Talkie time
The firewalls were all in place and Harper was ready to go. It was decided that he would talk to the machine on the command deck. That way, everyone would be there if he needed help and all the data port entry could be monitored and controlled.
Harper connected the machine to a wire and then sat himself down on the floor, ready to plug himself. Everybody looked at him with encouragement.
I need all the encouragement I can take, thought Harper. He took one last look at everyone before he inserted the jack into his neck.
When he opened his eyes he saw the monster/alien, but this time it was inside a cage. It was roaring in annoyance when it suddenly spotted Harper.
"What have you done to meeeee! Let me ooouuut!" It screamed at him while shaking its bars.
He smirked to himself and calmly walked over to the cage, "As you can see, there I no way that you can escape. So the best thing that you can do is tell me why you are here." He stared straight into the creature's eyes with intensity that he never knew he had.
The creature stopped shaking its prison and looked at Harper. It paused, then stood back to the middle of the cage. The air around it shimmered and the creature appeared to shrink before his eye. When the air inside the cage had stopped shimmering, what was standing there was not the big scary monster that had been there two seconds ago. What stood in its place was a small, pudgy man in glasses.
The change was so different that Harper fell about laughing. This was what he had been scared of!
"I'm not that funny," said the pudgy little man.
"I'm afraid it is. So, care to let me know why you chose to look like a big scary alien?"
"Well, I didn't want you asking me questions. If you saw a monster, you wouldn't want to stick around. You would have laughed like you just did if I had kept my original form."
Harper raised an eyebrow at the little man, "Well, I'm asking questions now. Answer them."
The little man sighed, "I was sent here."
"By who?"
The little man was silent. Harper reached through the bars and grabbed the man by the neck, "BY WHO?"
"Ack, gack, gh. I....was....sent.....by...the..........abyss!" The little man croaked.
He dropped the man on the floor and wiped himself down. "Much better."
"Now, what did the abyss want you to do. And tell me straight away this time if you know what's good for you. My friends are monitoring this conversation, and if I give them the signal.........they'll crush your little metal ass."
The man looked very scared and burst forth with answers, "The abyss took my body and inserted my conscious self into this machine. He told me that I had to disable your ship so that you wouldn't be able to defend yourselves against the magogg. The magogg world-ship is waiting in the next system for the signal that you have been disabled. They plan to attack the Commonwealth Headquarters. Don't hurt me!"
With no hesitation, Harper disconnected himself and came to on the command deck again.
"Did you hear that?" he said a he got up off the floor.
"Yes, we need to warn the Commonwealth. I'm sure there are enough ships to finally take down these damn magogg. Beka, inform the Triumvirate that I have to talk to him urgently." Dylan said to Beka over his shoulder.
"I'll get straight to it, boss." She said as she ran to the communications console.
He turned back to Harper, "Good one Mr. Harper, we haven't been able to find that worldship in months, and now thanks to you, we can attack it."
Harper blushed, "Well, It wasn't all me."
Dylan playfully swatted him in the head, "Just take the compliment Harper!"
"Thank you." He beamed. So happy that he was important now.
Dylan walked away to the screens to talk to the Triumvirate. However, Harper wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking at the screen. The little man was sitting in the corner of the cage, crying. Harper's heart twinged. Sure the man had tried to destroyed them, but he was human too, and obviously had all the same human emotions. And right now, the man looked very scared.
Harper sat on the floor again and inserted the jack into his neck.
He saw the man crying uncontrollably in the corner of the cage.
He walked over to the side of the cage, "Hey man. Don't cry. The commonwealth is a bit scary, but the biggest sentence they'll give you is imprisonment. I don't know how long but..."
The man's head snapped up and looked at him with tears streaming down his face.
"You don't get it! I failed! The Spirit of the Abyss will come and kill me! Totally erase me from existence! I'm going to die!" He started wailing again with his head between his knees.
Harper didn't really know what to say. He didn't have a choice to reply though as a bright orange light started to fill the cage.
The man stood up and flattened himself against the bars, "OH NO! HE'S HERE!"
The light grew bigger and engulfed the man. As it grew brighter, Harper had to cover his eyes, now hearing the man's blood-curdling screams as he was destroyed. It was awful.
When the light died down, there was nothing left in the cage. He checked the system to see if there was any trace.
Nothing.
The man had disappeared.
Harper sighed and exited the system.
The firewalls were all in place and Harper was ready to go. It was decided that he would talk to the machine on the command deck. That way, everyone would be there if he needed help and all the data port entry could be monitored and controlled.
Harper connected the machine to a wire and then sat himself down on the floor, ready to plug himself. Everybody looked at him with encouragement.
I need all the encouragement I can take, thought Harper. He took one last look at everyone before he inserted the jack into his neck.
When he opened his eyes he saw the monster/alien, but this time it was inside a cage. It was roaring in annoyance when it suddenly spotted Harper.
"What have you done to meeeee! Let me ooouuut!" It screamed at him while shaking its bars.
He smirked to himself and calmly walked over to the cage, "As you can see, there I no way that you can escape. So the best thing that you can do is tell me why you are here." He stared straight into the creature's eyes with intensity that he never knew he had.
The creature stopped shaking its prison and looked at Harper. It paused, then stood back to the middle of the cage. The air around it shimmered and the creature appeared to shrink before his eye. When the air inside the cage had stopped shimmering, what was standing there was not the big scary monster that had been there two seconds ago. What stood in its place was a small, pudgy man in glasses.
The change was so different that Harper fell about laughing. This was what he had been scared of!
"I'm not that funny," said the pudgy little man.
"I'm afraid it is. So, care to let me know why you chose to look like a big scary alien?"
"Well, I didn't want you asking me questions. If you saw a monster, you wouldn't want to stick around. You would have laughed like you just did if I had kept my original form."
Harper raised an eyebrow at the little man, "Well, I'm asking questions now. Answer them."
The little man sighed, "I was sent here."
"By who?"
The little man was silent. Harper reached through the bars and grabbed the man by the neck, "BY WHO?"
"Ack, gack, gh. I....was....sent.....by...the..........abyss!" The little man croaked.
He dropped the man on the floor and wiped himself down. "Much better."
"Now, what did the abyss want you to do. And tell me straight away this time if you know what's good for you. My friends are monitoring this conversation, and if I give them the signal.........they'll crush your little metal ass."
The man looked very scared and burst forth with answers, "The abyss took my body and inserted my conscious self into this machine. He told me that I had to disable your ship so that you wouldn't be able to defend yourselves against the magogg. The magogg world-ship is waiting in the next system for the signal that you have been disabled. They plan to attack the Commonwealth Headquarters. Don't hurt me!"
With no hesitation, Harper disconnected himself and came to on the command deck again.
"Did you hear that?" he said a he got up off the floor.
"Yes, we need to warn the Commonwealth. I'm sure there are enough ships to finally take down these damn magogg. Beka, inform the Triumvirate that I have to talk to him urgently." Dylan said to Beka over his shoulder.
"I'll get straight to it, boss." She said as she ran to the communications console.
He turned back to Harper, "Good one Mr. Harper, we haven't been able to find that worldship in months, and now thanks to you, we can attack it."
Harper blushed, "Well, It wasn't all me."
Dylan playfully swatted him in the head, "Just take the compliment Harper!"
"Thank you." He beamed. So happy that he was important now.
Dylan walked away to the screens to talk to the Triumvirate. However, Harper wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking at the screen. The little man was sitting in the corner of the cage, crying. Harper's heart twinged. Sure the man had tried to destroyed them, but he was human too, and obviously had all the same human emotions. And right now, the man looked very scared.
Harper sat on the floor again and inserted the jack into his neck.
He saw the man crying uncontrollably in the corner of the cage.
He walked over to the side of the cage, "Hey man. Don't cry. The commonwealth is a bit scary, but the biggest sentence they'll give you is imprisonment. I don't know how long but..."
The man's head snapped up and looked at him with tears streaming down his face.
"You don't get it! I failed! The Spirit of the Abyss will come and kill me! Totally erase me from existence! I'm going to die!" He started wailing again with his head between his knees.
Harper didn't really know what to say. He didn't have a choice to reply though as a bright orange light started to fill the cage.
The man stood up and flattened himself against the bars, "OH NO! HE'S HERE!"
The light grew bigger and engulfed the man. As it grew brighter, Harper had to cover his eyes, now hearing the man's blood-curdling screams as he was destroyed. It was awful.
When the light died down, there was nothing left in the cage. He checked the system to see if there was any trace.
Nothing.
The man had disappeared.
Harper sighed and exited the system.