* * * * * * *
"I can't figure out what's wrong with him," Rommie complained over Harper, who still lay unconscious on one of the beds in the med deck. "Trance didn't eat the blue stuff. She's got food poisoning, probably from the chicken… or whatever that was. All I know is that Harper has some kind of virus, but it doesn't match anything in my database. I've tried to lower his temperature, but nothing's working. Right now, he's at 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If his temperature goes passed 105, his chances of dying will increase dramatically. The nanobots I injected earlier aren't doing anything. Dylan, I don't know what else to do."
Dylan soaked up everything Rommie told him. The last sentence really got to him. He had never realized before how important Harper had become in everyone's lives, and now the threat of losing him upset him. He thought of ways to help Harper, even just a little bit. "Rommie…" He suddenly had hope in his voice. She looked at him in surprise. "Is there any way you can talk to him through the interface, like we did with Sid?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, and yes it is possible, but I don't see what good that would do," Rommie said somewhat sadly.
"Well, if you talk to him, maybe you could get him to wake up or even find a way to make him more comfortable."
"I'll try, if that's what you want, Captain." Rommie pulled Harper's bed over to one of the consoles in the med deck and pulled a wire out of it. She connected the wire to his data port and waited a few seconds. Then she closed her eyes and found Harper in the interface. "Harper, are you okay?" she asked when she saw him.
"Oh yeah, I'm having a good ol' time in oblivion. You should come here some time," he said sarcastically. "What do you think, Rommie? My stomach feels like it's going to explode, this headache brings back memories of the overload, and I feel like I breathed in a lot of water. Tell me, does it sound like I'm okay?"
Rommie gave him a look and sighed. "Sorry, Harper. Didn't mean to ask."
"I'm sorry, Rommie, it's just that I'm in a really bad mood. That waiter told me that the blue stuff was good and healthy for the body. I hope Trance is sick too. Well, you know what I mean. She's the one who dared me to eat it. I dared her back."
"Harper…" Rommie smiled a little. "Trance confessed. She didn't eat the blue stuff, whatever it was. She told me she only pretended to eat it so that she could watch your face when you found out it tasted bad."
Harper sighed and scratched his head. Something alarmed him. He got a strange look on his face and his eyes wandered around. Then he looked at Rommie. "See you in the real world, Rom Doll." He woke up in the real world and startled Dylan. Rommie soon followed him and was at his side when she opened her eyes. "Rommie," he said softly. His voice was fading. "I got this strange message. Did you hear it?" Rommie shook her head know and looked confused.
"I didn't detect anything coming on the ship," she said.
"Well, it was a man's voice. He said he knew what to do. That's all-" He was cut off by Rommie.
"Incoming transmission," she said quickly.
"Let's hear it, Rommie," Dylan requested.
"Captain Hunt, this is Del Fandan. I was a waiter at the banquet. I know what is wrong with your engineer. I'm requesting permission to come aboard the Andromeda to offer you help in curing him." Rommie raised an eyebrow. "End of transmission, Captain."
"Fandan?" Harper thought for a minute. "He was the waiter that told me the blue stuff was good for me."
Beka walked into the med deck. Her face brightened up when she saw Harper was awake. "Harper, you're awake!" She ran over and hugged him. He looked scared as she wrapped her arms around him and trapped his arms. When she started to squeeze, he stopped her. "Whoa, Beka. Unless you want an unpleasant shower, I'd suggest letting me go now."
Beka's smile disappeared and she let go of him. "Sorry," she said quickly.
"Well," Dylan interrupted, "I suppose we should allow this guy to come aboard, if he knows what's wrong with you." He looked at Harper as if he were asking for his consent. Harper just nodded and coughed.
Beka backed up and pointed at him. "Is he contagious?" she asked Rommie.
"No," Rommie replied with a smile. "Fortunately for the rest of you, he's not contagious, and fortunately for him, I don't have to put him in quarantine." She smiled at him and walked away.
"Rommie?" Dylan stopped her.
"Message sent, Captain."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"I can't figure out what's wrong with him," Rommie complained over Harper, who still lay unconscious on one of the beds in the med deck. "Trance didn't eat the blue stuff. She's got food poisoning, probably from the chicken… or whatever that was. All I know is that Harper has some kind of virus, but it doesn't match anything in my database. I've tried to lower his temperature, but nothing's working. Right now, he's at 102.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If his temperature goes passed 105, his chances of dying will increase dramatically. The nanobots I injected earlier aren't doing anything. Dylan, I don't know what else to do."
Dylan soaked up everything Rommie told him. The last sentence really got to him. He had never realized before how important Harper had become in everyone's lives, and now the threat of losing him upset him. He thought of ways to help Harper, even just a little bit. "Rommie…" He suddenly had hope in his voice. She looked at him in surprise. "Is there any way you can talk to him through the interface, like we did with Sid?"
"The thought had crossed my mind, and yes it is possible, but I don't see what good that would do," Rommie said somewhat sadly.
"Well, if you talk to him, maybe you could get him to wake up or even find a way to make him more comfortable."
"I'll try, if that's what you want, Captain." Rommie pulled Harper's bed over to one of the consoles in the med deck and pulled a wire out of it. She connected the wire to his data port and waited a few seconds. Then she closed her eyes and found Harper in the interface. "Harper, are you okay?" she asked when she saw him.
"Oh yeah, I'm having a good ol' time in oblivion. You should come here some time," he said sarcastically. "What do you think, Rommie? My stomach feels like it's going to explode, this headache brings back memories of the overload, and I feel like I breathed in a lot of water. Tell me, does it sound like I'm okay?"
Rommie gave him a look and sighed. "Sorry, Harper. Didn't mean to ask."
"I'm sorry, Rommie, it's just that I'm in a really bad mood. That waiter told me that the blue stuff was good and healthy for the body. I hope Trance is sick too. Well, you know what I mean. She's the one who dared me to eat it. I dared her back."
"Harper…" Rommie smiled a little. "Trance confessed. She didn't eat the blue stuff, whatever it was. She told me she only pretended to eat it so that she could watch your face when you found out it tasted bad."
Harper sighed and scratched his head. Something alarmed him. He got a strange look on his face and his eyes wandered around. Then he looked at Rommie. "See you in the real world, Rom Doll." He woke up in the real world and startled Dylan. Rommie soon followed him and was at his side when she opened her eyes. "Rommie," he said softly. His voice was fading. "I got this strange message. Did you hear it?" Rommie shook her head know and looked confused.
"I didn't detect anything coming on the ship," she said.
"Well, it was a man's voice. He said he knew what to do. That's all-" He was cut off by Rommie.
"Incoming transmission," she said quickly.
"Let's hear it, Rommie," Dylan requested.
"Captain Hunt, this is Del Fandan. I was a waiter at the banquet. I know what is wrong with your engineer. I'm requesting permission to come aboard the Andromeda to offer you help in curing him." Rommie raised an eyebrow. "End of transmission, Captain."
"Fandan?" Harper thought for a minute. "He was the waiter that told me the blue stuff was good for me."
Beka walked into the med deck. Her face brightened up when she saw Harper was awake. "Harper, you're awake!" She ran over and hugged him. He looked scared as she wrapped her arms around him and trapped his arms. When she started to squeeze, he stopped her. "Whoa, Beka. Unless you want an unpleasant shower, I'd suggest letting me go now."
Beka's smile disappeared and she let go of him. "Sorry," she said quickly.
"Well," Dylan interrupted, "I suppose we should allow this guy to come aboard, if he knows what's wrong with you." He looked at Harper as if he were asking for his consent. Harper just nodded and coughed.
Beka backed up and pointed at him. "Is he contagious?" she asked Rommie.
"No," Rommie replied with a smile. "Fortunately for the rest of you, he's not contagious, and fortunately for him, I don't have to put him in quarantine." She smiled at him and walked away.
"Rommie?" Dylan stopped her.
"Message sent, Captain."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *