Part 8
Harper checked his data pad and gestured to Beka to stop walking, as he retrieved his oxygen mask. Without word they both put their masks on and slowly began to walk again, fully aware of the Edenian forests around them and the toxic Bantra plant they'd soon be coming across.
'They should be sending the message now,' Harper spoke through the mask.
'How much farther?' Beka asked.
'Hundred meters or so,' Harper answered and picked up a handful of gravel, preparing to find the shield.
'Get down!' an order suddenly sounded, and they recognised Rhade's voice and dropped their packs and hit the deck, staying low as a sudden eruption of gunfire was heard. 'Take cover!' another order was yelled and Harper gestured to a patch of Bantra plants that they could hide amongst.
Beka followed Harper and they made sure they were both covered; they could only hear the gun fire so Harper focused on his data pad. 'The shield is still intact in this section,' he reported, trying to distract them both.
'How long would it take them to respond once the message is sent?' Beka asked.
'Earliest I would say is a ten minute turnaround, it all depends on whether Asa is awake or not,' Harper frowned and looked upwards. 'Just gone noon, and he's not one for afternoon naps,' he added hopefully.
There was a flurry of explosions close by, and instinctively Harper and Beka edged further into the foliage, sensing the Dragans were getting closer to their position. Beka took out her weapon and instructed Harper to do likewise as she charged hers up. She scanned the area but could only see feint movements, nothing that could be a target or that she could easily identify as the enemy.
'Something's happening,' Harper spoke up, still transfixed to his pad. 'There's fluctuations in the shield, they are opening a gateway for us!'
'How long?' Beka asked.
'A minute or so, it will be fully open, but I'll be willing to guess they'll only hold it open for a minute or so,' Harper stressed. 'We should get our packs, the co-ordinates I gave them are just over there,' he gestured to a clearing to his left. She couldn't see the shield but she guessed it was there somewhere, she could feel a buzz nearby, a prickly sensation of energy.
They both scrambled to their feet heading back for their packs when a larger explosion instinctively sent them back down to the ground for cover, it was a lot closer and had almost hit their location. For a moment they were both stunned, having felt a feint sensation of the aftershock.
'Oh crap,' Beka gasped.
'What, are you hurt?' Harper panicked.
'No, but our packs,' Beka pointed to the smouldering ruins of what had been their packs.
'They must have seen them, thought we were still attached,' Harper guessed. 'I'd love to mourn the passing of our packs but we have to go, it's open, we have to go now!' he stressed urgently and dragged Beka to her feet and they both sprinted towards the co-ordinates.
'What if you're wrong? What if the shield isn't down?' Beka yelled.
'Then we're about to crash into a brick wall of energy,' Harper responded but instead they found themselves stopping short of the brick wall of stone, that made the Edenia outer walls. 'Hey, we made it, we're inside the shield!' he exclaimed wildly and then checked his pad. 'Shield is returning to full strength, man we cut that fine,' he gasped, catching his breath.
They both flinched as four Dragon solders crashed into the fully strengthened shield, unable to reach them, they were safe and they both began to laugh, as the Dragans hit the shield with frustration.
'We made it,' Harper smiled broadly. 'I hope Rhade makes it back ok with his men,' he then remarked with some concern.
'He'll be fine,' Beka assured him. 'But you,' she frowned.
'What?' Harper showed his confusion.
'I had your medical supplies in that pack they obliterated,' Beka reminded him. 'You needed that medicine, it was clear Edenia didn't have the resources to treat you.'
'It'll be ok,' Harper dismissed and began to slowly walk.
'Harper, you're an alien within these walls and they don't understand your physiology enough to be able to know what drugs you need to stay healthy,' Beka persisted.
'Wanna go back out there and get some more?' Harper questioned sharply, and she glanced at the growing number of Dragan soldiers who were tracking them on the other side of the shield.
'Not exactly,' she was forced to admit.
'Then there's nothing we can do,' Harper reasoned and then frowned. 'I have a feeling those guys won't be going anywhere for a long while,' he sighed. 'What if they find a way in?'
'Do you think they can?'
'Anything is possible, Beka,' Harper shrugged. 'This shield, this city is stuff of legends, legend says this shield is unbreakable, but you know sometimes the legend is stronger than the fact,' Harper stressed avoiding looking at the trouble outside.
'You think because legend says it's impossible, this city has been largely ignored or taken seriously,' Beka asked. 'But now we've put it on the map, we've given someone reason to want to test that legend?'
'Exactly what I'm saying,' Harper agreed. 'I have to make sure the legend is true, I have to make sure nothing can beat the technology,' he stated firmly. 'I'm not going to go down in history as the man who destroyed the myth, whose actions brought down the legend.'
'We wouldn't let that happen,' Beka assured him, putting an arm around his shoulders. 'You know Rhade said he'd keep a task force on duty until the Dragan's get bored and leave, you know Dylan is in orbit monitoring the situation, and trust me he has nothing better to do.'
'Yeah, I know,' Harper agreed, a little brighter. 'Still, something in my gut tells me to be worried,' he admitted.
'You have a history with the Drago-Kasov pride, maybe you're feeling that?' Beka suggested as they continued to walk, and she caught the look Harper threw her with reference to his past, but she was more concerned with being safe from the Dragans even if just a few meters away behind the shield.
'I think its more, I think its knowledge, I think I might be concerned for a reason,' he dismissed lightly after some thought. 'But I could be wrong,' he offered.
'But you rarely are,' Beka admitted.
Harper smirked. 'That sounded like someone speaking from experience,' he remarked brightly.
Beka smiled. 'You wouldn't believe even half the stuff you've done since I've known you,' she stated.
'How long is that? I mean that you've known me?' Harper asked awkwardly.
'Must be close to eight or nine years,' Beka tried to work it out. 'It's a little screwed, we gained time in another universe, you more than me,' she shrugged.
'How much time?'
'Three years,' Beka answered. 'And don't ask me to explain, I don't know, it just happened, it was Trance,' she tried to offer and then saw Harper's reaction to her final words. 'Trance is ok, she's one of us, you know?'
'I can't see how she's one of us, I don't like her,' Harper returned.
'Yes you do,' Beka corrected.
'Maybe I did,' he looked at Beka. 'There was just something about her I didn't trust, or like, she made me nervous.'
'Harper, you and Trance, you're best friends,' Beka attempted to explain.
'Maybe once,' Harper refused to change his mind. 'Look Beka, you talk to me like you know me and yeah, I get that in your world you do know me but fact remains because of my injuries I don't know you, I don't know who I was, I barely know who I am, all I know is my home is within these walls and as far as I'm concerned that's it.'
Beka didn't speak for a moment, as she let his words sink in and tried not to let her emotions respond. 'I do understand that.'
'I'm not even sure why you've come back with me,' Harper continued, sounding confused and frustrated.
'OK, stop,' Beka gestured and Harper stopped to face her. 'If you want me to leave just say and I will.'
'No you won't,' Harper dismissed.
'Yes I will, if you don't want me here, then I'll go,' Beka stated, but only saw Harper gesturing to something behind her and when she turned she saw the growing number of Dragan soldiers watching them from beyond the shield. With a sigh Beka let her head drop. 'Ok, maybe I won't leave right this minute,' she admitted. 'But Harper, I'm not here to bug you or to cramp your style.'
'Then why are you here?' Harper pushed for an answer.
'I want to say so I can keep an eye on you but clearly you don't need that, you seem more than settled and happy here,' Beka offered. 'Maybe I could say that I hope your memories return and I want to be there if you have any questions, but there's no clear signs that they will ever return,' she sighed. 'Truth is, I don't know why I wanted to come back with you but what I do know is I've missed you, missed having you around and I didn't want to let you go again so soon, we hardly spent any time together as it was.'
'So, what,' Harper looked puzzled. 'You want to get it on with me?'
'No!' Beka sounded horrified.
'Could have fooled me,' Harper stated.
'We're just friends, good friends but friends just the same,' Beka insisted.
Harper looked around and frowned. 'Since I've woken up you've been there a lot for me, taken me under your wing and I'm sorry, but I've just been wondering what was going on with us, you can't blame my confusion, you're either my mother or my sister, or the third option that you've already dismissed.'
'Sister is probably the one I'm most comfortable with,' Beka conceded.
'Great, fine, least now I have a base from which to work,' Harper decided and began to move again. 'Gotta say I'm a little disappointed you weren't the third option, I mean at times it's seemed,' he was cut off.
'Just stop talking,' Beka requested sharply. 'We don't talk about this sort of stuff usually ok, it's a taboo it's a no go area, understand?'
'Why?' Harper asked. 'I mean I'm coming to this fresh and I got to say I like you, I feel something, and I don't understand why one minute you can be all full of the really liking the Harper moments, and the next you're pushing me away like I'm something dirty and icky.'
'Harper, you feel something for anything with breasts,' Beka tried to lighten the mood.
'All humans have breasts, hell most animals do to,' he reasoned and then saw Beka smile. 'Aw man, ruin my day why don't you, I'm not that bad!' he protested. 'Am I?' he then doubted himself.
'Believe it,' Beka teased now.
'OK, dropping subject,' Harper declared and they walked a few meters in silence.
'I do love you,' Beka then spoke up. 'Just not in that way.'
'Like a brother,' Harper reasoned.
'Yeah,' Beka agreed. 'Are you cool with that?'
Harper didn't respond immediately and just looked ahead. 'So you're here because you feel you should be that I'm in need, and you should be at my side as an overly protective sister might?'
'Something like that,' Beka agreed.
'OK, I think I understand now,' Harper glanced at Beka with a reassuring smile, just as they saw the main gate in the distance and they both walked a little bit quicker to finally reach their destination.
Rhade gestured to Dylan as he strode onto command. 'Both delivered unharmed and safe,' he stated.
'And the Dragans?' Dylan asked, without looking up.
'I think they're planning a long stay,' Rhade frowned. 'My people have been looking at what they know about Edenia's systems, which isn't much and probably about the same as what the Dragan's know,' Rhade began with purpose. 'They say there are possible weaknesses that could be exploited with more recent advances in technology.'
'You think Edenia is under threat?' Andromeda now spoke up.
'I think we should consider the possibility, maybe the technology that's been protecting them all these years has finally been caught up,' Rhade suggested.
'So what do we do?' Dylan asked. 'Do we protect or do we take advantage?'
Rhade narrowed his eyes. 'Are you suggesting we take Edenia for the Commonwealth?'
'It's an outpost we've courted for a long time, and they didn't take up the opportunity to join us,' Dylan offered.
'Harper lives in Edenia, Beka is down there with him,' Rommie spoke up from her console. 'We have friends in Edenia.'
'Edenia didn't want our protection, so if anyone is going to take this city in the foreseeable future is it better the Dragan's or us?' Dylan asked seriously.
Rhade took a moment. 'It would seem unwise to protect a city that has not asked for our protection, simply because one of our former crew now resides there,' he considered.
'More importantly, if anyone gets the break and manages to take control of Edenia, they will acquire Harper's services, at least with the Commonwealth it will be a friendly acquirement,' Dylan proposed.
Rommie looked doubtful as she moved towards them. 'I'm not sure if taking Edenia by force would be a good advert for the new commonwealth, it seems very Neitzschean,' she offered. 'No offence,' she gestured to Rhade.
'I agree, it's not something the Commonwealth would usually entertain,' Rhade conceded.
'We need purpose, why do we want to stop the Dragan's taking Edenia?' Dylan asked.
'To protect the city, and its citizens,' Rommie answered.
'Would we continue to protect the city once word got out that the only habitual area of a most sought after planet is vulnerable?' Rhade then seemed to pick up Dylan's reasoning. 'Or do we protect it as being acquired as part of the Commonwealth, giving it greater protection, a higher no go profile and a more valid reason than we're doing it for some friends we have inside.'
'If Edenia's power is reaching the end of its lifecycle, then I can see the benefit of that power changing over to Commonwealth hands,' Andromeda offered from the screen.
'They've already rejected the chance to join us,' Rhade added. 'And could we hope that Beka and Harper would sing our praises inside, so resistance would be less?'
'Harper has no recollection of his work with the Commonwealth, technically we would only have Beka, and possibly Asa,' Dylan offered.
'Would they understand what we are doing?' Rommie then asked.
Rhade cleared his throat before speaking. 'We're soldiers first; we can't think like that when it's for the greater good.'
'Which in this instance would be to keep Edenia, and its strategic position out of Dragan hands,' Dylan confirmed.
'We should go to the council,' Rhade suggested, and all present agreed.
Harper gestured to a building and stopped. 'Here we are,' he offered.
Beka looked up at the stone building, it looked exactly like all the other stone buildings in the immediate area, a nice size and from the outside it looked well maintained. 'You live here?' she frowned, not sure if she was correct.
'Yeah,' Harper offered but promptly moved to the other side of the street and a few doors down, his footsteps echoing as he walked.
'So why are you heading over there?' Beka called after him.
'I have no idea what I did with my keys, I assume Zal has a spare set,' Harper called back and knocked on a door.
'Zal,' Beka frowned, speaking under her breath. 'I forgot about him,' she spoke as she caught Harper up, just as the door opened.
'Oh crap, what are you doing back?' Zal asked with an immediate panicked expression. 'Oh hell, man, you weren't supposed to come back!'
Harper showed his confusion as he glanced at Beka, who was equally confused.
'Get inside, quick,' Zal ushered Harper in and then noticed Beka for the first time. 'Oh Beka!' his expression completely melted into a happy one as he embraced her and she struggled to push him off. 'So good to see you, now get inside,' he urgently pushed her through the door.
'What's going on?' a female voice called and then Junia stopped as she entered the room. 'Shay! What?' she showed her confusion.
'Ok, would someone explain what's going on?' Harper asked, feeling uneasy.
'Well, he looks better,' Junia simply responded as she moved closer and stared at Harper. 'But this is still bad,' she moved away clearly troubled.
'Why did you come back?' Zal then asked Harper, sounding slightly desperate. 'I barely managed to get you clearance to leave in the first place, you remember how much trouble it was to get you out of here?' he fussed not waiting for an answer, looking stressed.
'I,' Harper began but couldn't continue.
'He had an accident,' Beka spoke up, moving to his side. 'Lost his memory, so tell us why he shouldn't have returned.'
'Accident,' Junia questioned and then noticed his bandaged wrist.
'It was nothing,' Harper dismissed not allowing her to see his hand.
Beka sighed. 'It was something, Harper,' Beka looked at Junia and Zal. 'He got hit with a ton of electricity that nearly killed him, he was lucky that only a part of his brain was fried, unfortunately it was his long term memory, he has no recollection of his past including the Andromeda, just his recent life here, in Edenia.'
'So that's why you returned,' Junia guessed.
'If you still have short term memory than you should have known it wasn't wise to return to Edenia, Shay,' Zal spoke with concern.
'He's also lost the last three weeks or so,' Beka spoke up.
'I can speak for myself you know, I'm not dumb,' Harper snapped and then realised by the looks on Zal and Junia's faces that he'd spoken out of turn. 'I just don't remember, ok? Even what I do remember is hazy, so I haven't got much,' he finished and moved to the chair in the corner and slumped down into it.
'Look we've had a rough day, so can you just cut to the chase,' Beka requested.
'Where do I begin?' Zal sighed and took a deep breath. 'Shay had a lot going on, stuff he had to deal with but then he got ill, and at first he was stubborn and refused to acknowledge he was ill,' Zal explained. 'Then he had to concede he was getting worse and that's when things got bad, and our medical staff began to 'experiment',' Zal frowned.
'At first they tried the stuff that works for us to clear the virus but it had no effect other than to cause Shay to suffer a reaction to it, making him worse,' Junia continued. 'So then they began to try other things but they were only making him sicker.'
'Then I came across the invitation from Dylan,' Zal remembered. 'So I saw it as a good opportunity for Shay to get the help he needed from people who understood his physiology and immune system,' he then sighed. 'That was when I realised that Harper was no longer a patient, but a project, they were using the opportunity while he was sick to examine and poke the alien,' Zal saw the shock on Beka's face. 'They forgot he was a citizen of this city and I began to fear for him, he wasn't getting any better and I suspected they had forgotten about making him so.'
'Did he realise what was happening?' Beka asked, glancing at the now concerned features of her friend as he simply listened.
'He finally realised about a week ago, and I had to really pull some tricks to get him out of here,' Zal admitted.
'That's why he never responded to the invite and why he turned up unexpected,' Beka realised. 'So before he got sick he just didn't respond to the invite?'
Zal glanced at Harper and then his wife before answering. 'He wanted to,' he simply said.
'I'm sure he did, like he wanted to keep in touch but never did,' Beka crossed her arms.
'It wasn't that simple,' Zal defended his friend quickly. 'He's an alien in this city Beka, as are you now, so maybe over the next few days you might learn what he's had to deal with and why sending you a simple message could have been a very bad move.'
'He told us things were good here, that he had a lot of friends and how everything was going well here, he sounded happy, not like a victim,' Beka countered, again glancing at Harper who stood up.
'I do have a lot of friends, everything is going well here,' Harper stated. 'I'm not a fricking victim,' he stressed agitated. 'Zal just shut the hell up, you're making this stuff up,' he dismissed and moved towards the door.
'But this is a big city, Beka, it is possibly to exist anyway you wish and Shay for the most part learnt how to be happy here,' Junia spoke up. 'Just, sometimes you can't help but be noticed,' Junia glanced at Harper who had paused at the door.
'He's an alien, he's different, there's sections of society who fear him for reasons that are unfounded and totally uncalled for but they exist, and he's had to learn to live with that, and as Junia rightly said, he's done that, he's won a lot of people over,' Zal offered. 'But something as simple as getting sick almost killed him, for no other reason than he's different, he's not like us,' he sighed.
'Its why we told him to leave, the illness showed us that our people are not all as enlightened as we would like them to be,' Junia sadly looked at Harper, and then looked down. 'Maybe it will be different now some people have had a chance to reflect on things,' she offered.
'Why didn't you tell us this, Harper, why did you make it sound so perfect?' Beka asked with confusion clear on her face. 'You gave us no indication that you had quit Edenia, it sounded like you always intended to return,' she added.
'I have a roof, I have food, I have a job and I have friends,' Harper slowly spoke, moving back towards them slowly. 'I can't speak for my pre-accident self but I'm happy, and I'm glad I've come back despite the crap, it's still a good life I have here.'
'You remembered the crap?' Beka narrowed her eyes.
'Yeah, it's hazy but I remember some of it, it's been going on since I arrived,' Harper simply said. 'It wasn't as bad as they say, just some idiots,' he shrugged.
'What about the illness?' Beka now asked.
Harper frowned. 'Now Zal has reminded me I remember denying I was ill but I don't remember all that other stuff, the experiments,' he looked frustrated as he felt the stares of his friends on him. 'I just want to return to my house and get some sleep, Beka is right, it's been a rough day.'
Zal moved to the side cabinet and retrieved a set of keys. 'Go for it, Junior won't need it for another twenty years,' Zal half smiled.
'You'd already given my house to your kid?' Harper acted shocked.
'Didn't think I'd see your ugly face around here again,' Zal teased. 'If it means anything, even though I think you're mad to come back, it's good to see you again,' he genuinely smiled and then looked at Beka. 'And you, Beka, though keep your hands off me I'm taken now,' he grinned as he put his arm around Junia.
'Your wife has nothing to fear,' Beka assured them both.
'Shay, remember to lock all doors, it wont take long for news to spread of your return and bringing a friend as well,' Zal then warned, looking at Beka.
'What might happen?' Beka asked. 'Why do we have to lock doors?'
'Just a precaution,' Harper spoke up.
'Yeah, you can never be too careful,' Zal agreed. 'Not had any serious incidents but there's always a first and sadly, with you both being the aliens around here, if anything does kick off, you'll be the easiest targets.'
'There's an entire squadron of the Drago-Kasov pride currently camping outside the shield wanting Harper's knowledge, they will be trying to break the shield down,' Beka then mentioned and glanced with concern at Harper.
'Yeah, butt ugly aliens attempting to break our defences might just kick off such an incident that could make you both public enemy number one in certain circles, that might just do it,' Zal considered lightly mocking.
'We'll lock the doors,' Harper confirmed and opened the front door, gesturing to Beka to follow him as he headed back to his own house, leaving Zal and Junia to wonder what might be in store now their friends had returned.
TBC
