the girl cocked her head to one side and said, "You haven't for gotten me already, have you Shay?" That said, she jumped down (without using her arms, as one was in a sling) and proceeded to give Harper a one-armed hug around his chest. What she said next was nearly incomprehensible it was said so fast. "It sure was boring after you left. I mean, not that Brendan is boring or anything, it's just that he's not as fun as you are…and he won't ever let me do anything, so I think that's why he called you…Is this your new girlfriend? Wow! She's really pretty. She has nice clothes to. Is she rich? Because usually when someone has nice clothes it means they are rich, and Brendan told me not to talk to those kinds of people because they might try to hurt me…but I never understood that because rich people don't need to be out roaming the streets in the first place…" She was unable to finish her sentence. Her brother was on his knees giving her one of those hugs that cuts off the oxygen to the brain. Then she just smiled and hugged him back. "You do remember me."
Through all this, Rommie simply observed the interactions between Harper and his sister. It vaguely reminded her of when she was reunited with her sister ship, The Pax Magellantic. She assessed the situation and found that there was no need for her force lance at the moment. When she looked back up from putting her weapon away, the two siblings were no longer connected, but were merely looking at each other. Finally, Harper stood up and turned to face Rommie, while still not taking his eyes off of the girl. Then he smiled and said, "Romm-doll, meet my baby sister, Molli Rhenè Harper" Molli extended her good arm in a very friendly manner. "It's very nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you as well." Rommie answered, a bit cautiously. She had never met anyone this jovial before and it was slightly unnerving. "Come on," Molli waved them toward the passage they were already planning on taking, "Brendan is going to be so excited…he was starting to think you weren't going to show." "Well I'm here now." Harper answered. "I know…It's so great! It will be just like old times." And Molli took Harper's hand and the three of them began the long walk to the rebel headquarters, where Brendan was working hard to raise a revolt against the Dragons.
Well? What do y'all think? Likes…dislikes? Please review! If you do, I will sprinkle you with fairy dust and you will be able to fly through stories quickly…it is truly magical fairy dust ;)