Part 21

The guards roughly took hold of Harper, having dragged him off the cot where he had been resting, and his oxygen mask now swung by the side of the bed. Harper calmed his breathing as much as he could as he faced Asa, knowing if the guards holding him let go he'd just collapse to the floor.

'Lets go, enough time has been wasted,' Asa decided.

'I'm not leaving,' Harper spoke up between heavy breaths.

'You're better off with me, at the palace, Seamus,' Asa stated firmly.

There was a scuffle outside the door before Dylan, Beka and Jashen duly stormed in. 'What is going on?' Dylan demanded.

'I am taking what is mine,' Asa announced.

'You don't own Harper!' Beka stressed.

'I think you'll find that technically I do,' Asa stated. 'He signed his loyalty to me, and to Edenia, he wanted to confirm his allegiance,' Asa added, moving to Harper's side. Harper weakly struggled in the guards hold but remained silent to Asa's declaration.

'Harper?' Beka checked when Harper didn't protest.

'It's true, Beka, I've seen the document Harper signed,' Dylan supported. 'But he still has free will; he's not your property.'

'You are killing him, how is that better for the boy?' Asa then asked. 'I can help him, and he can help Edenia, I'm sorry Dylan Hunt but Seamus Harper is no longer a member of your crew and anything you say here is just hot air, Shay belongs to Edenia now.'

'I don't want to go to the palace!' Harper then stressed. 'They can help me here.'

Asa turned to face Harper, clearly angered by his words. 'Look at yourself, you need your medicine.' Asa removed a small bottle from his cloak and showed Harper who instinctively tried to back away with fear, only for the guards to push him back forward, and prevent him getting away.

'I don't want that,' Harper weakly stressed.

'It's not a case of what you want, Shay, it's what you need,' Asa spoke with care.

'Please, don't do this!' One of the doctors moved forward. 'It won't help him.'

'I think it will,' Asa declared.

'Asa, you told me yourself that you cared for Harper, but this isn't helping him,' Beka moved forward.

'None of you seem to understand that this isn't cruel, this isn't some punishment, Seamus needs this medicine to survive,' Asa declared.

'And you made him dependant,' Beka responded coldly.

'A means to an end,' Asa shrugged.

'I'd rather die than take another dose of my medicine,' Harper then spoke up with more conviction, and Asa spun around to face him again. 'I don't want my medicine, and I don't want to live like the zombie you want me to be.'

Beka and Dylan looked on as Harper showed some strength to Asa, they could see he was weakening in the guards hold, he looked worn out as he struggled to remain awake.

'Shay,' Asa softened his voice, and his hand went to Harper's face tenderly. 'I know these people are brainwashing you against me, but you're sick and I can make you better, you know I care, right?'

Beka and Dylan exchanged concerned glances before seeing Harper falter and meekly nod his head. 'Yeah,' Harper managed, before letting his head drop.

'I only want to help, isn't that all I've ever done for you, Shay?' Asa continued, his hand brushing Harper's hair back.

'Yeah,' Harper admitted, looking up again.

'Harper, you don't have to take any medicine, don't let him play you,' Beka stressed edging forward until one of Asa's guards blocked her path. 'Harper, you can beat this, this isn't you!'

'But I still don't want my medicine,' Harper half smiled at Asa, defiance in his eyes.

Asa backhanded Harper with pure frustration, causing Harper to stumble into the hold the guards still had on him. They immediately pulled him back up, as the guards moved in quickly to contain Dylan and Beka to prevent them rushing forward to help.

'Asa, stop this now!' Dylan demanded.

'You have no say in this!' Asa declared, clearly angered and he grabbed Harper's hair, forcing the human to face him. 'And you, my boy, will take his medicine!' Asa took the bottle and opened it and before anyone could stop him, Asa made Harper inhale the contents until Harper's body visibly relaxed, and he was quickly laid down on the floor by the guards.

'No!' Beka yelled, the guards almost throwing her across the room to prevent her going to Harper's side.

'Asa, you will regret this,' Dylan warned.

'Seamus?' Asa crouched down beside the unmoving human. 'Come on, Seamus, wake up.'

'There's blood, quick, get me the emergency medical kits,' the doctor immediately ordered to his staff, as he tried to reach the patient but was stopped by the guards.

'It's normal,' Asa dismissed. 'The nose always bleeds after a dose,' he added but still could not stir Harper. 'Come on, boy, wake up.'

'Asa, let the medical staff look at him, this isn't normal is it?' Dylan demanded.

Harper suddenly let out a cry of agony and a sharp intake of breath, before his body began to shake involuntarily.

'Help him!' Asa pleaded in panic to the medical staff who all glared at him, as they were finally allowed access to their patient. Quickly they lifted Harper up onto the cot and began to take his vital readings, as Asa looked on with concern before glancing round to Beka and Dylan, then Jashen. 'I want all these people removed, clear them out of here!'

'Sir with respect, you have no jurisdiction in my hospital, and this is Commonwealth territory now,' the doctor stressed having finally lost his cool. 'Captain Hunt, Valentine and their friend stays, under my orders!'

'I won't leave,' Asa stated.

'I haven't asked you to,' the doctor confirmed, while still working on Harper. 'Stop giving me reasons to give that order and you won't be asked to.'

'Will he be ok?' Asa then asked with concern.

'He's suffered a reaction of some sort, caused by your medicine, I will need to take a sample for testing,' the doctor held out his hand, and reluctantly Asa handed the bottle over.

'Just help him,' Asa stated but before he could leave Dylan held out a hand to prevent him, and immediately Asa's guards closed in until Asa waved them away.

'We're not the enemy you think we are,' Dylan calmly spoke.

'I just want what is best for Seamus, and I seem to be the only one who wants to help him!' Asa stressed.

'You call this helping him?' Beka gestured. 'Asa, I know you are smart and we trusted you to run this city, but for some reason you just keep making the wrong decisions when it comes to Harper, what's the story?'

'I don't understand what you mean, I care for Harper like he's my own,' Asa stressed. 'I didn't mean for this to happen, and if he'd of just kept taking his medicine he would have been ok! You are the ones harming him!'

'Asa, why was Harper put on this medicine in the first place?' Dylan asked.

'You know why!' Asa snapped. 'It was part of the agreement, Seamus agreed to it as a measure by which he could confirm his loyalty, and had he just been loyal in the first place,' Asa hinted.

'So it's Harper's fault he's fighting for his life?' Beka spoke up. 'Or his fault for being different, being an alien? His fault that you don't consider his life is as important as an Edenian?'

Asa took some measured breaths before looking at Beka. 'I have never treated Shay differently for being human,' he spoke sincerely and with a lot of control.

'How many Edenians are on this 'medicine'?' Beka pushed.

Asa glanced away, and then to Dylan. 'You've seen the evidence Captain Hunt, and I trust that you can't deny we were right to be suspicious,' Asa simply said. 'I did what I could to protect him, to stop Seamus being killed for betraying us, I gave him an option and he took it, so don't you dare make me out to be the bad guy around here, I saved him more than once!'

'Harper wouldn't have agreed to take drugs,' Beka dismissed.

'I have evidence to prove otherwise, don't I, Captain Hunt?' Asa stressed and Dylan could only agree.

'Harper did sign an agreement,' Dylan offered.

'Under what circumstances,' Beka threw back.

'He was of sound mind when he signed that document!' Asa yelled with fury. 'Don't you dare suggest we forced him or obtained his signature under false pretences, Seamus was desperate to prove to me he could be trusted, and he agreed whole heartedly to take the medicines as a means to prove his loyalty to Edenia and be under my control,' he stressed with passion. 'It was all the people of Edenia were willing to accept other than his very painful death!'

'He's stable, for now,' the doctor announced. 'Maybe you should all continue this discussion elsewhere, so Harper can rest.'

'We're done talking,' Asa stressed. 'And Shay will be returning to the palace as soon as he is strong enough to be moved, I have had it up to here with the Commonwealth and their accusations, just take my city if you so desire but don't expect any more of my co-operation, you have outstayed your welcome!'

'You're welcome,' Beka called after him. 'Gee we try and help and that's the thanks we get.'

'Of all the messes Harper has got himself into over the years, this has to beat them all,' Dylan sighed.

'Asa is going no where near Harper ever again,' Beka fumed.

'Now come on,' Jashen spoke up, having observed proceedings up until then. 'Asa was speaking the truth, he has kept this kid alive, without Asa Harper would of been murdered months ago so cut him some slack, all he's done is try to keep Harper out of trouble and alive.'

'He has a funny way of showing it,' Beka disagreed.

'Asa has been accused of putting the welfare of this alien ahead of his own people, he's fought many battles to get his people to accept Harper, you can't just judge him on the fact he got Harper hooked on some drug,' Jashen stressed.

'A drug that is killing him,' Beka returned.

'Only because you stopped him taking it,' Jashen casually returned. 'There are people all over the city that need certain drugs to stay alive, how is this any different to that?'

'Harper was perfectly healthy,' Beka snapped.

'Was he?' Jashen simply returned. 'By all accounts he was in the high risk category for anything health related with his weak immune system, how can you know for sure this drug doesn't make him stronger against illnesses.'

'Because it took an illness to wipe out the dependency,' Dylan offered.

'Ok, maybe I haven't thought this argument through but all I'm saying is don't be so hard on Asa, he does actually see Harper as a somewhat wayward son,' Jashen shrugged.

'But why does that make it ok?' Beka questioned. 'We can't hate Asa because he has some twisted fondness for Harper? That's just sick, and Harper shouldn't have to suffer because of it.'

'Because I think Harper sees Asa as a father figure, that's the difference,' Jashen offered. 'You saw him defying Asa, like any son would their father, Harper knew exactly how to play Asa, to get a reaction that would cause Asa to lose his cool so he could get his own way, come on surely you didn't fall for that act?' Jashen mocked. 'Harper wanted that dose, but he wanted you to think he didn't and his plan worked, you were conned and Asa was made to force him to take it, it was all an act and Harper played his part well.'

'That wasn't an act, Harper didn't want that drug,' Beka disputed.

'If you say so,' Jashen shrugged, and Beka stopped herself before she responded and looked away, rubbing her face.

'It would explain a lot about Harper's weird reactions to Asa,' she admitted tiredly, before slowly moving to Harper's side with a frown, seeing him all hooked up and his vital organs monitored.

'We should leave him in peace, we need to get some rest ourselves,' Dylan suggested. 'I'll make sure plenty of soldiers are around so Asa doesn't strike again.'

Beka reluctantly let herself be escorted from the room, with both Dylan and Jashen by her side.

'Thank you for agreeing to see me at this late hour,' the man spoke confidently, his outfit that of a warrior.

'It's been a long day but I'm willing to listen to what you have to say,' Asa gestured to the chair opposite his desk, and the visitor duly accepted it.

'I am willing to occupy no more of your city than what we have secured so far,' the warrior began. 'The Drago Kasov has no interest in conquering the entire city, or engaging in mindless battles with the Commonwealth, but we need a show of unity from yourselves before we lay down our weapons.'

'What would we have to do?'

'Hand Seamus Harper over to us as part of a treaty, in the capacity of working with us to maintain as well as educate us about Edenia's controls, giving us the access and protection this city offers when required,' the Drago Kasov warrior requested.

Asa considered the offer. 'I will not hand Seamus Harper over to you if your intentions for him are anything other than him helping you.'

'We have to be realistic, at this time Seamus Harper is the only man who knows how to control this city, we need him onside before anything can be resolved between our two peoples,' the warrior reasoned. 'As I understand it, he's not well right now, so why would we wish to further endanger him? We simply need to ensure that any treaty with you will guarantee us the services of the one man who knows how the system works.'

'I am not so ignorant of the universe not to know your people are an enemy of his, that your people murdered his family,' Asa stated firmly. 'I would need your absolute guarantee that for the duration of our treaty and your occupation of this city that no harm would come to Seamus Harper.'

'On that you not only have mine, but all of my peoples word,' The Dragan confirmed.

'And this war will cease, my people will be freed to live their lives as before?' Asa double checked.

'All we ask is that you allow us to work with Seamus Harper and set up a base in your city, I am right in thinking that the kludge is under contract to you, exclusively?' the warrior asked.

'Seamus Harper signed a loyalty agreement to myself and Edenia, we own him effectively,' Asa confirmed.

'Then I see no reason for this treaty not to be signed immediately and the hostilities to end,' the warrior stood up, and then hesitated. 'Your allegiance with the Commonwealth would have to be terminated, effective immediately for us to guarantee full support.'

'I have no problem with that, they have done nothing but judge me and my people since we agreed to an alliance, and I see no further actions on their part,' Asa stated.

'I took the liberty of drawing up a treaty, if you would like to follow me to the next room where my team are waiting,' the warrior gestured, and Asa didn't hesitate to follow. 'And there are those who believe the Dragans are incapable of negotiation,' he offered a hearty mocking laugh.

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TBC