Part 11
Beka slumped down on the chair, and glanced around at Tyr, Dylan, Trance and Rommie. "Waste of time," she simply conceded.
"No luck?" Dylan checked.
"It's as if they never existed, but I know this drift is hiding something," Beka vented with frustration.
"We had reached the same conclusion," Tyr agreed. "However, we shouldn't dismiss that they may genuinely not know the whereabouts of our wayward crew members."
"What you are suggesting Tyr is that Rev or Harper have somehow taken their feud or whatever it is between them, if anything, to the next level," Beka stated with obvious concern, and confusion. "But I'm sorry, neither of them have enough to go on to even begin to justify that, regardless of what happened, right?" she looked to Dylan to find support, but he offered none.
"Both of them are a little unpredictable at the moment," Dylan shrugged.
"The Magog nearly killed Harper not two days ago, and half his family were killed because of the beasts," Tyr corrected.
"Yeah, well the Nietzscheans did their fair share too, I don't see Harper running amok after you," Beka snapped and got to her feet. "Harper is crazy, that I'll admit to, but crazy enough to take on a Magog, even Rev?" she questioned. "He's crazy, not stupid and why are we assuming that Harper might be the one inciting trouble here?"
"They are both still suffering the effects of that illness," Tyr argued.
"Both their illnesses are in decline," Trance now stepped forward and pointed out. "And with respect, if I feared that either were at threat from the remaining symptoms I would never have granted them leave from the ship," she added softly but with conviction, her tail gently moving from side to side as attention focused on her for a moment.
"I think the priority here is to find them," Dylan now spoke with authority.
"Dylan is right," Rommie agreed.
"Are you programmed to always agree with him?" Beka asked with agitation, still riled by the suggestions as she saw them, that Harper was the threat.
"Harper programmed me, maybe if we put some more effort into finding him I can ask him," Rommie returned pointedly.
"Let's just focus, as one," Dylan requested with a sigh, before Beka could respond to Rommie. "Tyr, Trance, go to the bars and just listen, if this community knows anything it's bound to come up," he frowned. "Beka, Rommie lets focus on the scans, Harper's port should be coming up as some sort of signal, maybe we're missing something obvious that is right under our nose," he gestured to the monitor.
Without another word the crew acted on Dylan's orders and resumed their search for the missing crew mates.
"Listen to me!" Harper now raised his voice louder, as he backed away behind Rev. "If this Magog really was a threat you'd all be dead or dying by now with a stomach full of baby Magog!" he stressed.
"Magog are Magog, and we are not going to hang around to find out if you're right or wrong," Barton sneered in return. "Are you hungry, Magog?"
Rev didn't respond, as he continued to partially shield Harper from the crowd, but the yobs had them surrounded and they soon found themselves back to back, with no where to go.
"Answer me, Magog, are you hungry?" Barton asked.
"Hunger is not a factor for me," Rev answered in a low gravely voice.
"Hunger is always a factor with Magog," Barton yelled in return.
"For someone with little to no experience with Magog, you sure make out like you know them," Harper snapped angrily, losing his patience.
"Shut up, we have read reports, we know our facts," Barton objected. "We don't want his kind, or yours, Magog supporter filth, on this drift!"
Harper smirked again, shaking his head; he'd been called many things in his time but never anything as ridiculous as that. Barton made to lunge towards Harper but a wave of Rev's clawed hand stopped him momentarily.
"You touch the human, and I will be forced to defend him," Rev warned.
"We're counting on that," Barton quickly composed himself, returning to a cocky stance. "I must say, when we caught ourselves a Magog, I really didn't think it would be this much fun, we should thank you Magog for bringing your pet along."
Rev this time reached out and stopped Harper reacting angrily to the leader's jibe, but his clawed hands around his human colleague caused Harper to turn his anger on Rev. "Don't freaking touch me!" Harper impulsively yelled at Rev, and then heard the yobs cheer.
"Well, well, all is not so well between the Magog and his best pal," Barton smiled, and Harper took some calming breaths.
"I'm sorry, Harper, but wasting your anger on these people will do you no favours," Rev was only focused on Harper now.
"They are fools," Harper said with frustration, attempting to control his anger.
"Your illness is flaming your anger now," Rev warned him, seeing the signs of a temperature and the tiredness. Harper was not holding up well, his wounds still seeped blood and there was a light sheen covering him.
"Illness?" Barton now questioned.
"Yeah, I'm freaking ill, and its contagious," Harper grinned, taunting the leader.
"Harper," Rev chastised him.
"Rev," Harper whined, knowing the Magog had destroyed his quickly thought plan just by objecting to his little white lie.
"You two are better than the circus freaks I used to hear so much about," Barton now grinned with amusement, and his cohorts, Rossi and Piper, with the rest of the gang now laughed with him and began to make more noise. "But now I've had enough," Barton moved quickly in gesturing to his men and Harper found himself secured suddenly by two sets of hands, holding him tightly.
Rev wanted to react but Barton had moved himself behind where Harper stood, and Rev knew that whilst none of the gang were brave enough to attempt to secure him in the same way as Harper, especially not in such a close environment as this, they would have no problem using Harper as a shield should he chose to attack Barton, the one who called the shots.
"You seem to be a Magog of honour," Barton now surmised. "Telling off your pet for attempting to lie," he added, shaking his head, now holding the severed claw taken from Rev earlier, and pressing it into Harper's neck, causing the human to control his breathing, frozen with fear. "Promise me you won't kill me, or any of my men, and I won't kill your little friend."
"I'm not his freaking pet!" Harper sneered, and then grimaced as the claw was pressed deeper causing Harper distress but so far failing to draw blood.
Rev considered the man's request, and then with composure he bowed his head. "You have my word that I will not kill you, or your men," Rev agreed.
"Rev, don't make promises like that!" Harper complained, as the claw was removed from his throat.
"This can still be resolved without loss of life, Master Harper," Rev advised calmly.
Harper didn't look convinced as they still held him firmly, and he was unable to shake free of their hold. Barton walked around to face Harper, now safe in the knowledge that the Magog wouldn't kill him, but still keeping an eye on the beast that he saw, fearful of him.
"Tell your friend you're ok," Barton now spoke, and Harper returned a confused expression as the yob stood in front of him, blocking him from Rev's view. Then Harper felt the sharp claw, like a knife, against his stomach.
Unable to do anything, as the hold the others had on him became even tighter, Harper began to try and struggle.
"Harper?" Rev sensed that there was more going on.
"Tell him," Barton ordered with more force.
"Go to hell," Harper snapped, and then gagged as he felt the sharp claw being driven into his stomach with ease, in a swift motion.
"Tell him," the yob grinned now.
Harper gasped a painful breath, the sharp pain momentarily stunning him as he felt the claw deep inside, and the warm blood now covering his stomach.
"I can smell fresh blood," Rev then spoke up, with hesitation on seeing Harper's sudden panicked expression with the Magog's declaration. "I warned you," he then added.
With a sudden cry of pain, the leader removed the claw sharply, and then reached forward preventing Harper collapsing to the floor as his legs buckled, taking a firm hold of the weakening human. Barton then presented Harper to Rev, using the human as protection against the Magog attacking.
"You promised," Barton reminded the beast. "But tell me do you smell that?" The yob now questioned. "Are you hungry?"
Harper closed his eyes, unable to look at Rev knowing he was covered in his own fresh blood now. "Rev, wouldn't hurt me," Harper managed to speak finally, but his voice lacked conviction.
"He sure looks hungry to me," Barton indicated.
Opening his eyes slightly, Harper was horrified to see Rev had come closer, rather than backed away. There was a vacant look on Rev's face, almost like a need and Harper was unable to breath for a moment. "Rev, fight it, fight the illness, please," he pleaded now, but found that Barton was now pushing him nearer to the Magog. "Let me go!" Harper yelled out in panic, as he tried to vainly struggle.
"For my actions against you, Harper," Rev now spoke with a voice lacking emotion. "I punished myself by fasting," he finally revealed his true struggle. "I thought I could fight it."
"Rev, don't do this," Harper stressed now, breathing quickly, as Rev tentatively reached out to Harper.
"Harper," Rev's gruff voice was breaking as his resolve weakened.
Harper put all his energy in getting Barton's attention. "Look, crap for brains," Harper looked back at the yob, as best he could. "Do you think he'd stop with me?" he stressed, taking some more breaths and trying to ignore the claws that now hovered close to him. "I've never seen Rev this bad, if he kills me, he won't stop there, you're right, he's a Magog remember?" he warned with panic, as much as he hated his captors right now, he wasn't prepared to be any part of a Magog bloodbath like he'd witnessed in his past. "Let's just all get the hell out of here till he's gets better!"
For the first time Barton seemed to listen, but instead of completely following Harper's advice, Harper found himself instead being pushed forward as the leader yelled for his men to clear the room, and before Harper could react he found himself colliding straight into Rev Bem, sending them both crashing towards the ground.
It took less than ten seconds for the room to be cleared as Harper and Rev fell awkwardly, landing in a tangled heap. There was silence now, and Harper was frozen with fear on his back, as Rev instinctively rolled and pinned the human to the deck, his claws dangerous close to Harper's neck as his hands pressed against his chest. For a long moment they just stared at each other, as if sizing each other up.
The expression wasn't Rev's normal look, Harper realised, as he looked into the eyes of an instinctive beast. The expectation of being once again sprayed with the paralysing venom was high now, as Harper grimaced and closed his eyes to the inevitable.
End of part 11