I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter. I don't own them and never will.
~ ~ ~
Beka went back to her quarters more worried than she had been earlier. Every time Rommie tried to run a test on the kitten, her systems blinked out and Harper had to run some checks. When Rommie finally gave up trying, Dylan sent everybody to their quarters for some much-needed down time. When Beka finally crawled into her bed, she pulled a flexie book from under her pillow and read quietly. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally drifted into a deep sleep.
"Hey, Rocket!" Young Beka turned to see her Uncle Sid sitting in the captain's chair on the Maru. "Where'd your Dad and your brother go?" Young Beka looked around hopelessly, unable to find her father and her brother.
"Daddy?" she cried out, at the verge of tears. "Daddy, where are you?" Sid appeared in front of her with a broad smile on his face.
"He's probably on another flash binge, Rocket." A slight malicious laugh came from his throat. Suddenly Beka was older, back on Diphda Five in Sid's office. Sid sat at his desk in front of her, the same malicious laugh coming from his throat. The intense feeling of being high on flash slowly came back to her and she began to laugh as well.
Beka woke up the next morning feeling like she had a hang over. She rolled out of bed and pulled on some clothes, then wandered down to the mess hall for coffee and breakfast. Trance was already in there when she got there, and she had a pot of coffee already made. "Hi, Trance," she said groggily.
Trance smiled a little. "Enjoy your down time, Beka?" she joked.
"I had a really strange dream last night," Beka said as she poured a cup of coffee. "Uncle Sid was in it. First I was eight, and he was asking me where my dad was. Then I was back on Diphda Five and I could feel the high from the flash he forced into my eyes." She took a sip from her cup and waved her hand at her open mouth to cool her burned tongue. "Man that's hot," she complained. "So what do you think about my dream?"
Trance looked up from her plate of food. "Sounds strange. Have you ever had this dream before?"
"No."
"Hmm…" Trance sat in deep thought for a moment. "I don't know what to tell you. All I can say is that it was just an ordinary dream."
"It certainly felt real." Android Rommie walked through the door with a scowl on her face. "What's wrong, Rommie?" Beka asked.
"I can't figure out the stupid cat," Rommie said angrily. "Every time I run a scan on it, my systems blink out. Harper's had to jumpstart all of my systems three times since the first time we tried to run a test on the thing last night. It's so frustrating."
"Rommie frustrated? And by a cat no less…" Trance joked. Rommie gave her a look. "Well, I'm sorry Rommie, but you seem pretty upset about this. I thought you could use a little humor or something."
Harper's voice came over the comm. link. "Rom Doll, I told you not to try another test on the little spawn of Satan."
"I didn't." Rommie looked confused.
"Well then why are your systems blinking out again?" There was a pause, then a gasp. "Rommie, you don't think that Lucifer there put a virus into your system?"
"I find it highly unlikely." Rommie's eyes wandered. "Besides, I'm not detecting any viruses."
"Alright…" Another pause. "I'll log in and see if I can figure out what's wrong." Rommie's comm. clicked. The high-pitched sound of electrical static came from everyone's comm.'s. Beka dropped her cup of coffee on the floor and it smashed into a million pieces. Coffee splattered all over the floor. When the static finally stopped, the three of them stood with their hands over their ears. Rommie tried to contact Dylan, but it didn't work. She tried to contact Harper, and it still didn't work. She stood as if she were listening for something. "I can't see anything that's going on in the ship."
"What?" Beka and Trance asked simultaneously.
"I've been cut off from the ship."
~ ~ ~
Beka went back to her quarters more worried than she had been earlier. Every time Rommie tried to run a test on the kitten, her systems blinked out and Harper had to run some checks. When Rommie finally gave up trying, Dylan sent everybody to their quarters for some much-needed down time. When Beka finally crawled into her bed, she pulled a flexie book from under her pillow and read quietly. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally drifted into a deep sleep.
"Hey, Rocket!" Young Beka turned to see her Uncle Sid sitting in the captain's chair on the Maru. "Where'd your Dad and your brother go?" Young Beka looked around hopelessly, unable to find her father and her brother.
"Daddy?" she cried out, at the verge of tears. "Daddy, where are you?" Sid appeared in front of her with a broad smile on his face.
"He's probably on another flash binge, Rocket." A slight malicious laugh came from his throat. Suddenly Beka was older, back on Diphda Five in Sid's office. Sid sat at his desk in front of her, the same malicious laugh coming from his throat. The intense feeling of being high on flash slowly came back to her and she began to laugh as well.
Beka woke up the next morning feeling like she had a hang over. She rolled out of bed and pulled on some clothes, then wandered down to the mess hall for coffee and breakfast. Trance was already in there when she got there, and she had a pot of coffee already made. "Hi, Trance," she said groggily.
Trance smiled a little. "Enjoy your down time, Beka?" she joked.
"I had a really strange dream last night," Beka said as she poured a cup of coffee. "Uncle Sid was in it. First I was eight, and he was asking me where my dad was. Then I was back on Diphda Five and I could feel the high from the flash he forced into my eyes." She took a sip from her cup and waved her hand at her open mouth to cool her burned tongue. "Man that's hot," she complained. "So what do you think about my dream?"
Trance looked up from her plate of food. "Sounds strange. Have you ever had this dream before?"
"No."
"Hmm…" Trance sat in deep thought for a moment. "I don't know what to tell you. All I can say is that it was just an ordinary dream."
"It certainly felt real." Android Rommie walked through the door with a scowl on her face. "What's wrong, Rommie?" Beka asked.
"I can't figure out the stupid cat," Rommie said angrily. "Every time I run a scan on it, my systems blink out. Harper's had to jumpstart all of my systems three times since the first time we tried to run a test on the thing last night. It's so frustrating."
"Rommie frustrated? And by a cat no less…" Trance joked. Rommie gave her a look. "Well, I'm sorry Rommie, but you seem pretty upset about this. I thought you could use a little humor or something."
Harper's voice came over the comm. link. "Rom Doll, I told you not to try another test on the little spawn of Satan."
"I didn't." Rommie looked confused.
"Well then why are your systems blinking out again?" There was a pause, then a gasp. "Rommie, you don't think that Lucifer there put a virus into your system?"
"I find it highly unlikely." Rommie's eyes wandered. "Besides, I'm not detecting any viruses."
"Alright…" Another pause. "I'll log in and see if I can figure out what's wrong." Rommie's comm. clicked. The high-pitched sound of electrical static came from everyone's comm.'s. Beka dropped her cup of coffee on the floor and it smashed into a million pieces. Coffee splattered all over the floor. When the static finally stopped, the three of them stood with their hands over their ears. Rommie tried to contact Dylan, but it didn't work. She tried to contact Harper, and it still didn't work. She stood as if she were listening for something. "I can't see anything that's going on in the ship."
"What?" Beka and Trance asked simultaneously.
"I've been cut off from the ship."