TITLE: The Unintended

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

NOTES: As promised, here are the final chapters. Huge thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, it made it all worth while. It's been a long one but I've enjoyed writing it, I hope you've enjoyed reading it :D

CHAPTER THIRTY After You

"The bad shit is never really over. It's usually just trying to find you again."

Avan Trex - Diary of a Thief

CY 23490

"I said, give me the cure," Rayne repeated through gritted teeth.

"Th...there isn't one, there isn't a cure!" Trance insisted. "Please, just turn off the inhibitor, you'll kill him!" Harper was still in tremendous pain but he was still conscious - for now.

Rayne ignored her request. "Don't lie to me, I know you were working on one, you wouldn't want your precious crewmember to go insane would you?"

"I didn't find a cure, the virus goes away on its own!"

Rayne laughed. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth, it was the withdrawal that killed the people on The Outset."

"You know it's a funny thing. When I realised I was infected with the virus I didn't know what to expect. I read a few reports, observed some symptoms for myself but I never anticipated what I got. Isn't that always the way?" Rayne grabbed Trance by the throat. "I found that I could manipulate technology, get inside and control it. I was quite pleased. Turned out that wasn't all I could do." He tightened his grip as Trance struggled and stared into her eyes. She could feel his mind invading her own, reaching in and searching for information; information that wasn't there. The more she fought the more it hurt and the pain grew more intense as Rayne continued to search.

Behind him Ana was watching the scene play out, thoughts and feelings occurring inside her she didn't understand. She looked at the alien, Trance whom she had learned about. Her life readings were not good, and they were getting worse. She then looked at Harper, the one who had taught her a lot in the past few days. He too was suffering, and all due to the stranger. Something inside her was insisting she could not allow this man to continue endangering lives. She acted upon her new instincts and moved in to stop him.

Trance was about to lose consciousness when Rayne was grabbed from behind and hurled across the room. Trance's legs gave way underneath her as Rayne hit the closed doors. Ana stood between the two in a protective stance.

Dylan and the others were still trying desperately to reach med-deck when lights and systems began to come back online all over the ship. Andromeda's image appeared to them.

"I've regained control, I don't know how long for. I'll clear the way, just hurry."

They didn't need to be told twice and started running as Andromeda opened the doors in their path.

"What's the situation in med-deck?" Beka asked.

"The intruder is sealed in there with Harper, Trance and Ana."

"Are they alright?"

"Both Trance and Harper's lifesigns have been fluctuating."

Harper was barely aware of what was happening around him through the blinding pain. But when he heard Trance yell out a part of him knew he had to fight harder than ever before to focus. He was soon awake enough to see Ana pull Rayne off Trance and throw him across the room. "Ana!" He managed to choke out a few words. "Destroy it...the controller..."

Ana, instead of blindly following orders she chose to obey Harper's command. It was a difference she was eager to investigate more. She grabbed Rayne's arms and pulled him to his feet. He was still dazed as she searched him. A small device fell from his jacket, but Rayne wasn't going to give in that easily.

"Oh look," he said with a twisted smile. "What an intriguing piece of technology."

Ana suddenly found herself unable to move. Then her arms dropped down to her sides without her wishing it. She felt her power supply begin to build-up. Her systems were overloading. Ripples of electricity surged through her, faster and faster but she wouldn't let go. She had just tasted free will and she wasn't about to let someone take it away from her. Summoning what was left of her strength, she clenched her fist and struck Rayne across his smug face. Then she fell to her knees and picked up the controller, allowing the electricity still rushing through her to destroy the device.

Harper's body was finally free from the pain, though it still reverberated through him. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, because he knew that if he didn't, he'd never open them again. He gathered even breath to get Rayne's attention. "Why couldn't you just stay dead you son of a bitch!"

A very angry Rayne turned to see Harper leaning on the wall. "If you had killed me perhaps I would have," he replied bitterly. "Your mistake. I was close to death but not close enough. The Nietzscheans took me with them when they evacuated." He smiled. "Their mistake."

"You killed them all then." Harper wasn't exactly sure where he was taking the conversation. He didn't have a plan further than giving Trance and Ana time to recover. He could use some of that himself.

Truth be told, Rayne was in a similar situation. He had found no cure within Trance's mind, and that was as far as his own plan went. For now his attention was solely on Harper. "Don't tell me you're sorry. You killed just as many."

Harper remained on the floor, as his body seemed to have given up on him. "What about Taylor? You kill him too?"

Rayne's expression turned sour. "He tried to give me an inhibitor of my own when I started acting up. I couldn't have that."

Harper started laughing. He wasn't sure why. Maybe the absurdity of the situation had finally occurred to him. Whatever the reason, Rayne didn't seem to share the same feelings.

"I don't know what you find so amusing. If there's no cure I have no reason to keep any of you alive," he mocked, but it failed to have the desired effect. Every second Trance was recovering behind him.

"Yeah, so you're going to kill us all, and then what?" Harper asked, unthreatened. "You're gonna lose all your power and then you're going to kill yourself."

Rayne had no retort, but denial soon came to his aid. "If there's no cure why are you still alive? Why would I commit suicide when a miserable kludge like you didn't?"

Harper saw Trance holding the gun and looked Rayne straight in the eye. "Because there's no-one around who gives a damn enough to talk you out of it."

Trance fired three shots.

End of Chapter Thirty