Title: Bittersweet Symmetry (thanks to Ed for the title)
Author: Melissa, aka ILH
Series/Sequel: 3 out of 3 (with potential for a follow-up) Parallel Lines, Caught By Catastrophe are the prequels
Censor: PG-13
Content Warnings: A little blood here, some language there, etc.
Central Characters: Harper, Margaret
Spoilers: Nothing really major, tiny ones that you probably won't even notice
Disclaimer: Andromeda characters and the like belong to Tribune
Claimer: Margaret and the like belongs to me (actually, you can use her if you feel the urge to, I don't really care)
NOTE: This is the original version...an edited one is in progress as you read this :)
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"The Maru has been launched," Tyr said from the tactical station.
"I didn't authorize anyone to take my ship anywhere!" Beka said from the slipstream pilot chair. "Find out who's stealing my ship!"
"Hailing the Maru," Tyr said.
"Uhhhhh hi." Harper appeared on the screen. "I've got some personal business that I need to take care of right now. But I don't have much time to be chatting with you. And don't worry, Boss. I'll take good care of the Maru. Ummmmmm Harper out."
The communications channel was closed, and the Maru entered slipstream.
"Where in the hell is he going?" Beka asked angrily.
"That Wayist retreat," Tyr replied.
"Why would he be going there without asking me if he could borrow my ship?" Beka unbuckled her restraints and started to leave Command Deck.
"Where are you going?" Tyr asked.
"I'm going to go tell Dylan," Beka replied and stomped off before Tyr could stop her again.
*****
Harper set the Maru on autopilot and collected the medical supplies he'd dropped by the airlock in his haste. He took them to Medical Deck and, using the information he downloaded from Andromeda, prepared an area that would be adequate to heal Margaret's wounds.
"That's everything...but I don't know if it'll be enough," Harper said to himself. "She looked really bad, and that was at least eight hours ago. By now she could be..."
He refused to finish his sentence, silently returning to the cockpit to prepare for landing on the surface. From her condition, it didn't seem to him that she could have gone far from the retreat. He decided he would land at the nearest town with a spacedock, or the equivalent.
*****
"Harper what?" Dylan asked, not believing what he had heard the first time.
"He took the Maru, told us he had some personal business and slipstreamed," Beka said. "I have no clue where he went or why."
"I think I have some idea, but we'd better hurry or we won't be able to trace his slipstream route," Dylan said.
They returned to Command Deck. Tyr was staring pensively at the view screen.
"We need to run scans of Harper's slipstream route so-" Dylan began.
"That won't be necessary. I know exactly where he is," Tyr said, his tone very certain.
"As do I," Rev said as he stepped from the Command Deck door frame into the room.
"Well, would any of you mind telling me what this is about?" Beka asked.
"Margaret. I told Harper we couldn't go pick her up from the Wayist retreat until we'd met with the Eltaurans," Dylan said.
"And we just received a courier package from the planet for Harper," Rev said. "Though I don't know what it contained."
"We talked, and I told him not to let anyone stand in his way. But I never intended for him to steal the Maru," Tyr said.
"Why did he suddenly, out of blue, decide to go see her?" Beka asked.
"Margaret's father died yesterday," Rev explained.
"Oh. That explains a lot," Beka said.
"The Eltaurans emphasize punctuality and order. We can't be late, or they might decide to abandon all thought of joining the Commonwealth," Dylan said.
"And the planet rarely has outside visitors. It is of no interest to hostile individuals," Rev said.
"He'll come back once he has her, and I'll make sure he pays for stealing my ship," Beka said, heading down to the slipstream piloting chair.
"Take us to Eltauran, Beka," Dylan said.
*****
It was bumpy, but Harper managed to keep the Maru from hitting any buildings or trees when he landed. He was near a forest and a town, from what he could see during his descent. After equipping himself with some basic medical supplies, he ventured out onto the planet's surface.
"Now, which way is it to the town?" he asked himself, scanning the surrounding area. When he spotted a dirt path a few hundred feet away, he smiled. "Bingo!"
The path was winding and went through the forest partially. It seemed endless, which frustrated Harper. Time was one of the few commodities he didn't have. Eventually, he did spot the town in the distance. He broke into a run, and arrived in the town square out of breath. He noticed how primitive the town appeared to be. "These are the people that are probably taking care of Margaret?"
A little girl was playing by a house, jumping rope and giggling. "Hey, do you know where the town doctor is?" Harper asked.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said, stopping and backing away.
"Well, I'm Harper. What's your name?" He smiled, and tried to appear as friendly as he could.
"Cindy," she said timidly.
"Well, now we're not strangers anymore, so you can tell me where the doctor is," Harper said.
"Over there in that building." She pointed at a building the size of the homes.
Harper ran over to the building and knocked on the door. There was no answer. While he waited, he glanced around. His eyes eventually set themselves on the strange decoration above the door. It appeared to be ceremonial, a small sphere with hair. He reached up and touched it, revealing a face under the hair. "Oh my god! That's a shrunken head!" Harper realized, hopping back.
Out of worry more than anything, he tried opening the door. It was unlocked. "Is anybody home?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer to that question.
The entry room was normal enough, only a few odd decorations on the walls made it different from any normal waiting room. Harper saw three doors leading out of the room. He decided to try the first one he came to and opened it. Inside were shelves of freakish items in jars and books. Some of the contents of the jars he identified as internal organs.
"What are you doing in my storage room?!?" an angry voice boomed from behind him.
Harper jumped around and saw an intimidating man dressed in strange garb, deep colored cloaks and jewelry that looked to be tribal. He had a large, sharp dagger in a sheath on his leg. The man's hand was resting on the hilt of the dagger, ready to draw it at any moment.
*****
Rev had grown very curious about the circumstances surrounding Harper's sudden 'borrowing' of the Maru and lack of an explanation to why he felt the need to leave so quickly. It did go against his moral codes, but he decided to visit Harper's quarters. He had come to know Harper after several discussions about Margaret, and Harper would have waited. Unless something unforseen had happened.
Rev stepped around the various items scattered on the floor, realizing that Rommie's comments about Harper's habits in hygiene in cleanliness were true. He found the data rod by Harper's communications console. "Thank you, Master Harper." Rev carried the data rod to his own quarters to view it, feeling as if he were still invading Harper's privacy by remaining in his quarters.
The footage the data rod contained was shocking and disturbing. Rev brought the data rod to Command Deck, hoping it wasn't too late already.
"Dylan, I believe I have something that will better explain Harper's actions," Rev said, showing the data rod to Dylan.
Dylan took the data rod and placed it in the proper slot. Margaret's message began playing on the view screen.
"Hi, Harper, it's me, Margaret. As you can see, I'm in a bit of a bind right now. I've just been through the worst day of my life." She reached down to wipe her leg and her hand came back bloodied, entering the corner of the view screen. "I won't go into details, but you really don't have to worry about me. In case things don't improve, well I do care about you, too. And the fact you're thinking about me really does mean a lot." She seemed to lose focus at this point. "Harper, I think I'd better go lay down or something. I really do care about you a lot, and I hope I get to see you again. Goodbye..." She passed out, her head slamming into the console below and cutting the message off abruptly.
"I understand why Harper went running off now," Dylan said.
"What action do you plan to take, Dylan?" Rev asked.
"The Eltaurans won't tolerate any delays," Dylan said.
Trance entered Command Deck. "Some of the medical supplies are missing."
"And he interfaced with me downloaded some medical data for injuries that coincide with those visible in the message," Rommie said.
"Harper's a self-proclaimed genius," Beka said. "If anyone can help Margaret right now, it's him."
"He is no medic, though, and Margaret's condition seemed very serious," Rev began.
"He'll do what he can, Rev. Even if we did head to the retreat now, we wouldn't be there for over an hour. Then, we'd have to search the planet for both of them. By that time, Harper would be slipstreaming back to us," Dylan said.
*****
"Nice voodoo king," Harper said, gulping as he backed up. "I'm not taking any of your...ummmm...freaky occult stuff."
"What do you want here? You're an outsider," the man said.
Harper glanced around the room, looking for any escape. "I was actually looking for somebody."
"Why do you think you'd find anyone here?" The man glared at Harper.
"She was hurt pretty bad, and you're the town doctor, right?"
"Right. And you're talking about the girl, a fellow outsider?"
Harper was growing more and more nervous as he was being cornered. "Yeah, she's a girl. Margaret. You know where she is?"
"She's healing. Come back in a week or two." The man began ushering Harper towards the door. He opened it and shoved Harper out.
"Damn that freaky voodoo man!" Harper grimaced at the thought of what the man had done and was doing to Margaret. "I should've brought a Gauss gun. I've got a nanowelder back on the Maru, though. But that's too far away."
He sighed and looked around. The little girl was still playing by her house, happily singing a rhyme as she jumped rope. A thought crossed his mind that quickly developed into a plan. He approached the girl and leaned down to her height level, smiling and talking in the most unthreatening voice he could muster.
"Y'know your doctor isn't a very nice man," Harper said, rubbing the spot where he had been shoved.
"He's nice to me," the little girl said, dropping her jump rope.
He smiled. "Is there anything you'd like right now?"
"What do you mean? Like candy?" He seemed to have piqued her interest.
"Yeah, like candy, or whatever else you want."
"Why would you give me candy?" She paused. "What do I have to do for it?"
"You're catching on. I need you to do me a little favor, just a little one." He gestured with a tiny space inbetween his fingers. "But you have to do exactly what I say or it isn't going to work, okay?"
*****
"I'm worried about Harper," Trance said, taking a bite out of the apple she held.
"My brothers are very kind and will help in any way they can," Rev said. "And the Divine is watching over him."
"I'm with Trance here. What if he didn't go to the retreat?" Beka asked.
"He probably went wherever that message was sent from," Trance said.
"It was sent from a village several kilometers from the retreat itself," Rev said.
"Have you ever been to the village?" Beka asked.
"No, my brothers avoid it. Their practices are primitive and dangerous, which is why I am so concerned for Margaret's safety," Rev replied.
"What do you mean by primitive?" Beka asked.
"They believe strongly in the occult, and their medicine reflects upon that belief," Rev said.
"So, this is definitely bad for Margaret and Harper," Trance concluded.
"Yeah, it sounds bad. Why didn't you tell Dylan?" Beka asked.
"Within the two hours that it would require for us to return to the planet, both of their paths would have been chosen already," Rev explained. "Dylan has enough on his mind as it is."
"Let's just hope that those paths lead back to us," Beka said.
*****
The doctor entered the supply room he had caught the pesky outsider in. "That boy probably stole something!" He began taking a detailed inventory check, looking for even a single absent particle of sand from the jar he had collected from the shores of Ayngale. In the midst of his work, he heard the door open behind him.
He spun around, hand on the hilt of his dagger again. He assumed the boy had returned seeking the outsider girl again. His hand relaxed and moved away from his dagger when he realized it was only Cindy, a local girl who he had taken a liking to. She was crying and panicked. "What's wrong, Cindy?"
"There's somebody outside of town in the valley. They're hurt really bad," Cindy said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Is it an outsider?" he asked.
"I don't know," she sobbed. "But you have to help!"
"Fine, if it will make you feel better. Take me to them," he finally said.
She grabbed him by the hand and tugged him outside the door, off towards the valley.
Harper watched from behind the house as they left, and when they were out of his range of vision, he acted. He grabbed the portable stretcher and dragged it into the cabin. The other two doors were locked, the storage room door left open.
"Damn!" Harper said and sighed. He backed up and kicked the door to the first room. It burst open to reveal another storage room that was of no use to him. "Well, this has gotta be it then."
He again backed up and kicked the second door. It wasn't quick to budge. He tried several times before the wood eventually split, some of it slicing through his pants and into his calf and knee. He ignored the pain and blood as he reached through the hole he created and opened the door from inside, feeling at least slightly relieved.
The sight before him left him all but relieved. Margaret lay there, on a cot, covered in a dark cloth. Pallid was an understatement for her skin's tone. Her chest was barely rising. He threw off the dark cloth to reveal her unclothed body, in which hundreds of pins were placed. The wound on her leg was evidently very infected, seeping pus and blood. The sight sickened him, and he was taken aback for a moment.
"Oh my god...I've gotta get you outta here," Harper said to himself, covering her again and lifting her onto the stretcher. He tried not to force any of the needles farther under her skin, but knew that it was a vain effort.
He attached the straps on the stretcher to his back and started running out of the cabin and into the woods. He knew the 'doctor' wouldn't be the least bit pleased when he returned. Paranoia overtook Harper as he ran back towards the Maru. He'd occassionally glance over his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't see the doctor in pursuit. His run had started to turn into a limp as the pain in his leg became more severe.
When he had nearly arrived at the Maru, he again glanced over his shoulder. This time his paranoia had been justified. The doctor was no more than forty feet behind him, dagger held in an offensive position, and quickly closing the gap in distance.
*****
Margaret was fading in and out of consciousness. She felt the sensation of being moved, and the body heat indicative of another living being. The voice was familiar, but her mind was clouded by the pain. She wasn't sure whether it was real or a nightmare. Or maybe a combination of both, from the little that she could recall.
When the movement stopped, she heard a pounding near by. 'Footsteps,' she realized. A loud clanging came from above, and she felt her body being propelled into a darker area. She heard a heated argument, and yells of pain. Eventually, she heard a thud and nauseating sounds that she couldn't pinpoint as anything in particular.
The movement began again, but only lasted for a moment. The clanging metallic sound returned. It ended, and she felt the area around her shaking. It scared her, mostly because she had no clue what was happening.
She cried out in garbled inaudible bits and pieces of words. The turbulence ended, and things were smooth again for a moment. She relaxed, thinking that it was all over. But the sensation that her body had been split into hundreds of separate pieces followed. It was more unpleasant than any she'd felt thus far.
This time she screamed with what little energy she had remaining. "Just make it stop," she said, tears running down her face.
"It's okay. I'm here," she heard before the movement again ensued. The gentle cooing of comfort continued. The voice was so familiar, but she still couldn't identify it.
The movement stopped, and she felt herself being jarred. She could feel very bright light above her and wondered where she was.
The comfort stopped, and the voice became more serious. She felt something pressed into her neck. With that, she began floating downwards until she was again enshrouded in blackness.
*****
Harper winced as he moved around the bed to untie the stretcher supports from Margaret. The pain in his leg was beginning to become unbearable, but he brought only enough painkillers for Margaret. "And she's what matters," he reminded himself. "You're just fine, Harper. Just a few splinters and little cut."
The splinters were much bigger and more than that, from the door he had split. The cut was a stab wound from the doctor. Their fight had ended in the doctor's unconsciousness. Harper had been very compelled to take the dagger from the doctor and stab him repeatedly. Something had kept him from doing so, though. He hated admitting to the fact that since leaving Earth he'd developed a conscience.
Harper removed the cloth from Margaret's body to see that many of the needles had become more deeply embedded in her skin. He started removing the pins by her leg wound, one by one. After drowning the bite wound in disinfecting agent, he carefully wrapped it with a sterile bandage. The blood was quick to soak through the bandage. He wondered if it was too late for the clotting properties of the antibiotics to help.
He knew what his next task was. He started removing the rest of the needles from her body. Each one simply emphasized that practically her entire body had become infected. Two hours had passed before he finished bandaging and repairing her wounds to the best of his ability. He, then, realized that he was feeling lightheaded himself.
"I've gotta get back to the cockpit," he said to himself as the room started to spin. He grabbed the nearest solid object, a table. "What's going on? I really don't feel so good." He slid down to the floor, and his eyes involuntarily rolled back into his head.
*****
Trance paced Hydroponics. She rarely, if ever, paced. Her worry and concern for Harper had grown into a gripping instinct to turn Andromeda around herself. Something just wasn't right, and her entire body could feel it hanging thick in the air. She just needed to convince Dylan that the Eltaurans weren't as important as Harper, which would be no small task. With the addition of the Eltaurans to the Commonwealth, the surrounding systems' planets would follow. Dylan had wanted this for months on end. His dream was becoming a reality, and Trance had no desire to shatter it.
"But you have to now, don't you?" Trance asked herself aloud as she headed to Command Deck.
She found it vacant, except for Dylan staring out the view screen pensively.
"Ummmmmm, Captain?" Trance asked from behind him.
"It's Dylan," he reminded her, not turning around.
"Sorry. Dylan, I know how much Eltauran means to you," she started.
"Are you still worried about Harper? Because he's more than capable of handling himself. You seem to be forgetting he survived twenty years on Earth before-"
She finally interrupted Dylan. "I'm not just worried anymore. I have a feeling-"
"You want me to turn Andromeda around and ruin the prospect of expanding the Commonwealth by not just one, but twenty planets over a bad feeling?" His tone was doubtful.
"It's not just a bad feeling. Remember when I told you about the possibilities and how I guess back on Mobius?" She moved in front of him.
"Yes. You said that you had a 90% chance of guessing right."
"This time it isn't just a guess."
"How do you know, Trance?" His expression had grown concerned but still uncertain.
"Well, there were originally 2,407 possibilities. That number kept getting smaller and smaller until there was only one remaining."
"And that one is..."
She frowned. "Not good."
"How certain are you about this, Trance?" Dylan asked, very seriously.
"99.9% certain," she replied confidently.
Dylan stared at her and began weighing his options.
******
Margaret went into a coughing fit and opened her eyes. She was barely capable of movement, but from what she could see, she was in some sort of medical facility. She turned her head slightly, wincing in pain.
A bloody man lay unconscious by the wall. When she remembered the voice, she immediately realized who it was. "Harper!" she said raspily. "Harper, wake up!"
There was no response, not even a slight movement. Her heart got caught in her throat when she thought of the possibility that he had been completely selfless and died while saving her life.
Her cry was more desperate, a plea from deep within her. "Harper!"
Again, there was no response from him. She yelled until her dry throat burned too much to even swallow, and she could produce no sound from it. The entire time, she stared at his completely blood soaked pant leg. The tears wanted to fall, but she wouldn't allow this to be a moment of weakness. He needed her to be strong.
She pulled herself from the bed, only to fall face first onto the cold metal floor. A fight with unconsciousness ensued. And her fear and drive to help him proved victorious. She disregarded the pain, and moved herself to his side through rolling and grasping what secure objects she could and pulling herself. Her hand immediately went to his neck. She felt a weak pulse, but a pulse still. His breathing was shallow. He was bleeding slowly to death.
"Forgive me," she whispered. She carefully took off his cargo pants to see what sort of wound they were dealing with. Splinters of wood surrounded a deep stab wound on his thigh. There were already signs of impending infection, but she had no time to do anything for that. She tied the cargo pants tightly around the stab wound, hoping to cut off the blood supply to it.
"Eureka Maru this is the Andromeda Ascendant. Please respond. You are flying towards a star. I repeat you are flying straight towards a star," a voice echoed through the ship.
Margaret panicked and grabbed Harper by the shoulders, shaking him. "Wake up!" she whispered, picking up a medical tool from the floor near her and banging it against the wall as hard as she could. No amount of noise stirred Harper from unconsciousness.
She did all she knew to do, dragged herself across the floor and through the room's door. The cockpit was in sight, only thirty or so feet away. But in her condition, she found it miraculous that she could travel five feet. After a few deep breaths, she turned onto her side and started rolling towards the cockpit. The pain was searing, and blood was again seeping through the bandages.
The message repeated, the voice warning of imminent death and destruction if she did nothing. She clutched to the voice, and pulled herself up on the slipstream piloting chair. She pressed several buttons, but eventually managed to find the communications button even with her blurred vision.
"Help me," she said, trying to speak above a whisper.
"Turn off the engines," the communications voice said.
She swallowed, again ignoring the pain. "How?"
"There are three buttons near the one you just pressed," a female voice said. You have to press them from right to left consecutively."
She found three buttons and pressed them consecutively from right to left. Claxons started blaring, and she assumed she'd made a mistake.
"Crap! You're venting plasma now! Venting plasma out of MY ship! Go up a row," the female voice said angrily.
Margaret couldn't remember what row she had pressed before, though.
*****
"You do know that if she goes down a row instead of up a row, the ship will slipstream automatically," Beka said to Dylan.
"Let's hope she doesn't do that. I don't think she knows how to pilot..." Dylan said.
"And if Harper dies, the Maru will explode and kill both of them. We're screwed, Dylan!" She started pacing Command Deck.
"She'll do it right. The sun is still within a hundred kilometers of the safety range," he assured Beka.
"She's got twenty seconds from right now before they both enter the corona and start melting." She paused. "10...9...8...7...6..."
"Stop it, Beka! She'll do it." As Dylan finished speaking, the Maru stopped right outside of the star's corona.
"Manually bringing the Maru into Hangar Deck," Beka said.
"Trance is waiting for them." He smiled. "And if they've made it this far, I'm sure they'll be fine."
"I'm going down there," Beka said as she exited Command Deck.
Beka caught up with Trance in Hangar Deck, getting ready to board the Maru.
"I thought you might be able to use some help," Beka said.
"Thanks. I probably will need some with two patients," Trance said.
The airlock opened to reveal Margaret laying on the cockpit floor. She was wrapped in white bandages, but they had become bloody. Trance hurried to her side.
"I'll go find, Harper," Beka said, heading straight towards the Maru's Medical Bay.
An unconscious Harper lay by the entrance. His bloody pants were tied around his leg, where Beka was certain he had been injured. She prepared a stretcher quickly and lifted him onto it. She pushed him into the cockpit, where Margaret was already on a stretcher.
"We need to get both of them to Med Deck," Trance said, doing a quick examanation of Harper.
"Will they be all right?" Beka asked.
"Only time can tell," Trance said.
*****
-~...ONE WEEK LATER...~-
"I'm sick of being here in bed!" Harper whined.
"You're not going to be able to walk for at least another week or so," Trance said.
"And it's not really that bad. I'm still not up to sitting very much," Margaret said.
"I'm not up to walking yet, but I am up to sitting, right?" Harper asked.
"Right," Trance replied.
"Would you help me get down to one of the Machine Shops? I've got an idea!" Harper said, grinning.
"I'll go get one of the wheelchairs," Trance said.
"Exactly what I need. Thanks, babe." Harper pushed himself around until his feet dangled from the edge of the bed.
Trance helped him down into the chair. "I'll be back in a minute, Margaret."
"I'll be here," she said with a smile.
Trance wheeled Harper out of Medical Deck and towards one of the Machine Shops. "What are you going to do, Harper?"
"I'm going to make this a lot easier for both Margaret and me. Let's see...we'll need to stop by my quarters and grab some stuff first." He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, we've got everything I need here on board."
After a trip around the ship collecting supplies, Harper started working on his project and didn't stop until it was completely finished.
*****
"What is it?" Margaret asked, turning her head to stare at the large machine Harper had constructed and was sitting in.
"Okay, this is our ticket out of Med Deck. This front wheelchair here that I'm sitting in, with the joystick attached, is mine. I control it while you either sit or lie back here on this modified wheel chair that can be set up just like a stretcher. The propulsion system is right here, and it's a very basic and quiet electric engine. And it comes complete with pockets for storage and drinks. Pretty cool, huh?" Harper asked.
Margaret smiled. "You went to a lot of trouble to make that, didn't you?"
"Nah, it was nothing compared building Rommie's avatar."
She seemed amazed. "You built her avatar?"
"Yup, I built her avatar. Now, are you up to giving it a test run since i'm already in the front car?" He patted the second wheelchair behind him.
"Can I, Trance?" Margaret asked.
"If you feel up to sitting, you're free to take a short ride," Trance replied.
"I think I am." Margaret, with Trance's help, hopped over to the second wheelchair and sat down in it. "Where are we going, Harper?"
"You'll see." He pressed a button and a soft engine humming started. When he pressed the joystick forward, the wheelchairs smoothly moved from Medical Deck out into the corridor.
"This is fun," Margaret commented as they navigated through the corridors.
"So, how are you feeling, Margaret?" Harper asked.
"It hurts still, but I think I'll make a full recovery and so does Trance."
"We're almost there." Harper turned another corner, and they entered a room nearly filled with supplies. "It may not be much to look at, but it's quiet and private. And we've got Sparky here, too."
Margaret was silent for a moment. "What do you want to talk about that needs quiet and private?"
"Just everything. And I know Dylan's gonna end up asking you all this anyways. I thought I'd just warn you so you could think about it. What do you plan on doing?"
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Are you going to go back to the Wayist retreat?"
She felt the emotions start to surface again at the thought of her father. "I know I don't want to go back there, of all places. I don't think I could handle it..."
"I didn't think you would want to. What about other family?"
"I don't have any. I'm more or less an orphan now. Without any family or friends-"
He suddenly became very serious. "You've got me, Margaret, if no one else. Don't you ever think you don't have any friends."
"Do you know how sweet you are?"
"Thanks. Talking like this is too hard. Wait a second." He hopped from his wheelchair and moved back to hers. He pulled out a couple of metal components and extended it into a larger wheelchair, big enough for the both of them. He sat down beside her. "There, that's better."
She nodded. "Mmmmhmmmmm."
"So, has anything changed since the last time I saw you?" he asked.
"Well, I lived at the Wayist retreat for a few months. I missed my other home until I found out about my dad. Then, he got sick and died. I ran away and got myself hurt really bad. You rescued me. And now we're here," she summarized.
"No, I mean have you yourself changed at all?" He seemed slightly nervous.
"I don't understand, Harper, what-"
"Nevermind. We'll talk about it later. So, do you know what you want to do with your life?"
"I don't know...I just know I don't want to be alone again. It was scary, Harper. I thought I was going to die back at the retreat." She laid her head on his shoulder.
"What if I taught you engineering? I think I can be a good teacher if I've got a good student..."
"I'll think about it, Harper. But I don't know if I'd be any good at it. I've never been good with machines or anything and-"
He pulled something out of his pocket and clutched it in his hand. "Remember this?" He opened his hand to reveal her locket. "You've taught me that anything's possible, babe. And now I think it's my turn to teach you."
"What's my first lesson, Mr. Harper?"
"Your first lesson is just to call me Harper. You're not Dylan, and it kinda freaks me out when you sound like him like that."
"Sorry, Harper. Lesson learned. And it wasn't even hard." She smiled. "I hope engineering ends up being easy for me."
"You want to learn engineering?"
"Of course I do. Anything that you like so much has to be good."
*****
-~...A LITTLE OVER A MONTH LATER...~-
Harper and Margaret walked down the corridor together towards Engineering.
"Y'know today's a good day for your test, Maggie," Harper said.
"What test?" Margaret asked nervously.
"Don't worry. You're great with everything, better than I would've imagined. I'm just going to test you on what you've learned so far. Since my last test with the fake emergency didn't turn out so hot, I'm telling you this time."
"Well, I did do what you taught me...except it was wrong circumstances for what I did. But I thought you were really in danger and that scared me..."
"I know. I'd probably freak out if you were in the situation that you thought I was in. Man, that's a mouth full."
She smiled. "I'm just glad we're both fine now."
They arrived at Engineering. Harper gestured to a table loaded down with tools. "Tell me what they are and what you do with them."
"What I'm supposed to do with them or what I would do with them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Margaret! I'm shocked...I didn't think you were capable of being..."
"Dirty-minded?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah, that's the word I was looking for."
"Once you've been around Seamus Zelazny Harper almost every hour of every day for over a month, it starts to rub off on you." Her grin widened.
"You're trying to get out of taking this test?" he guessed.
"There's a lot of tools on the table. There are the easy ones, like a soldering wand." She picked it up. "You take the metal parts apart or put them back together with it by heating them up."
"And what about this?" Harper asked, picking up another tool.
She took the tool from him. "That's a nanowelder. You cut stuff apart with it or you can weld metal together. It's the best tool in your toolbelt, Harper."
"And it can also serve as a makeshift weapon, since it cuts through starship hulls easily. Definitely very versatile."
"Let's see..." She picked up another tool. "We haven't used this one yet."
"Are you sure?" Harper asked.
"I'm completely sure. I would've remembered it. How many of these tools have I actually used?" She started picking up random tools and turning them on.
He shrugged. "I just dumped one of the boxes I store them in out on the table. Actually, I haven't used a lot of these in a long time."
"Is my test over now?" She started putting some of the tools back in the box.
"Yeah, it's over. I've got a surprise for you anyways."
"A surprise? Is it a good surprise or a bad surprise?"
"I think you're going to like it. But you have to close your eyes and trust me, okay?"
She closed her eyes. "I trust you."
He took her hand and led her through the corridors. She had lost track of where they were quickly, and assumed that he intentionally did it to make it a real surprise. Eventually, they walked through a door.
"Don't open your eyes yet," Harper warned.
"I'm not." She could smell something sweet and fragrant, as well as food.
"Okay. Let me help you move." He guided her body into a chair.
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
"Just one more second." She heard him sit down. "Now, you can open your eyes."
She found herself in a dimly lit Hydroponics. The lights had been completely turned out and only several large candles on stands around them lit the area. Beautiful flowers surrounded them. A table had been set up in the middle of the room, near the roses. On the table was a fancy dinner that she was certain a lot of time had been put into preparing. Across from her sat a smiling Harper.
"You're a real romantic at heart, aren't you?" she asked.
His smile widened. "Guilty as charged. Do you like it?"
"I love it." She took a bite of the pasta on the plate in front of her. "This is great!"
"I was kinda worried you'd think it was weird and want to leave the second you opened your eyes," he admitted.
She put her hand on his. "Don't worry. I love it. But why go to all this trouble over me?"
"Don't you know what today is, Maggie?"
"It's Friday. The surfing championship is on tonight..."
"It's been seven weeks since you came back to Andromeda."
"Wow, it doesn't feel like that long." She paused and looked worried. "Is this one of those goodbye, it's time to leave but I'm going to be nice about it dinners?"
"No, of course not." He held her hand in his. "This is just something nice I wanted to do for you, nothing attached."
She sighed in relief. "Good." She took another bite of the pasta, followed by another.
Harper didn't eat any of his, just watched her intently.
She put down her fork. "Aren't you going to have some?"
"Yeah, I was just making sure you liked it." He fumbled with his fork for a moment before he started eating.
They ate in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Harper was nervous, and Margaret realized it. It made her start to worry that he was hiding something from her. As she finished her dinner, she watched him picking through his food with his fork.
"Are you just going to play with it, or actually eat it?" she asked.
He took a very audible deep breath and glanced up at her. "I lied to you earlier. There's a reason I did all this beyond the seven week thing."
"Why?" she asked, wondering if she actually wanted to hear the answer.
"Well, here's how I had it all planned out. We'd come down here and have a great dinner with conversation, but you wouldn't wonder why I did it or ask anything about it. Then, after dinner, I'd ask you if you like to dance. You'd say yes. And then we'd dance for a while...after we danced, we'd sit over there by the roses. I'd take one of those roses and give it to you. Tell you how much more beautiful you are than it, y'know..."
"That's really sweet, Harper." She smiled.
"Actually, there was more, but it'd probably just upset you and make you run off or something."
"I wouldn't do that. You know me better than-"
"There's one thing I'd like to know. One thing I've been trying to ask you ever since you came back, but I've never been able to find the right words. And you never really caught on when I tried to bring it up..."
She stood up and stretched. "What would you like to know?"
"Remember when you were here last time? When Rev invited you..."
She moved to his side of the table as she walked around. "I remember it. What about it?"
"When you left, I didn't even say goodbye really. You should've thought I hated you from the way I acted."
"I did think you hated me, and that it was my fault. I shouldn't have done that after we'd only known each other two days. Rev told you about me, didn't he?"
"He said that there was a problem with you, and that I should probably steer clear of you. But he was all elusive and emphasizing confidentiality when I asked him what it was..."
"You're going to think of me differently, but I'll tell you what Rev was talking about...why no guy should ever have feelings for me."
"But-"
She put a finger on his lips. "I don't want you to say a word until I'm done telling you this."
He nodded and sat back in his chair.
"Let's see. It all started back when I was thirteen. I had no female guidance, since my mother has been dead since I was born. And my father wasn't the world's greatest, either. He was too devoted to the Way and not devoted enough to his child. I really tried to be normal, but with my circumstances, I couldn't be. During my first real excursion into the town I lived outside of, I met someone. He was in his late teens, and the first person to ever be so kind to me. My gratitude took itself to the next level. I was obsessed, beyond obesessed in fact. I did anything and everything to make him happy. It was never romantic, but when I tried to make it romantic, he told me no." She paused. "I became a stalker of sorts, and eventually led to him leaving town. At that point, I thought I had nothing left to live for. I almost ended up dying because I stopped eating, stopped everything. It was a cruel cycle, Harper. I couldn't control my raging emotions. And it happened with several others. At that point, I met Rev. He helped me put at least a little control on it. But then when I met you, it went overboard again. Rev was trying to help both of us, really he was."
"Now that wasn't what I expected..." He stared at her silently for a moment. "I don't hate you, or even feel differently about you. Do you still feel that way about me?"
She stood up and started to run away, but suddenly stopped and walked back. "I'm not doing this. I don't know what I feel anymore. I've been using the Divine to repress my feelings."
"Well, you've definitely turned over a new leaf in lifestyle so far. Would you like to make even more different?"
She was speechless for a long time. "Are you asking me..."
He stood up. "Yeah, I'm asking you if you'd like a new answer to that question you asked me four months ago."
"But I don't know anything about relationships or-"
"I've been your teacher in engineering. And maybe I don't have as much experience in this as engineering..."
"But you can still be my teacher?"
"If you'll have me as your teacher."
She hugged him. "I think this is probably the weirdest conversation I've ever had, Harper."
He chuckled. "You're not the only one. Am I allowed to kiss you?"
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I kissed you. Are you happy now?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I wouldn't be happy unless-"
"Do I really want to know what you're about to say?"
"Nah, we'll talk about it later. Why don't we go and celebrate now?"
"By watching the surfing championship in your quarters?" she guessed.
"Yeah, it should be starting soon. Y'know, if Dylan would've allowed it, I'd be down there surfing amongst the best of 'em."
"I know. You still haven't taken me surfing yet. When are we going down to Infinity Atoll? You promised..."
They walked down the corridor together, still engaged in conversation. Both found it strange that everything was different between them, yet remained the same. Part of Harper's mind was beginning to doubt their friendship could survive a real relationship, especially after Margaret's history with them. When the doubts surfaced, he reached into his pocket and clutched the locket tightly in his hand. 'Anything is possible,' he thought. 'Two parallel lines just intersected, so who knows what could come next?'
Author: Melissa, aka ILH
Series/Sequel: 3 out of 3 (with potential for a follow-up) Parallel Lines, Caught By Catastrophe are the prequels
Censor: PG-13
Content Warnings: A little blood here, some language there, etc.
Central Characters: Harper, Margaret
Spoilers: Nothing really major, tiny ones that you probably won't even notice
Disclaimer: Andromeda characters and the like belong to Tribune
Claimer: Margaret and the like belongs to me (actually, you can use her if you feel the urge to, I don't really care)
NOTE: This is the original version...an edited one is in progress as you read this :)
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"The Maru has been launched," Tyr said from the tactical station.
"I didn't authorize anyone to take my ship anywhere!" Beka said from the slipstream pilot chair. "Find out who's stealing my ship!"
"Hailing the Maru," Tyr said.
"Uhhhhh hi." Harper appeared on the screen. "I've got some personal business that I need to take care of right now. But I don't have much time to be chatting with you. And don't worry, Boss. I'll take good care of the Maru. Ummmmmm Harper out."
The communications channel was closed, and the Maru entered slipstream.
"Where in the hell is he going?" Beka asked angrily.
"That Wayist retreat," Tyr replied.
"Why would he be going there without asking me if he could borrow my ship?" Beka unbuckled her restraints and started to leave Command Deck.
"Where are you going?" Tyr asked.
"I'm going to go tell Dylan," Beka replied and stomped off before Tyr could stop her again.
*****
Harper set the Maru on autopilot and collected the medical supplies he'd dropped by the airlock in his haste. He took them to Medical Deck and, using the information he downloaded from Andromeda, prepared an area that would be adequate to heal Margaret's wounds.
"That's everything...but I don't know if it'll be enough," Harper said to himself. "She looked really bad, and that was at least eight hours ago. By now she could be..."
He refused to finish his sentence, silently returning to the cockpit to prepare for landing on the surface. From her condition, it didn't seem to him that she could have gone far from the retreat. He decided he would land at the nearest town with a spacedock, or the equivalent.
*****
"Harper what?" Dylan asked, not believing what he had heard the first time.
"He took the Maru, told us he had some personal business and slipstreamed," Beka said. "I have no clue where he went or why."
"I think I have some idea, but we'd better hurry or we won't be able to trace his slipstream route," Dylan said.
They returned to Command Deck. Tyr was staring pensively at the view screen.
"We need to run scans of Harper's slipstream route so-" Dylan began.
"That won't be necessary. I know exactly where he is," Tyr said, his tone very certain.
"As do I," Rev said as he stepped from the Command Deck door frame into the room.
"Well, would any of you mind telling me what this is about?" Beka asked.
"Margaret. I told Harper we couldn't go pick her up from the Wayist retreat until we'd met with the Eltaurans," Dylan said.
"And we just received a courier package from the planet for Harper," Rev said. "Though I don't know what it contained."
"We talked, and I told him not to let anyone stand in his way. But I never intended for him to steal the Maru," Tyr said.
"Why did he suddenly, out of blue, decide to go see her?" Beka asked.
"Margaret's father died yesterday," Rev explained.
"Oh. That explains a lot," Beka said.
"The Eltaurans emphasize punctuality and order. We can't be late, or they might decide to abandon all thought of joining the Commonwealth," Dylan said.
"And the planet rarely has outside visitors. It is of no interest to hostile individuals," Rev said.
"He'll come back once he has her, and I'll make sure he pays for stealing my ship," Beka said, heading down to the slipstream piloting chair.
"Take us to Eltauran, Beka," Dylan said.
*****
It was bumpy, but Harper managed to keep the Maru from hitting any buildings or trees when he landed. He was near a forest and a town, from what he could see during his descent. After equipping himself with some basic medical supplies, he ventured out onto the planet's surface.
"Now, which way is it to the town?" he asked himself, scanning the surrounding area. When he spotted a dirt path a few hundred feet away, he smiled. "Bingo!"
The path was winding and went through the forest partially. It seemed endless, which frustrated Harper. Time was one of the few commodities he didn't have. Eventually, he did spot the town in the distance. He broke into a run, and arrived in the town square out of breath. He noticed how primitive the town appeared to be. "These are the people that are probably taking care of Margaret?"
A little girl was playing by a house, jumping rope and giggling. "Hey, do you know where the town doctor is?" Harper asked.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said, stopping and backing away.
"Well, I'm Harper. What's your name?" He smiled, and tried to appear as friendly as he could.
"Cindy," she said timidly.
"Well, now we're not strangers anymore, so you can tell me where the doctor is," Harper said.
"Over there in that building." She pointed at a building the size of the homes.
Harper ran over to the building and knocked on the door. There was no answer. While he waited, he glanced around. His eyes eventually set themselves on the strange decoration above the door. It appeared to be ceremonial, a small sphere with hair. He reached up and touched it, revealing a face under the hair. "Oh my god! That's a shrunken head!" Harper realized, hopping back.
Out of worry more than anything, he tried opening the door. It was unlocked. "Is anybody home?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer to that question.
The entry room was normal enough, only a few odd decorations on the walls made it different from any normal waiting room. Harper saw three doors leading out of the room. He decided to try the first one he came to and opened it. Inside were shelves of freakish items in jars and books. Some of the contents of the jars he identified as internal organs.
"What are you doing in my storage room?!?" an angry voice boomed from behind him.
Harper jumped around and saw an intimidating man dressed in strange garb, deep colored cloaks and jewelry that looked to be tribal. He had a large, sharp dagger in a sheath on his leg. The man's hand was resting on the hilt of the dagger, ready to draw it at any moment.
*****
Rev had grown very curious about the circumstances surrounding Harper's sudden 'borrowing' of the Maru and lack of an explanation to why he felt the need to leave so quickly. It did go against his moral codes, but he decided to visit Harper's quarters. He had come to know Harper after several discussions about Margaret, and Harper would have waited. Unless something unforseen had happened.
Rev stepped around the various items scattered on the floor, realizing that Rommie's comments about Harper's habits in hygiene in cleanliness were true. He found the data rod by Harper's communications console. "Thank you, Master Harper." Rev carried the data rod to his own quarters to view it, feeling as if he were still invading Harper's privacy by remaining in his quarters.
The footage the data rod contained was shocking and disturbing. Rev brought the data rod to Command Deck, hoping it wasn't too late already.
"Dylan, I believe I have something that will better explain Harper's actions," Rev said, showing the data rod to Dylan.
Dylan took the data rod and placed it in the proper slot. Margaret's message began playing on the view screen.
"Hi, Harper, it's me, Margaret. As you can see, I'm in a bit of a bind right now. I've just been through the worst day of my life." She reached down to wipe her leg and her hand came back bloodied, entering the corner of the view screen. "I won't go into details, but you really don't have to worry about me. In case things don't improve, well I do care about you, too. And the fact you're thinking about me really does mean a lot." She seemed to lose focus at this point. "Harper, I think I'd better go lay down or something. I really do care about you a lot, and I hope I get to see you again. Goodbye..." She passed out, her head slamming into the console below and cutting the message off abruptly.
"I understand why Harper went running off now," Dylan said.
"What action do you plan to take, Dylan?" Rev asked.
"The Eltaurans won't tolerate any delays," Dylan said.
Trance entered Command Deck. "Some of the medical supplies are missing."
"And he interfaced with me downloaded some medical data for injuries that coincide with those visible in the message," Rommie said.
"Harper's a self-proclaimed genius," Beka said. "If anyone can help Margaret right now, it's him."
"He is no medic, though, and Margaret's condition seemed very serious," Rev began.
"He'll do what he can, Rev. Even if we did head to the retreat now, we wouldn't be there for over an hour. Then, we'd have to search the planet for both of them. By that time, Harper would be slipstreaming back to us," Dylan said.
*****
"Nice voodoo king," Harper said, gulping as he backed up. "I'm not taking any of your...ummmm...freaky occult stuff."
"What do you want here? You're an outsider," the man said.
Harper glanced around the room, looking for any escape. "I was actually looking for somebody."
"Why do you think you'd find anyone here?" The man glared at Harper.
"She was hurt pretty bad, and you're the town doctor, right?"
"Right. And you're talking about the girl, a fellow outsider?"
Harper was growing more and more nervous as he was being cornered. "Yeah, she's a girl. Margaret. You know where she is?"
"She's healing. Come back in a week or two." The man began ushering Harper towards the door. He opened it and shoved Harper out.
"Damn that freaky voodoo man!" Harper grimaced at the thought of what the man had done and was doing to Margaret. "I should've brought a Gauss gun. I've got a nanowelder back on the Maru, though. But that's too far away."
He sighed and looked around. The little girl was still playing by her house, happily singing a rhyme as she jumped rope. A thought crossed his mind that quickly developed into a plan. He approached the girl and leaned down to her height level, smiling and talking in the most unthreatening voice he could muster.
"Y'know your doctor isn't a very nice man," Harper said, rubbing the spot where he had been shoved.
"He's nice to me," the little girl said, dropping her jump rope.
He smiled. "Is there anything you'd like right now?"
"What do you mean? Like candy?" He seemed to have piqued her interest.
"Yeah, like candy, or whatever else you want."
"Why would you give me candy?" She paused. "What do I have to do for it?"
"You're catching on. I need you to do me a little favor, just a little one." He gestured with a tiny space inbetween his fingers. "But you have to do exactly what I say or it isn't going to work, okay?"
*****
"I'm worried about Harper," Trance said, taking a bite out of the apple she held.
"My brothers are very kind and will help in any way they can," Rev said. "And the Divine is watching over him."
"I'm with Trance here. What if he didn't go to the retreat?" Beka asked.
"He probably went wherever that message was sent from," Trance said.
"It was sent from a village several kilometers from the retreat itself," Rev said.
"Have you ever been to the village?" Beka asked.
"No, my brothers avoid it. Their practices are primitive and dangerous, which is why I am so concerned for Margaret's safety," Rev replied.
"What do you mean by primitive?" Beka asked.
"They believe strongly in the occult, and their medicine reflects upon that belief," Rev said.
"So, this is definitely bad for Margaret and Harper," Trance concluded.
"Yeah, it sounds bad. Why didn't you tell Dylan?" Beka asked.
"Within the two hours that it would require for us to return to the planet, both of their paths would have been chosen already," Rev explained. "Dylan has enough on his mind as it is."
"Let's just hope that those paths lead back to us," Beka said.
*****
The doctor entered the supply room he had caught the pesky outsider in. "That boy probably stole something!" He began taking a detailed inventory check, looking for even a single absent particle of sand from the jar he had collected from the shores of Ayngale. In the midst of his work, he heard the door open behind him.
He spun around, hand on the hilt of his dagger again. He assumed the boy had returned seeking the outsider girl again. His hand relaxed and moved away from his dagger when he realized it was only Cindy, a local girl who he had taken a liking to. She was crying and panicked. "What's wrong, Cindy?"
"There's somebody outside of town in the valley. They're hurt really bad," Cindy said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Is it an outsider?" he asked.
"I don't know," she sobbed. "But you have to help!"
"Fine, if it will make you feel better. Take me to them," he finally said.
She grabbed him by the hand and tugged him outside the door, off towards the valley.
Harper watched from behind the house as they left, and when they were out of his range of vision, he acted. He grabbed the portable stretcher and dragged it into the cabin. The other two doors were locked, the storage room door left open.
"Damn!" Harper said and sighed. He backed up and kicked the door to the first room. It burst open to reveal another storage room that was of no use to him. "Well, this has gotta be it then."
He again backed up and kicked the second door. It wasn't quick to budge. He tried several times before the wood eventually split, some of it slicing through his pants and into his calf and knee. He ignored the pain and blood as he reached through the hole he created and opened the door from inside, feeling at least slightly relieved.
The sight before him left him all but relieved. Margaret lay there, on a cot, covered in a dark cloth. Pallid was an understatement for her skin's tone. Her chest was barely rising. He threw off the dark cloth to reveal her unclothed body, in which hundreds of pins were placed. The wound on her leg was evidently very infected, seeping pus and blood. The sight sickened him, and he was taken aback for a moment.
"Oh my god...I've gotta get you outta here," Harper said to himself, covering her again and lifting her onto the stretcher. He tried not to force any of the needles farther under her skin, but knew that it was a vain effort.
He attached the straps on the stretcher to his back and started running out of the cabin and into the woods. He knew the 'doctor' wouldn't be the least bit pleased when he returned. Paranoia overtook Harper as he ran back towards the Maru. He'd occassionally glance over his shoulder, hoping he wouldn't see the doctor in pursuit. His run had started to turn into a limp as the pain in his leg became more severe.
When he had nearly arrived at the Maru, he again glanced over his shoulder. This time his paranoia had been justified. The doctor was no more than forty feet behind him, dagger held in an offensive position, and quickly closing the gap in distance.
*****
Margaret was fading in and out of consciousness. She felt the sensation of being moved, and the body heat indicative of another living being. The voice was familiar, but her mind was clouded by the pain. She wasn't sure whether it was real or a nightmare. Or maybe a combination of both, from the little that she could recall.
When the movement stopped, she heard a pounding near by. 'Footsteps,' she realized. A loud clanging came from above, and she felt her body being propelled into a darker area. She heard a heated argument, and yells of pain. Eventually, she heard a thud and nauseating sounds that she couldn't pinpoint as anything in particular.
The movement began again, but only lasted for a moment. The clanging metallic sound returned. It ended, and she felt the area around her shaking. It scared her, mostly because she had no clue what was happening.
She cried out in garbled inaudible bits and pieces of words. The turbulence ended, and things were smooth again for a moment. She relaxed, thinking that it was all over. But the sensation that her body had been split into hundreds of separate pieces followed. It was more unpleasant than any she'd felt thus far.
This time she screamed with what little energy she had remaining. "Just make it stop," she said, tears running down her face.
"It's okay. I'm here," she heard before the movement again ensued. The gentle cooing of comfort continued. The voice was so familiar, but she still couldn't identify it.
The movement stopped, and she felt herself being jarred. She could feel very bright light above her and wondered where she was.
The comfort stopped, and the voice became more serious. She felt something pressed into her neck. With that, she began floating downwards until she was again enshrouded in blackness.
*****
Harper winced as he moved around the bed to untie the stretcher supports from Margaret. The pain in his leg was beginning to become unbearable, but he brought only enough painkillers for Margaret. "And she's what matters," he reminded himself. "You're just fine, Harper. Just a few splinters and little cut."
The splinters were much bigger and more than that, from the door he had split. The cut was a stab wound from the doctor. Their fight had ended in the doctor's unconsciousness. Harper had been very compelled to take the dagger from the doctor and stab him repeatedly. Something had kept him from doing so, though. He hated admitting to the fact that since leaving Earth he'd developed a conscience.
Harper removed the cloth from Margaret's body to see that many of the needles had become more deeply embedded in her skin. He started removing the pins by her leg wound, one by one. After drowning the bite wound in disinfecting agent, he carefully wrapped it with a sterile bandage. The blood was quick to soak through the bandage. He wondered if it was too late for the clotting properties of the antibiotics to help.
He knew what his next task was. He started removing the rest of the needles from her body. Each one simply emphasized that practically her entire body had become infected. Two hours had passed before he finished bandaging and repairing her wounds to the best of his ability. He, then, realized that he was feeling lightheaded himself.
"I've gotta get back to the cockpit," he said to himself as the room started to spin. He grabbed the nearest solid object, a table. "What's going on? I really don't feel so good." He slid down to the floor, and his eyes involuntarily rolled back into his head.
*****
Trance paced Hydroponics. She rarely, if ever, paced. Her worry and concern for Harper had grown into a gripping instinct to turn Andromeda around herself. Something just wasn't right, and her entire body could feel it hanging thick in the air. She just needed to convince Dylan that the Eltaurans weren't as important as Harper, which would be no small task. With the addition of the Eltaurans to the Commonwealth, the surrounding systems' planets would follow. Dylan had wanted this for months on end. His dream was becoming a reality, and Trance had no desire to shatter it.
"But you have to now, don't you?" Trance asked herself aloud as she headed to Command Deck.
She found it vacant, except for Dylan staring out the view screen pensively.
"Ummmmmm, Captain?" Trance asked from behind him.
"It's Dylan," he reminded her, not turning around.
"Sorry. Dylan, I know how much Eltauran means to you," she started.
"Are you still worried about Harper? Because he's more than capable of handling himself. You seem to be forgetting he survived twenty years on Earth before-"
She finally interrupted Dylan. "I'm not just worried anymore. I have a feeling-"
"You want me to turn Andromeda around and ruin the prospect of expanding the Commonwealth by not just one, but twenty planets over a bad feeling?" His tone was doubtful.
"It's not just a bad feeling. Remember when I told you about the possibilities and how I guess back on Mobius?" She moved in front of him.
"Yes. You said that you had a 90% chance of guessing right."
"This time it isn't just a guess."
"How do you know, Trance?" His expression had grown concerned but still uncertain.
"Well, there were originally 2,407 possibilities. That number kept getting smaller and smaller until there was only one remaining."
"And that one is..."
She frowned. "Not good."
"How certain are you about this, Trance?" Dylan asked, very seriously.
"99.9% certain," she replied confidently.
Dylan stared at her and began weighing his options.
******
Margaret went into a coughing fit and opened her eyes. She was barely capable of movement, but from what she could see, she was in some sort of medical facility. She turned her head slightly, wincing in pain.
A bloody man lay unconscious by the wall. When she remembered the voice, she immediately realized who it was. "Harper!" she said raspily. "Harper, wake up!"
There was no response, not even a slight movement. Her heart got caught in her throat when she thought of the possibility that he had been completely selfless and died while saving her life.
Her cry was more desperate, a plea from deep within her. "Harper!"
Again, there was no response from him. She yelled until her dry throat burned too much to even swallow, and she could produce no sound from it. The entire time, she stared at his completely blood soaked pant leg. The tears wanted to fall, but she wouldn't allow this to be a moment of weakness. He needed her to be strong.
She pulled herself from the bed, only to fall face first onto the cold metal floor. A fight with unconsciousness ensued. And her fear and drive to help him proved victorious. She disregarded the pain, and moved herself to his side through rolling and grasping what secure objects she could and pulling herself. Her hand immediately went to his neck. She felt a weak pulse, but a pulse still. His breathing was shallow. He was bleeding slowly to death.
"Forgive me," she whispered. She carefully took off his cargo pants to see what sort of wound they were dealing with. Splinters of wood surrounded a deep stab wound on his thigh. There were already signs of impending infection, but she had no time to do anything for that. She tied the cargo pants tightly around the stab wound, hoping to cut off the blood supply to it.
"Eureka Maru this is the Andromeda Ascendant. Please respond. You are flying towards a star. I repeat you are flying straight towards a star," a voice echoed through the ship.
Margaret panicked and grabbed Harper by the shoulders, shaking him. "Wake up!" she whispered, picking up a medical tool from the floor near her and banging it against the wall as hard as she could. No amount of noise stirred Harper from unconsciousness.
She did all she knew to do, dragged herself across the floor and through the room's door. The cockpit was in sight, only thirty or so feet away. But in her condition, she found it miraculous that she could travel five feet. After a few deep breaths, she turned onto her side and started rolling towards the cockpit. The pain was searing, and blood was again seeping through the bandages.
The message repeated, the voice warning of imminent death and destruction if she did nothing. She clutched to the voice, and pulled herself up on the slipstream piloting chair. She pressed several buttons, but eventually managed to find the communications button even with her blurred vision.
"Help me," she said, trying to speak above a whisper.
"Turn off the engines," the communications voice said.
She swallowed, again ignoring the pain. "How?"
"There are three buttons near the one you just pressed," a female voice said. You have to press them from right to left consecutively."
She found three buttons and pressed them consecutively from right to left. Claxons started blaring, and she assumed she'd made a mistake.
"Crap! You're venting plasma now! Venting plasma out of MY ship! Go up a row," the female voice said angrily.
Margaret couldn't remember what row she had pressed before, though.
*****
"You do know that if she goes down a row instead of up a row, the ship will slipstream automatically," Beka said to Dylan.
"Let's hope she doesn't do that. I don't think she knows how to pilot..." Dylan said.
"And if Harper dies, the Maru will explode and kill both of them. We're screwed, Dylan!" She started pacing Command Deck.
"She'll do it right. The sun is still within a hundred kilometers of the safety range," he assured Beka.
"She's got twenty seconds from right now before they both enter the corona and start melting." She paused. "10...9...8...7...6..."
"Stop it, Beka! She'll do it." As Dylan finished speaking, the Maru stopped right outside of the star's corona.
"Manually bringing the Maru into Hangar Deck," Beka said.
"Trance is waiting for them." He smiled. "And if they've made it this far, I'm sure they'll be fine."
"I'm going down there," Beka said as she exited Command Deck.
Beka caught up with Trance in Hangar Deck, getting ready to board the Maru.
"I thought you might be able to use some help," Beka said.
"Thanks. I probably will need some with two patients," Trance said.
The airlock opened to reveal Margaret laying on the cockpit floor. She was wrapped in white bandages, but they had become bloody. Trance hurried to her side.
"I'll go find, Harper," Beka said, heading straight towards the Maru's Medical Bay.
An unconscious Harper lay by the entrance. His bloody pants were tied around his leg, where Beka was certain he had been injured. She prepared a stretcher quickly and lifted him onto it. She pushed him into the cockpit, where Margaret was already on a stretcher.
"We need to get both of them to Med Deck," Trance said, doing a quick examanation of Harper.
"Will they be all right?" Beka asked.
"Only time can tell," Trance said.
*****
-~...ONE WEEK LATER...~-
"I'm sick of being here in bed!" Harper whined.
"You're not going to be able to walk for at least another week or so," Trance said.
"And it's not really that bad. I'm still not up to sitting very much," Margaret said.
"I'm not up to walking yet, but I am up to sitting, right?" Harper asked.
"Right," Trance replied.
"Would you help me get down to one of the Machine Shops? I've got an idea!" Harper said, grinning.
"I'll go get one of the wheelchairs," Trance said.
"Exactly what I need. Thanks, babe." Harper pushed himself around until his feet dangled from the edge of the bed.
Trance helped him down into the chair. "I'll be back in a minute, Margaret."
"I'll be here," she said with a smile.
Trance wheeled Harper out of Medical Deck and towards one of the Machine Shops. "What are you going to do, Harper?"
"I'm going to make this a lot easier for both Margaret and me. Let's see...we'll need to stop by my quarters and grab some stuff first." He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, we've got everything I need here on board."
After a trip around the ship collecting supplies, Harper started working on his project and didn't stop until it was completely finished.
*****
"What is it?" Margaret asked, turning her head to stare at the large machine Harper had constructed and was sitting in.
"Okay, this is our ticket out of Med Deck. This front wheelchair here that I'm sitting in, with the joystick attached, is mine. I control it while you either sit or lie back here on this modified wheel chair that can be set up just like a stretcher. The propulsion system is right here, and it's a very basic and quiet electric engine. And it comes complete with pockets for storage and drinks. Pretty cool, huh?" Harper asked.
Margaret smiled. "You went to a lot of trouble to make that, didn't you?"
"Nah, it was nothing compared building Rommie's avatar."
She seemed amazed. "You built her avatar?"
"Yup, I built her avatar. Now, are you up to giving it a test run since i'm already in the front car?" He patted the second wheelchair behind him.
"Can I, Trance?" Margaret asked.
"If you feel up to sitting, you're free to take a short ride," Trance replied.
"I think I am." Margaret, with Trance's help, hopped over to the second wheelchair and sat down in it. "Where are we going, Harper?"
"You'll see." He pressed a button and a soft engine humming started. When he pressed the joystick forward, the wheelchairs smoothly moved from Medical Deck out into the corridor.
"This is fun," Margaret commented as they navigated through the corridors.
"So, how are you feeling, Margaret?" Harper asked.
"It hurts still, but I think I'll make a full recovery and so does Trance."
"We're almost there." Harper turned another corner, and they entered a room nearly filled with supplies. "It may not be much to look at, but it's quiet and private. And we've got Sparky here, too."
Margaret was silent for a moment. "What do you want to talk about that needs quiet and private?"
"Just everything. And I know Dylan's gonna end up asking you all this anyways. I thought I'd just warn you so you could think about it. What do you plan on doing?"
"What do you mean?"
He sighed. "Are you going to go back to the Wayist retreat?"
She felt the emotions start to surface again at the thought of her father. "I know I don't want to go back there, of all places. I don't think I could handle it..."
"I didn't think you would want to. What about other family?"
"I don't have any. I'm more or less an orphan now. Without any family or friends-"
He suddenly became very serious. "You've got me, Margaret, if no one else. Don't you ever think you don't have any friends."
"Do you know how sweet you are?"
"Thanks. Talking like this is too hard. Wait a second." He hopped from his wheelchair and moved back to hers. He pulled out a couple of metal components and extended it into a larger wheelchair, big enough for the both of them. He sat down beside her. "There, that's better."
She nodded. "Mmmmhmmmmm."
"So, has anything changed since the last time I saw you?" he asked.
"Well, I lived at the Wayist retreat for a few months. I missed my other home until I found out about my dad. Then, he got sick and died. I ran away and got myself hurt really bad. You rescued me. And now we're here," she summarized.
"No, I mean have you yourself changed at all?" He seemed slightly nervous.
"I don't understand, Harper, what-"
"Nevermind. We'll talk about it later. So, do you know what you want to do with your life?"
"I don't know...I just know I don't want to be alone again. It was scary, Harper. I thought I was going to die back at the retreat." She laid her head on his shoulder.
"What if I taught you engineering? I think I can be a good teacher if I've got a good student..."
"I'll think about it, Harper. But I don't know if I'd be any good at it. I've never been good with machines or anything and-"
He pulled something out of his pocket and clutched it in his hand. "Remember this?" He opened his hand to reveal her locket. "You've taught me that anything's possible, babe. And now I think it's my turn to teach you."
"What's my first lesson, Mr. Harper?"
"Your first lesson is just to call me Harper. You're not Dylan, and it kinda freaks me out when you sound like him like that."
"Sorry, Harper. Lesson learned. And it wasn't even hard." She smiled. "I hope engineering ends up being easy for me."
"You want to learn engineering?"
"Of course I do. Anything that you like so much has to be good."
*****
-~...A LITTLE OVER A MONTH LATER...~-
Harper and Margaret walked down the corridor together towards Engineering.
"Y'know today's a good day for your test, Maggie," Harper said.
"What test?" Margaret asked nervously.
"Don't worry. You're great with everything, better than I would've imagined. I'm just going to test you on what you've learned so far. Since my last test with the fake emergency didn't turn out so hot, I'm telling you this time."
"Well, I did do what you taught me...except it was wrong circumstances for what I did. But I thought you were really in danger and that scared me..."
"I know. I'd probably freak out if you were in the situation that you thought I was in. Man, that's a mouth full."
She smiled. "I'm just glad we're both fine now."
They arrived at Engineering. Harper gestured to a table loaded down with tools. "Tell me what they are and what you do with them."
"What I'm supposed to do with them or what I would do with them?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Margaret! I'm shocked...I didn't think you were capable of being..."
"Dirty-minded?" she asked with a grin.
"Yeah, that's the word I was looking for."
"Once you've been around Seamus Zelazny Harper almost every hour of every day for over a month, it starts to rub off on you." Her grin widened.
"You're trying to get out of taking this test?" he guessed.
"There's a lot of tools on the table. There are the easy ones, like a soldering wand." She picked it up. "You take the metal parts apart or put them back together with it by heating them up."
"And what about this?" Harper asked, picking up another tool.
She took the tool from him. "That's a nanowelder. You cut stuff apart with it or you can weld metal together. It's the best tool in your toolbelt, Harper."
"And it can also serve as a makeshift weapon, since it cuts through starship hulls easily. Definitely very versatile."
"Let's see..." She picked up another tool. "We haven't used this one yet."
"Are you sure?" Harper asked.
"I'm completely sure. I would've remembered it. How many of these tools have I actually used?" She started picking up random tools and turning them on.
He shrugged. "I just dumped one of the boxes I store them in out on the table. Actually, I haven't used a lot of these in a long time."
"Is my test over now?" She started putting some of the tools back in the box.
"Yeah, it's over. I've got a surprise for you anyways."
"A surprise? Is it a good surprise or a bad surprise?"
"I think you're going to like it. But you have to close your eyes and trust me, okay?"
She closed her eyes. "I trust you."
He took her hand and led her through the corridors. She had lost track of where they were quickly, and assumed that he intentionally did it to make it a real surprise. Eventually, they walked through a door.
"Don't open your eyes yet," Harper warned.
"I'm not." She could smell something sweet and fragrant, as well as food.
"Okay. Let me help you move." He guided her body into a chair.
"Can I open my eyes yet?"
"Just one more second." She heard him sit down. "Now, you can open your eyes."
She found herself in a dimly lit Hydroponics. The lights had been completely turned out and only several large candles on stands around them lit the area. Beautiful flowers surrounded them. A table had been set up in the middle of the room, near the roses. On the table was a fancy dinner that she was certain a lot of time had been put into preparing. Across from her sat a smiling Harper.
"You're a real romantic at heart, aren't you?" she asked.
His smile widened. "Guilty as charged. Do you like it?"
"I love it." She took a bite of the pasta on the plate in front of her. "This is great!"
"I was kinda worried you'd think it was weird and want to leave the second you opened your eyes," he admitted.
She put her hand on his. "Don't worry. I love it. But why go to all this trouble over me?"
"Don't you know what today is, Maggie?"
"It's Friday. The surfing championship is on tonight..."
"It's been seven weeks since you came back to Andromeda."
"Wow, it doesn't feel like that long." She paused and looked worried. "Is this one of those goodbye, it's time to leave but I'm going to be nice about it dinners?"
"No, of course not." He held her hand in his. "This is just something nice I wanted to do for you, nothing attached."
She sighed in relief. "Good." She took another bite of the pasta, followed by another.
Harper didn't eat any of his, just watched her intently.
She put down her fork. "Aren't you going to have some?"
"Yeah, I was just making sure you liked it." He fumbled with his fork for a moment before he started eating.
They ate in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Harper was nervous, and Margaret realized it. It made her start to worry that he was hiding something from her. As she finished her dinner, she watched him picking through his food with his fork.
"Are you just going to play with it, or actually eat it?" she asked.
He took a very audible deep breath and glanced up at her. "I lied to you earlier. There's a reason I did all this beyond the seven week thing."
"Why?" she asked, wondering if she actually wanted to hear the answer.
"Well, here's how I had it all planned out. We'd come down here and have a great dinner with conversation, but you wouldn't wonder why I did it or ask anything about it. Then, after dinner, I'd ask you if you like to dance. You'd say yes. And then we'd dance for a while...after we danced, we'd sit over there by the roses. I'd take one of those roses and give it to you. Tell you how much more beautiful you are than it, y'know..."
"That's really sweet, Harper." She smiled.
"Actually, there was more, but it'd probably just upset you and make you run off or something."
"I wouldn't do that. You know me better than-"
"There's one thing I'd like to know. One thing I've been trying to ask you ever since you came back, but I've never been able to find the right words. And you never really caught on when I tried to bring it up..."
She stood up and stretched. "What would you like to know?"
"Remember when you were here last time? When Rev invited you..."
She moved to his side of the table as she walked around. "I remember it. What about it?"
"When you left, I didn't even say goodbye really. You should've thought I hated you from the way I acted."
"I did think you hated me, and that it was my fault. I shouldn't have done that after we'd only known each other two days. Rev told you about me, didn't he?"
"He said that there was a problem with you, and that I should probably steer clear of you. But he was all elusive and emphasizing confidentiality when I asked him what it was..."
"You're going to think of me differently, but I'll tell you what Rev was talking about...why no guy should ever have feelings for me."
"But-"
She put a finger on his lips. "I don't want you to say a word until I'm done telling you this."
He nodded and sat back in his chair.
"Let's see. It all started back when I was thirteen. I had no female guidance, since my mother has been dead since I was born. And my father wasn't the world's greatest, either. He was too devoted to the Way and not devoted enough to his child. I really tried to be normal, but with my circumstances, I couldn't be. During my first real excursion into the town I lived outside of, I met someone. He was in his late teens, and the first person to ever be so kind to me. My gratitude took itself to the next level. I was obsessed, beyond obesessed in fact. I did anything and everything to make him happy. It was never romantic, but when I tried to make it romantic, he told me no." She paused. "I became a stalker of sorts, and eventually led to him leaving town. At that point, I thought I had nothing left to live for. I almost ended up dying because I stopped eating, stopped everything. It was a cruel cycle, Harper. I couldn't control my raging emotions. And it happened with several others. At that point, I met Rev. He helped me put at least a little control on it. But then when I met you, it went overboard again. Rev was trying to help both of us, really he was."
"Now that wasn't what I expected..." He stared at her silently for a moment. "I don't hate you, or even feel differently about you. Do you still feel that way about me?"
She stood up and started to run away, but suddenly stopped and walked back. "I'm not doing this. I don't know what I feel anymore. I've been using the Divine to repress my feelings."
"Well, you've definitely turned over a new leaf in lifestyle so far. Would you like to make even more different?"
She was speechless for a long time. "Are you asking me..."
He stood up. "Yeah, I'm asking you if you'd like a new answer to that question you asked me four months ago."
"But I don't know anything about relationships or-"
"I've been your teacher in engineering. And maybe I don't have as much experience in this as engineering..."
"But you can still be my teacher?"
"If you'll have me as your teacher."
She hugged him. "I think this is probably the weirdest conversation I've ever had, Harper."
He chuckled. "You're not the only one. Am I allowed to kiss you?"
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I kissed you. Are you happy now?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I wouldn't be happy unless-"
"Do I really want to know what you're about to say?"
"Nah, we'll talk about it later. Why don't we go and celebrate now?"
"By watching the surfing championship in your quarters?" she guessed.
"Yeah, it should be starting soon. Y'know, if Dylan would've allowed it, I'd be down there surfing amongst the best of 'em."
"I know. You still haven't taken me surfing yet. When are we going down to Infinity Atoll? You promised..."
They walked down the corridor together, still engaged in conversation. Both found it strange that everything was different between them, yet remained the same. Part of Harper's mind was beginning to doubt their friendship could survive a real relationship, especially after Margaret's history with them. When the doubts surfaced, he reached into his pocket and clutched the locket tightly in his hand. 'Anything is possible,' he thought. 'Two parallel lines just intersected, so who knows what could come next?'