Note From Dragon- wow 31 chapters!! I along with everyone would like to Thank all of you who have reviewed and kept reading. Our thanks go out to you and keep up the reading!! :)

Part 31

Rommie's POV

Damn, she pulled the wild card out of the deck.

"Trance," I said quietly, trying to be the voice of reason. "Look at who you're threatening. "You sacrificed the fate of the universe once to save Harper. Now you're going to kill him? Just like that? Without remorse."

Her dark eyes flashed, and twitched over to the back of his tousled hair, then back to me. The knife didn't tremble.

*She knows what she's doing. She's self-assured and maniacal.*

"If I must."

"You'd trade the life of your friend, a man you love, for this creature?" I grasped the Gorgonyte's shoulder in one hand, and gave him a shake. He whimpered. Harper squeezed his eyes shut. Trance's dark eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Yes," she whispered, voice more a breath of air than speech.

My remorse must've shown on my face, because a malicious smile split her red face. She chuckled, a vile, hollow sound.

"You're not Trance," I snarled, and shoved the Gorgonite forward. He slammed into Harper's stomach, knocking him back. Trance's hand flew away from Harper's throat. Simultaneously, I did a flip through the air, my fingers slipped between his sensitive flesh and the blade. She snarled and sliced through my fingers.

But androids are tough.

I grabbed Harper's hair and shoved him to the floor behind me.

My internal defense lasers sliced through the air. Sparks erupted from her shoulder. It burned her cheek. Smoke puffed. Blood dribbled. She kicked out. Harper squealed as a boot blade pierced his thigh. I heard him scrambled out of reach, sobbing.

I grabbed her left arm and snapped it. The bone broke with a satisfying crunch. She screamed, swiped at my torso with the blade in her right hand. My internal lasers bit at her knees. She crumpled, still snarling and struggling. I buried my fingers in her long red hair and twisted until she was on her knees, her back to me.

Suddenly, she reached back, grabbed my coat with one hand and flipped, her legs wrapping around my neck.

I almost laughed. Does she think she'll suffocate an android?

I bit her. Blood filled my mouth and she wailed.

Tossing her again the wall, I noticed the prisoner, inching away, trying to escape. I narrowed my eyes and a defensive laser beam shot out, pierced his ankle. He toppled. Injured, not dead.

Something barreled into me, knocking me off balance. Trance.

I flung her off. "I've had enough of you, Bitch," I snarled. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"To put it all right." She threw a blade at me.

It made a sproing sound as it impaled my arm. I pulled it out. The point was crumpled. A useless weapon. Where was my forcelance? Maybe I should just shoot her.

"To put what right?" I lunged.

"The universe." She dodged.

"How?" I snagged her hair, spun her to face me.

A crafty look crossed her face. Her eyes sparked maniacally. "By taking over." She stretched out a hand, palm flat toward me. Before her hand the air sparkled, fogged, spun, coalesced. Stars glimmered in primordial soup. I stared. She laughed, deep and throaty. I blinked. Then the energy surge hit me, a ball of lightening birthed in that primordial slime.

I flew back, slammed into the wall. My eyes were open, but my circuits were compromised.

"That's enough!" a familiar voice barked.

Trance whirled.

Propped against the doorframe of medical, Beka sagged, squinting, a force lance aimed steadily at Trance's middle. "Leave my friends alone, you bitch. Whoever you are."

Collapsing back against the cold steel wall, my head spinning, my matrix flashing with odd coding, I allowed myself to smile. Perhaps now, we'll find out what really happened to Trance. But me? I feel... odd. Disconnected. Am I floating? This is not logical, not logical, not ... logical