Before this part I just want to add a quick note to say THANKS for the continued support for this story, I'm loving writing it and you're all paying a large part in that enjoyment, so I hope I continued to entertain. For the two comments that have been made in relation to the Andromeda – my only words are that I'm trying a different approach with this fic, writing plot wise, in that I'm writing it from the four crew members (and Zal to some extent) perspective, in that I am avoiding doing cut backs to the bad guys explaining themselves or lengthy scenes away from our four intrepid heroes hehe. You mayhave already noticed this - maybe not - but it's there,reveals in plotare onlybeing givento the reader when the crew themselves find out – this is a very different approach for me, but one I think is working well – but it does mean that we'll have no idea what the andromeda is up to, until Rhade, Dylan, Beka or Harper find out – it's their story – hope this is cool and enjoy the part!
Part 35
The rain was beating down hard and Beka moved away from the window, and back into the house. The silence had hung in the air since the afternoon, after Buz had taken Harper away.
"Just like our first night," Rhade mentioned, gesturing to the weather and darkness outside.
"We're inside with no idea where Harper is, yeah, just like our first night," Beka agreed, and sat down close to the fire Rhade had earlier prepared.
"Buz said he wasn't planning on torturing Harper, so that has to be something right?" Dylan offered.
"You didn't actually believe him did you?" Beka questioned now, and all too quickly she was back on her feet and standing at the window again. "I really hate this, I hate this place, and I really hate the Gilads."
The rain was unrelenting, as it soaked the streets outside, where flooding was in evidence due to poor drainage. Water was seeping into the house, but they had nothing to hand that could stop it. Beka was about to remark on the water coming into the house, when she heard voice and immediately her attention was caught.
"That's Buz!" Beka spoke, and Rhade got to his feet to see.
"Buz and his band of idiotic followers," Rhade could see only shadows outside of a group of men, but Buz could be seen clearly stood near a light source from another building, and they appeared to be having fun, all with bottles in their hands and enjoying the weather, soaked to the skin. "So where's Harper, he's not with them, at least I don't think."
"Let's go and find out," Beka suggested, as Dylan joined them to see for himself.
With no complaints, Rhade and Dylan followed Beka out into the rain and within seconds they were stood in front of a very drunk looking Buz.
"Where's Harper?" Beka asked, once she had Buz's attention.
"He's not with you?" Buz asked.
"You know he's not!" Beka returned sharply. "What the hell have you done with him?"
Buz just laughed in Beka's face, and his men joined him and for a moment control was lost, as they let the drink control their actions.
"Harper never came back with them," a new voice spoke up, and Beka glanced over to see Zal nearby. "I've been trying to make some sense of them since they returned."
"When did they get back?" Rhade asked, as Zal moved next to them.
"About two hours ago," Zal remembered, and looked concerned. "Wherever he is, it's providing great entertainment for them all."
"Rhade, go and get Buz, we need to talk," Dylan ordered calmly, and Rhade grinned with anticipation.
Moving with purpose towards the men, no one stopped him pulling sharply on Buz's shirt and dragging him away. The men around him just laughed and pointed, as Buz was dragged by the Nietzschean back to the house without protest.
"Why aren't his men stopping us?" Beka asked to Zal.
"All part of the game that comes with leadership," Zal offered as an explanation. "Never let it be said that a Gilad is not prepared to receive what he gives out," Zal smiled.
"Is that an invitation?" Beka questioned, hoping it would be a chance to instruct some revenge on Buz for what he did to Harper.
"By all means reply," Zal encouraged with a smile, as they entered the house and already Rhade was ensuring they had the Edenian's complete attention.
"Where is Harper?" Rhade demanded, roughing the young man up, but Buz just smiled in his face. Without hesitation the Nietzschean brought his bone blades to Buz's neck and suddenly the smile was lost. "What is it, boy?" Rhade mocked. "You thought you disarmed a Nietzschean, impossible," he sneered as he allowed the bone spurs to dig into the fragile skin of Buz's neck.
"Is he willing to speak yet?" Beka idly asked, seeing fear for the first time in Buz's face, and she sensed Zal stepping up beside her.
"So that's what scared shit looks like, I'll make a note," Zal mocked his fellow Edenian.
"I won't tell you anything," Buz then spoke with determination, and grimaced when Rhade dug the bones in deeper still, causing the young man to choke.
Zal was now stood by the window as he looked out to the gather men outside, waiting for Buz. "You know, those guys, they aren't Buz's normal crowd, at least not his usual crowd for the old torture games."
"What are you saying?" Dylan asked.
"His groupies," Zal gestured to Buz still being held by Rhade. "They are missing too, not just Harper."
"Shut up, Zal!" Buz snapped through gritted teeth. "Whose side are you on?"
"So wherever Harper is, Buz's group of the deranged can be found too," Beka deduced. "What are they doing to Harper?"
"Nothing," Buz stressed, and yelped as one of the bone blades broke the skin. "I swear they are doing nothing!"
"So where are they?" Beka demanded, but Buz remained silent.
Dylan could see that Buz was getting a strange satisfaction from tormenting Beka, even at the expense of having his neck at the mercy of Rhade's bone blades. He then noticed Zal, and saw something in the kid's expression that intrigued him.
"Zal, what are you thinking?" Dylan asked, drawing attention to Zal, who appeared momentarily taken aback by the sudden attention.
"I was just thinking," Zal looked at Buz with some fear that then soon disappeared. "Well, that maybe this time we're being tortured?" he offered.
"Us?" Beka demanded more.
"Well, we don't know where Harper is, this idiot does and he's not saying, but all we want to know is where Harper is," Zal explained. "The not knowing is bugging us."
"Another game," Beka considered, and turned to Buz. "So what's this game, to see if we can play hunt the Harper?"
"This city is a big place," Buz grinned, as Rhade relaxed some of the pressure from his neck.
"This city is also devoid of entertainment," Zal offered, and then sighed as he appeared to figure the game out. "This is a regular game that Gilads are renowned for, and it involves taking loved ones of families and then simply watching their efforts to find the missing family member."
"And if we don't play?" Dylan asked.
Zal shrugged with confusion. "They always play, why would you let a loved one remain lost? The Gilads don't do things by halves, that lost person is usually in need of being found."
Beka glanced outside to the rain, and frowned. "They have him outside, I just know it," she stressed, and saw the hint of a grin on Buz's face to almost confirm it. "If he is, we can't let him stay outside in this weather."
"It must be a remote area, or we'd have heard something, surely?" Rhade commented.
"Depends where, Harper from a distance can appear to look Edenian with the dark hair now," Dylan sighed.
"It's generally considered that if you see a person tied impossibly, it's best to leave them, it's a sure sign the Gilads are around and no one messes with them," Zal informed them.
"Then we have nothing, if this idiot isn't talking," Rhade dismissed.
"No, we do have something," Zal considered. "Usually this is a group game, it's only fun to share yet Buz here; he's alone with none of his usual crowd to share the enjoyment."
"So he doesn't have his groupies with him, they are probably with Harper beating the crap out of him for a laugh," Beka stressed angrily.
"That's not how the game works," Zal objected seriously. "They must be watching Harper," he concluded after some thought. "And if they are watching Harper, well it must mean they are expecting to see something."
"What?" Beka asked.
"Well, if they wanted to watch our attempts to find Harper, they'd be at Buz's side now," Zal continued and it was becoming clear from the glare Buz was aiming at Zal, that the Edenian was onto something. "We're not the only ones looking for Harper."
"Kenan?" Dylan offered but Zal shook his head.
"The Gilads wouldn't make it that easy for Kenan, if he was actively looking for Harper they'd lock him up out of reach," Zal was on a roll now as he paced the small area of the living space. "Another faction, it has to be."
"There are more factions?" Dylan checked.
"We're in a city sized prison camp; you think only the Gilads want change?" Zal offered incredulously. "The Gilads are just the most vocal, but not the only ones."
"But we've not heard of other factions, surely if they were interested in Harper we'd have heard something," Dylan objected.
Zal now shrugged. "Maybe you're in no position to hear the latest news in this place, but he is," Zal gestured to Buz who seemed to pale at being brought back into the discussion. "But even he doesn't know who or what faction is looking for Harper, or he wouldn't have left Harper somewhere as bait, to bring the other faction out, so put simply if they find Harper first they'll find a trap."
"Buz doesn't want us to find Harper first, that's why he's separated himself from the group, he knew we'd do this to him, waste time with him," Rhade then figured and Buz only smiled knowingly.
"They'd pick a secluded spot, and a place where it would be easy to hide as they kept a look out," Dylan determined using his experience and looked at Rhade.
"That rules out most of the city, the stone doesn't make good hiding opportunities, and the buildings are too obvious a hiding position," Rhade considered thoughtfully. "The echoes of this place and the positioning, no sane man would just walk up to bait in those conditions."
"They'd have chosen a spot that looks as though the Gilads have made a concerted effort to hide and contain Harper," Dylan agreed.
"Maybe you're giving the Gilads too much credit, they are no where near High guard standards," Beka sneered.
The Nietzschean considered the information. "They don't want us to find Harper first, not if they are genuinely trying to uncover this secret faction, and we have gotten to know this city fairly well, and as far as I can determine the layout runs much the same throughout," Rhade then pointed out.
"Can you make any suggestions based on what's been said?" Beka asked Zal.
"I agree with what you've said, there's a lot of support for you guys, so if they had left him somewhere in this city, I'm fairly certain some word would have reached us in the two to three hours that Buz has been back," Zal considered. "That only really leaves the fields and wasteland out by the far north wall."
Buz made a small mocking gesture but it was enough to tell Dylan that he was trying to cover up the truth. "I think that's a good place to start," he gestured.
"Dylan," Zal spoke slowly. "That area alone makes up at last a quarter of Edenia. It's a wide space to cover, especially if we're only trying to find one little Harper."
"How much of it is covered and no open space?" Rhade asked.
"There are the woods, towards the back end of the fields and by the wall," Zal shrugged.
"That's where we'll look and bring him with us," Dylan gestured to Rhade to take Buz with them, and they all prepared to leave as Zal hung back, unsure.
"Zal," Beka gestured for the Edenian to walk with her.
"Me?" Zal questioned unsure, having not realised he was going to be joining them.
"We need you, so come on," Beka encouraged, gesturing with her hand for Zal to hurry things up.
"Ok," Zal brightened, offering a small smile, as they all left the house, ignoring the rain that continued to fall heavily.
He had long ago given up on trying to keep warm, with no shelter from the rain it was trying to control the involuntary shivering that occupied Harper's mind. Unable to move, bar the shivering, Harper tried to hold onto his spirit. Unable to see, or even cry out with frustration, he was forced to try and believe that things couldn't get any worse.
His whole body ached, already in pain from previous days, now he hadn't known pain like it. His shoulders screamed in agony, and his muscles were cramped to the max, his hands and feet were no longer registering. Even the noise of the continuous rain and howling wind was biting away at his rapidly diminishing spirit. This, he decided long ago, was too much. The unbearable hunger had long passed, and his thirst all but forgotten. His tiredness was beginning to gain control, and his breathing was now getting slower and he knew deep down that if he remained like this for much longer, that he would die like this. What scared him more, however, was that he no longer cared.
On Earth, his hatred for the ubers and the Magog kept his spirit burning inside, the need for a better life kept him alive but now, Harper had had his life, he had experienced things no other mud foot could get close to and even after all of that, he found that he could still experience pain like he'd never experienced pain before, the universe would never love him, and he no longer wanted anything to do with it.
Harper relaxed his body, allowed his heavy eyes to finally fall, and for some precious moments he let go, he gave up the fight. Moments later he felt a hand tug at his hair, pushing his head back into the trunk of the tree. Once again his senses were consumed by the toxins of whatever was currently being waved under his nose. It burned, to the point that it was uncomfortable, the toxins seemed to shake his brain awake forcing Harper to regain consciousness against his will. He just wanted to sleep, and to rest, to escape but the fumes were driving him insane, keeping his senses alive whilst his body attempted to shut down.
For a few minutes, Harper's head swam around. His imagination caught him off guard with images and colours he couldn't explain. For a few seconds it was as it the rain itself was burning his skin, and then in a blink of an eye the same rain felt like many touches of people crowded him, not giving him space and in the woods where all around him was space, Harper felt suddenly claustrophobic.
After what seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes, Harper finally began to feel the rain for what it was again, cold and unrelenting. He was back to shivering, and aching, and generally feeling like crap once more. It was getting easier, Harper managed to consider, as once more his breathing slowed down, and he spiralled into shut down. Behind the cloth covering his eyes, he closed them both, and his body relaxed against the rope that dug into his skin. He finally made it to the darkness of unconsciousness.
There was little illumination and the rain ensured no flame stayed alight as the small group trudged through the mud of the field. Buz remained silent to questions asked by Rhade and Dylan, as Beka stayed with Zal behind them. The rain soaked them all and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.
"The wood is up ahead, but is it wise to do this? It could be a trap for us," Zal then suggested loudly over the noise of the wind.
Dylan then glanced around and gestured for them all to stop, and he pointed to where there was movement to the west of them. A small group, similar to theirs were moving with purpose. It was clear the other group hadn't spotted them, as they hurried towards the same destination towards the woods.
"The other faction?" Rhade question.
"I see no other reason why they would be here," Dylan suggested. "It must also mean Harper is here, or we've both guessed wrong."
Zal and Beka moved besides the others and observed the movement of the other group. "So what do we do, let these guys get Harper and we'll grab them on the return, or stop them getting anywhere near?" Zal idly asked.
Dylan didn't answer and instead turned to Buz, being held by Rhade. "How did this other group figure out where Harper was?"
"Same way you did, they figured it out," Buz sneered. "Listen alien, the woods are the only place in Edenia that people get taken to when taken by the Gilads, it wasn't that difficult to figure out," he added. "Zal was just playing with you, he knows the rules."
All attention turned back to Zal, who shrugged. "It didn't sound so cool to just remind you that the Gilads don't do buildings, because it's too easy, these woods are notorious for Gilad business," he sheepishly admitted.
"Didn't sound so cool?" Beka stepped closer. "We're talking about Harper's well being here, not some summer camp shenanigans!"
"I enjoyed the deductions, you guys are good, I forgot myself," Zal attempted to explain.
"Forget it," Beka snapped, holding her hand up. "So what do we do?"
"We follow and observe, try and determine what this other faction want with Harper, good or bad," Dylan decided.
"Dylan, Harper's been through enough, why don't we just assume bad and just get in there first," Beka asked pointedly.
"What I said about this being a trap is still true," Zal offered. "And Buz didn't want us finding Harper first, that's something you should remember."
"Sounds like an ambush," Rhade spoke up. "If that part about the Gilads normally watch these sorts of things from the offset, and not wait till the end, is true," he added.
"That's true," Zal confirmed.
"What weapons do you have?" Dylan then asked Buz, who just smirked and failed to reply.
"They have guns," Zal offered and Buz threw him an angered glare, that didn't go unnoticed by the others. "I may have bad timing, but I'm still with you guys, I'm not messing with you and I promise I'll behave, and concentrate and all that proper stuff," he offered quickly.
"Let's go," Dylan ordered and then they heard gun fire from the woods, and they all started to run.
TBC