Alright, here's the next chapter. This story isn't turning out the way I wanted... it's harder to write Andromeda fics than I thought! Feel free to tell me what I should improve. Thanks for the feedback so far!

XxXxXxXxXx

How could Harper be this irresponsible, Dylan fumed. While Harper never seemed to take things seriously, he always got the job done, even when he was sick and even dying from radiation poisoning. So what was bothering the young engineer? Dylan was really getting ticked off with the engineer's attitude, and after he was 'better', there would be some serious attitude adjusting going on. This never happened in the Highguard.

Dylan entered engineering to the sound of utter silence. Immediately, his internal alarms started going off. Harper was never this quiet.

"Harper? Are you in here?" Dylan picked up his pace and finally spotted the young man's body slumped against the wall. "Harper!" Dylan's chest tightened when he saw the unconscious engineer and he rushed over, kneeling beside him.

"Harper? Can you hear me?" Dylan asked as his eyes and hands inspected Harper's body, looking for any injuries. Not finding anything obvious, Dylan suddenly noticed that Andromeda hadn't appeared. Shouldn't she have noticed Harper's change in vital signs?

"Andromeda," Dylan called. No answer. He'd have to check that later. In the meantime he had more pressing matters. Calling for Trance to meet him in med-deck, Dylan slipped one arm under Harper's legs and the other under his shoulders, and gently lifted him to carry him to med-deck. He worriedly noted the young man felt lighter than usual.

Trance met him there, as did Andromeda's hologram.

"What happened?" Trance enquired as Dylan laid Harped on a bed.

"I found him unconscious in engineering, no obvious injuries. Why weren't you monitoring him, Andromeda?"

"He overrode my program in engineering. I couldn't."

"And you didn't think this was important enough to tell me?"

"It's not the first time he's done this, Dylan. He turns the program back on eventually."

Dylan's anger towards Harper started to resurface. His engineer was reprogramming the ship like he owned it, and no one, not even his own ship, thought it important enough to tell him? What else weren't they telling him?

"What's wrong with him, Trance?"

"I'm detecting swelling around the cerebral port, and first degree burns to the tissues around it. I'd say he was electrocuted," Trance reported. "He's also got a severe contusion on the upper bicep. Other than that he's fine, and should wake up any time."

Dylan looked expectantly at Andromeda. "Is there any reason my engineer was almost electrocuted to death that you'd like to tell me?"

"I can't tell you anything, Dylan. I've detected no power surges, viruses, or alien intruders. Harper must have done something."

"Where was Rommie? Even though he locked you out of engineering, your avatar could have been watching him."

"Harper has been treating my avatar with less than civility, and threatened to dismantle her. She thought it best to give him space until his mood calmed down," Andromeda matter-of-factly stated.

"You're a warship, and you're afraid of one human being?" Dylan incredulously asked.

A small groan from the exam bed turned three sets of expectant eyes in the engineer's direction. Sets of eyes that wanted answers. Now.

"Ow. Remind me never to piss off again whomever I just pissed off," he groused as he squinted his eyes. He brought his hand up to shield his sore eyes from the glaring overhead lights. "What happened guys?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Dylan coldly asked.

At Dylan's harsh tone, Harper opened his eyes fully and looked at everyone's face. Not one of them seemed at all relieved he'd regained consciousness like usual, and they all mirrored Dylan's expression. "What do you mean? How could I know what happened, I just woke up."

"I can see that. Your behaviour of late has been less than stellar. We've all tried talking to you, but your mood has been so far out in left field that you've threatened physical injury to more than one of your crewmates. As of now, Andromeda will be monitoring all of your movements, and you will only be allowed into the areas of the ship you are repairing. When you are not conducting repairs you are to be in your quarters until you've demonstrated some modicum of control over your mood. Do I make myself clear?"

"But, what have I..."

"It's a yes or no answer, Mister Harper." Dylan looked him right in the eye. Harper looked down.

"Yes," he whispered.

Dylan and Andromeda left together, but Trance stayed by his side, completing her examination.

"Trance, what did I do? Why is everyone so mad at me?"

"If you don't know the answer to that, perhaps it's best you spend your free time in your quarters contemplating that. No one is very happy with you at the moment. I've given you a mild painkiller, which will wear off in about six hours. I suggest you lie down in your quarters until if wears off." Trance turned away from him.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Don't you think you were a bit harsh on him?" Andromeda asked as her and Dylan headed back up to Command.

"It appears to be the only thing Harper responds to right now. I just want to give him some time to think about his actions. For now, I want you or Rommie monitoring him at all times, and I want to know about anything out of the ordinary. Understood?"

"Yes." She blinked out of existence.

XxXxXxXxXx

'Why is everyone treating me so badly?' Harper thought to himself. 'Even Trance.' He slowly walked down to corridor towards his quarters. He couldn't remember anything before waking up in med-deck except pain, and possibly being interfaced. And where was Beka? She was always there when he was hurt. Maybe she could explain things to him. He rounded the corner and walked straight into Rommie.

"Hey, Rom-doll, how are things?" Harper asked, trying to sound cheerful and hoping she was on his side.

"Where are you going, Harper? You missed the turn to your quarters." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I thought I might go and see Beka. She can..." He was rudely interrupted by the android.

"You've said enough to Beka, believe me you're better off giving her some space."

"Please Rommie, you don't understand. I need to speak with her," Harper pleaded.

"And you obviously don't understand. Dylan ordered you to your quarters or to repair the ship. Engineering is the other way. And based on the fact your respirations and heart rate are slower than normal, Trance probably gave you a painkiller. Therefore you are in no condition to conduct repairs. I'll escort you to your quarters." She indicated with her arm for him to precede her down the corridor.

"I don't understand what I've done! No one will let me tell my side of things!"

"Harper, Dylan will talk with you tomorrow. He just needs some time to think things through. You should do the same."

Arriving at his quarters, Harper gave her one last pleading look before the doors slid shut.

Two hours later, Harper decided it was time he found out what the hell was going on. He felt like he was trapped in some sort of surreal nightmare where no matter what you did, everyone conspired against you. Almost like trying to run but not being able to move no matter how hard you try. It was time he talked to Beka. She was with him on the Maru, and could tell him what happened after he blacked out.

He slipped into the hallway and ran to the nearest access panel. He quickly configured Andromeda's internal sensors into believing he was still in the room, then he headed for Beka's quarters. Upon arriving, he rang the bell, and was relieved when Beka called for him to come in. She probably hadn't checked who it was before opening the door.

"Beka?"

Her face transformed immediately from one of surprise to anger, then settled on a cold indifference. "What do you want?"

"I thought we could talk."

"And by that do you mean 'talk' or you yelling some more." Beka was sitting on her couch and was making no move to get up.

"I... I don't know what I've done to upset you..."

"You what?! Forgotten so soon? What you said hurt, Harper. I've given you everything. I got you off Earth, gave you a job, food, a place to stay, and all I asked for in exchange was for you to take care of my ship. How do you repay me? By calling me a slaver! Do you know how that made me feel? That you're equating me with those Drago-Kazov monsters? I want you out, Harper." Beka stood and stepped towards him.

"But, I don't remember any of that! Why won't you believe me?" Harper was getting desperate. It seemed everyone was intent on tormenting him.

"Excuses are all you're able to come up with, once again. Get out."

Feeling his eyes starting to tear, he backed out of the room, and then ran down to engineering. At least there no one would bother him. Not that anyone would want to come near him by the looks of things.

A few minutes earlier.

Rommie made her way to Command after having assisted Tyr with some of the repairs Harper was supposed to have handled. His behaviour bothered her, but she knew something wasn't right. The Harper they'd had to put up with for the past few days was horrid, but now it was almost like he'd returned to normal, and no one had given him the time of day. Between his comments to her and Beka, and his actions with Andromeda, and the fact Dylan had reacted so powerfully to finding out Harper had messed with her programming, had biased everyone against him by the time he finally pulled it together.

She decided it was time to have a talk with her engineer. She turned and headed back to Harper's quarters, her sensors telling her he was there, when she started to feel weak. Her limbs started to feel heavy like someone had turned up the gravity. She suddenly found herself paralysed, unable to even send a message, and she found she was also cut off from the ship. Her last thought before losing power was that there was no way Harper would have gone this far.