Echoes of future past, part 14
Dylan ran along the corridors at full speed, soon leaving the already tired Harper far behind. The engineer leaned against a bulkhead, trying to catch is breath, "Andromeda, you better tell Beka what's going on: if Dylan can't stop Ryan, maybe she can." The AI's face appeared on the screen next to him, "Confirmed. Harper, can I ask you a question?" He nodded, panting heavily, "Go ahead."
Andromeda's holographic form appeared before him, "Why have you stopped calling me Rommie? You used to call me it all the time, but now you only use it when referring to my Avatar." Harper nodded, "It just feels a bit wired, calling the two of you by the same name now she's involved with Dylan. And even you have to admit that you're not the same person, that there are differences between the two of you." The hologram nodded, "I understand, and yes, we are different people now."
The image on the screen looked shocked, "How can you say that? You're both projections of ME." The hologram scowled at the screen, "Then how come we argue so much? She always has been her own person, ever since Harper built her." Harper laughed, and the two Andromeda's looked at him, "What?" He grinned, "Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you argue with yourself?"
Dylan rounded the corner into the hanger bay just as Ryan was connecting the free-vacuum energy generator to the Slipfighter, "Harpers told me what you're planning. I can't let you go through with it." Ryan jumped down from the back of the fighter, "And why pray-tell, is that?" Dylan between the younger man and the cockpit, "Because it's suicide, that's why."
Ryan shook his head, "No, it's a rational-transaction: one life, one that forfeit already, for trillions. Look, if there was another way, I'd take it, but this is the only way we ever came up with that could affect the outcome enough to change history." Dylan was shocked, "Are you saying that the Rommie and Harper from your time knew you where planning this?" Ryan nodded, "Yes, and they told me not to tell anyone because you'd try and stop me."
Beka appeared at the door, "Just what do you think you're planning to do?" Ryan turned to Dylan, "This is why I didn't want them to know: suicide missions on the part of a stranger they could have accepted without question, but now they know who I am, things re different." Beka stared at him, "Too bloody true things are different! I'm not letting you do this!" Ryan looked at her, "It's not a question of letting me do it: it's a question of just not stopping me. I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions, and I accept them, so you can't stop me under grounds of mental health."
Dylan shook his head, "I can stop you. Andromeda, seal the hanger doors." The AI's holographic form appeared before him, "I'm sorry Dylan, but he has over ridden your command code." Dylan looked at Ryan, "How did you do that?" Ryan smiled, "I know the emergency override code that the High Guard installed: Rommie told me before I made the time-jump back here." He climbed into the cockpit of the Slipfighter, "You may want to get out of here, unless you can breath in a vacuum."
TBC
Dylan ran along the corridors at full speed, soon leaving the already tired Harper far behind. The engineer leaned against a bulkhead, trying to catch is breath, "Andromeda, you better tell Beka what's going on: if Dylan can't stop Ryan, maybe she can." The AI's face appeared on the screen next to him, "Confirmed. Harper, can I ask you a question?" He nodded, panting heavily, "Go ahead."
Andromeda's holographic form appeared before him, "Why have you stopped calling me Rommie? You used to call me it all the time, but now you only use it when referring to my Avatar." Harper nodded, "It just feels a bit wired, calling the two of you by the same name now she's involved with Dylan. And even you have to admit that you're not the same person, that there are differences between the two of you." The hologram nodded, "I understand, and yes, we are different people now."
The image on the screen looked shocked, "How can you say that? You're both projections of ME." The hologram scowled at the screen, "Then how come we argue so much? She always has been her own person, ever since Harper built her." Harper laughed, and the two Andromeda's looked at him, "What?" He grinned, "Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you argue with yourself?"
Dylan rounded the corner into the hanger bay just as Ryan was connecting the free-vacuum energy generator to the Slipfighter, "Harpers told me what you're planning. I can't let you go through with it." Ryan jumped down from the back of the fighter, "And why pray-tell, is that?" Dylan between the younger man and the cockpit, "Because it's suicide, that's why."
Ryan shook his head, "No, it's a rational-transaction: one life, one that forfeit already, for trillions. Look, if there was another way, I'd take it, but this is the only way we ever came up with that could affect the outcome enough to change history." Dylan was shocked, "Are you saying that the Rommie and Harper from your time knew you where planning this?" Ryan nodded, "Yes, and they told me not to tell anyone because you'd try and stop me."
Beka appeared at the door, "Just what do you think you're planning to do?" Ryan turned to Dylan, "This is why I didn't want them to know: suicide missions on the part of a stranger they could have accepted without question, but now they know who I am, things re different." Beka stared at him, "Too bloody true things are different! I'm not letting you do this!" Ryan looked at her, "It's not a question of letting me do it: it's a question of just not stopping me. I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions, and I accept them, so you can't stop me under grounds of mental health."
Dylan shook his head, "I can stop you. Andromeda, seal the hanger doors." The AI's holographic form appeared before him, "I'm sorry Dylan, but he has over ridden your command code." Dylan looked at Ryan, "How did you do that?" Ryan smiled, "I know the emergency override code that the High Guard installed: Rommie told me before I made the time-jump back here." He climbed into the cockpit of the Slipfighter, "You may want to get out of here, unless you can breath in a vacuum."
TBC
