Felix looked up wearily, a few strands of her black hair falling into her bloodied face. The large man pulled back his arm to take another swing, but a hand stopped him. "That's enough," the Colonel shouted.
"She doesn't know anything," Harper shouted from across the room. One of the other soldiers punched him in the stomach.
The Colonel lifted Felix's face up with a finger under her chin and looked at her with sorry eyes. "Will you tell me?" he asked softly.
"If I knew, I'd tell you," Felix cried. "Leave Harper out of this. He doesn't deserve to be hurt when you're obviously after me. You've already got me, what more do you want?"
"Answers, girl, answers." The Colonel stood up straight and walked over to Harper. "I want to know why you don't remember what you really are."
"I know I'm a clone, okay!" Felix shouted.
"So why don't you know where you came from?" The Colonel became furious.
"I don't know why! All I remember is dying on the Andromeda and then waking up again on the Andromeda."
"Clones don't remember who they were in their past lives…" the Colonel said, looking into Harper's face. "Why does she remember?"
"Because…" Harper hesitated. A hand was raised into the air in anger. "Because we gave her the memories back!" he finished quickly. The hand lowered again. "We thought that if we injected the RNA that we took from the original Felix into the clone, she might remember everything and go back to being regular Felix instead of just an aimless clone. It ended up working."
"Interesting," the Colonel said as he stroked his broad chin. "So what you're saying is that you actually recreated a dead soul?" Harper shrugged and nodded. "And she remembers everything from her past life?" Harper nodded again. "Very well, then. I'll take this to the good Doctor. Soldiers…" The large men followed him out dutifully, leaving Felix and Harper in the room. The guard laughed at them and went back to his post.
"Harper, are you okay?" Felix asked, not even trying to stand up.
Harper lay on his back and looked up at the small window, where the light was becoming scarce. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"
"Just peachy," she replied sarcastically, waving her hand in the air. "We have got to get out of here." She opened her eyes and looked to the window. "Crap! It's getting dark already."
"We'll have to wait 'til morning, then. Good. That'll give me enough time to devise a plan."
"Yeah, if they don't kill us first…"
* * *
"Dylan, we're approaching the enemy ship, weapons charged and ready to go," Rommie reported.
"Good," Dylan said as he, Tyr, and Beka stood at the weapons locker preparing their weapons. "Ready?" he asked his crewmembers. They nodded silently in return. "Let's go get our resident geniuses."
Neither Harper nor Felix slept at all that night. Both of them sat up in the dark, trying to think of ways to escape from their prison. The same guard stayed outside their door the entire time. Every so often he would start to sing a song in a tongue that neither of them could understand. A few times they could hear him snore as he drifted into sleep, but something would always startle him and he would be wide-awake in a heartbeat.
When morning finally came along and the first faint light came through the window, Felix and Harper sat close and quietly discussed their plans for an escape.
"We've got to fool that guard some how," Felix whispered. "He doesn't seem like the brightest light bulb in the pack. I was thinking maybe we could trick him into thinking we've turned against each other. You know, stage a fight. Maybe he'd fall for it."
"That could work. When he comes in here, one of us could steal his gun…" Harper looked as if he had gotten lost in thought when his eyes suddenly brightened. He reached into one of his pockets and produced a computer wire. Felix looked at him questioningly. "I always carry one around just in case something goes wrong on the Andromeda."
"And what exactly do you propose to do with that?" Felix asked, not quite getting his point.
"If we get out of here, I could tap into the computer systems (assuming there are any) and contact the Andromeda," Harper replied hopefully.
Felix smiled. "Well then, let's get to work," she said coolly. She stood up and caught her balance. "Will you forgive me if I hurt you?"
"Only if you'll forgive me…" Harper stood up and pushed Felix. She retaliated by shouting various obscenities at him, and then punching him square in the jaw. He staggered for a moment, and then slapped Felix's face. She shouted once again, making sure the guard could hear her. He shouted back with a slight smile.
Then the fighting really started. Felix pounced on Harper, bringing him down hard to the floor. She punched him a couple times, he punched her a couple times, and this continued on until the guard finally broke it up by pulling Felix off of Harper by the waist. She struggled to get free of his grip, and when she did, she attacked Harper once more. When she saw that Harper was bleeding from the nose, she stopped and listened to the guard's commands. Harper slowly stood up, giving Felix the coldest look. He called her a few names under his breath, proceeding to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. The guard stood between them, saying things they didn't even hear. Felix suddenly punched him in the stomach, forcing him to double over, and then kneed him in the face, knocking him off his feet and unconscious. She quickly pulled his gun out of the holster on his belt and charged it.
"Nicely done, Felix," Harper said between breaths. "I forgive you."
"I forgive you too," Felix said, out of breath. "Think that was a little too much?"
"No, it was perfect…"
* * *
"She doesn't know anything," Harper shouted from across the room. One of the other soldiers punched him in the stomach.
The Colonel lifted Felix's face up with a finger under her chin and looked at her with sorry eyes. "Will you tell me?" he asked softly.
"If I knew, I'd tell you," Felix cried. "Leave Harper out of this. He doesn't deserve to be hurt when you're obviously after me. You've already got me, what more do you want?"
"Answers, girl, answers." The Colonel stood up straight and walked over to Harper. "I want to know why you don't remember what you really are."
"I know I'm a clone, okay!" Felix shouted.
"So why don't you know where you came from?" The Colonel became furious.
"I don't know why! All I remember is dying on the Andromeda and then waking up again on the Andromeda."
"Clones don't remember who they were in their past lives…" the Colonel said, looking into Harper's face. "Why does she remember?"
"Because…" Harper hesitated. A hand was raised into the air in anger. "Because we gave her the memories back!" he finished quickly. The hand lowered again. "We thought that if we injected the RNA that we took from the original Felix into the clone, she might remember everything and go back to being regular Felix instead of just an aimless clone. It ended up working."
"Interesting," the Colonel said as he stroked his broad chin. "So what you're saying is that you actually recreated a dead soul?" Harper shrugged and nodded. "And she remembers everything from her past life?" Harper nodded again. "Very well, then. I'll take this to the good Doctor. Soldiers…" The large men followed him out dutifully, leaving Felix and Harper in the room. The guard laughed at them and went back to his post.
"Harper, are you okay?" Felix asked, not even trying to stand up.
Harper lay on his back and looked up at the small window, where the light was becoming scarce. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"
"Just peachy," she replied sarcastically, waving her hand in the air. "We have got to get out of here." She opened her eyes and looked to the window. "Crap! It's getting dark already."
"We'll have to wait 'til morning, then. Good. That'll give me enough time to devise a plan."
"Yeah, if they don't kill us first…"
* * *
"Dylan, we're approaching the enemy ship, weapons charged and ready to go," Rommie reported.
"Good," Dylan said as he, Tyr, and Beka stood at the weapons locker preparing their weapons. "Ready?" he asked his crewmembers. They nodded silently in return. "Let's go get our resident geniuses."
Neither Harper nor Felix slept at all that night. Both of them sat up in the dark, trying to think of ways to escape from their prison. The same guard stayed outside their door the entire time. Every so often he would start to sing a song in a tongue that neither of them could understand. A few times they could hear him snore as he drifted into sleep, but something would always startle him and he would be wide-awake in a heartbeat.
When morning finally came along and the first faint light came through the window, Felix and Harper sat close and quietly discussed their plans for an escape.
"We've got to fool that guard some how," Felix whispered. "He doesn't seem like the brightest light bulb in the pack. I was thinking maybe we could trick him into thinking we've turned against each other. You know, stage a fight. Maybe he'd fall for it."
"That could work. When he comes in here, one of us could steal his gun…" Harper looked as if he had gotten lost in thought when his eyes suddenly brightened. He reached into one of his pockets and produced a computer wire. Felix looked at him questioningly. "I always carry one around just in case something goes wrong on the Andromeda."
"And what exactly do you propose to do with that?" Felix asked, not quite getting his point.
"If we get out of here, I could tap into the computer systems (assuming there are any) and contact the Andromeda," Harper replied hopefully.
Felix smiled. "Well then, let's get to work," she said coolly. She stood up and caught her balance. "Will you forgive me if I hurt you?"
"Only if you'll forgive me…" Harper stood up and pushed Felix. She retaliated by shouting various obscenities at him, and then punching him square in the jaw. He staggered for a moment, and then slapped Felix's face. She shouted once again, making sure the guard could hear her. He shouted back with a slight smile.
Then the fighting really started. Felix pounced on Harper, bringing him down hard to the floor. She punched him a couple times, he punched her a couple times, and this continued on until the guard finally broke it up by pulling Felix off of Harper by the waist. She struggled to get free of his grip, and when she did, she attacked Harper once more. When she saw that Harper was bleeding from the nose, she stopped and listened to the guard's commands. Harper slowly stood up, giving Felix the coldest look. He called her a few names under his breath, proceeding to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. The guard stood between them, saying things they didn't even hear. Felix suddenly punched him in the stomach, forcing him to double over, and then kneed him in the face, knocking him off his feet and unconscious. She quickly pulled his gun out of the holster on his belt and charged it.
"Nicely done, Felix," Harper said between breaths. "I forgive you."
"I forgive you too," Felix said, out of breath. "Think that was a little too much?"
"No, it was perfect…"
* * *