Chapter 5 - Usual disclaimers and rating.
Harper moved into Tyr's line of fire, he made sure that he was between Beka and the gauss gun. The small engineer looked up into the large Nietzschean's eyes. "I believe you Tyr," he said softly. "Let us help you, that's all we want to do, no one wants to harm either Beka or you." He looked at Tyr with compassion very apparent on his face. "Did they do this to you too? Tyr talk to me, did they implant you with one of these things?" He touched the big man briefly on the arm. "I'm sure that Trance will be able to remove them, just trust us, please Tyr." His voice took on a pleading note. He was devastated at the horrors that had been inflicted on his friends. Tyr pushed Harper's hand away. "Stay out of it kludge, you don't understand what's happened to us." The big man was fidgety, shuffling from foot to foot. It was obvious that his last dose of Flash was wearing off. His hands began to tremble and his legs seemed incapable of holding the weight of his body. That was when Seamus Harper made an almost fatal mistake. He decided to make a grab for Tyr's gun hand. Even in his weakened state Tyr easily overcame Harper. The two men struggled for a while, Harper fighting literally for his life. The engineer was hanging on to Tyr's arm while the infuriated man tried his best to make sure that Harper didn't manage to get the gun. "Give up kludge," he hissed. "I will kill you if you don't let go of me. His voice was cold and the sound of it made Harper shiver. This wasn't Tyr, this was some Flashed stranger. He backhanded Harper and the young man hit the floor of the medical deck. The hard landing knocked the breath out of him and he sat there for some time before he could stand up again. Tyr looked round the room, challenging one of the others to react. He aimed the weapon once more at Beka. Dylan approached the Nietzschean his arms upraised in the universal symbol of surrender. "Tyr, you have nothing to gain from killing Beka." Dylan was reason itself; his voice was calm and soothing. Tyr refused to be soothed. He turned and now the gun was aimed at Dylan's chest. "I told the mudfoot to keep out of it and I am telling you. I am going to take Beka back to my quarters, you will not try to follow us and you will leave us alone once we get there. If you do not then I will kill her, I do not need her one of us will be enough." A low groan from the bed drew everyone's attention. Beka struggled to sit up. With a defiant glance at Tyr, Trance helped her into a semi upright position. She placed a pillow behind the blonde woman's head. "It's all right Beka," she reassured her. "You are on the medical deck, you collapsed and we brought you here. Harper scrambled to his feet and managed to make his way over to stand by Trance. Beka tried to speak, the pain in her head increasing as she tried to get her thoughts in order. "This isn't right," she managed to say. "I've got to tell you." She screamed in agony as white-hot pain lanced through her from the implant. Tyr growled. He spun round and fired point blank at Beka. The round took her in the throat and with a look of surprise on her face she died. "No," Harper gasped in disbelief. He launched himself at Tyr at the same time Dylan also made a move to try to disarm the enraged uber. Tyr brushed Harper off much as he would have swatted a fly and the young man was thrown against the wall. Tyr extended his bone spurs and slashed at Dylan. The Captain managed to move away but not before his arm was cut and bleeding. "Rommie," Dylan shouted for the avatar. Tyr laughed, there was no humour in the sound it was mirthless and sent a chill through those members of the Andromeda's crew who were able to hear it. "You underestimate me Hunt, did you think I would allow the avatar to continue to function. I am sure that the kludge would be able to put her back together again, if I allow him to live." He gestured towards Harper who was semi conscious on the deck. Tyr gave another inhuman laugh as he advanced towards Dylan. His move was cut short by a blur of gold as Trance threw herself at him. Her unexpected attack threw the Nietzschean off balance; he landed heavily on the ground. His finger tightened on the trigger of the gauss gun and the weapon discharged. Harper who had managed to get back on to his feet didn't stand a chance. The round entered his body low on the left side of his abdomen travelled upwards and across, destroying viscera and tissue as it passed through the chest cavity, and his right lung, exiting just under his shoulder blade. Harper coughed once. He went down hard and lay crumpled on the deck in a steadily widening pool of his own blood. Dylan had managed to hold Tyr down long enough for Trance to sedate him. Once he was sure that the Nietzschean was no longer a threat he and the golden alien raced over to Harper. Dylan knelt by the side of the small human, he was frightened at what he might find. Trance had tears running unheeded down her face and Dylan was not surprised to find that his face was also wet. "Harper," he said gently. He felt for a pulse and found one, he offered up a silent, heartfelt prayer to the Divine. Between them he and Trance got the young man on to a bed. His colour was bad, his lips tinged with blue and his breathing was laboured and erratic. Trance worked like a fury on him. She finally had him stabilised and she turned to Dylan. It was the first time that he'd ever seen her show signs of exhaustion. While he'd been waiting for Trance to finish ministering to Harper he'd managed to get Tyr onto a bed and fasten him into restraints. The man was still out cold but Dylan knew how violent he would be when he woke up. Apart from any other consideration he would be in Flash withdrawal. Trance sighed wearily. "I think Harper will live Dylan but he's pretty badly hurt." She looked at the Captain's arm, he'd wrapped a bandage round it until she could get round to treating him. She carefully unwrapped the bloodstained cloth and inspected the wound. She cleaned it and sprayed it with artificial skin. A hypo of antibiotic completed the treatment. "Get some rest Dylan," she said. "I can do what has to be done here." "No Trance, I think I'll stay I want to be here when Tyr wakes up, I want to hear his explanation of his actions." Dylan took a chair and sat next to Harper's bed. The boy's vital signs were good and the monitor showed a steady heartbeat. Dylan took Harper's hand; he felt it was important that the engineer knew that someone was with him. Trance finished doing what she had to for Beka. The blonde woman looked as if she was asleep. She was as beautiful in death as she had been in life. Trance busied herself scanning Tyr; the same obscene mass was present in his brain too. She carried out other tests too while her patient was still cooperative. One of the findings startled her. She went back over to Beka's body and took a small sample from inside her mouth. Once she had the results she called over to Dylan. Hunt had been dozing when Trance spoke to him. He came too with a start to see a pair of blue eyes looking at him. "Harper, you're awake." Dylan smiled in relief. "Dylan," Harper whispered. "Please tell me it isn't true, tell me Beka isn't dead." Dylan squeezed Harper's hand. "I'm sorry Harper but she is dead, I'm so very sorry." Large tears welled up in Harper's eyes and trickled down his face. "Dylan," Trance was insistent. "Beka may not be dead, I don't know who or what they are on those beds but they aren't Beka and Tyr."
Harper moved into Tyr's line of fire, he made sure that he was between Beka and the gauss gun. The small engineer looked up into the large Nietzschean's eyes. "I believe you Tyr," he said softly. "Let us help you, that's all we want to do, no one wants to harm either Beka or you." He looked at Tyr with compassion very apparent on his face. "Did they do this to you too? Tyr talk to me, did they implant you with one of these things?" He touched the big man briefly on the arm. "I'm sure that Trance will be able to remove them, just trust us, please Tyr." His voice took on a pleading note. He was devastated at the horrors that had been inflicted on his friends. Tyr pushed Harper's hand away. "Stay out of it kludge, you don't understand what's happened to us." The big man was fidgety, shuffling from foot to foot. It was obvious that his last dose of Flash was wearing off. His hands began to tremble and his legs seemed incapable of holding the weight of his body. That was when Seamus Harper made an almost fatal mistake. He decided to make a grab for Tyr's gun hand. Even in his weakened state Tyr easily overcame Harper. The two men struggled for a while, Harper fighting literally for his life. The engineer was hanging on to Tyr's arm while the infuriated man tried his best to make sure that Harper didn't manage to get the gun. "Give up kludge," he hissed. "I will kill you if you don't let go of me. His voice was cold and the sound of it made Harper shiver. This wasn't Tyr, this was some Flashed stranger. He backhanded Harper and the young man hit the floor of the medical deck. The hard landing knocked the breath out of him and he sat there for some time before he could stand up again. Tyr looked round the room, challenging one of the others to react. He aimed the weapon once more at Beka. Dylan approached the Nietzschean his arms upraised in the universal symbol of surrender. "Tyr, you have nothing to gain from killing Beka." Dylan was reason itself; his voice was calm and soothing. Tyr refused to be soothed. He turned and now the gun was aimed at Dylan's chest. "I told the mudfoot to keep out of it and I am telling you. I am going to take Beka back to my quarters, you will not try to follow us and you will leave us alone once we get there. If you do not then I will kill her, I do not need her one of us will be enough." A low groan from the bed drew everyone's attention. Beka struggled to sit up. With a defiant glance at Tyr, Trance helped her into a semi upright position. She placed a pillow behind the blonde woman's head. "It's all right Beka," she reassured her. "You are on the medical deck, you collapsed and we brought you here. Harper scrambled to his feet and managed to make his way over to stand by Trance. Beka tried to speak, the pain in her head increasing as she tried to get her thoughts in order. "This isn't right," she managed to say. "I've got to tell you." She screamed in agony as white-hot pain lanced through her from the implant. Tyr growled. He spun round and fired point blank at Beka. The round took her in the throat and with a look of surprise on her face she died. "No," Harper gasped in disbelief. He launched himself at Tyr at the same time Dylan also made a move to try to disarm the enraged uber. Tyr brushed Harper off much as he would have swatted a fly and the young man was thrown against the wall. Tyr extended his bone spurs and slashed at Dylan. The Captain managed to move away but not before his arm was cut and bleeding. "Rommie," Dylan shouted for the avatar. Tyr laughed, there was no humour in the sound it was mirthless and sent a chill through those members of the Andromeda's crew who were able to hear it. "You underestimate me Hunt, did you think I would allow the avatar to continue to function. I am sure that the kludge would be able to put her back together again, if I allow him to live." He gestured towards Harper who was semi conscious on the deck. Tyr gave another inhuman laugh as he advanced towards Dylan. His move was cut short by a blur of gold as Trance threw herself at him. Her unexpected attack threw the Nietzschean off balance; he landed heavily on the ground. His finger tightened on the trigger of the gauss gun and the weapon discharged. Harper who had managed to get back on to his feet didn't stand a chance. The round entered his body low on the left side of his abdomen travelled upwards and across, destroying viscera and tissue as it passed through the chest cavity, and his right lung, exiting just under his shoulder blade. Harper coughed once. He went down hard and lay crumpled on the deck in a steadily widening pool of his own blood. Dylan had managed to hold Tyr down long enough for Trance to sedate him. Once he was sure that the Nietzschean was no longer a threat he and the golden alien raced over to Harper. Dylan knelt by the side of the small human, he was frightened at what he might find. Trance had tears running unheeded down her face and Dylan was not surprised to find that his face was also wet. "Harper," he said gently. He felt for a pulse and found one, he offered up a silent, heartfelt prayer to the Divine. Between them he and Trance got the young man on to a bed. His colour was bad, his lips tinged with blue and his breathing was laboured and erratic. Trance worked like a fury on him. She finally had him stabilised and she turned to Dylan. It was the first time that he'd ever seen her show signs of exhaustion. While he'd been waiting for Trance to finish ministering to Harper he'd managed to get Tyr onto a bed and fasten him into restraints. The man was still out cold but Dylan knew how violent he would be when he woke up. Apart from any other consideration he would be in Flash withdrawal. Trance sighed wearily. "I think Harper will live Dylan but he's pretty badly hurt." She looked at the Captain's arm, he'd wrapped a bandage round it until she could get round to treating him. She carefully unwrapped the bloodstained cloth and inspected the wound. She cleaned it and sprayed it with artificial skin. A hypo of antibiotic completed the treatment. "Get some rest Dylan," she said. "I can do what has to be done here." "No Trance, I think I'll stay I want to be here when Tyr wakes up, I want to hear his explanation of his actions." Dylan took a chair and sat next to Harper's bed. The boy's vital signs were good and the monitor showed a steady heartbeat. Dylan took Harper's hand; he felt it was important that the engineer knew that someone was with him. Trance finished doing what she had to for Beka. The blonde woman looked as if she was asleep. She was as beautiful in death as she had been in life. Trance busied herself scanning Tyr; the same obscene mass was present in his brain too. She carried out other tests too while her patient was still cooperative. One of the findings startled her. She went back over to Beka's body and took a small sample from inside her mouth. Once she had the results she called over to Dylan. Hunt had been dozing when Trance spoke to him. He came too with a start to see a pair of blue eyes looking at him. "Harper, you're awake." Dylan smiled in relief. "Dylan," Harper whispered. "Please tell me it isn't true, tell me Beka isn't dead." Dylan squeezed Harper's hand. "I'm sorry Harper but she is dead, I'm so very sorry." Large tears welled up in Harper's eyes and trickled down his face. "Dylan," Trance was insistent. "Beka may not be dead, I don't know who or what they are on those beds but they aren't Beka and Tyr."