Whispers in the Darkness
Harper could feel himself inside Andromeda's matrix, could see files and data streams. But something was wrong, the atmosphere wasn't right. He tried to move but all he could do was a jerky jig across the floor.
"Ooohhh no. This just had to happen to me, didn't it. Ok Harper, time to get yourself out of this little mess." He lowered himself to the floor, the first thing on the agenda was to get rid of these jerks.
"I am one with myself and all that is around me. I focus on my needs at this time. May the divine help me. I am one with myself and all that is around me. I focus on my needs at this time. May the divine help me." He opened one eye and looked at his hand. He willed his little finger to move. It did. Now he willed the other fingers to move. They all did. He wiggled his fingers, then his wrist and finally his whole arm.
"WOO HOO!" All body parts were moving smoothly, like he'd just been oiled. "Wow. Thank the divine that Rev taught me how to focus. Now to work!"
He stood up and looked around him. Not knowing where exactly to start, he started to wander about, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing here, thought Harper, Nothing here either, and look at that, nothing here aswell! He wasn't going to be going anywhere soon.
"Hassaaaaaaa.........." Something swished past Harper's back.
"What? Who's there? Is that you rommie? Rom-doll? Sweetcheeks?" asked Harper, turning round into the darkness.
"Farra shiiiiiiii........" Now the 'something' was behind his back again.
"This is too freaky for me. If you're out there Rommie, show yourself!" He shouted his last words at a shadow lurking behind a data stream.
The shadow started moving towards him. Maybe shouting at it hadn't been the right thing to do.
"Hey, sorry there pal. Didn't mean to insult you or anything so if you could just leave I'd ...be ... verrrry....." The shadow was right in front of him now. Slowly it started to materialise before his eyes. What he saw wasn't pretty.
The creature before him was as black as deep space and at least six and a half feet tall. It stood on spindly hind legs with sharp claws on the end. Its arms hung down to the floor with even longer, bigger and sharper claws on the ends. The creature looked down at him, revealing its face of horns and sharp teeth, balanced on top of a massive torso that Tyr would have envied. Deep, neverending black eyes stared at him, willing him to make a move so it could slice Harper's head off. Which incidently, wasn't what Harper exactly wanted to do today.
"Heh heh...uh.......hi?? " Harper gave the monster a tiny wave, when he suddenly felt himself being pulled out of the systems. Finally, thought Harper. He opened his eyes, focusing on Beka's worried face.
"Oh kid! I was so worried. You've been unconscious for over an hour. We thought we'd lost you inside Rommie's database forever!" She exclaimed, giving Harper a bone-crushing hug.
"Ooof! Bekaaaa!" He said in a strangled voice, trying to free himself.
"Oh sorry!" Beka stood back looking a bit sheepish.
Harper spotted Dylan in the corner of the med deck and suddenly remembered the monster inside the database.
"Dylan! I saw something inside while I was unconscious. You have an intruder and it's not like any virus I've seen before."
Dylan marched over to the bed, looking very anxious "What was it Mr. Harper? What did you see?All Andromeda's sytems have been shut down."
"Well, I don't think it's a virus. I think that whatever I saw, is as real as you and me. It wasn't artificial, I could feel a consciousness. That monster was alive. I'm scared Dylan, I think that IT and many more like it are coming." He paused, realising what had to be done.
"We have to boot it out of where it doesn't belong!"
Harper could feel himself inside Andromeda's matrix, could see files and data streams. But something was wrong, the atmosphere wasn't right. He tried to move but all he could do was a jerky jig across the floor.
"Ooohhh no. This just had to happen to me, didn't it. Ok Harper, time to get yourself out of this little mess." He lowered himself to the floor, the first thing on the agenda was to get rid of these jerks.
"I am one with myself and all that is around me. I focus on my needs at this time. May the divine help me. I am one with myself and all that is around me. I focus on my needs at this time. May the divine help me." He opened one eye and looked at his hand. He willed his little finger to move. It did. Now he willed the other fingers to move. They all did. He wiggled his fingers, then his wrist and finally his whole arm.
"WOO HOO!" All body parts were moving smoothly, like he'd just been oiled. "Wow. Thank the divine that Rev taught me how to focus. Now to work!"
He stood up and looked around him. Not knowing where exactly to start, he started to wander about, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing here, thought Harper, Nothing here either, and look at that, nothing here aswell! He wasn't going to be going anywhere soon.
"Hassaaaaaaa.........." Something swished past Harper's back.
"What? Who's there? Is that you rommie? Rom-doll? Sweetcheeks?" asked Harper, turning round into the darkness.
"Farra shiiiiiiii........" Now the 'something' was behind his back again.
"This is too freaky for me. If you're out there Rommie, show yourself!" He shouted his last words at a shadow lurking behind a data stream.
The shadow started moving towards him. Maybe shouting at it hadn't been the right thing to do.
"Hey, sorry there pal. Didn't mean to insult you or anything so if you could just leave I'd ...be ... verrrry....." The shadow was right in front of him now. Slowly it started to materialise before his eyes. What he saw wasn't pretty.
The creature before him was as black as deep space and at least six and a half feet tall. It stood on spindly hind legs with sharp claws on the end. Its arms hung down to the floor with even longer, bigger and sharper claws on the ends. The creature looked down at him, revealing its face of horns and sharp teeth, balanced on top of a massive torso that Tyr would have envied. Deep, neverending black eyes stared at him, willing him to make a move so it could slice Harper's head off. Which incidently, wasn't what Harper exactly wanted to do today.
"Heh heh...uh.......hi?? " Harper gave the monster a tiny wave, when he suddenly felt himself being pulled out of the systems. Finally, thought Harper. He opened his eyes, focusing on Beka's worried face.
"Oh kid! I was so worried. You've been unconscious for over an hour. We thought we'd lost you inside Rommie's database forever!" She exclaimed, giving Harper a bone-crushing hug.
"Ooof! Bekaaaa!" He said in a strangled voice, trying to free himself.
"Oh sorry!" Beka stood back looking a bit sheepish.
Harper spotted Dylan in the corner of the med deck and suddenly remembered the monster inside the database.
"Dylan! I saw something inside while I was unconscious. You have an intruder and it's not like any virus I've seen before."
Dylan marched over to the bed, looking very anxious "What was it Mr. Harper? What did you see?All Andromeda's sytems have been shut down."
"Well, I don't think it's a virus. I think that whatever I saw, is as real as you and me. It wasn't artificial, I could feel a consciousness. That monster was alive. I'm scared Dylan, I think that IT and many more like it are coming." He paused, realising what had to be done.
"We have to boot it out of where it doesn't belong!"