Part 4

"Harper stop," Rommie spoke up.

"Rommie, I have to keep moving," Harper stressed with panicked tones, and moved further and deeper into the maze of conduits aboard the Andromeda.

"Harper, no one is following you," Rommie insisted and appeared in hologram form, and finally Harper stopped moving. "Now listen to me, you are putting yourself at risk by running renegade, I can not protect you if my captain orders me to deal with you, and the threat that he sees."

"He used to be my captain too," Harper said between hurried breaths, he frantically looked around, and Rommie saw for the first time how scared her engineer actually was.

"Harper, you need to calm down and remain focused," Rommie warned, but he remained frantically looking around. "I'm going to try and protect you," she said reassuringly. "My avatar will be coming out of diagnostic, so she will be online soon," she reminded him.

"Rommie," Harper noticeably brightened. "Hang on, if I've never existed here," he began.

"Then they do not know about my avatar," Rommie confirmed.

"I could separate her from your systems, so Dylan would have no authority over her," he stated quickly.

"Giving you additional protection until this is resolved," Rommie confirmed. "Plus additional proof that you have been on board for a lot longer than a few hours, can you keep out of sight for a few more hours?"

"Yeah," Harper hurriedly returned fully focused, now acting on his survival instincts and looking like he was not a stranger to this situation, as Rommie blinked out of sight.


"Dylan," Trance called out as Dylan walked onto command, with Tyr following. "Where's Harper?"

"Andromeda," Dylan ordered, ignoring Trance's question. "I want you to locate the intruder, and do not give me an excuse to order you to shut down completely until we are in dry dock."

Andromeda appeared on the main view screen and without question she scanned the ship before responding. "Seamus Harper is located in conduit five twenty-five, deck ten," she answered eventually, taking care to give a name to the intruder.

"Beka, Tyr, with me," Dylan gestured and the three crewmembers hurried back towards the exit of command. "Andromeda, I want deck ten's environmental settings adjusted to make it highly uncomfortable for our intruder, make it cold and the oxygen thin, and ensure all routes to other decks are sealed, keep him on deck ten," Dylan additionally ordered before leaving.

Trance looked on as they left Command, before turning to the hologram. "Andromeda, we have to do something, he'll struggle if those settings are adjusted," Trance stressed. "And if they find Harper," she continued with concern.

"I am powerless, Trance, I cannot defy my captain's orders," Rommie answered, her hologram flickering. "However," she added. "Should Dylan endanger his own crew, of which Harper is still on my files being a member of, then I can do something."

"So they have to endanger Harper before you can help him?" Trance checked. "Freezing him and cutting his oxygen isn't enough of a threat, added to that the witch hunt that is currently occurring?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid," Andromeda offered a frown.

Trance sighed. "Never before have I hoped for an enemy to appear from slip stream to explain all this," she glanced to the view screen but there was nothing. "What could have caused this?"

"I have checked all events leading up to the moment I first notice, and I have found nothing," Andromeda confirmed.

"Something must have happened, I can not believe that three members of our crew could just forget, no one can truly forget Harper once you've met him," Trance said with frustration.

"In their minds, it is us who are crazy for being convinced that Harper is a member of this crew," Andromeda considered.

"No, Rommie, don't you dare reconsider, Harper has always been a member of this crew," Trance insisted.

"I know," Andromeda stated. "But unless we find an explanation soon, I will have to consider all possibilities," she added.

"It makes no sense," Trance said with concern. "Andromeda, keep working on trying to detect anything that might explain this, a scan, a beacon, some force or fluctuation of some kind, something," Trance insisted. "The only thing I have really figured out so far is that Dylan, Tyr and Beka were all on Command together for much of their last shift, the same time that I estimate that they forgot Harper."

"It's a start," Rommie said with hope.

"Harper will be ok, right?" Trance needed reassurance.

"So long as he manages to evade Dylan, Tyr and Beka," Andromeda could only confirm. "Without concrete evidence to suggest that Dylan, Beka or Tyr have lost their minds, I am unable to give you temporary command, or stop them."

"But your files confirm Harper is a crew member, surely that is enough!" Trance protested.

"Captain Hunt is suggesting sabotage, and all my files confirm that Harper is the last known person to access my systems," Rommie frowned.

"But that's because he is the ships engineer!" Trance returned with frustration.

"A technicality that means I can not prove otherwise at this time, technically Harper has evaded an attempt by the captain to secure him pending enquiry," Rommie frowned at Harper's misfortune. "Until we can provide evidence to suggest that my records are in fact true and free of sabotage, I have to remain loyal to Captain Hunt, I'm sorry."

"Then I'll work on that evidence," Trance stated with determination.


Harper looked at his hand, and then looked away, before rechecking and he saw his nerves were on edge as his hand continued to shake. Closing his eyes for a second, Harper knew he had to focus and compose his thoughts, as he took deep breaths. The silence was deafening as he opened his eyes and stared blankly at the conduit around him. He had been finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, taking in large gulps of air, and it seemed colder now as he contemplated his situation.

"I need to separate Rommie babe from her core AI," Harper told himself, and he then remembered that Beka had taken his tool belt. "Crap, no cable," he hissed.

Tentatively he glanced in both directions down the conduit, knowing what he would have to do. He needed tools, a scanner and a jack cable at least. Harper moved slowly at first, all his old instincts kicking in as he approached a junction, and the Andromeda soon became like the old streets of Boston, when it was all about keeping away from the ubers in the search for food, now he just needed some tools but he still needed to ensure his own survival against the odds.

He paused a few metres away from an access panel, and Harper slowed his breathing till he was barely taking any air, fully aware of Nietzschean senses. Slowly he edged forward, and with both hands he gripped the panel and slowly removed it from his path, placing it quietly on the floor. His crew mates, if only they remembered who he was, would never quite believe that he was capable of such a skill as the art of being quiet and taking care, but he had no time to consider this as he nimbly pushed himself forward onto the deck in a forward roll, taking cover behind a unit.

Accessing the situation with concentration, Harper was patient until he was certain that no one was near his location. Slowly he moved in the shadows, thankful that the light was down, and he quickly located the items he required. As he gathered the equipment up Harper suddenly froze on hearing something, and slowly he lowered himself back down to the deck. With haste he put the tools in the various pockets of his cargo pants, remembering to breathe despite feeling panicked by what appeared to be a drop in oxygen levels. Harper then heard another more obvious sound, and he instantly tensed.

He had to keep moving, and not remain an easy target. Harper was now convinced he was not alone and he glanced at the open conduit entrance, knowing that whoever was in the room with him would easily guess his destination, and around that entrance would be the best ambush spot. Harper was not going to be rushed, and he began to guess that it wasn't Beka stalking him, which didn't make him thrilled, knowing that it was either Dylan or Tyr who was his opponent in this battle of wits, and he now rated his chances as pretty low against either of them two.

Harper now found himself with a clear run to the conduit entrance, it seemed too easy but he knew that someone was waiting to stop him. He closed his eyes; he needed to know who the opponent was that was tormenting his senses.

"OK, enough," Harper spoke up into the quiet room. "I know you're there just ready to shoot my head off its shoulders, but you know what? I'm not willing to play that game."

Silence greeted him, and Harper now figured it must be Tyr, as Dylan would never miss an opportunity of a war of words before any fight. Letting his head fall back, Harper had secretly hoped it had been Dylan, as Tyr had plain scared him earlier with his desires on taking over the ship. Harper wanted nothing to do with that plan; it was bad enough Dylan considering him the enemy without him proving it.

Before Harper had a chance to consider the standoff any more, he was outwitted as he felt a huge hand grab hold of his shirt and pull him up in one movement, before he was face to face with Tyr. Harper grabbed Tyr's wrist in a desperate attempt to free himself once again, but to no avail, and he looked at Tyr with concern.

Tyr got a firm grip on the squirming human, bringing his bone blades up his neck to finally get Harper to pay attention, letting the sharp ends dig into his pale skin. Harper was left to only grimace, whilst still holding Tyr's wrist, but he dared not speak and deep down he was seriously contemplating his fate at the hands of the first uber he had considered a friend, almost.

"Little annoying man," Tyr began, in a hushed voice and oblivious to any friendship he had once had with Harper, when they had fought side by side defeating the Magog. "We have an opportunity here to resolve our issues."

"Go to hell," Harper snapped, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt the blades partially rip into the skin around his neck. His memories sent him hurtling back to Boston, to the many times he had been threatened and tortured at the hands of the Nietzscheans and his past fears and frustrations slowly began to rise to the surface.

"Wrong answer," Tyr growled, sounding every bit like those ubers of old despite Tyr's many claims that he was different, and Harper was now struggling to see that line he had once mentally drawn that had agreed with Tyr's observations. All that had gone now, crumbled away, as Tyr appeared to be enjoying tormenting and hurting Harper. "Do you really want me to hand you over to the good captain?"

Harper composed himself, not wanting his emotions and fears to control his actions or voice. Inside he was remembering his survival instincts, and his fighting attitude that had kept him alive on Earth for twenty years. "Actually, I really want you to get your damn hands off of me so I can continue doing my job, as this ship's engineer," Harper stressed.

Harper felt himself crashing into the nearby unit, as Tyr threw him away with disgust at his words, but knowing the clatter of his landing could draw the others to his location, Harper simply protected his body as best he could before he scrambled away. An old if painful tactic, Harper knew he had to chance it, and the only way he could was by not having those blades in his neck. Now free, getting to the conduit was his best way to escape and no one knew the tunnels better, and with his small frame, Harper could easily navigate them with little problem.

Hearing Tyr powering up his weapon, Harper had no more time to decide on his next action and he scrambled to his feet, racing the short distance towards the conduit entrance, but the sharp pain suddenly erupting in his leg abruptly sent him tumbling to the ground in agony. Clutching his leg, he felt as though his entire left limb was on fire as the pain seared through his being. Catching his breath, finding it even harder to breathe now, Harper looked up in time to see Tyr approaching, and with pure desperation he attempted to push himself away, only to receive a well placed kick where the weapon fire had ripped into his leg.

With an ear piercing howl, Harper rolled over to protect the injury, and himself from further harm but felt Tyr pick him up roughly to face him.

"Have you reconsidered?" Tyr demanded.

The pain from his leg was too consuming for Harper to focus immediately, but when he did he just looked at Tyr with betrayal clear in his eyes, and it was a look from the human that caught the Nietzschean off guard.

"We used to be friends," Harper sneered, almost breathlessly. "And I use that term loosely," he added before Tyr pushed him away with confusion, uncertain as to why the kid was affecting him but satisfied that he had done enough to stop the threat with the kid so disorientated and in pain.

Harper however didn't waste the golden opportunity that the moment of doubt from Tyr had presented him, and without looking back he scurried into the conduit and didn't stop till his body all but collapsed, some ten minutes later. Breathing heavily, and sweating profusely, Harper wearily rolled onto his back, ignoring the pains he now felt as he attempted to recover his breath. Events slowly began to catch up with him, and Harper's face began to crease up as he tried to control the sudden rush of uncontrolled emotions that flooded over him, he wanted to both laugh and cry at the situation he found himself in, and his body began to shake as he rolled onto his side.

"Harper," Rommie's projection flashed into existence. "Harper, please respond."

Harper took a few moments to realise someone was speaking to him, and he coughed a couple of times as he regained his senses enough to remember where he was, hugging himself to stop the pain and the uncontrollable shivering. He could barely breathe, and he was feeling the colder air that seemed to suggest a drastic drop in temperature, standard tactics Harper numbly considered for capturing strays, but he shook his head, reminding himself in a mindless babble that he wasn't a stray or stowaway.

"Harper, you need to bandage your leg, stop the blood," Rommie advised firmly seeing near delirium from her engineer, and needing him to focus before he lost it completely.

"Yeah," Harper numbly agreed and with hesitant movements he focused on that task, taking off his top shirt and he attempted to rip it, but failed on his first few attempts due to the shock he was feeling. Then he focused on the blood trail he had left behind, all the way from the machine shop and a whole new shock took over, as he stared numbly at the distinct red smears that covered the conduit deck. "Tyr," Harper gasped, barely managing to talk. "Uber senses, he'll be able to follow that," Harper said, backing up and his eyes were wide in terror.

"It's ok, Harper, I have sealed the conduit from that direction, they will not be able to follow that path," Rommie assured him, as best she could as a projection.

"You're a doll, babe," Harper relaxed slightly, taking reassurance that someone was at least on his side. "I need to stop the flow," he then reminded himself and finally ripped his shirt to created some strips of material to tie around his leg. It took a while, with the pain and lack of strength but finally Harper, with Rommie's approval, completed the task and he soon turned his attention to the next task.

"I'm going to contact the council and ask to relieve Dylan of command, Tyr's actions against you more than support the fact that command has failed on board," Rommie informed Harper.

"No!" Harper practically screamed back. "You can't do that Rom Doll; you know the council will jump on that, you can't take command away from Dylan."

"He's ordered his XO and Weapons Officer to harm you, they are breaking a number of regulations with regards to capturing stowaways and identifying threats, and as a member of the Command Crew you have a right to protection and now they have physically harmed you I can give that to you," Rommie returned.

"Rommie, listen to yourself," Harper stressed, taking deep breaths. "Ok, so things are a little weird and scary right now but if you get the council involved, we'll lose a lot more than the blood in my leg."

"But," Rommie seemed torn.

"I appreciate you wanting to help me, but do you seriously think the mood those three are in that they'll willingly give up command? They'll just think I put you up to it, Rommie, it's best to just hope they snap out of it," Harper grimaced, as he tried to ignore the pain.

"If you're sure," Rommie didn't seem entirely convinced.

"I'll stay out of sight now, I promise, I won't return to the main areas until they know who I am," Harper stressed. "You know they all hate these conduits, they won't come looking for me here and I can wait, you wouldn't believe the patience I have when my life depends on it," Harper offered a reassuring grin.

"You should hurry in separating my avatar," Rommie then spoke with authority.

"I'm going to separate Rommie from you now, Andromeda, will take me less than two minutes to complete the procedure, more than enough time," Harper spoke with precision and a tone that suddenly lacked the usual confidence, and Rommie knew this meant he was in pain, and needed to focus.

"Be careful, Harper, I have to go now, Dylan will suspect and could pinpoint your position if I stay," Rommie informed him, and then blinked out of sight before Harper had a chance to object.

"I'll be seeing you soon," Harper simply responded, and he connected the jack into his port, before connecting the other side into the mainframe, slumping against the console, allowing his body the chance to recover.


Beka hated the conduits, but on Tyr's information she was prepared to crawl in them if it meant she could catch the pest that was ruining her day. Somehow the kid had programmed the blast doors to block his path from the machine shop, but she was working on the theory that he couldn't get far, not if Tyr had been right in saying he had blasted a hole right through the kid's leg.

A smile crept across Beka's face on that thought, the kid bugged her and was simply annoying, so she was pleased that finally he had got some payback for the crap he had done to the ship. When she had woken up that morning, Beka had not planned on crawling on her hands and knees through disgusting conduits searching for a cocky mud foot trying to take over the ship. If that ever happened, Beka considered, they as a crew would never live it down, no one from Earth could ever do such a thing, and certainly not on her shift.

"Andromeda, is there any increased heat detected around here?" she asked.

There was a pause, too long a pause before Rommie finally answered. "I am detecting a slight increase in heat in this area," she simply replied, but her voice didn't sound happy to be passing on the information.

"Don't go into too much detail," Beka sighed, suspecting the computer was protecting the hacker, more reason she considered to catch the pest. He was close though, and this made her move fast, and when she reached the next junction she saw her prize and smiled. "So, kid, you fancied a quick nap?"

As Beka approached him with haste, she realised that the kid was not asleep and she was reminded of past times. Getting closer she saw that Harper was in fact jacked in, and momentarily her mind was filled with memories of Bobby Jenson, the one time love of her life. It had always fascinated her when Bobby jacked in, how his body lay lifeless and calm, so vulnerable whilst his mind was elsewhere. Reliving her past Beka moved beside Harper's prone and injured body, and she tentatively checked his leg injury, seeing the makeshift bandage was doing its job well. Beka was now drawn to the calm features of the boy, and was reminded of her initial interest in the kid that Trance had warned her away from.

With a wicked smile, Beka couldn't help herself and she ordered Andromeda to initiate privacy mode, as her hand brushed the side of the kid's face, testing for a reaction. Like Bobby, the kid was too immersed in his work to notice her attentions to his body whilst jacked in. She then placed her hand on his chest, feeling the fabric of his black t-shirt and then slipped her hand under the shirt, and began to enjoy her investigations a little too much.

"Well it's time for some fun, I never get to have fun," Beka decided, knowing that neither Tyr nor Dylan would venture into these conduits to catch her, should they consider her to be taking her time.

TBC