TITLE: The Unintended

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Andromeda series, I'm just borrowing.

NOTES: Thanks for the feedback as usual and to jenben, I always like hearing your thoughts. True, it's no walk in the park for Harper, I just love putting the boy through hell >:D Only three more chapters to go after this one though (I know it just seems to go on and oooonnnn) so it will be over soon one way or the other ;)

CHAPTER TWENTY- EIGHT Full Circle

"You cannot escape the past, all you can do is try and stay two steps ahead."

Sulya Mentis Re

CY 8349

Andromeda crept towards The Barbell at a snail's pace. The ship was dead. Only the dim glow from a far off sun and Andromeda's external lights highlighted her free-floating form.

"This is very bad," Beka stated.

Dylan wanted to make sure they knew what they were walking into. "Alright. What are the chances this is a trap?"

"I don't think it's likely," Rommie replied. "They were the ones who ran from us. For all they know Harper is dead, there's no reason for them to lure us here."

"So the most likely possibility is that this is the same scenario as before. Someone has contracted the virus and..."

"Killed everyone else onboard," Tyr finished.

"Trance, are you free to talk?"

Trance moved to the other side of the room. "Go ahead, Dylan," she replied quietly.

"We need to know if there's a possibility Harper infected anyone else while onboard The Barbell or the Nietzschean ship."

Trance was instantly worried. "Why, what's going on?"

"We've found The Barbell. There's only one lifesign onboard," Dylan replied grimly.

There was silence as Trance took in the news. "Alright...I'll find out."

Harper could tell something was wrong just by looking at her.

"Harper...is there any chance you might have infected someone else with the virus?"

"What? No...why? What's wrong? Is something happening?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just important that we know, so we can be prepared for any possibility."

Harper shook his head. There was no sense trying to lie to someone who was already paranoid. "No, there's something you're not telling me. What is it, Trance?"

Trance sighed. Vagueness and skirting around subjects was her area of expertise, not outright lying. "We're in the same system as The Barbell."

"And you think someone onboard could have the virus?" Harper asked carefully.

A thought suddenly occurred to Trance. "When we brought you back onboard I had to re-bandage your hand."

Harper looked down at his bandaged hand with worrying realisation. "No...no, it's not possible," he insisted, though there the seeds of doubt were growing inside him. "Everyone I came into contact with...I killed them."

Trance wasn't exactly happy with the explanation on any count.

"Dylan? Harper doesn't think there's a chance someone contracted the virus. But I suppose even residual traces of blood could have been - "

"Hold that thought Trance," Dylan interrupted. Something was going on over at The Barbell.

"There's a slipfighter exiting The Barbell."

"Seems our lone survivor doesn't like being lonely. Open a com-link," Dylan ordered. Rommie nodded when it was done. "This is Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant, identify yourself immediately."

"No response. They're heading for one of the docking bays."

"Don't let them in. I repeat, identify yourself or you will be considered hostile."

There was nothing but silence.

"Okay, it's either a psychopathic killer with terrifying mental powers in there, or a mime. Either way I say we get shooting," Beka said, sitting in the pilot's chair.

Tyr was the first to agree. Of course, he was manning the weapons and had a fondness of blowing things up, but Beka took what we she could get.

The slipfighter was drawing ever closer as Dylan watched it on the viewscreen. "Even though this isn't down to a vote, I think - "

He didn't get a chance to finish, because Andromeda stopped him. "Captain, there's something's wrong. I can't..."

Things went from bad to worse when the lights began to flicker and systems around them began to power down.

"Rommie, what's going on?" Dylan demanded.

"All system's have been powered down but I can't find the cause.," she replied. "Hang on...no, it can't be...someone's remotely jacked into my mainframe!"

"Remotely jacked in? That's impossible!"

"A remote connection isn't even possible unless you're me," Rommie said irately. "Wait...the hangar doors are opening, it must be whoever's in the slipfighter. I'm cut off from my core. There's nothing I can do."

Trance was talking Harper through the procedure to remove his inhibitor when the lights cut out and everything went dead. They had both found emergency lighting stashed in the corner compartment.

"Andromeda? What's going on?" Trance asked, but got no answer.

"Rommie? Dylan? Can anyone hear me?" Harper tried, to no avail. "I don't like this," he said. It was an understatement. "What the hell is going on? Is it The Barbell?"

Trance tried to leave but the doors wouldn't open. The panic in the room was rising with every second.

The pilot of the slipfighter exited the hangar and strode through the ship. Andromeda was helpless to resist. Her every system was at the intruder's command.

End of Chapter Twenty-Eight