~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Can you fix it, Rommie?" Dylan asked with a worried voice.
"I think so…" She struggled with something for a moment, then fell backwards. The ship came to a roaring start and the lights turned back on. Their comm. links went on the fritz for a second, but soon quieted down.
"You fixed it!" Beka's voice came over the comm. system. "Good job, Rommie."
"Yes, thank you… Now the matter of fixing Harper." Rommie walked away from the engine and toward the medical deck where Trance watched over Harper. "Trance, can you …" She was cut off by a loud bang. She turned to look behind her and came face to face with a Magog. One single Magog. "Dylan-" She was cut off again by the Magog's hairy fist. She fell backwards and retaliated with a forceful kick to the Magog's stomach. The Magog staggered and caught his balance on the wall. Dylan approached him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Rommie got to her feet again and ran to where she had been working earlier. She picked up her force lance. "Dylan!" she shouted. Dylan turned, and as soon as he did, Rommie fired a shot at the Magog. The Magog fell to the floor, dragging Dylan with him. But the Magog kept fighting. He threw Dylan off his back and stood up, dusting off the singed hair on his chest. Rommie looked puzzled for a second, then pounced on the Magog and started punching.
* *
Beka walked the freshly lit corridors. She had no particular destination, but thought about stopping by the med deck to see if Harper was awake yet. She thought that the worst of this experience was over, and all that was left to do was clear Harper's database once again. As she walked, she thought she heard footsteps behind her, but every time she stopped, she didn't hear or see anything. When she continued walking, she heard the steps again. She finally started running, but the steps kept up with her. She was almost to the med deck when someone or something grabbed her arm. She spun around on her heals, only to find herself facing Sid. He had the same evil grin on his face as he did in her dream, but this time he seemed more malicious. His grip on her arm tightened, cutting off the circulation. She fought to get away, but his grip was too tight. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of his voice, it was Tyr's. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Tyr stood in front of her, gripping both of her arms. He shook her slightly and his mouth moved as if he was saying something, but she couldn't hear any words. She shook her head and his words came clear to her.
"Beka, what's wrong with you?" he shouted. When she didn't answer, he started dragging her to med deck. He pushed her through the door and stormed in. Harper sat on one of the beds holding an ice pack to the back of his neck.
"Hey, good to see you. Did ya miss me?" He saw the look on their faces and his smile faded. "Guess not."
"Where's Dylan?" Tyr asked Trance.
"He said he was on his way here, but that was fifteen minutes ago," Trance replied. Her purple skin shimmered in the light. She pushed a few buttons on the console she stood at and smiled. "Ready when you are, Harper."
Harper took the ice pack off of his neck and picked up a wire jack that sat next to him. It was connected to the wall panel. He clicked the wire jack into his data port and leaned against the wall. After Trance pushed some more buttons and a few minutes of silence, Harper sat up and removed the wire jack. "That feels so much better," he said. "Now I need to get to the engine room to make sure my precious is okay." He jumped off the bed and waltzed out of the room cheerfully. Tyr followed him with a strange look on his face.
"So, Tyr," Harper started to say.
"Don't go into your normal rambling routine, boy," Tyr stopped him. "I enjoyed the silence while you were… not… normal…"
Harper got a sly smile on his face. "C'mon, you big… you… You know that you missed me." Tyr gave no response. "I mean, Tyr, Big Guy, this is me you're talking about. Everybody loves the Harper. Except that girl I met on the Vegas Drift…" He trailed off into his own thoughts. Tyr smiled secretly and walked faster. "Good old Harper," he thought.
"Tyr," Dylan's voice came over the comm. system. His voice was labored, like he was fighting somebody. "We need you here in the engine room, now!"
"This reminds me of a bad kung fu movie…" Harper said as he started running. The first thing they saw when they arrived at the engine room was Dylan sitting against a wall with blood running down his face. Rommie fought a rather large Magog not far from where Dylan sat. The Magog turned and snarled at him. Harper gulped and hid behind Tyr. When the Magog started stalking toward them, Tyr fired a shot from his gause gun. The Magog merely flinched and kept coming. Tyr fired more shots with no prevail. Just when he was about to throw down his weapon to fight hand-to-hand, a shot was fired from behind them. The Magog screamed loudly and fell backwards. After a moment of silence, Rommie kicked the Magog, only to find that it was finally dead.
* *
When they arrived back at the med deck, Dylan sank into one of the beds. Trance saw the blood, grabbed rags, and raced to his side. When she pressed the rags to the cuts on Dylan's forehead, he winced in pain.
"What happened?" Trance asked. She wiped some blood off of her purple hands.
"It was a Magog. No, it was King Kong," Harper said. Everybody gave him a blank stare. "King Kong… Giant ape that went on a rampage in… Oh, forget it. You people are hopeless…"
"Can you fix it, Rommie?" Dylan asked with a worried voice.
"I think so…" She struggled with something for a moment, then fell backwards. The ship came to a roaring start and the lights turned back on. Their comm. links went on the fritz for a second, but soon quieted down.
"You fixed it!" Beka's voice came over the comm. system. "Good job, Rommie."
"Yes, thank you… Now the matter of fixing Harper." Rommie walked away from the engine and toward the medical deck where Trance watched over Harper. "Trance, can you …" She was cut off by a loud bang. She turned to look behind her and came face to face with a Magog. One single Magog. "Dylan-" She was cut off again by the Magog's hairy fist. She fell backwards and retaliated with a forceful kick to the Magog's stomach. The Magog staggered and caught his balance on the wall. Dylan approached him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Rommie got to her feet again and ran to where she had been working earlier. She picked up her force lance. "Dylan!" she shouted. Dylan turned, and as soon as he did, Rommie fired a shot at the Magog. The Magog fell to the floor, dragging Dylan with him. But the Magog kept fighting. He threw Dylan off his back and stood up, dusting off the singed hair on his chest. Rommie looked puzzled for a second, then pounced on the Magog and started punching.
* *
Beka walked the freshly lit corridors. She had no particular destination, but thought about stopping by the med deck to see if Harper was awake yet. She thought that the worst of this experience was over, and all that was left to do was clear Harper's database once again. As she walked, she thought she heard footsteps behind her, but every time she stopped, she didn't hear or see anything. When she continued walking, she heard the steps again. She finally started running, but the steps kept up with her. She was almost to the med deck when someone or something grabbed her arm. She spun around on her heals, only to find herself facing Sid. He had the same evil grin on his face as he did in her dream, but this time he seemed more malicious. His grip on her arm tightened, cutting off the circulation. She fought to get away, but his grip was too tight. He opened his mouth to say something, but instead of his voice, it was Tyr's. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Tyr stood in front of her, gripping both of her arms. He shook her slightly and his mouth moved as if he was saying something, but she couldn't hear any words. She shook her head and his words came clear to her.
"Beka, what's wrong with you?" he shouted. When she didn't answer, he started dragging her to med deck. He pushed her through the door and stormed in. Harper sat on one of the beds holding an ice pack to the back of his neck.
"Hey, good to see you. Did ya miss me?" He saw the look on their faces and his smile faded. "Guess not."
"Where's Dylan?" Tyr asked Trance.
"He said he was on his way here, but that was fifteen minutes ago," Trance replied. Her purple skin shimmered in the light. She pushed a few buttons on the console she stood at and smiled. "Ready when you are, Harper."
Harper took the ice pack off of his neck and picked up a wire jack that sat next to him. It was connected to the wall panel. He clicked the wire jack into his data port and leaned against the wall. After Trance pushed some more buttons and a few minutes of silence, Harper sat up and removed the wire jack. "That feels so much better," he said. "Now I need to get to the engine room to make sure my precious is okay." He jumped off the bed and waltzed out of the room cheerfully. Tyr followed him with a strange look on his face.
"So, Tyr," Harper started to say.
"Don't go into your normal rambling routine, boy," Tyr stopped him. "I enjoyed the silence while you were… not… normal…"
Harper got a sly smile on his face. "C'mon, you big… you… You know that you missed me." Tyr gave no response. "I mean, Tyr, Big Guy, this is me you're talking about. Everybody loves the Harper. Except that girl I met on the Vegas Drift…" He trailed off into his own thoughts. Tyr smiled secretly and walked faster. "Good old Harper," he thought.
"Tyr," Dylan's voice came over the comm. system. His voice was labored, like he was fighting somebody. "We need you here in the engine room, now!"
"This reminds me of a bad kung fu movie…" Harper said as he started running. The first thing they saw when they arrived at the engine room was Dylan sitting against a wall with blood running down his face. Rommie fought a rather large Magog not far from where Dylan sat. The Magog turned and snarled at him. Harper gulped and hid behind Tyr. When the Magog started stalking toward them, Tyr fired a shot from his gause gun. The Magog merely flinched and kept coming. Tyr fired more shots with no prevail. Just when he was about to throw down his weapon to fight hand-to-hand, a shot was fired from behind them. The Magog screamed loudly and fell backwards. After a moment of silence, Rommie kicked the Magog, only to find that it was finally dead.
* *
When they arrived back at the med deck, Dylan sank into one of the beds. Trance saw the blood, grabbed rags, and raced to his side. When she pressed the rags to the cuts on Dylan's forehead, he winced in pain.
"What happened?" Trance asked. She wiped some blood off of her purple hands.
"It was a Magog. No, it was King Kong," Harper said. Everybody gave him a blank stare. "King Kong… Giant ape that went on a rampage in… Oh, forget it. You people are hopeless…"