PART 19
"Rommie, where's Harper?" Dylan casually spoke up from his post on command, glancing over to the android avatar.
"He is resting, following Trance's orders for once," Rommie confirmed, without looking up.
"In what way resting, is he awake?" Dylan asked.
Rommie lifted her head, and appeared to be scanning. Her eyebrows slightly raised but she quickly recovered before it was noticed. "Yes, No," she answered quickly, and inwardly cursed her programming for her error.
"Yes, no?" Dylan checked, a little amused by his avatars confusion, it wasn't often Rommie sounded flustered. "Is he awake or not?"
"He is sleeping," Rommie answered, with an awkward air.
"Ok," Dylan decided to accept her explanation. "As soon as he wakes, I want to speak to him about this conference, I've decided to make him a keynote speaker for one of the talks, so prepare him for that news," he grinned.
Beka had observed the exchange, and once Dylan was distracted, she walked to stand beside Rommie and quietly observed the android, and she still seemed a little uncomfortable.
"Beka," Rommie finally acknowledged the first officer, her eyes stayed on the console in front of her.
"Tell me Dani's location," Beka simply said in a hushed voice.
Rommie looked directly at Beka, "That is confidential information," Rommie stated.
"We're allowing guest's to have privacy mode now? Guests, should I remind you, that we are currently investigating?" Beka questioned.
"Dani is still a guest," Rommie returned. "And she is not currently in guest quarters," she added.
"Rommie, as first officer don't make me pull rank," Beka simply said.
Hesitating for a moment, Rommie looked ahead, before following the unspoken order. "Dani is currently located in Harper's quarters."
Beka's anger flashed across her face, and immediately she moved to the command exit.
"Beka, wait," Rommie spoke, as she went after the retreating figure.
"Problem?" Dylan inquired now, directing the question to Rommie, having seen Beka leave Command without word.
Rommie stopped her pursuit and with effort she appeared calm, and she simply smiled towards the captain. "No problem," Rommie said, adding a convincing smile, and slowly she returned to her post.
"Good, because with this conference just ten hours away, we do not need problems," Dylan stated, leaving Rommie to glance at the exit and contemplate whether to excuse herself or not and go after Beka.
The loud bang at the door made Harper wake with a start, taking a sharp intake of breath, before he mentally composed himself, and got his bearings. He sat up with urgency, and quickly tried to compose his breathing, as he looked now at Dani lying beside him, in a state of undress, and he then looked at himself in a similar condition.
"Crap, crap, crap," Harper began to murmur with panic.
Another loud knock at the door, this time followed by Beka's voice demanding his attention, caused a fresh wave of panic, and this time the noise had been enough to stir Dani too.
"Get dressed," was all Harper could say as he leapt from the bed, and he frantically found his pants and then a shirt.
Consciousness seemed to grip Dani, as she understood the urgency and quickly retrieved her clothes.
"Harper, open this door, now!" Beka demanded. "Dani, I know you're in there, open this door!"
Dani glanced at Harper, partly still in shock at the surprise wake up call and the manner in which they had woken, as pieces of their memory returned. "Maybe I should just knock you out now?" Dani offered.
"What do you mean?" Harper asked hurriedly, not catching her drift.
"That's why she's here, she thinks I've killed you," Dani stated, finding her shoes now.
"No, she thinks I'm making a big mistake," Harper stated. "She's here to kill me," he stressed.
"Either way, you're dead then," Dani attempted humour, but Harper was too panicked to appreciate her words.
"I'm so dead," Harper finally agreed with fear.
Dani took a moment to watch as Harper frantically paced the room. "Do you regret what we did?" she then asked. "I swear to wherever my parents might be now, that I never planned it," Dani offered. "I'll take the blame though, if any blame is being dished out."
Harper stopped and took a moment to compose his thoughts, as he glanced at the door. "I'll be out in a minute," Harper yelled for Beka's benefit, Beka mumbled something in return but he missed it as he approached Dani. "Our timing sucks," he smirked, finding a smile. "But I don't regret it, I'm just a little surprised, you know?"
"We should have really prioritised, we let ourselves get a little distracted," Dani agreed, but couldn't help the smile that followed.
"We need to speak to Dylan now," Harper stated firmly taking control, but still nodding his head, a little embarrassed.
"What about hot head out there?" Dani gestured to the still closed doors.
Harper frowned as he glanced back, as if checking they were still closed and they were still safe for the moment. "You go and find Trance, tell her we need to talk to Dylan, and I'll deal with Beka, and then meet up with you to speak to Dylan, ok?" Harper stated, and saw Dani was about to protest. "No, Beka needs to know, and I should be the one to tell her."
"Know what? About Yussuf?" Dani asked unsure.
"In good time, yeah, but right now she needs to know that, well," Harper now smiled shyly. "She needs to know that you and me," Harper paused. "She needs to know about us," he finally said.
Dani simply grinned, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Good luck with that," she lightly teased. "Would you mind going first?" Dani then asked with an amused smile she gestured towards the doors.
"Wimp," Harper grinned, as he took the first steps to the door and then with a worried frown he activated the door controls, coming face to face with Beka on the other side. "Dani, you best get going," Harper instructed on seeing the look Beka was giving him, and Dani wasted no time in leaving and disappearing.
Beka pushed Harper back into his quarters. "What the hell is going on?"
"I was about to ask the same," Harper returned, a little less ferociously.
Beka looked around at the mess of Harper's quarters. "So this is how you back off, Harper? This is how you keep out of her way, after she's revealed all she needs to say to me?" Beka demanded. "You were supposed to keep out of her way, you were not supposed to see her, and you were certainly not suppose to shack up with her in some little love nest!" she fumed.
Harper couldn't hide how stunned he felt by her words, and it took a moment before he found the words to speak. "You don't own me, Valentine, don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do!"
"I am not going to sit back and watch you screw up your life by getting involved with this tramp!" Beka returned with obvious anger.
Fury blinded Harper for a moment as he stared back at Beka. "You take that back!" Harper yelled. "Dani is not a tramp, Dani is," Harper continued but he stopped suddenly, as his emotions threatened to control him, with a more composed air he looked calmly at Beka, his voice suddenly even as he continued. "Dani is the woman that I am falling in love with, so don't you dare call her that."
Something in Harper's manner caused Beka to take urgent stock of the situation, and she backed away slightly. "Love?" Beka almost spat out the word. "You've known her a little over a day and you think that you love her now?"
"Don't ask me to explain," Harper began, but Beka soon cut in.
"Have you lost your mind, Harper?" Beka asked with concern. "You get in any way involved with this girl and you're dead, do you hear me?" Beka then looked around the room taking in more detail, the unmade bed, and remembering how long it had taken Harper to respond to her knocking at the door. "Oh no, Harper, please, tell me you didn't do," Beka hinted but stopped, as she stepped closer, but Harper stepped further away from her.
"Get out," Harper simply said, his tone even and without emotion now.
"I'm not leaving," Beka returned. "Not until you tell me exactly what is going on inside that head of yours."
"I love her!" Harper now snapped, turning to face Beka, and he moved closer to her. "I love Dani, I want to be with Dani, I love her, Beka, and you can't do a damn thing about it, you're too late!" he stressed loudly and with conviction, now staring directly at his friend.
"Don't say that, Harper," Beka now shook her head, her face showing nothing but concern and fear.
"Say what? That I love her?" Harper now questioned arrogantly, ignoring his friend's distress.
"Don't say that I'm too late, Harper, not like that," Beka backed away now, still shaking her head and visibly looking upset. "Because I swear when the day comes that she turns on you, or when Yussuf finds out, because he will Harper, I have no doubt about that, I do not want my mind to keep reminding me of you saying that to me," Beka struggled now to contain her fears.
Harper took a deep breath, he hadn't seen Beka lose herself like this since Bobby left and it felt like a kick in the gut that he had been the cause, but he couldn't help his own reaction to her words.
"Beka," he said with more care. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but please don't do this," he offered, and moved closer to her. "I don't blame you for anything, I'm just really happy right now, so it's tough to see my best friend so opposed to me being happy," Harper admitted with a shrug. "And Beka, whatever happens, good or bad, you're not responsible for me."
"I feel responsible sometimes, Seamus," Beka offered, and she tried now to quickly compose herself and dry her eyes that were threatening to cry.
"Well stop," Harper lightly ordered. "I do know what I'm doing, and all I want Beka is for you to accept that this is happening, and trust me."
"Do I still accept what happens when Yussuf catches up with you?" Beka asked pointedly, desperately trying to get through to her friend. "Seamus, I don't even feel like I know who you are right now, how you can be so blind to the facts, she's a trained spy, has openly admitted this fact to me, and she works for Yussuf," Beka said with care and concern. "Open you're eyes, Harper, please, for me, just open your eyes," Beka pleaded now. "She works for an uber, Harper, as a slave dressed up as a spy, and you know that, so why are we even having this conversation?" Beka asked.
Harper took a deep breath, and with a frown he could only shrug, as he considered what Beka was saying. "I think we're having this conversation because at some point, and I don't know when or why, but it happened that you decided to give me a chance and you promised to look out for me in this stupid hell forsaken universe," Harper finally said, avoiding eye contact with his friend.
"And I always keep my promises," Beka moved closer now to Harper.
"You've also threatened to throw me out of airlocks," Harper pointed out.
"Don't tempt me, the mood I'm in with you at the moment," Beka partly smiled, and then she reached forward, taking Harper in her arms. "I can't help but be concerned about all this, and for you."
"I get that, boy do I get that," Harper spoke, as he wrapped his arms around his friend tightly. "And I have concerns to, and yes, Yussuf shaped concerns, but Beka, I'm not lying, I think this time that I'm falling in love for real."
"Does she feel the same about you?" Beka asked, as she stepped back and forced Harper to look her in the eye, placing a hand under his chin.
"I don't know, I think so," Harper returned but saw the doubt in Beka's expression. "Look, she hasn't said but there's something there."
"There usually is with a will," Beka remarked, and saw the anger flash across Harper's face. "Harper, look I understand that I do not see Dani is the same light that you do."
"Which is a very good thing," Harper quickly responded. "Although if you did," he began.
"Harper," Beka stopped his train of thought before he could speak it. "OK, for the minute, whilst you're on board and relatively safe, I guess I can deal with this but it won't stop me being concerned," Beka explained. "Yussuf has already attacked this ship, and he has Rhade and my identities connected to Dani, he will not just disappear, Seamus."
"I know that, hell do I know that," Harper sighed. "But you can't stop me seeing her, I'm not just saying it, Beka, I love her, right now she's all I'm really thinking about," he admitted with desperation in his tone.
"You hardly know her," Beka returned with a heavy sigh.
Andromeda's hologram materialised before the two of them. "Dylan is requesting your attendance for an urgent meeting."
"Meeting, since when?" Beka questioned.
"You're about to find out some more details about Dani," Harper simply said and began to move away, until Beka reached out and pulled his arm back.
"What exactly?" Beka asked.
"Her true mission, the one she was supposed to do before you took her, and brought her here," Harper revealed.
"And you already know this information?" Beka asked, and saw Harper noticeably flinch, but she continued. "I caught you, I'm guessing in some form of shall we say sleep, and you didn't think that maybe we, the crew," Beka brightly pointed out. "Needed to know what you had learned from Dani?" Beka questioned accusingly. "Let me guess, you were too preoccupied with other business, was she too much of a distraction for you to remember the mission, Harper?"
Harper looked caught out for a moment. "We were going to tell Dylan, we were, and then, but," Harper paused, losing the ability to speak for the moment.
Harper took some calming breaths, wanting to try and explain further but he felt the conflict rapidly returning between the two of them, as he looked at Beka to be met with an aggressive stance from his friend. "Look, Dani has gone now to tell him, hence the freaking meeting," Harper suddenly snapped. "Just get off my case, Beka." Harper finished and moved towards the bathroom.
"Harper, we have to go to the meeting," Beka pointed out arrogantly.
"Then go," Harper stressed, walking into the bathroom.
"You need to go too, Harper," Beka reminded him.
"I'm busy and too much of a freaking liability, obviously, so you're best without me," He yelled from the bathroom.
Beka looked upwards, not sure if she wanted to face the questions she would obviously receive by Harper's absence. "Harper, just get out here and let's go," but she was met with only the sound of the shower water starting up, and silence from Harper. "Fine, but I'm not going to make excuses for you," Beka dismissed and she left him to it, to attend the meeting.
Inside the shower now Harper let his head fall back against the wall, as the water engulfed him, and it felt good to feel something other than the feelings he'd been having for Dani so he continued to bring his head back hard against the wall, to feel the pain for a few minutes.
His thoughts clashed once again, hearing both Beka and Dani in his head, not knowing what he could do to resolve the issues with Beka, or how he was going to adjust things to accommodate Dani. What had been so wonderful had been reduced to fury thanks to Beka, Harper had never known true love before but now he felt he understood it a lot better, so why did he now feel like crap, like he was losing everything for the sake of some happiness?
Feeling tinges of a light headed nature, he finally stopped banging his head back against the wall, with it having become almost a physical and painful mantra. Harper quickly cleaned himself up, whilst ignoring the slight headache he now had, as he left the shower. Getting dried and dressed quickly, he tried to focus but felt all over the place, tormented by his clash with Beka. There was anger inside him, but he couldn't determine if it was aimed at someone, or just to himself, was this his past rearing its ugly head again, he considered with confusion and annoyance.
Andromeda's hologram then materialised before him. "Harper, Dylan is urgently requesting your attendance to the meeting, failure to show will result in disciplinary action being taken."
Harper didn't respond, as he instead busied himself by making his bed, then he quickly lay on top of the covers. "I'm tired, I was ordered to rest," he argued.
"Harper, I know you and Beka had words earlier, but you really should be at this meeting," Andromeda revealed, a little softer now.
"Why?" Harper now demanded, some of his earlier anger towards Beka resurfacing. "So, I can be told I'm a freaking idiot, that I'm jeopardising this crew, and my own life, I don't need to be told that, Rommie, I already freaking know it, so just leave me alone," he stressed, burying his head in the pillow. "In case you've forgotten star ship dearest, I'm supposed to be freaking off duty," he stated with anger.
"Harper you are not the subject of the meeting, and you are fit enough to attend a meeting," Rommie pointed out.
"If I'm not fit enough to work, I'm not fit enough to do some stupid meeting," Harper argued. "And I know what it's all about, I know the meeting is all about Dani," Harper stated with conflict. "So why don't you guys just lock me up as a traitor, and be done with it, until the danger that is Dani passes?" Harper demanded. "Because that's the only way anyone will stop me seeing her, and I mean that," he said with conviction, getting to his feet and moving with anger across the room.
"Are you going to the meeting?" Rommie asked.
Harper was trying really hard to control his actions, but was beginning to fail, he was tired of keeping control, and trying to understand what was right, and what was wrong about his life at that moment. The moment had come when he didn't want to try and understand, and he'd had enough of the talks, the concern, and the supposed care that surrounded him. Harper felt like his mind was no longer his own, and what he thought no longer applied, no one was listening to him anymore.
"Harper?" Rommie prompted when the engineered failed to answer.
"No," Harper simply replied, this time they would listen to him and take notice of his actions, and understand that he was able to do his own thing.
"I will let Dylan know," Rommie simply said, and blinked out of sight.
Harper grabbed the nearest piece of junk he could find and he hurled it towards the wall with frustration, and he watched as it crashed against the surface, breaking into more pieces of junk. Feeling motivated he found another piece of junk and repeated the process, and again, non-stop until he was breathing heavily and started to feel his lungs hurt again, as he tried to recover his breath. But the pain felt good, he realised, and Harper started to push himself further through the pain he was feeling now, grabbing a long piece of metal that had broken off some junk, Harper proceeded to attack the stationary objects in his quarters, ignoring the flying pieces of junk that either missed or hit him, as he continued his single handed attack on his quarters.
TBC