"What's his name?" Connor Zelazny, Harper's father, asked.
"Uh La Lu, er something or other Seamus Harper," the trader said. "You gonna take him?"
Connor nodded as he received the baby in the bundle of blankets. The dirty streets of Earth were barren. Most of the humans had gone into their shacks in fear of bumping into a Nietzchean.
"Alright then Shay," the tall, blonde, handsome man said, reassuring himself as he walked home. "Seamus will do fine. Seamus Zelazny Harper will do just fine."
"Harper!" Seamus' mother's scream startled him awake.
"Harper!" she yelled again.
"Mom?" he called into the darkness. The fear in his mother's voice made him shake. The only time she screamed like that was when there was a Magog attack or a Nietzchean raid.
Harper threw himself out of bed with such momentum he tripped in the sheets. He fell to the ground with a thud but was immediately back up. The shouts had stopped but that only terrified him more.
"Mom?" he tried again as he rounded the corner of the dark hallway. He stumbled to the window and looked out. The sight he was greeted with wasn't pretty. Nietzcheans were running down the streets with torches in their hands, stopping every once in awhile at a house and forcing their way in. Harper gasped as he realized what was going on. The Nietzcheans were taking slaves and he was of age. His eyes widened with the idea of being taken. Twelve years of life and it was going to end with a knock on the door.
Harper was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear someone approach from behind until they'd already clamped their hand over his mouth. He tried to scream but his cries were muffled.
"Shh," a familiar voice greeted him, "your mother's at the back door."
Seamus nodded, relived that his father was with him.
"Go," Connor said and pushed his son away.
Harper made it into the hallway but paused and turned back to peek around the wall when he heard the door being broken down.
"You can't have him!" his father yelled as the Nietzcheans entered. Harper froze.
He watched in slow motion as the Nietzcheans cut his father down without a thought. They laughed as the corpse hit the ground soundlessly, but it was this that unstuck Harper's feet. He ran.
As he got to the back door he could see his Mom waiting there. He motioned for her to run because he couldn't seem to find his voice but Bria stopped him before he got to the door. Tears were streaming down his face and his lower lip was trembling.
"Th-th-they," he was trying to tell her the terrible scene he had witnessed but she already knew.
Seeing his mother's nod, Harper felt the need to explain even more. "Laughed," he finally choked out. "They laughed."
Bria's face hardened when she heard a crash from the living room.
"Run," she told her son. "Run and don't look back. I'll be right behind you."
His face paled but he took off. Harper ran faster than he'd ever run before in his life. He briefly wondered if he should stop and wait for his mother but she had told him to go. It was when he heard the gunshot that reality sunk in.
"No," he mumbled as he fell to his knees. "Mom, no."
The weakness only lasted a second before he was up and running again. He needed to survive now. He would have time to feel later. Harper ran until he was deep in the woods and away from the city. He ran until his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to the Earth. It was then, when he was far away, that he broke down.
"Harper," a voice whispered. "Harper, wake-up."
"Harper?" Harper knew that voice. He'd heard it a million times before. Dylan, his mind registered. It was Dylan.
Harper gasped in pain as he awoke.
"Boss?" he mumbled.
"Are you alright?" Dylan asked, frowning. "You were having a fit."
"Just a nightmare."
"Oh."
There was an uneasy silence between the two before Dylan asked, "What was it about?"
"My Mom and Dad.dying. I wish I couldn't remember, but the truth is I could tell you what I ate the day before." Harper didn't know why he'd just told Dylan that but it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
"How did they die?"
"Nietzcheans," Harper sighed as he got his thoughts in order. "They laughed, Dylan. They laughed when they killed my father. I'll never forget that laugh. It chilled my very being. They, my parents, were t- trying to protect me. They died because of me. You're the only the second person I've ever told that. Beka doesn't even know."
Not knowing what else to say, Dylan asked, "Who as the first?"
"Brendan."
"I don't know if this will make you feel any better but I'm alone too. Everyone I ever knew is dead."
"I've never thought of it that way," Harper said slowly.
"Yah, well Beka just wanted me to tell you that her and I are going to go get those spare parts."
"We're docked?" Harper winced at the pain in his neck as he tried to sit up.
"Yep," Dylan replied as he pushed the engineer back down, "but you're staying right here. Captain's orders."
"Aye aye sire," Harper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Permission to be bored out of my mind?"
Dylan chuckled and called over his shoulder as he left for command, "Permission granted."
"Uh La Lu, er something or other Seamus Harper," the trader said. "You gonna take him?"
Connor nodded as he received the baby in the bundle of blankets. The dirty streets of Earth were barren. Most of the humans had gone into their shacks in fear of bumping into a Nietzchean.
"Alright then Shay," the tall, blonde, handsome man said, reassuring himself as he walked home. "Seamus will do fine. Seamus Zelazny Harper will do just fine."
"Harper!" Seamus' mother's scream startled him awake.
"Harper!" she yelled again.
"Mom?" he called into the darkness. The fear in his mother's voice made him shake. The only time she screamed like that was when there was a Magog attack or a Nietzchean raid.
Harper threw himself out of bed with such momentum he tripped in the sheets. He fell to the ground with a thud but was immediately back up. The shouts had stopped but that only terrified him more.
"Mom?" he tried again as he rounded the corner of the dark hallway. He stumbled to the window and looked out. The sight he was greeted with wasn't pretty. Nietzcheans were running down the streets with torches in their hands, stopping every once in awhile at a house and forcing their way in. Harper gasped as he realized what was going on. The Nietzcheans were taking slaves and he was of age. His eyes widened with the idea of being taken. Twelve years of life and it was going to end with a knock on the door.
Harper was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear someone approach from behind until they'd already clamped their hand over his mouth. He tried to scream but his cries were muffled.
"Shh," a familiar voice greeted him, "your mother's at the back door."
Seamus nodded, relived that his father was with him.
"Go," Connor said and pushed his son away.
Harper made it into the hallway but paused and turned back to peek around the wall when he heard the door being broken down.
"You can't have him!" his father yelled as the Nietzcheans entered. Harper froze.
He watched in slow motion as the Nietzcheans cut his father down without a thought. They laughed as the corpse hit the ground soundlessly, but it was this that unstuck Harper's feet. He ran.
As he got to the back door he could see his Mom waiting there. He motioned for her to run because he couldn't seem to find his voice but Bria stopped him before he got to the door. Tears were streaming down his face and his lower lip was trembling.
"Th-th-they," he was trying to tell her the terrible scene he had witnessed but she already knew.
Seeing his mother's nod, Harper felt the need to explain even more. "Laughed," he finally choked out. "They laughed."
Bria's face hardened when she heard a crash from the living room.
"Run," she told her son. "Run and don't look back. I'll be right behind you."
His face paled but he took off. Harper ran faster than he'd ever run before in his life. He briefly wondered if he should stop and wait for his mother but she had told him to go. It was when he heard the gunshot that reality sunk in.
"No," he mumbled as he fell to his knees. "Mom, no."
The weakness only lasted a second before he was up and running again. He needed to survive now. He would have time to feel later. Harper ran until he was deep in the woods and away from the city. He ran until his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to the Earth. It was then, when he was far away, that he broke down.
"Harper," a voice whispered. "Harper, wake-up."
"Harper?" Harper knew that voice. He'd heard it a million times before. Dylan, his mind registered. It was Dylan.
Harper gasped in pain as he awoke.
"Boss?" he mumbled.
"Are you alright?" Dylan asked, frowning. "You were having a fit."
"Just a nightmare."
"Oh."
There was an uneasy silence between the two before Dylan asked, "What was it about?"
"My Mom and Dad.dying. I wish I couldn't remember, but the truth is I could tell you what I ate the day before." Harper didn't know why he'd just told Dylan that but it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
"How did they die?"
"Nietzcheans," Harper sighed as he got his thoughts in order. "They laughed, Dylan. They laughed when they killed my father. I'll never forget that laugh. It chilled my very being. They, my parents, were t- trying to protect me. They died because of me. You're the only the second person I've ever told that. Beka doesn't even know."
Not knowing what else to say, Dylan asked, "Who as the first?"
"Brendan."
"I don't know if this will make you feel any better but I'm alone too. Everyone I ever knew is dead."
"I've never thought of it that way," Harper said slowly.
"Yah, well Beka just wanted me to tell you that her and I are going to go get those spare parts."
"We're docked?" Harper winced at the pain in his neck as he tried to sit up.
"Yep," Dylan replied as he pushed the engineer back down, "but you're staying right here. Captain's orders."
"Aye aye sire," Harper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Permission to be bored out of my mind?"
Dylan chuckled and called over his shoulder as he left for command, "Permission granted."