Chapter 3
When he first woke up Harper felt wonderful. He'd managed as much sleep in one
night as he'd had the whole of the previous week. He stretched lazily and
yawned. His thoughts turned to Trance, as they did every morning, his sparkly
purple babe.
Then the voice started again. It was the voice that had wanted to use him. He
thought of it as persuasive voice. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to at first,
unlike the killer voice, but after a while it started to grate on Harper's
nerves.
It was laughing at him, belittling his affection for Trance. "What makes you
think she is looking forward to seeing you? You're very much mistaken. She
laughs at you all the time."
Harper clapped his hands over his ears but of course the voice was in his head
and he couldn't block it out.
"Get out of my head," he hissed at the voice.
It laughed again, and not in a nice way. "Only one person can do that, the one
who put me in here, and I can't see them helping you."
"What do you want me to do?" The engineer sniggered. "You can't make me do
anything I don't want to." Harper felt triumphant. He could beat this voice.
There was no reply. Harper jumped and punched the air. "Thought so," he
crowed. He felt much more confident, he could stop the evil that he'd found
inside Andromeda's main frame. He would have to be very careful but one thing
he was sure of, a voice couldn't hurt him. He soon found out how wrong he was.
He went to find some breakfast in a much happier mood. Beka was nowhere to be
seen when he walked into the galley. He helped himself to a mug of fiercely
strong coffee then looked round to find some food.
A large ripe looking melon was lying on the table. That would be ideal, Harper
loved melon. He found a sharp knife and went to cut into the fruit.
The voice came back again, literally with a vengeance. Harper had picked up the
knife in his right hand and approached the melon. The voice started whispering
to him. "No," Harper hissed. "Not going to do that." The voice was insistent.
Harper watched in horror as the hand holding the knife turned the implement
towards him.
It seemed like his own body was working against him. The knife was pointing
towards his stomach and moving closer. He was powerless to stop its relentless
advance. "Please, don't." He gasped. "Not much point in killing me, I can't
help you if I'm dead."
"Did I say I was going to kill you?" The voice was syrupy sweet. "I just want
to teach you a lesson, show you that there is no point in defying me. I can use
your body with or without your co-operation. It will be easier if you work with
me but it isn't necessary."
The knife moved away from Harper's body and he sighed with relief, only to cry
out as it was drawn across his left arm. Blood welled up from the wound it
made. "Bastard." Harper shouted. As if a switch had been turned off he was
able to control his right hand again. He dropped the knife to the deck.
"Someone's coming." The voice said, it chuckled. "Not a word, would hate to
have to hurt such a pretty lady, but you know that I can if I want to. How
would you like to have her murder on your conscience? I can make very sure that
it looks like an accident."
Harper shivered at the words. He looked at the blood dripping from his arm onto
the deck. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it round his arm, putting pressure on
it to stop the bleeding. He hissed at the pain it caused. He thought some more
about the voice's words. If it was threatening to kill Beka then it couldn't be
Beka that had planted the nexus inside Andromeda. Unless the voice was bluffing
of course. He wasn't about to test the theory just in case.
Beka walked into the galley humming happily. "Morning...." she started to say
when she caught sight of the engineer trying unsuccessfully to wrap up his arm.
Blood was still flowing freely from the deep wound in his lower arm and the
towel was rapidly turning red. Harper was as rapidly turning a greenish, grey
colour and as Beka rushed over to him his eyes rolled up in his head and he hit
the floor with a thud.
He woke up in bed on the Medical deck. Beka was sitting by his side an
inquisitive look on her face. "How did you manage to do that?" She said.
Harper looked up at her from under lowered lids. "Accident." He said tersely.
"Yeah, whatever." Beka was not convinced. "I could understand you cutting your
fingers off, Shorty but not a gash like that across your arm. If I didn't know
you better I'd say that was a deliberate injury."
Harper shut his eyes again. Beka sighed. She knew that she wouldn't get an
answer from him while he was in this sort of mood. "If you want to talk you
know where I am. Stay here a little longer and rest, try and take it easy
today." She ran her fingers through his spiky hair. He turned his head away
from her.
"I've got too much to do to play games, Harper. The others will be back in a
few hours." He didn't respond so she patted him on the shoulder and walked
away.
Inside Harper's brain the voice started laughing again. Softly at first then
increasing the volume until the sound was almost unbearable. Harper squeezed his
eyes tight shut. His head thrashing from side to side, tears of agony running
down his face. The laughter stopped eventually leaving the engineer drained of
energy.
When he first woke up Harper felt wonderful. He'd managed as much sleep in one
night as he'd had the whole of the previous week. He stretched lazily and
yawned. His thoughts turned to Trance, as they did every morning, his sparkly
purple babe.
Then the voice started again. It was the voice that had wanted to use him. He
thought of it as persuasive voice. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to at first,
unlike the killer voice, but after a while it started to grate on Harper's
nerves.
It was laughing at him, belittling his affection for Trance. "What makes you
think she is looking forward to seeing you? You're very much mistaken. She
laughs at you all the time."
Harper clapped his hands over his ears but of course the voice was in his head
and he couldn't block it out.
"Get out of my head," he hissed at the voice.
It laughed again, and not in a nice way. "Only one person can do that, the one
who put me in here, and I can't see them helping you."
"What do you want me to do?" The engineer sniggered. "You can't make me do
anything I don't want to." Harper felt triumphant. He could beat this voice.
There was no reply. Harper jumped and punched the air. "Thought so," he
crowed. He felt much more confident, he could stop the evil that he'd found
inside Andromeda's main frame. He would have to be very careful but one thing
he was sure of, a voice couldn't hurt him. He soon found out how wrong he was.
He went to find some breakfast in a much happier mood. Beka was nowhere to be
seen when he walked into the galley. He helped himself to a mug of fiercely
strong coffee then looked round to find some food.
A large ripe looking melon was lying on the table. That would be ideal, Harper
loved melon. He found a sharp knife and went to cut into the fruit.
The voice came back again, literally with a vengeance. Harper had picked up the
knife in his right hand and approached the melon. The voice started whispering
to him. "No," Harper hissed. "Not going to do that." The voice was insistent.
Harper watched in horror as the hand holding the knife turned the implement
towards him.
It seemed like his own body was working against him. The knife was pointing
towards his stomach and moving closer. He was powerless to stop its relentless
advance. "Please, don't." He gasped. "Not much point in killing me, I can't
help you if I'm dead."
"Did I say I was going to kill you?" The voice was syrupy sweet. "I just want
to teach you a lesson, show you that there is no point in defying me. I can use
your body with or without your co-operation. It will be easier if you work with
me but it isn't necessary."
The knife moved away from Harper's body and he sighed with relief, only to cry
out as it was drawn across his left arm. Blood welled up from the wound it
made. "Bastard." Harper shouted. As if a switch had been turned off he was
able to control his right hand again. He dropped the knife to the deck.
"Someone's coming." The voice said, it chuckled. "Not a word, would hate to
have to hurt such a pretty lady, but you know that I can if I want to. How
would you like to have her murder on your conscience? I can make very sure that
it looks like an accident."
Harper shivered at the words. He looked at the blood dripping from his arm onto
the deck. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it round his arm, putting pressure on
it to stop the bleeding. He hissed at the pain it caused. He thought some more
about the voice's words. If it was threatening to kill Beka then it couldn't be
Beka that had planted the nexus inside Andromeda. Unless the voice was bluffing
of course. He wasn't about to test the theory just in case.
Beka walked into the galley humming happily. "Morning...." she started to say
when she caught sight of the engineer trying unsuccessfully to wrap up his arm.
Blood was still flowing freely from the deep wound in his lower arm and the
towel was rapidly turning red. Harper was as rapidly turning a greenish, grey
colour and as Beka rushed over to him his eyes rolled up in his head and he hit
the floor with a thud.
He woke up in bed on the Medical deck. Beka was sitting by his side an
inquisitive look on her face. "How did you manage to do that?" She said.
Harper looked up at her from under lowered lids. "Accident." He said tersely.
"Yeah, whatever." Beka was not convinced. "I could understand you cutting your
fingers off, Shorty but not a gash like that across your arm. If I didn't know
you better I'd say that was a deliberate injury."
Harper shut his eyes again. Beka sighed. She knew that she wouldn't get an
answer from him while he was in this sort of mood. "If you want to talk you
know where I am. Stay here a little longer and rest, try and take it easy
today." She ran her fingers through his spiky hair. He turned his head away
from her.
"I've got too much to do to play games, Harper. The others will be back in a
few hours." He didn't respond so she patted him on the shoulder and walked
away.
Inside Harper's brain the voice started laughing again. Softly at first then
increasing the volume until the sound was almost unbearable. Harper squeezed his
eyes tight shut. His head thrashing from side to side, tears of agony running
down his face. The laughter stopped eventually leaving the engineer drained of
energy.