Author:
Weird_Peace aka Harper's
Censor:
PG-13
Spoilers:
Devil Takes the Hindmost and some Harper 2.0
Story:
Harper and Rev story
Disclaimer:
As much as I'd like to own these characters, they all belong to Tribune.
----------------------------
Chapter
2
Seamus
Harper walked down the halls of the Andromeda Ascendant, a flexi in hand. Two
days ago he had sent his profile to a dating service to see if he could find
that "special someone". Finally he had gotten a reply. The only
problem was the lovely lady spoke French. Why did all his one true loves speak
in dead languages?
Turing
a corner, he strode purposely towards Rev Bem's quarters. He really didn't want
to get the Rev involved in his love life. Hell, he didn't even know if the guy
spoke French, but it was his only chance at getting this damn thing figured
out.
Harper
wasn't much for knocking, and instead walked right into the Magog's quarters.
"Hey
Rev, what does two...ummmm...eat...ummm...bow mean? Does this girl wanna go for
dinner or something? Rev?" Harper finally looked up and realized that no
one was in the room.
"Hey
Rom-doll! Where's Rev?"
Andromeda's
holograph appeared in front of the engineer.
"He's
in Hypodronics meditating, and he's asked not be disturbed."
"But
Rom-doll, I need someone to translate this for me!" Harper said waving the
flexi.
"Let
me look." She said leaning over his shoulder to read.
"Rommie,
I didn't know you wanted to get so close." Harper gave her a mischievous
look.
Rommie's
smile said, don't go there, but she replied out loud, "Apparently this
female would like to meet you at a diner. Coordinates are given."
"Thanks
Rommie. When did you learn French?"
"You
programmed it into my language files...remember?" He gave her a blank
look.
"It
was during the Persied incident."
"Really?"
He looked dazed. Then shook his head. "Never mind." He took another
look around Rev Bem's room. Very sparse. A little shrine set up in the middle
of the room with a mat on the floor in front. A made up bed with a beaten up old
book laying on it. It had a leather cover with the edges gold and an intricate
pattern on the front.
"Whoa!
Well what do we have here?" Harper picked up the book and started leafing
through. "Rommie this is real paper!"
"Harper,"
Rommie warned, "I don't think Rev would like you going through his
personal things.
"Relax
Rommie," he said, "it's just a bunch of stupid Wayist stuff." He
stuck the book under his arm and started walking to the door. Rommie
intercepted him.
"If
it's just a bunch of stupid Wayist stuff, then why are you taking it with
you?"
"Rommie,
chill," he said walking through her holo form, "I was thinking about
looking some of this up. Ever since he gave me that my pain is to the Divine
stuff, I've been kinda curious."
"Don't
you think that you should ask Rev first?" Rommie still looked suspicious.
"Rommie,
rommie, rommie," he turned to face her, "this is Rev we're talking
about. He'd probably be thrilled I was interested in this."
With
that he turned and walked to his quarters. Rommie threw her hands up and let
out an exaggerated sigh. What was she going to do with this crew?
---------------
After
writing Delphine, the French girl, back to confirm the date, Harper plopped
down on his bed and grabbed the book he had "borrowed" from Rev.
Snickering, he opened it to the first page. Rommie was so easy to fool. What he
had here was better than some Wayist boloney. He had swiped Rev's personal
journal!
"Time
to see what dirt the Magog's got." Harper rubbed his hands together and
then turned to the first page.
Many
years ago, while I was under Brother Thaddeus Blake's guidance, he told me that
I should write my thoughts down in a log or journal. He said it would help my
soul speak. I ignored his advice then, believing that I knew the way to my own
way to release, but lately my soul has become troubled, and nothing that I know
of has helped calm it. So I will follow my teacher's advice and see if I can
find myself among written words.
I
suppose my troubles a few years after I broke free from my parent-host. About
five, no six ships landed on our planet. They where occupied by the
Nietzscheans. Those of my group that weren't killed, were taken by the
Nietzscheans. I was one of those. Our fate was yet to be known.
How
far we traveled, I didn't know at the time. I just know it was a long journey.
We eventually landed on a desert planet.
We
were led into a large building, and put in cages, where we soon found out why
we had been taken. For days they did horrible experiments. Trying to find out
something, possibly our weaknesses, even now I don't know.
During
a test, they put me into a room with a human female. I was chained to the wall,
the human was free, and able to get just out of my reach. At first I acted like
any of my kind, pulling against the chain, trying fustily to get at the woman.
Eventually, even I saw the impossibility of my situation, and sat back, waiting
for the woman to make a wrong move.
After
an hour of sitting there, I decided to try my luck once more. I lunged, and
scared her. As she backed up, I noticed one something fall out of her clothing.
I
walked over and picked the paper up. It was a photo of two young males. I
looked at it with some curiosity. The female watched me, her eyes full of fear.
"What
is this?"
The
fear changed to surprise. Though some of my people have the intelligence it
requires to speak, we rarely do such. I repeated the question.
"What
is this?" This time I pointed to the picture, hoping she would understand.
The
woman took a deep, shuddering breath before answering.
"That's
a picture. It's my son and his friend."
This
answer confused me. "Why do you keep a picture of your son?"
"It
helps me remember him."
"You
are...attached to your son?" At the time, I didn't understand the concept.
We have no attachment to our parents. And the only thing our parents do is make
sure we survive long enough to reproduce again. Love, caring...these words have
no meaning to Magog.
"Yes,"
she said hesitantly, still wondering what it was I wanted.
I
looked back to the picture, still confused.
"But
this isn't really your son. It's just a copy of him. It hasn't the smell or
taste of human..."
The
woman suddenly grew angry. Her eyes burned fire.
"If
you want my son you piece of..." She said raising her voice.
"I
never said that," this female was beginning to anger me. "I may wish
to eat your son, as I would any sentient being, but at the moment he is
safe."
She
cocked her head, looking at me curiously. Then something happened, there's no
way to truly explain it, but she looked into my eyes. She looked straight into
my eyes. As she did this, I felt like she was looking into my soul. She was
human female, prey, garbage to some, but at that moment, she had absolute power
over me.
It seemed
like eternity, but lasted only a minute, and then the spell was broken.
"What
the hell did you just do?" I growled.
She
spoke with absolute certainty.
"You
are different. You weren't meant to be like this...like your species."
I
remember stepping back stunned. Then I realized...during the conversation the
human had somehow gotten closer. Grinning, I pounced. As I landed on her, she
let out a yelp. I raised my hand, already I was salivating with the promise of
food.
"Wait!"
She looked afraid. She looked like prey. "Please," she begged,
"please let me go. My son, he's the world to me. And...and I'm the only
thing he has left. You can't separate us, please!"
I
would regret my next action for the rest of my life. Ignoring her pleas, I sunk
my claws into her, and feasted.
Harper
shut the book with a loud snap.
"Whoa,
just a little intense there," he said to no one in particular. The last
entry had brought back a few of his own painful memories.
He
began to fan himself with the book, trying to get his emotions back under
control. A slip of paper fell from between the pages. He picked it up.
"Well,
what do we have here?" he asked with a grin. "This must be the
acclaimed photograph," he said while turning it over.
The
grin left his face.
"Oh
my god!" Shock came over him.
"Daniel?!"
