Authors Notes: Okay so I lied about the next chapter coming soon, but here it is...hopefully good enough. I hope you enjoy it. Please remember to review!!!
Beka paced the room in V-Deck looking like a caged animal as she stalked up and down, sometimes mumbling to herself, other times leaning against the wall, arms round her stomach in pain.
Harper, perched in a conduit, watched his friend on screen. He was meant to be fixing Andromeda's sensors but he couldn't help but check on Beka. The blond engineer was still haunted by seeing Beka overdosing. Hearing someone moving towards him, Harper switched off the screen in surprise and moved his Sparky out of the way. No one normally came into the conduit this far.
"Ya know" Dylan Hunt said by way of greeting "I don't see why you enjoy crawling round here so much."
"Oh, hey boss!" Harper said in false brightness, "What brings you here?"
"Your overrides Mr Harpers" Dylan said, watching the engineers grin waver slightly.
"I already told Rommie I disconnected them, for real this time."
Hunt searched the humans face, "Just checking"
Harper sighed, "Look Dylan, I meant what I said. Those overrides were a plan B, just like yours"
Dylan waited sensing he had more to say.
"Beka told me to keep them up to protect us, that's all she wanted to do."
"I know you've grown up in a harsh universe but..."
Harper interrupted "Boss this all comes down to trust. It's been a long time since we have ever trusted anyone, even each other at first. When I first joined the Maru and it was just Beka and me we both slept with weapons beside us. Only after years, not long before we meet you, could the four of us trust each other."
Harper suddenly stopped worried that he'd said too much to the captain. Dylan was staring at Harper and the engineer shifted uncertainly.
"Thank you Harper," he said "I know you didn't have to tell me that."
"No sweat boss" Harper muttered picking up a tool and poked around on the console.
"She's going to be fine Harper" Dylan said.
Harper looked up, faking innocence, "Who?"
Dylan gave him a 'don't give me that crap' look and Harper fidgeted.
"I know boss"
Dylan smiled and turned to leave, he hesitated, "If you want to talk any time you know where I am"
Harper nodded and watched Dylan disappear down a ladder; the engineer ran a hand through his spikes and switched the screen back on. Beka was still pacing and Harper lent back against the wall, keeping a watchful eye on his friend.
Trance had now finished working on Tyr's ribs, the nano-botts would heal the break and he was free to go. She watched the Neitzschen's back as he left the med deck and Trance turned back to the table beside her, the bottles of Flash Harper and Tyr had found stood in the table. Trances tail curled round and tears reached her eyes as she thought about the pain that white liquid had caused everyone. 'There wasn't meant to be this much pain' she thought to herself. 'It wasn't meant to be this bad." Quickly she flushed the drug down the chemical disposer. The young purple girl was worried about Beka and Harper. They had argued before but there had never been this kind of rift in their friendship. Above her she head footsteps and she looked up confused. Before she could alert Rommie to the noise a body fell through the vent and landed in a heap on the floor. She noticed at once the blond hair and she smiled slightly before she heard his groan of pain.
"Harper are you okay?"
He lifted his head up and tried to smile at his friend, his right arm clutching his left.
"The support was a little weak, I'll have to fix that"
Andromeda's hologram appeared and stood beside them, "Some of my ducts are not meant to be crawled through"
"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't think I weighed that much."
Trance smiled and helped him to his feet. "Let me look at your arm."
Harper followed over to the scanner, which she ran over his arm and frowned at the results.
"You have a broken arm, hold still so I can give you some nano-botts"
"But those things make me sick. Remember when I broke my arm on the Maru."
Trance sighed, she did remember. Even though the botts wouldn't kill him they would make him very sick for the next few days. She couldn't work out how he was just like this with the botts for fixing bones but as of yet she hadn't made anything else.
"Okay, but I'll have to bandage your arm." She said gently taking the broken limb and bandaging it and then putting it in a sling.
"You can't use it for a while, I want you to rest it okay"
"Yeah sure," Harper muttered staring at the door
"I mean it Harper, if you don't I'll use the nano-botts"
Harper scowled "I'll be good, I promise"
"What were you doing up there anyway?" Trance asked. He had reported to Dylan a while ago that nothing needed to be fixed now and he had taken out all the over rides.
Harper fidgeted uncomfortably, "I was watching Beka" He explained showing Trance the scanner he had been using. "I wanted to make sure she was okay."
Trance smiled softy. "She will be okay Harper. She just needs a little time"
"Does purple think or purple know?" Harper asked with a smile.
Trance smiled back, "I know because she's Beka and she's strong. Did you get a chance to talk to her yet?"
Harper's smiled faded, "No, I don't want to talk to her yet"
"Why not?" Trances tail gently touched Harper's back, trying to reassure him and let him talk about it.
"Because she's Beka, she's meant to be the good one, she's meant to be the one who fixes us. She's..."
"Only human?" Trance interrupted "A little lost and in pain right now?"
Harper sighed, knowing she was right "I'll talk to her when she comes out of V-Deck"
"It shouldn't be too long." Trance said smiling slightly "By the way Dylan said we're approaching the drift soon if you wanted to get some more parts."
"Great it seems like forever since we went planet side" Harper said, pulling a spare flexi out of his tool belt and making a quick list of the things he knew they needed.
Trance smiled "Just remember to rest your arm"
"You're the doc" Harper said heading to the doorway, mind focussed mainly on his list.
"And when are you going to fix this ceiling?" Trance shouted after him but he was already gone down the corridor.
Beka paced the room in V-Deck looking like a caged animal as she stalked up and down, sometimes mumbling to herself, other times leaning against the wall, arms round her stomach in pain.
Harper, perched in a conduit, watched his friend on screen. He was meant to be fixing Andromeda's sensors but he couldn't help but check on Beka. The blond engineer was still haunted by seeing Beka overdosing. Hearing someone moving towards him, Harper switched off the screen in surprise and moved his Sparky out of the way. No one normally came into the conduit this far.
"Ya know" Dylan Hunt said by way of greeting "I don't see why you enjoy crawling round here so much."
"Oh, hey boss!" Harper said in false brightness, "What brings you here?"
"Your overrides Mr Harpers" Dylan said, watching the engineers grin waver slightly.
"I already told Rommie I disconnected them, for real this time."
Hunt searched the humans face, "Just checking"
Harper sighed, "Look Dylan, I meant what I said. Those overrides were a plan B, just like yours"
Dylan waited sensing he had more to say.
"Beka told me to keep them up to protect us, that's all she wanted to do."
"I know you've grown up in a harsh universe but..."
Harper interrupted "Boss this all comes down to trust. It's been a long time since we have ever trusted anyone, even each other at first. When I first joined the Maru and it was just Beka and me we both slept with weapons beside us. Only after years, not long before we meet you, could the four of us trust each other."
Harper suddenly stopped worried that he'd said too much to the captain. Dylan was staring at Harper and the engineer shifted uncertainly.
"Thank you Harper," he said "I know you didn't have to tell me that."
"No sweat boss" Harper muttered picking up a tool and poked around on the console.
"She's going to be fine Harper" Dylan said.
Harper looked up, faking innocence, "Who?"
Dylan gave him a 'don't give me that crap' look and Harper fidgeted.
"I know boss"
Dylan smiled and turned to leave, he hesitated, "If you want to talk any time you know where I am"
Harper nodded and watched Dylan disappear down a ladder; the engineer ran a hand through his spikes and switched the screen back on. Beka was still pacing and Harper lent back against the wall, keeping a watchful eye on his friend.
Trance had now finished working on Tyr's ribs, the nano-botts would heal the break and he was free to go. She watched the Neitzschen's back as he left the med deck and Trance turned back to the table beside her, the bottles of Flash Harper and Tyr had found stood in the table. Trances tail curled round and tears reached her eyes as she thought about the pain that white liquid had caused everyone. 'There wasn't meant to be this much pain' she thought to herself. 'It wasn't meant to be this bad." Quickly she flushed the drug down the chemical disposer. The young purple girl was worried about Beka and Harper. They had argued before but there had never been this kind of rift in their friendship. Above her she head footsteps and she looked up confused. Before she could alert Rommie to the noise a body fell through the vent and landed in a heap on the floor. She noticed at once the blond hair and she smiled slightly before she heard his groan of pain.
"Harper are you okay?"
He lifted his head up and tried to smile at his friend, his right arm clutching his left.
"The support was a little weak, I'll have to fix that"
Andromeda's hologram appeared and stood beside them, "Some of my ducts are not meant to be crawled through"
"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't think I weighed that much."
Trance smiled and helped him to his feet. "Let me look at your arm."
Harper followed over to the scanner, which she ran over his arm and frowned at the results.
"You have a broken arm, hold still so I can give you some nano-botts"
"But those things make me sick. Remember when I broke my arm on the Maru."
Trance sighed, she did remember. Even though the botts wouldn't kill him they would make him very sick for the next few days. She couldn't work out how he was just like this with the botts for fixing bones but as of yet she hadn't made anything else.
"Okay, but I'll have to bandage your arm." She said gently taking the broken limb and bandaging it and then putting it in a sling.
"You can't use it for a while, I want you to rest it okay"
"Yeah sure," Harper muttered staring at the door
"I mean it Harper, if you don't I'll use the nano-botts"
Harper scowled "I'll be good, I promise"
"What were you doing up there anyway?" Trance asked. He had reported to Dylan a while ago that nothing needed to be fixed now and he had taken out all the over rides.
Harper fidgeted uncomfortably, "I was watching Beka" He explained showing Trance the scanner he had been using. "I wanted to make sure she was okay."
Trance smiled softy. "She will be okay Harper. She just needs a little time"
"Does purple think or purple know?" Harper asked with a smile.
Trance smiled back, "I know because she's Beka and she's strong. Did you get a chance to talk to her yet?"
Harper's smiled faded, "No, I don't want to talk to her yet"
"Why not?" Trances tail gently touched Harper's back, trying to reassure him and let him talk about it.
"Because she's Beka, she's meant to be the good one, she's meant to be the one who fixes us. She's..."
"Only human?" Trance interrupted "A little lost and in pain right now?"
Harper sighed, knowing she was right "I'll talk to her when she comes out of V-Deck"
"It shouldn't be too long." Trance said smiling slightly "By the way Dylan said we're approaching the drift soon if you wanted to get some more parts."
"Great it seems like forever since we went planet side" Harper said, pulling a spare flexi out of his tool belt and making a quick list of the things he knew they needed.
Trance smiled "Just remember to rest your arm"
"You're the doc" Harper said heading to the doorway, mind focussed mainly on his list.
"And when are you going to fix this ceiling?" Trance shouted after him but he was already gone down the corridor.