And so Harper sat silently, gun to head, listening to every word that came out of Satrina's mouth. She had threatened to either kill him or otherwise make him wish he were dead if he said a word unless it was in response to her questions. After everything that had happened that day, seeing his beautiful enemy didn't surprise him as much as it usually would. On this day, it seemed like anything was possible. Only now that he was scared out of his wits, he never made any comments about how beautiful she was or asked her if she wanted to cuddle.
"Now I want to know how I got here and why I'm here," Satrina said forcefully.
Harper raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"
"Why would I be asking you if I did?" Satrina got closer to him. "Do you question my motives?"
"Me? No!" Harper put his hands up in surrender. "Never. Now my guess is you're here because of whatever brought back the kitten, the Magog, and my little headache. It seems as though everybody onboard is facing at least one of their past enemies today. I was the lucky one to get two brought back…" The disappointment in his voice made Satrina angry.
"Don't mock me," she said. "I'm very capable of killing you. You do know that, right?" Harper nodded. "Then be quiet."
* * *
"Was Harper's behavior weird or what?" Beka asked as she walked with the others down the corridor. The source of the noise was yet to be found.
"After the day we've had, nothing comes as a shock to me anymore," Dylan said. "Rommie, what is he doing anyway?"
"I have no idea," Rommie said angrily. "I'm connected with the ship again, but my linked sensors don't seem to be working all too well right now. I can't even tell if that hull breach has been repaired yet."
"Shh…" Tyr stood like a soldier ready for battle. The creaking noise they heard was closer. Dylan and Tyr both crept forward, weapons ready if they were needed. They turned a corner together and found a peace of paneling hanging by a hinge. The two let down their guard and signaled the women and android to come take a look.
"Well that's stupid," Beka blurted out. She felt embarrassed as the others looked at her strangely. "Well it is."
They stopped staring at Beka when they heard a low grumbling noise coming from the hole where the panel should have been. The sound was that of a lion growling at something it felt was threatening. Tyr knelt in front of the hole and peered inside. He saw two red eyes that glowed brighter as the intensity of the growl grew. He hadn't the faintest idea what it was that stared back at him, but he knew it would attack if he stayed there much longer. "I think we should leave," he said as he stood up. But once he was his full height, a large furry creature pounced on him and started attacking. Trance watched helplessly as Dylan and Beka tried to aim at the beast. Neither fired for fear that they might accidentally shoot Tyr.
"Keep walking," Satrina commanded when Harper stopped at a loud growling sound coming from another corridor. He obeyed her command and continued walking. He looked back when he heard shouts coming from the same direction as the growl. Satrina pushed his face back with the gun. "Don't think about your crew mates," she said. "They're perfectly capable of saving themselves. Besides, you wouldn't do them any good. You'd just get in the way." Harper cringed at her comment, but didn't give any words in return.
* * *
"Shoot it!" Trance shouted. Tears ran down her face now, and she shouted at Dylan and Beka. Finally she got so impatient, she grabbed the gun out of Beka's hand and fired at the beast that attacked Tyr.
"No!" Beka shouted. She watched in shock as Tyr threw the dead animal off of him and stood up. "You did it, Trance," she said in awe.
"What took you so long?" Tyr scolded them as he examined a deep cut on his forearm. Other smaller cuts covered his face and neck, but the one on his forearm was the most serious.
"We didn't want to shoot you," Dylan explained.
"So you'd rather let me die at the… paws of that creature?" Tyr said angrily.
"I shot it," Trance said as if she were a girl trying to win Tyr's affection. Tyr just stared at her and shook his head.
"Look," Beka said. "That thing looks like the kitten, only bigger." The others looked closely at the beast and saw that Beka was right. It had gray and black stripes, just like the kitten, but looked more like a circus sideshow attraction. Rommie looked at it in disgust and crinkled her nose.
"Why any one would want to own a cat, I still don't know. At least Sherlock's not like that," she said thankfully. Then she remembered that Harper was not with them. "I'm going to go see what Harper's up to."
When Rommie reached the med deck and found it empty, she thought for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and called Dylan on the comm. link. "Well, I have no idea where Harper's gone. That's just perfect. I'm still sensor-blind, and he's off somewhere."
"Rommie, stop complaining and just call him on his comm. link," Dylan said.
Rommie rolled her eyes. "I was just about to do that," she made an excuse for not thinking of the idea. "Harper, where are you?"
There was a one-minute pause before she received an answer. "Uh, machine shop, Rom Doll." Rommie could sense something in his voice. "Just working on some things here. Okay, so… Bye." His short conversation ended with a click. Rommie knew that something was wrong. There was a note of panic in his voice. "Dylan," she said into her comm. link, "I think something's wrong with Harper."
"Not again," Dylan said. "Alright, I'll be right there."
* * *
"Your voice had too much worry in it," Satrina noted. "Next time somebody calls you, you better sound normal or I'll shoot you."
"I can't help it," Harper said. He opened the door to the hangar where the Maru was kept and stood there, waiting for Satrina to enter. She sighed and pushed him through the door. "Okay, okay. I was just trying to be a gentleman."
"Well then you should know that ladies always go first," Satrina said with a smile. It took Harper a moment to catch onto her insult. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Now what?" he said, exasperated.
"Now," she said as she turned a knob on the gun, "I knock you unconscious with the stun setting and run off with the Maru." She laughed evilly and aimed the gun at Harper, who put his hands up in surrender.
"No wait!" But his plead was unsuccessful and she fired at him. Blackness prevailed and he fell to the floor with a loud thump.
* * *
"He told me he was in machine shop," Rommie said angrily as she stood in the door of the machine shop. "I hate it when I'm right."
Dylan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Andromeda." Andromeda's hologram appeared in front of him. "Can you find Harper?"
"Yes, he's… Captain, I've detected a weapon's discharge in the Maru's hangar."
"Now I want to know how I got here and why I'm here," Satrina said forcefully.
Harper raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"
"Why would I be asking you if I did?" Satrina got closer to him. "Do you question my motives?"
"Me? No!" Harper put his hands up in surrender. "Never. Now my guess is you're here because of whatever brought back the kitten, the Magog, and my little headache. It seems as though everybody onboard is facing at least one of their past enemies today. I was the lucky one to get two brought back…" The disappointment in his voice made Satrina angry.
"Don't mock me," she said. "I'm very capable of killing you. You do know that, right?" Harper nodded. "Then be quiet."
* * *
"Was Harper's behavior weird or what?" Beka asked as she walked with the others down the corridor. The source of the noise was yet to be found.
"After the day we've had, nothing comes as a shock to me anymore," Dylan said. "Rommie, what is he doing anyway?"
"I have no idea," Rommie said angrily. "I'm connected with the ship again, but my linked sensors don't seem to be working all too well right now. I can't even tell if that hull breach has been repaired yet."
"Shh…" Tyr stood like a soldier ready for battle. The creaking noise they heard was closer. Dylan and Tyr both crept forward, weapons ready if they were needed. They turned a corner together and found a peace of paneling hanging by a hinge. The two let down their guard and signaled the women and android to come take a look.
"Well that's stupid," Beka blurted out. She felt embarrassed as the others looked at her strangely. "Well it is."
They stopped staring at Beka when they heard a low grumbling noise coming from the hole where the panel should have been. The sound was that of a lion growling at something it felt was threatening. Tyr knelt in front of the hole and peered inside. He saw two red eyes that glowed brighter as the intensity of the growl grew. He hadn't the faintest idea what it was that stared back at him, but he knew it would attack if he stayed there much longer. "I think we should leave," he said as he stood up. But once he was his full height, a large furry creature pounced on him and started attacking. Trance watched helplessly as Dylan and Beka tried to aim at the beast. Neither fired for fear that they might accidentally shoot Tyr.
"Keep walking," Satrina commanded when Harper stopped at a loud growling sound coming from another corridor. He obeyed her command and continued walking. He looked back when he heard shouts coming from the same direction as the growl. Satrina pushed his face back with the gun. "Don't think about your crew mates," she said. "They're perfectly capable of saving themselves. Besides, you wouldn't do them any good. You'd just get in the way." Harper cringed at her comment, but didn't give any words in return.
* * *
"Shoot it!" Trance shouted. Tears ran down her face now, and she shouted at Dylan and Beka. Finally she got so impatient, she grabbed the gun out of Beka's hand and fired at the beast that attacked Tyr.
"No!" Beka shouted. She watched in shock as Tyr threw the dead animal off of him and stood up. "You did it, Trance," she said in awe.
"What took you so long?" Tyr scolded them as he examined a deep cut on his forearm. Other smaller cuts covered his face and neck, but the one on his forearm was the most serious.
"We didn't want to shoot you," Dylan explained.
"So you'd rather let me die at the… paws of that creature?" Tyr said angrily.
"I shot it," Trance said as if she were a girl trying to win Tyr's affection. Tyr just stared at her and shook his head.
"Look," Beka said. "That thing looks like the kitten, only bigger." The others looked closely at the beast and saw that Beka was right. It had gray and black stripes, just like the kitten, but looked more like a circus sideshow attraction. Rommie looked at it in disgust and crinkled her nose.
"Why any one would want to own a cat, I still don't know. At least Sherlock's not like that," she said thankfully. Then she remembered that Harper was not with them. "I'm going to go see what Harper's up to."
When Rommie reached the med deck and found it empty, she thought for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and called Dylan on the comm. link. "Well, I have no idea where Harper's gone. That's just perfect. I'm still sensor-blind, and he's off somewhere."
"Rommie, stop complaining and just call him on his comm. link," Dylan said.
Rommie rolled her eyes. "I was just about to do that," she made an excuse for not thinking of the idea. "Harper, where are you?"
There was a one-minute pause before she received an answer. "Uh, machine shop, Rom Doll." Rommie could sense something in his voice. "Just working on some things here. Okay, so… Bye." His short conversation ended with a click. Rommie knew that something was wrong. There was a note of panic in his voice. "Dylan," she said into her comm. link, "I think something's wrong with Harper."
"Not again," Dylan said. "Alright, I'll be right there."
* * *
"Your voice had too much worry in it," Satrina noted. "Next time somebody calls you, you better sound normal or I'll shoot you."
"I can't help it," Harper said. He opened the door to the hangar where the Maru was kept and stood there, waiting for Satrina to enter. She sighed and pushed him through the door. "Okay, okay. I was just trying to be a gentleman."
"Well then you should know that ladies always go first," Satrina said with a smile. It took Harper a moment to catch onto her insult. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Now what?" he said, exasperated.
"Now," she said as she turned a knob on the gun, "I knock you unconscious with the stun setting and run off with the Maru." She laughed evilly and aimed the gun at Harper, who put his hands up in surrender.
"No wait!" But his plead was unsuccessful and she fired at him. Blackness prevailed and he fell to the floor with a loud thump.
* * *
"He told me he was in machine shop," Rommie said angrily as she stood in the door of the machine shop. "I hate it when I'm right."
Dylan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Andromeda." Andromeda's hologram appeared in front of him. "Can you find Harper?"
"Yes, he's… Captain, I've detected a weapon's discharge in the Maru's hangar."