Harper started to cry his escape route had been rendered useless. How
could he die now and leave his friends to the mercy of the voice and its
creator.
"Eat my shorts," he said, much to Beka's astonishment.
Chapter 7
If Beka hadn't been so worried for her friend his words would have made her laugh out loud. She walked over to him and put her arm round his shoulders. "Come on Kiddo, tell Auntie Beka all about it."
Harper shook his head violently. "Nothing to tell, nothing at all. All in the Harperverse is good." He wiped his eyes.
This was so obviously not correct that Beka didn't bother to dignify it with a reply. She led Harper towards the galley. She sat him down at the big table with a Sparky in front of him. Beka had decided not to ask Harper any more questions. She was sure that given time he would talk to her about whatever problems he had.
Beka's silence freaked Harper. The voice was quiet too and while an hour previously he would have given anything for some silence the lack of noise now disturbed him much more that being questioned would.
He cleared his throat. "I owe you an explanation, Beka." His mind was working furiously trying to find a plausible reason for his odd behaviour. He couldn't think of anything, Beka was far too shrewd to be fobbed of with excuses. "You're gonna have to trust me on this one Boss. I will tell you everything but not just yet." His pale blue eyes locked with her darker ones. He was the first to drop his gaze.
The voice sniggered in his head. "Liar," it said. "You know that you won't ever be able to tell her anything. One of you will be dead before I let you talk and you know that it won't be you."
Harper's hand clutched the Sparky can. His knuckles were white with the effort. The can gave up the ghost and crumpled, the fizzy beverage spilled out over Harper's clothes. It gave him the excuse he needed to run. He could run away from Beka but he couldn't run away from the voice.
He reached his quarters and threw himself down on his rumpled, untidy bed. No sooner had his feet left the floor than the alarms went off again.
"Power overload in hydroponics." Andromeda's unemotional voice could be easily heard over the noise of the klaxons.
"Trance," Harper screamed. He was up and running, his whole being concentrated on getting to hydroponics as quickly as possible. "Not Trance, not Trance." He mumbled the words over and over again as he ran faster than he'd ever run before.
He skidded to a halt outside hydroponics his chest heaving from the effort. He could feel the panicked beat of his heart against his ribs.
The door was locked and the lock was jammed. "Andromeda, open the door to hydroponics." Harper was kicking the door as if he would be able to open it with sheer brute force.
"Unable to comply," Andromeda replied.
Harper ripped the panel off the control system. Blue sparks and a smell of ozone filled the corridor. He frantically re-routed wires and circuits with a desperation born of panic.
Finally and oh so slowly the door opened. Harper rushed in to be met by a very surprised Trance. "Harper, what's wrong." She took his arm trying to calm him down and failing miserably.
"Power overload," he panted.
"Not yet," said the voice. "Soon, very soon."
"I need you to leave hydroponics Trance. I can't explain just leave now." Harper pushed the purple girl through the door. "Get out and stay out."
Trance opened her mouth to protest when there was a loud explosion from inside the hydroponics lab. She started to move forward and Harper blocked her way.
"I have plants budding in there, Harper. I have to save them."
Harper shook his head. "I'll look after them, Trance. Please get away from here, please." He was pleading with her, almost in tears. There was another explosion behind him and he ran for the access port on the far side of the room.
Harper jacked in to try to trace the fault in the power circuits. The data streams were an ominous dark blue. In a few cases he could still see some of the healthy brighter blue but they were few and far between. He worked quickly and accurately stopping any further power surges. When he finished he was sweating but he also had another piece of what he liked to think of as his jigsaw puzzle. He could hardly wait to get back and load it into the flexi where he was storing the other two pieces.
"Done," he said wearily as he completed the task of re-routing the power links away from the corrupt data.
The voice sounded petulant. "This is too easy," it said. "I'm not enjoying this any more. I think it's time for the next stage in our little game." When Harper didn't reply it continued. "First though a little rest, it wouldn't do for you to be too exhausted to prove a worthy opponent for me."
Harper almost felt its presence leave him, it was very strange. For the first time in days he was alone in his head. The voice was gone. Harper knew that the respite was only a temporary one. Perhaps it would give him time to look at the pieces of the holographic program that he'd been collecting. He didn't have the full picture yet by any means but he might be able to build up a partial representation of his tormentor.
Trance rushed past him into hydroponics, all her concern was for her precious plants. Harper doubted if she'd even noticed him. He was wrong of course, Trance never missed anything. She knew that things were very awry with her friend. She had already seen one possible end to the whole affair and it had left her trembling with fear for Harper and the rest of the crew. She was helpless; there was nothing she could do to rectify what might happen. She could only hope that the future she had seen would not be the one that came about.
She closed her eyes. It was all so clear. Dylan dead on the bridge, his head crushed like an eggshell. Tyr lying dead in a pool of blood, a totally insane Beka Valentine standing over him with a force lance in her hand. Harper's charred body lying in machine shop 17. Trance herself was cowering on the deck. A spiked metal collar round her neck was attached to a chain leash. The end of the leash was fastened to a ringbolt. Amid all the mayhem the three incarnations of the ship carried on as normal. Blissfully oblivious of anything that was happening around them. In command was Harper's tormentor made flesh. Trance caught sight of his face. Her eyes opened wide with shock. It couldn't be; how was it possible?
The purple girl sat amid her plants and wept.
TBC
"Eat my shorts," he said, much to Beka's astonishment.
Chapter 7
If Beka hadn't been so worried for her friend his words would have made her laugh out loud. She walked over to him and put her arm round his shoulders. "Come on Kiddo, tell Auntie Beka all about it."
Harper shook his head violently. "Nothing to tell, nothing at all. All in the Harperverse is good." He wiped his eyes.
This was so obviously not correct that Beka didn't bother to dignify it with a reply. She led Harper towards the galley. She sat him down at the big table with a Sparky in front of him. Beka had decided not to ask Harper any more questions. She was sure that given time he would talk to her about whatever problems he had.
Beka's silence freaked Harper. The voice was quiet too and while an hour previously he would have given anything for some silence the lack of noise now disturbed him much more that being questioned would.
He cleared his throat. "I owe you an explanation, Beka." His mind was working furiously trying to find a plausible reason for his odd behaviour. He couldn't think of anything, Beka was far too shrewd to be fobbed of with excuses. "You're gonna have to trust me on this one Boss. I will tell you everything but not just yet." His pale blue eyes locked with her darker ones. He was the first to drop his gaze.
The voice sniggered in his head. "Liar," it said. "You know that you won't ever be able to tell her anything. One of you will be dead before I let you talk and you know that it won't be you."
Harper's hand clutched the Sparky can. His knuckles were white with the effort. The can gave up the ghost and crumpled, the fizzy beverage spilled out over Harper's clothes. It gave him the excuse he needed to run. He could run away from Beka but he couldn't run away from the voice.
He reached his quarters and threw himself down on his rumpled, untidy bed. No sooner had his feet left the floor than the alarms went off again.
"Power overload in hydroponics." Andromeda's unemotional voice could be easily heard over the noise of the klaxons.
"Trance," Harper screamed. He was up and running, his whole being concentrated on getting to hydroponics as quickly as possible. "Not Trance, not Trance." He mumbled the words over and over again as he ran faster than he'd ever run before.
He skidded to a halt outside hydroponics his chest heaving from the effort. He could feel the panicked beat of his heart against his ribs.
The door was locked and the lock was jammed. "Andromeda, open the door to hydroponics." Harper was kicking the door as if he would be able to open it with sheer brute force.
"Unable to comply," Andromeda replied.
Harper ripped the panel off the control system. Blue sparks and a smell of ozone filled the corridor. He frantically re-routed wires and circuits with a desperation born of panic.
Finally and oh so slowly the door opened. Harper rushed in to be met by a very surprised Trance. "Harper, what's wrong." She took his arm trying to calm him down and failing miserably.
"Power overload," he panted.
"Not yet," said the voice. "Soon, very soon."
"I need you to leave hydroponics Trance. I can't explain just leave now." Harper pushed the purple girl through the door. "Get out and stay out."
Trance opened her mouth to protest when there was a loud explosion from inside the hydroponics lab. She started to move forward and Harper blocked her way.
"I have plants budding in there, Harper. I have to save them."
Harper shook his head. "I'll look after them, Trance. Please get away from here, please." He was pleading with her, almost in tears. There was another explosion behind him and he ran for the access port on the far side of the room.
Harper jacked in to try to trace the fault in the power circuits. The data streams were an ominous dark blue. In a few cases he could still see some of the healthy brighter blue but they were few and far between. He worked quickly and accurately stopping any further power surges. When he finished he was sweating but he also had another piece of what he liked to think of as his jigsaw puzzle. He could hardly wait to get back and load it into the flexi where he was storing the other two pieces.
"Done," he said wearily as he completed the task of re-routing the power links away from the corrupt data.
The voice sounded petulant. "This is too easy," it said. "I'm not enjoying this any more. I think it's time for the next stage in our little game." When Harper didn't reply it continued. "First though a little rest, it wouldn't do for you to be too exhausted to prove a worthy opponent for me."
Harper almost felt its presence leave him, it was very strange. For the first time in days he was alone in his head. The voice was gone. Harper knew that the respite was only a temporary one. Perhaps it would give him time to look at the pieces of the holographic program that he'd been collecting. He didn't have the full picture yet by any means but he might be able to build up a partial representation of his tormentor.
Trance rushed past him into hydroponics, all her concern was for her precious plants. Harper doubted if she'd even noticed him. He was wrong of course, Trance never missed anything. She knew that things were very awry with her friend. She had already seen one possible end to the whole affair and it had left her trembling with fear for Harper and the rest of the crew. She was helpless; there was nothing she could do to rectify what might happen. She could only hope that the future she had seen would not be the one that came about.
She closed her eyes. It was all so clear. Dylan dead on the bridge, his head crushed like an eggshell. Tyr lying dead in a pool of blood, a totally insane Beka Valentine standing over him with a force lance in her hand. Harper's charred body lying in machine shop 17. Trance herself was cowering on the deck. A spiked metal collar round her neck was attached to a chain leash. The end of the leash was fastened to a ringbolt. Amid all the mayhem the three incarnations of the ship carried on as normal. Blissfully oblivious of anything that was happening around them. In command was Harper's tormentor made flesh. Trance caught sight of his face. Her eyes opened wide with shock. It couldn't be; how was it possible?
The purple girl sat amid her plants and wept.
TBC