He came to in a cold, dark room, the only light coming from a small window high up on the wall. Felix sat over him, her soft hands gently stroking his face. It took him a moment to realize that she was talking to him.
"Harper?" she asked. "Harper, are you okay?"
Harper sat up and looked around, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm okay…" He let the dizziness pass. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Felix said, looking around the room. "They didn't knock me out, they just injected me with something that made me blind for a couple of hours."
"Have I been out for that long?" Felix nodded in reply. "Did you get a chance to see whom we're up against before they blinded you?"
Felix shook her head uncertainly. "I thought for a moment it was a human, but then it looked like a Perseid. It could've just been the chemical taking effect, but… I don't know."
Harper shrugged without thinking. He started to think what it would be like if Dylan were there. He'd have a plan already and would already be in the process of carrying that plan out. Then Harper realized that it was only him and Felix in the room. 'Why didn't they take Beka or the others?' he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large metal door clanking open. Felix and Harper turned toward the sound, but could only see the silhouette of a large man. The uneven thump of his boots gave them the impression that he walked with a limp. He came closer to the two of them, but stayed out of the range of the light from the window.
"So, the little man is awake?" his scratchy voice asked. "Good. The Colonel will be in to see you shortly. I suggest you pull yourselves together." He stood in the doorway for a moment staring at them.
"Take a picture," Felix shouted. The man sniffed and turned away, slamming the metal door behind him. Harper held his head when the sound made it throb. Felix put a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a reassuring tone, "I'm sure the others are fine and they're on their way right now." As she said this, the door swung open again and a tall, muscular man walked into the dark room.
"Can we have the lights, please?" He had a British accent, very sophisticated and commanding. Bright lights switched on overhead and Felix could see the man was different. He had the bluish-gray skin of a Perseid, but the physique of a human, with black, curly hair and soft gray eyes. "Ah, Mr. Harper… I hope my soldiers didn't hurt you too badly. I told them to resist the use of any force unless it was necessary. Was it necessary, Mr. Harper?" Harper shook his head slowly, looking at the man with suspicious eyes. "I'll remember to have them punished later…"
"Who are you?" Harper asked as he stood up. Felix soon stood up beside him.
"You can call me Colonel. That's all you need to know," the man said with a smile. "Now I'd like you two to answer some questions for me. You," he pointed to Felix. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Where did you come from?"
"I don't know," Felix answered in a cold tone.
"Do you?" he asked Harper. Harper shook his head in reply. The Colonel looked at the ground, making a "tsk, tsk" sound. "Please don't make me result to violence to get these answers out of you two." He looked to a couple of big guys standing in the doorway. "I hate having to use violence to get answers."
* * *
"Andromeda, report," Dylan mumbled as he woke up. The Andromeda's hologram flicked into view near him. It blurred every once and a while.
"Shields at forty-five percent, communications failing… Three crew members missing," she said with a confused look.
"Who?" Dylan asked, concerned.
"Mr. Anasazi, Mr. Harper, and Miss Clark," Andromeda replied.
"Do we know who attacked us?" Dylan stood up and helped Rommie to her feet.
"My sensors show they were all members of the human/Perseid race from the space station," Rommie answered for her A.I.
Dylan looked troubled. He nodded in understanding and started heading back to command. He found Beka outside command, still unconscious. He made sure she was alive and continued on, leaving Rommie with her. Once in command, he found Trance still standing dutifully at her console, checking and rechecking systems. "Are you okay, Trance?" he asked her.
Trance turned to him and nodded, worry filling her eyes. "Where's Beka?"
"On her way to medical. You should go," Dylan told her as approached a console. Trance quickly left. "Andromeda, were you able to get a lock on the ship that attacked us?"
"Yes," Andromeda's image on the screen informed him. "It has stopped in the Barnel Galaxy, two slip-jumps away."
"Is that where Tyr and the others are?"
"Yes."
"Crew," he said into his comm. link, "prepare for slipstream."
* * *
"Harper?" she asked. "Harper, are you okay?"
Harper sat up and looked around, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm okay…" He let the dizziness pass. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Felix said, looking around the room. "They didn't knock me out, they just injected me with something that made me blind for a couple of hours."
"Have I been out for that long?" Felix nodded in reply. "Did you get a chance to see whom we're up against before they blinded you?"
Felix shook her head uncertainly. "I thought for a moment it was a human, but then it looked like a Perseid. It could've just been the chemical taking effect, but… I don't know."
Harper shrugged without thinking. He started to think what it would be like if Dylan were there. He'd have a plan already and would already be in the process of carrying that plan out. Then Harper realized that it was only him and Felix in the room. 'Why didn't they take Beka or the others?' he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large metal door clanking open. Felix and Harper turned toward the sound, but could only see the silhouette of a large man. The uneven thump of his boots gave them the impression that he walked with a limp. He came closer to the two of them, but stayed out of the range of the light from the window.
"So, the little man is awake?" his scratchy voice asked. "Good. The Colonel will be in to see you shortly. I suggest you pull yourselves together." He stood in the doorway for a moment staring at them.
"Take a picture," Felix shouted. The man sniffed and turned away, slamming the metal door behind him. Harper held his head when the sound made it throb. Felix put a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a reassuring tone, "I'm sure the others are fine and they're on their way right now." As she said this, the door swung open again and a tall, muscular man walked into the dark room.
"Can we have the lights, please?" He had a British accent, very sophisticated and commanding. Bright lights switched on overhead and Felix could see the man was different. He had the bluish-gray skin of a Perseid, but the physique of a human, with black, curly hair and soft gray eyes. "Ah, Mr. Harper… I hope my soldiers didn't hurt you too badly. I told them to resist the use of any force unless it was necessary. Was it necessary, Mr. Harper?" Harper shook his head slowly, looking at the man with suspicious eyes. "I'll remember to have them punished later…"
"Who are you?" Harper asked as he stood up. Felix soon stood up beside him.
"You can call me Colonel. That's all you need to know," the man said with a smile. "Now I'd like you two to answer some questions for me. You," he pointed to Felix. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Where did you come from?"
"I don't know," Felix answered in a cold tone.
"Do you?" he asked Harper. Harper shook his head in reply. The Colonel looked at the ground, making a "tsk, tsk" sound. "Please don't make me result to violence to get these answers out of you two." He looked to a couple of big guys standing in the doorway. "I hate having to use violence to get answers."
* * *
"Andromeda, report," Dylan mumbled as he woke up. The Andromeda's hologram flicked into view near him. It blurred every once and a while.
"Shields at forty-five percent, communications failing… Three crew members missing," she said with a confused look.
"Who?" Dylan asked, concerned.
"Mr. Anasazi, Mr. Harper, and Miss Clark," Andromeda replied.
"Do we know who attacked us?" Dylan stood up and helped Rommie to her feet.
"My sensors show they were all members of the human/Perseid race from the space station," Rommie answered for her A.I.
Dylan looked troubled. He nodded in understanding and started heading back to command. He found Beka outside command, still unconscious. He made sure she was alive and continued on, leaving Rommie with her. Once in command, he found Trance still standing dutifully at her console, checking and rechecking systems. "Are you okay, Trance?" he asked her.
Trance turned to him and nodded, worry filling her eyes. "Where's Beka?"
"On her way to medical. You should go," Dylan told her as approached a console. Trance quickly left. "Andromeda, were you able to get a lock on the ship that attacked us?"
"Yes," Andromeda's image on the screen informed him. "It has stopped in the Barnel Galaxy, two slip-jumps away."
"Is that where Tyr and the others are?"
"Yes."
"Crew," he said into his comm. link, "prepare for slipstream."
* * *