The crew remained silent after Harper's remark. He felt a little awkward after saying it. Then he looked around the room. Something was missing. "I've got the strangest feeling that something is missing," he said.
Beka looked around the room with a confused look on her face. "I don't see anything that's missing," she said. Then it dawned on her. "The kitten," she said loudly. "Where's the kitten?" Everybody freaked and started looking around the room, under tables, and on top of shelves. "How could it have just disappeared?" Beka asked no one in particular.
"I know it was in its cage just a few minutes ago," Trance said vacantly. "Harper, you saw it. You were teasing it before you cleared your head and left."
There came a scratching noise at the door of the medical deck. All at once, everybody turned slowly to the door and looked on with worried eyes. Harper was the brave one who dared to approach the door to open it. He slowly pushed the button on the panel and the door slid open. As everybody ducked for cover, Sherlock wandered into the room and rubbed against Harper's leg. He meowed thoughtfully and stretched out. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief and let down their guard. Sherlock looked up at them and blinked. Harper picked the cat up scratched his head.
"That cat has a way of scaring everybody," Tyr said. Sherlock gave a meow at this comment.
"We're still missing the other one," Beka stated. When she said this, Sherlock jumped out of Harper's arms and wondered back out the door. He stopped as he reached the corridor and turned to the crew again. He stared with blinking eyes and meowed slightly. Having been owned by the cat for a few months, Harper knew when he was trying to tell him something, so he followed him into the corridor. Sitting all the way at the other end of the corridor was the kitten. It watched Harper as he walked into the corridor and its ears twitched. Harper slowly signaled the crew to join him in the corridor. Beka was the first one to arrive at his side.
"I hate that thing," she said angrily. "Let's just kill it right now."
"I second that motion," Tyr said when he saw the kitten. He stood at Beka's side with an angry scowl on his face.
"Now, now, children," Dylan said as he joined them holding a cloth to his head, "calm yourselves. We don't know what could happen if we just shoot it down."
"Yeah we do. It'd die. End of story," Beka said matter-of-factly. She pulled out her gause gun and aimed it at the kitten. The kitten just stared and blinked.
"If the Magog was King Kong, this little kitten is The Blob…" Harper said. Again, he got blank stares in reply. "Never mind." He waved the idea away. He fell silent once more as he watched the kitten stand up and wander down the corridor. Everybody held their breath as it got closer. All at once, Beka's gun set off and there was a quick flash of light and a strange whistling sound. Harper jumped at the shot and fell backwards, landing on his back. Tyr looked back and laughed at him. "A bit edgy, are we?" he said with a sly smile. Harper pretended to laugh but stopped when he looked to where the kitten was when Beka fired the shot. There was no sign of the kitten. "Where'd it go?" he asked nervously.
"That thing likes to just disappear, doesn't it?" Beka said, let down that she might not have killed the stupid thing. A strange creaking noise came from the other end of the corridor. The crew's attention was put on the noise, but none of them knew what it was. Harper stood up slowly and brushed himself off, even though the floors on Andromeda were impeccably clean. Beka watched tentatively to see if any new surprises were the cause of the strange noises. "Rommie, can you see anything?"
Rommie was silent, then replied, "No. And I don't know why." She became frustrated again. "Harper, you have got to fix me soon. I hate being detached from the ship." She looked back at him, but he was lost in his own little world, wide-eyed and oblivious to her words, probably imagining what could be making the noise. "Harper," she whispered. He still didn't hear her. She gave up and turned back to the corridor. "Well we're not doing any good just standing here gaping like a bunch of buffoons. I say we go and see what's making that noise. It's probably just a loose panel or something that Harper needs to fix." She stepped forward and turned to her crew. "Well?" She rested her hands on her hips.
"I'll go," Beka said. "I agree with you Rommie." Everybody else except Harper followed the two of them down the corridor. He remained in his world, motionless and gaping into the abyss. It wasn't until the rest of the crew disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor that he woke up and realized they were gone. He shrugged and went back into the med deck with Sherlock following his feet. He lay down on one of the beds to think while he waited for the crew to get back. Sherlock jumped up with him and sat on his chest, staring at him with wondering eyes. "You can be stranger than I am sometimes, cat," Harper said. Sherlock meowed and jumped down. Suddenly a hand covered Harper's mouth. He heard a woman's voice say, "Try to shout and I'll make you wish you weren't a man."
Beka looked around the room with a confused look on her face. "I don't see anything that's missing," she said. Then it dawned on her. "The kitten," she said loudly. "Where's the kitten?" Everybody freaked and started looking around the room, under tables, and on top of shelves. "How could it have just disappeared?" Beka asked no one in particular.
"I know it was in its cage just a few minutes ago," Trance said vacantly. "Harper, you saw it. You were teasing it before you cleared your head and left."
There came a scratching noise at the door of the medical deck. All at once, everybody turned slowly to the door and looked on with worried eyes. Harper was the brave one who dared to approach the door to open it. He slowly pushed the button on the panel and the door slid open. As everybody ducked for cover, Sherlock wandered into the room and rubbed against Harper's leg. He meowed thoughtfully and stretched out. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief and let down their guard. Sherlock looked up at them and blinked. Harper picked the cat up scratched his head.
"That cat has a way of scaring everybody," Tyr said. Sherlock gave a meow at this comment.
"We're still missing the other one," Beka stated. When she said this, Sherlock jumped out of Harper's arms and wondered back out the door. He stopped as he reached the corridor and turned to the crew again. He stared with blinking eyes and meowed slightly. Having been owned by the cat for a few months, Harper knew when he was trying to tell him something, so he followed him into the corridor. Sitting all the way at the other end of the corridor was the kitten. It watched Harper as he walked into the corridor and its ears twitched. Harper slowly signaled the crew to join him in the corridor. Beka was the first one to arrive at his side.
"I hate that thing," she said angrily. "Let's just kill it right now."
"I second that motion," Tyr said when he saw the kitten. He stood at Beka's side with an angry scowl on his face.
"Now, now, children," Dylan said as he joined them holding a cloth to his head, "calm yourselves. We don't know what could happen if we just shoot it down."
"Yeah we do. It'd die. End of story," Beka said matter-of-factly. She pulled out her gause gun and aimed it at the kitten. The kitten just stared and blinked.
"If the Magog was King Kong, this little kitten is The Blob…" Harper said. Again, he got blank stares in reply. "Never mind." He waved the idea away. He fell silent once more as he watched the kitten stand up and wander down the corridor. Everybody held their breath as it got closer. All at once, Beka's gun set off and there was a quick flash of light and a strange whistling sound. Harper jumped at the shot and fell backwards, landing on his back. Tyr looked back and laughed at him. "A bit edgy, are we?" he said with a sly smile. Harper pretended to laugh but stopped when he looked to where the kitten was when Beka fired the shot. There was no sign of the kitten. "Where'd it go?" he asked nervously.
"That thing likes to just disappear, doesn't it?" Beka said, let down that she might not have killed the stupid thing. A strange creaking noise came from the other end of the corridor. The crew's attention was put on the noise, but none of them knew what it was. Harper stood up slowly and brushed himself off, even though the floors on Andromeda were impeccably clean. Beka watched tentatively to see if any new surprises were the cause of the strange noises. "Rommie, can you see anything?"
Rommie was silent, then replied, "No. And I don't know why." She became frustrated again. "Harper, you have got to fix me soon. I hate being detached from the ship." She looked back at him, but he was lost in his own little world, wide-eyed and oblivious to her words, probably imagining what could be making the noise. "Harper," she whispered. He still didn't hear her. She gave up and turned back to the corridor. "Well we're not doing any good just standing here gaping like a bunch of buffoons. I say we go and see what's making that noise. It's probably just a loose panel or something that Harper needs to fix." She stepped forward and turned to her crew. "Well?" She rested her hands on her hips.
"I'll go," Beka said. "I agree with you Rommie." Everybody else except Harper followed the two of them down the corridor. He remained in his world, motionless and gaping into the abyss. It wasn't until the rest of the crew disappeared around the corner at the end of the corridor that he woke up and realized they were gone. He shrugged and went back into the med deck with Sherlock following his feet. He lay down on one of the beds to think while he waited for the crew to get back. Sherlock jumped up with him and sat on his chest, staring at him with wondering eyes. "You can be stranger than I am sometimes, cat," Harper said. Sherlock meowed and jumped down. Suddenly a hand covered Harper's mouth. He heard a woman's voice say, "Try to shout and I'll make you wish you weren't a man."