"Ali, this is all wrong!" John yelled at his daughter. "I can't believe
you got the wrong paperwork!"
"I'm sorry?" she replied as a way to try to ease her dad's temper.
The king huffed and threw the stack of papers that were in his hand in the air, making Ali wince at the shuffling sound.
"Just, go get the right ones this time," John dismissed her.
Ali nodded sharply and left. She felt incredibly stupid. Her dad, no, the king, had entrusted her with something and she'd blown it.
"I'm a terrible politician," she mumbled to herself as she made her way to the drift's main government center. ***
John crept into Harper's quarters, being careful not to wake him. Running the medical scanner over the blonde boy in the bed, he found that the readings were the same: a concussion, burnt neck, and damaged port. John had already called a cerebral port specialist. He was the highest rated neurosurgeon in the system and would be arriving at Salko Drift within the day.
"Oh Luke," the king started softly, "I'm so sorry."
There was no doubt in the older man's mind that the small figure in front of him was his son. It was fate. It had to be. They had searched fruitlessly for years and now his own daughter had just happened upon a stranger with the same middle and last name as his lost son. It would take a day for the DNA test to process but he was positive it was Luke.
A small groan pulled John from his reverie. He tried vainly to remember what Ali had said his son had called himself.
"Harper?" the king questioned, hoping his guess was right.
"Dylan?" was the barely audible reply.
"Um, no. I'm John H-. I'm an M.D. My daughter found you by the docking bay."
Harper struggled to open his eyes. The voice he heard wasn't familiar and it was confusing. His head pounded but he didn't feel like he was going to throw up from the pain anymore. His neck was a different story, so he tried to remain relatively still.
"Lights fifty percent," the strange voice ordered.
"Th-thanks," Harper said when he could see without wincing. "Who are you?"
The king smiled slightly at the question he had already answered and replied, "I'm John, Ali's dad. She said you passed out by the docking bay. I'm a doctor."
The information sunk in and Harper sat up in a hurry. The world spun around and he ended up falling back on the pillow, white dots dancing before his eyes.
"Be careful," John said, "you have a pretty nasty head injury."
"Beka and Dylan," Harper stated frantically. "They'll be worried sick about me when they find out I'm not onboard. They must not have checked to make sure I was still on the ship when they left. I was supposed to stay in bed but I figured a little exploring couldn't hurt. We needed a stabilizer, so I thought I could get one and surprise 'em when they came back."
"I see." John said.
"I have to find them," Harper slurred as he tried to get up again.
John softly pushed him back down, "Don't worry. I'll send some of my me-, friends to the comm center. When."
"Dylan Hunt and Beka Valentine," Harper offered.
The king nodded as he pressed a button on his communicator and spoke into it, "I need a team at the comm center. When a Dylan Hunt and Beka Valentine call in, direct them to the docking bay nearest my ship and personally escort them here. John out."
"Wow. Do you body guards or something?"
John chuckled at the accurate description and lied, "Just a few close memebers of my crew."
"Gotcha."
For a second, John was torn between telling Harper his suspicions right at that moment or never at all. He decided to wait, but worried that his "son" had people that cared a great deal about him.
Harper was slightly unnerved at the way the man was staring at him and indignantly asked, "What?"
"John grinned, "Nothing. Just.thinking."
"Oh."
"You should rest."
"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea."
If Beka had heard Harper say that she would've been extremely worried at the uncharacteristic submission. John, however, just left.
"Lights off," he muttered right before he passed through the door.
The room's luminescence flickered once and went out, leaving the dead tired engineer in the dark.
"I'm sorry?" she replied as a way to try to ease her dad's temper.
The king huffed and threw the stack of papers that were in his hand in the air, making Ali wince at the shuffling sound.
"Just, go get the right ones this time," John dismissed her.
Ali nodded sharply and left. She felt incredibly stupid. Her dad, no, the king, had entrusted her with something and she'd blown it.
"I'm a terrible politician," she mumbled to herself as she made her way to the drift's main government center. ***
John crept into Harper's quarters, being careful not to wake him. Running the medical scanner over the blonde boy in the bed, he found that the readings were the same: a concussion, burnt neck, and damaged port. John had already called a cerebral port specialist. He was the highest rated neurosurgeon in the system and would be arriving at Salko Drift within the day.
"Oh Luke," the king started softly, "I'm so sorry."
There was no doubt in the older man's mind that the small figure in front of him was his son. It was fate. It had to be. They had searched fruitlessly for years and now his own daughter had just happened upon a stranger with the same middle and last name as his lost son. It would take a day for the DNA test to process but he was positive it was Luke.
A small groan pulled John from his reverie. He tried vainly to remember what Ali had said his son had called himself.
"Harper?" the king questioned, hoping his guess was right.
"Dylan?" was the barely audible reply.
"Um, no. I'm John H-. I'm an M.D. My daughter found you by the docking bay."
Harper struggled to open his eyes. The voice he heard wasn't familiar and it was confusing. His head pounded but he didn't feel like he was going to throw up from the pain anymore. His neck was a different story, so he tried to remain relatively still.
"Lights fifty percent," the strange voice ordered.
"Th-thanks," Harper said when he could see without wincing. "Who are you?"
The king smiled slightly at the question he had already answered and replied, "I'm John, Ali's dad. She said you passed out by the docking bay. I'm a doctor."
The information sunk in and Harper sat up in a hurry. The world spun around and he ended up falling back on the pillow, white dots dancing before his eyes.
"Be careful," John said, "you have a pretty nasty head injury."
"Beka and Dylan," Harper stated frantically. "They'll be worried sick about me when they find out I'm not onboard. They must not have checked to make sure I was still on the ship when they left. I was supposed to stay in bed but I figured a little exploring couldn't hurt. We needed a stabilizer, so I thought I could get one and surprise 'em when they came back."
"I see." John said.
"I have to find them," Harper slurred as he tried to get up again.
John softly pushed him back down, "Don't worry. I'll send some of my me-, friends to the comm center. When."
"Dylan Hunt and Beka Valentine," Harper offered.
The king nodded as he pressed a button on his communicator and spoke into it, "I need a team at the comm center. When a Dylan Hunt and Beka Valentine call in, direct them to the docking bay nearest my ship and personally escort them here. John out."
"Wow. Do you body guards or something?"
John chuckled at the accurate description and lied, "Just a few close memebers of my crew."
"Gotcha."
For a second, John was torn between telling Harper his suspicions right at that moment or never at all. He decided to wait, but worried that his "son" had people that cared a great deal about him.
Harper was slightly unnerved at the way the man was staring at him and indignantly asked, "What?"
"John grinned, "Nothing. Just.thinking."
"Oh."
"You should rest."
"That actually sounds like a pretty good idea."
If Beka had heard Harper say that she would've been extremely worried at the uncharacteristic submission. John, however, just left.
"Lights off," he muttered right before he passed through the door.
The room's luminescence flickered once and went out, leaving the dead tired engineer in the dark.