The usual disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda or its characters, so don't
sue. 'Nuff said.
A/N: Thanks again to all of you readers who have posted reviews. Keep letting me know how I'm doing.
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Chapter 6
Beka felt cool water splash on her face. It was Head Uber's wake up call no doubt. The blonde tried to keep still, despite the freezing cold water dripping from her hair. Beka's tactics didn't work. Head Uber kept poking her with one of his bone blades and Beka guessed he wasn't going stop until she opened her eyes. Or her one good eye anyway.
"Wake up little spacer princess," Head Uber cooed.
Beka was about to call the Uber a few choice words but thought better of it. Antagonizing her torturer just wasn't smart. "Alright, I'm awake."
Head Uber flashed his teeth at Beka and put a bone blade to her nick. "Now you will tell me who sent you here."
Beka barely heard the question through the pounding in her head. She would have been able to guess the question anyway. Interrogations were so predictable. "I came on my own and by myself, Uber."
"Liar!" Head Uber shouted before he cut her nick with the bone blade.
She hardly even flinched when it happened. Everything else hurt too much for her to feel the long thin cut. "It's not gonna work Uber. You can smack me around 'til your arm falls off and I won't tell you any more cuz I told you everything already."
Head Uber was getting angrier now, if that was possible. Gone was his perpetual smirk. It was replaced by a scowl. "I grow weary of this game Ms. Valentine. I know you came here with an agenda. You would be wise to tell me what it is."
"I grow weary of this line of questioning too Uber. I told you the truth so either kill me or let me go," Beka replied through clenched teeth.
"You keep calling me Uber. That is a Kludge term for us, their Nietzschean protectors. Why are you using a Kludge word?" Head Uber snarled.
Beka prepared for a blow from the Nietzschean that never came. Then the blonde realized why. Head Uber wanted Beka awake for a change so she could talk.
"You're helping the Kludges aren't you Spacer Princess. You would be wise to tell me their names their plans. What are the names of the Kludge rebel leaders and what are their targets?" Head Uber demanded.
Beka looked into Head Uber's cold, dark eyes as the Nietzschean put his bone blade to Beka's throat again.
"I will not repeat the question again. You will answer me," Head Uber demanded as he pressed the bone blade harder against Beka's throat. The Nietzschean's free hand squeezed Beka's throat, making it difficult for her to breath.
"I am not helping any Kludges, Uber," Beka answered between gasps of breath. Her voice was now raspy. The blonde pilot was so thirsty right now she it was all she could do to keep from begging for a drink.
Head Uber kept up the torture session for another two hours asking the same questions over and over. The session ended finally when Head Uber called to one of the guards stationed on the other side of the metal door.
Head Uber left the small room without warning. Beka was left alone in the room still tied up to the wooden chair. Left alone with her thoughts, images of Burko killing Harper's parents play through her mind. Anger kept Beka going when she felt ready to give in to the pain and just let go and jump into the blackness that surrounded her.
***
Harper cursed as he stumbled over a drug addict sleeping off the high in the sewer. The engineer regained his balance and looked down at the filthy wretch lying at his feet. The addict was too strung out to even wake up at the commotion Harper had caused. This was one of the reasons why the engineer made a vow to leave Earth some 6 years earlier. The death, destruction and filthy ruined lives had become too much for Seamus Harper to see day after day.
Harper continued on to the Uber detention center trying to keep a low profile by avoiding even the humans that lived in the sewers. A half hour later Harper was at the desired manhole exit; the one near the detention center. The engineer climbed up the metal ladder, sending a rat scurrying for cover in the process. "Ew! And to think I used to think of you guys as a tasty meal," he muttered out loud.
At the top of the ladder Harper waited to push off the manhole cover, listening for footsteps and voices. He paused as two Nietzscheans carried on a conversation above. Harper knew by the tone of conversation that they were Nietzscheans and were talking about a rash of thefts of antibiotics. The medicines would bring a princely sum on the black market.
Harper's impatience made the discussion seem like it lasted for hours when in reality only ten minutes or so had passed. As soon as the two Nietzscheans left, Harper listened for any further signs of any life forms on the concrete above. Satisfied that it was safe to go above ground, Harper pushed the manhole cover aside and climbed onto the back alley above.
An electrified fence with barbed wire surrounded the detention facility holding Beka. Harper studied it from a safe distance. He made mental notes of the number of guards and where they were posted. The engineer also took note of the shift changes and everything else that he considered relevant. Harper was anxious to begin the Beka Rescue Mission, or BRM, as he called had named it, but knew better than to go into it blind. Harper had lost too many friends in raids on Nietzscheans strongholds due to lack of planning.
A Nietzschean guard almost spotted Harper a half hour later when making rounds. Lessons learned from years of evading capture suddenly came back to Harper. Lying on the ground under some ground cover, the engineer held his breath and forced his heartbeat to slow. Harper hated having to always be on guard and the paranoia it caused. The mudfoot only started to relax once he began feeling safe onboard the Andromeda.
After finishing his stakeout, Harper headed back for the sewers and the same tunnel alcove he had once called home. Settling down to begin forming a rescue plan, Harper looked at the initials SZH scratched into the wall next to him. Yup, home sweet home, the engineer thought to himself.
Around two hours later the engineer had finally come up with a rescue plan he felt was feasible. Harper gathered up his backpack of shrillers and pipe bombs and other munitions he would need. The engineer climbed back once more into the topside world. He didn't have to worry about Nietzschean Ubers now. The Magog had replaced them as the main danger, as they always did in the pre dawn hours. Harper knew that the Magog activity would give him some needed diversion. The engineer just hoped he didn't run into any of the Magog himself. Harper shivered, thinking of his past Magog larvae infestation.
As if on cue, the Magog began their attacks on the humans, Nietzscheans, and any other life forms that happened to be in their way. Harper could hear the screams as bodies were ripped apart by Magog claws and teeth. The mudfoot pushed those sounds from his mind. There's nothing you can do for them Seamus, he told himself.
Harper slipped inside the fence without being noticed or electrocuted. An old inner tube placed on the fence protected the mudfoot as he scaled the fence. Now the engineer was halfway to his goal. Harper pulled out a few shrillers set them on the ground before slipping into the shadows, just in time to avoid being detected by the guard made his rounds along the fence. Harper knew the blind spots of the surveillance cameras and used it to his advantage as he approached the main building. On cue, the sound of shrillers filled the air. Nietzschean guards held their ears, moaning in pain.
Harper cautiously avoided detection by the guards and found the room that housed the computer system that ran the complex. Harper pulled out a wire from the small pouch attached to his belt and inserted one end into his dataport. The other end was inserted into the computer system that ran the complex. The engineer easily and swiftly programmed a virus that disabled the computer system.
Amid all of the confusion Harper proceeded to make a search for Beka. The mudfoot pulled out a homemade grenade, pulled the pin and sent it tumbling down the stairs. The resulting explosion took out all but one of the guards posted outside the jail cells. Harper quietly walked down a flight of stairs and put his ear to the solid metal doors which had withstood the grenade explosions.
Most of the cells were empty, but he could hear some faint breathing on the other side of the fourth door he tried. Harper used his dataport to crack the lock's code. Harper readied his gauss gun and pushed open the door. The engineer was prepared for any number of Nietzscheans to be on the other side but was relieved to find none.
In the middle of the room, tied to a wooden chair was Beka Valentine. Harper gasped at the sight of his battered friend.
Beka looked up and made her eyes focus on her visitor. She managed a horse- voiced reply upon recognizing her friend. "Harper. You shouldn't have come here."
"Of course I should have. You're my friend and boss. Now put an arm around me and we'll get outta here," the engineer instructed as he carefully help Beka stand up.
Harper and Beka manage to only get a few steps closer to the door when Head Uber appeared in the doorway.
"Well, what have we here? A Kludge coming to rescue the Space Princess," Head Uber growled with delight.
A/N: Thanks again to all of you readers who have posted reviews. Keep letting me know how I'm doing.
***********************************************************************
Chapter 6
Beka felt cool water splash on her face. It was Head Uber's wake up call no doubt. The blonde tried to keep still, despite the freezing cold water dripping from her hair. Beka's tactics didn't work. Head Uber kept poking her with one of his bone blades and Beka guessed he wasn't going stop until she opened her eyes. Or her one good eye anyway.
"Wake up little spacer princess," Head Uber cooed.
Beka was about to call the Uber a few choice words but thought better of it. Antagonizing her torturer just wasn't smart. "Alright, I'm awake."
Head Uber flashed his teeth at Beka and put a bone blade to her nick. "Now you will tell me who sent you here."
Beka barely heard the question through the pounding in her head. She would have been able to guess the question anyway. Interrogations were so predictable. "I came on my own and by myself, Uber."
"Liar!" Head Uber shouted before he cut her nick with the bone blade.
She hardly even flinched when it happened. Everything else hurt too much for her to feel the long thin cut. "It's not gonna work Uber. You can smack me around 'til your arm falls off and I won't tell you any more cuz I told you everything already."
Head Uber was getting angrier now, if that was possible. Gone was his perpetual smirk. It was replaced by a scowl. "I grow weary of this game Ms. Valentine. I know you came here with an agenda. You would be wise to tell me what it is."
"I grow weary of this line of questioning too Uber. I told you the truth so either kill me or let me go," Beka replied through clenched teeth.
"You keep calling me Uber. That is a Kludge term for us, their Nietzschean protectors. Why are you using a Kludge word?" Head Uber snarled.
Beka prepared for a blow from the Nietzschean that never came. Then the blonde realized why. Head Uber wanted Beka awake for a change so she could talk.
"You're helping the Kludges aren't you Spacer Princess. You would be wise to tell me their names their plans. What are the names of the Kludge rebel leaders and what are their targets?" Head Uber demanded.
Beka looked into Head Uber's cold, dark eyes as the Nietzschean put his bone blade to Beka's throat again.
"I will not repeat the question again. You will answer me," Head Uber demanded as he pressed the bone blade harder against Beka's throat. The Nietzschean's free hand squeezed Beka's throat, making it difficult for her to breath.
"I am not helping any Kludges, Uber," Beka answered between gasps of breath. Her voice was now raspy. The blonde pilot was so thirsty right now she it was all she could do to keep from begging for a drink.
Head Uber kept up the torture session for another two hours asking the same questions over and over. The session ended finally when Head Uber called to one of the guards stationed on the other side of the metal door.
Head Uber left the small room without warning. Beka was left alone in the room still tied up to the wooden chair. Left alone with her thoughts, images of Burko killing Harper's parents play through her mind. Anger kept Beka going when she felt ready to give in to the pain and just let go and jump into the blackness that surrounded her.
***
Harper cursed as he stumbled over a drug addict sleeping off the high in the sewer. The engineer regained his balance and looked down at the filthy wretch lying at his feet. The addict was too strung out to even wake up at the commotion Harper had caused. This was one of the reasons why the engineer made a vow to leave Earth some 6 years earlier. The death, destruction and filthy ruined lives had become too much for Seamus Harper to see day after day.
Harper continued on to the Uber detention center trying to keep a low profile by avoiding even the humans that lived in the sewers. A half hour later Harper was at the desired manhole exit; the one near the detention center. The engineer climbed up the metal ladder, sending a rat scurrying for cover in the process. "Ew! And to think I used to think of you guys as a tasty meal," he muttered out loud.
At the top of the ladder Harper waited to push off the manhole cover, listening for footsteps and voices. He paused as two Nietzscheans carried on a conversation above. Harper knew by the tone of conversation that they were Nietzscheans and were talking about a rash of thefts of antibiotics. The medicines would bring a princely sum on the black market.
Harper's impatience made the discussion seem like it lasted for hours when in reality only ten minutes or so had passed. As soon as the two Nietzscheans left, Harper listened for any further signs of any life forms on the concrete above. Satisfied that it was safe to go above ground, Harper pushed the manhole cover aside and climbed onto the back alley above.
An electrified fence with barbed wire surrounded the detention facility holding Beka. Harper studied it from a safe distance. He made mental notes of the number of guards and where they were posted. The engineer also took note of the shift changes and everything else that he considered relevant. Harper was anxious to begin the Beka Rescue Mission, or BRM, as he called had named it, but knew better than to go into it blind. Harper had lost too many friends in raids on Nietzscheans strongholds due to lack of planning.
A Nietzschean guard almost spotted Harper a half hour later when making rounds. Lessons learned from years of evading capture suddenly came back to Harper. Lying on the ground under some ground cover, the engineer held his breath and forced his heartbeat to slow. Harper hated having to always be on guard and the paranoia it caused. The mudfoot only started to relax once he began feeling safe onboard the Andromeda.
After finishing his stakeout, Harper headed back for the sewers and the same tunnel alcove he had once called home. Settling down to begin forming a rescue plan, Harper looked at the initials SZH scratched into the wall next to him. Yup, home sweet home, the engineer thought to himself.
Around two hours later the engineer had finally come up with a rescue plan he felt was feasible. Harper gathered up his backpack of shrillers and pipe bombs and other munitions he would need. The engineer climbed back once more into the topside world. He didn't have to worry about Nietzschean Ubers now. The Magog had replaced them as the main danger, as they always did in the pre dawn hours. Harper knew that the Magog activity would give him some needed diversion. The engineer just hoped he didn't run into any of the Magog himself. Harper shivered, thinking of his past Magog larvae infestation.
As if on cue, the Magog began their attacks on the humans, Nietzscheans, and any other life forms that happened to be in their way. Harper could hear the screams as bodies were ripped apart by Magog claws and teeth. The mudfoot pushed those sounds from his mind. There's nothing you can do for them Seamus, he told himself.
Harper slipped inside the fence without being noticed or electrocuted. An old inner tube placed on the fence protected the mudfoot as he scaled the fence. Now the engineer was halfway to his goal. Harper pulled out a few shrillers set them on the ground before slipping into the shadows, just in time to avoid being detected by the guard made his rounds along the fence. Harper knew the blind spots of the surveillance cameras and used it to his advantage as he approached the main building. On cue, the sound of shrillers filled the air. Nietzschean guards held their ears, moaning in pain.
Harper cautiously avoided detection by the guards and found the room that housed the computer system that ran the complex. Harper pulled out a wire from the small pouch attached to his belt and inserted one end into his dataport. The other end was inserted into the computer system that ran the complex. The engineer easily and swiftly programmed a virus that disabled the computer system.
Amid all of the confusion Harper proceeded to make a search for Beka. The mudfoot pulled out a homemade grenade, pulled the pin and sent it tumbling down the stairs. The resulting explosion took out all but one of the guards posted outside the jail cells. Harper quietly walked down a flight of stairs and put his ear to the solid metal doors which had withstood the grenade explosions.
Most of the cells were empty, but he could hear some faint breathing on the other side of the fourth door he tried. Harper used his dataport to crack the lock's code. Harper readied his gauss gun and pushed open the door. The engineer was prepared for any number of Nietzscheans to be on the other side but was relieved to find none.
In the middle of the room, tied to a wooden chair was Beka Valentine. Harper gasped at the sight of his battered friend.
Beka looked up and made her eyes focus on her visitor. She managed a horse- voiced reply upon recognizing her friend. "Harper. You shouldn't have come here."
"Of course I should have. You're my friend and boss. Now put an arm around me and we'll get outta here," the engineer instructed as he carefully help Beka stand up.
Harper and Beka manage to only get a few steps closer to the door when Head Uber appeared in the doorway.
"Well, what have we here? A Kludge coming to rescue the Space Princess," Head Uber growled with delight.
