Thought, enough with the festive season, time to start posting again… and I make no apologies if certain parts of this chapter may resemble stuff seen in the uk reality tv show 'I'm a celebrity…' that particular bush tucker trial just fascinates me… hehe!
Part 52
They had been gone for over ten hours, leaving Dylan and Beka to pace the small room with concern for their missing crew mates. Zal had left them over two hours ago to try and find out word of their whereabouts, but it was slowly becoming clear that Junia, Harper and Rhade were missing, and with the war raging outside they could only jump to conclusions.
"They should never have left, we should have stopped them!" Beka fussed.
"We've been over this," Dylan sighed.
"I know we all want out of this place, but it could have waited, they didn't have to go right at that moment," Beka stressed once again, an argument Dylan had heard a few times already in the past few hours.
"Junia wanted to leave because the coast was clear, allowing Harper to see the controls," Dylan explained with care, but he sounded tired now.
"Well clearly it wasn't clear, was it? We should have all gone, all stuck together!" Beka snapped, and then stopped and looked at Dylan. "Ok, I know technically this one isn't your fault," she sighed, and tried to calm down.
"I didn't stop them either," Dylan compromised.
"I'm growing tired of this, Dylan, seriously," Beka frowned, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "If we leave this place with any of our sanity then we've done well."
"We'll wait for Zal, and then we'll find the others, even if it's the last thing I do, we will find them," Dylan confirmed, placing his hands on Beka's arm, before bringing her close for an embrace and she accepted it warmly, holding on tight.
It was pitch black, and cold, and Harper suddenly jerked as full consciousness hit him. He couldn't move, and he felt metal around his forearms and shins. He was lying on his back, restrained and he was damp, cold, and then Harper realised he was lying in cold water that surrounded him but stopped just short of totally immersing him. The involuntary shaking then started, as Harper became more aware and then struggled to regain control, and even his teeth chattered, as his panicked breathing became more laboured.
"Harper?"
"Rhade?" Harper managed with short breaths, his body uncontrollably shivering still. "Where are you?"
"Right by your side, same position, we're trapped," Rhade answered calmly.
"Gee, nothing escapes that great Nietzschean awareness, how'd you figure it out?" Harper griped through clenched teeth and when the uber didn't respond, Harper tried to relax his extremely tense body. "I'm cold, really cold," he admitted with slight panic.
"You need to try and regain control," Rhade advised.
"Can't, too cold," Harper's breathing was quickening.
"Harper, try! It's imperative that you try, don't let the hypothermia claim you again so soon!" Rhade barked, and Harper closed his eyes to try and relax his tense muscles.
Harper then yelped with fear, feeling something run across his stomach. "What the freaking hell is that?"
"Some kind of rodent," Rhade answered. "There's a few of them down here, and they bite," he added.
"Just great," Harper complained, and then felt a sharp sensation in his neck. "Oh no," Harper muttered.
"What is it?" Rhade asked, unable to see for the darkness.
"They've removed the collar," Harper answered with a shallow voice.
"The rodents?"
"No!" Harper snapped at such a ridiculous conclusion. "Whoever has us this time!"
"Kenan," Rhade helpfully answered. "I thought that would be cause for celebration?" Rhade checked.
"We're in water, and my port is faulty, it's faulty because it's not sealed properly," Harper reminded the Nietzschean. "That's not good," he managed, and Rhade heard the human shuffling slightly. "I have to try and keep my head turned, can't get water in it," Harper then spoke with fear. "Can't stop shivering, and these damn rodents are far too close," he stressed with panicked anger.
"You need a distraction," Rhade suggested.
"I need to get out of here," Harper returned with shortness. "These vermin are getting far too interested in me as a freaking snack, ow!" he added with gritted teeth to the tiny sharp pains he was feeling, as the rodents got too close with their teeth.
"Talk to me," Rhade then offered.
"Talk to you?" Harper wasn't sure, distracted by the creatures moving around and over him.
Rhade shook his head to remove a rodent that was using his face as a temporary stopping point. "You dislike me, I want to know why."
"What are you, Rhade?" Harper stated.
"Nietzschean," Rhade answered knowingly.
"There's your answer," Harper replied quickly.
"You are judging me by the actions of others, that is hardly fair," Rhade countered.
"Don't talk to me about what's fair," Harper stressed angrily, trying to shake the rodents from his body.
"I am not Tyr," Rhade then offered.
"Hey, I have a lot of problems at the moment I know, right now its freaking rodents getting a bit too close to my you know whats, I admit that, but blindness isn't one of my problems, jerk, I know you're not Tyr!" Harper snapped. "And anyway, this has nothing to do with Tyr, just get it into your numbskull that I just don't like you."
"That is unfortunate," Rhade considered. "I find you a fascinating individual."
"For a kludge?" Harper sniped.
"I did not say that, you did," Rhade mentioned.
Harper was silent for a moment, before he spoke again. "Look, Beka told me how you saved my life, and I am grateful, but that doesn't mean I forgive who you are and what you represent," Harper stressed a little calmer. "It's nothing personal," he then added as a compromise.
"Then why don't you try getting to know me, we have time and I don't think we're going anywhere for a while," Rhade noted.
"Get to know you?" Harper didn't sound too enthusiastic. "What is this, a proposition, I'm sorry not interested uber and I already have my hands full with Zal's fixations right now, so get stuffed, Junia's the only one for me if anyone," he sniped, as the rodents began to really aggravate and distract him.
Rhade offered a brief laugh. "I meant just ask me a question, any question and try not to insult me," Rhade's voice was still amused as he spoke.
"Ok, I get it, you're trying to distract me from this hell, ok, I'm game," Harper resignedly spoke, and then checked the restraints, finding no give before conceding to playing nice with Rhade. "Tell me more about your camping trips, no tell me about your brother."
"My brother is dead, fell in battle aged twenty-one, he was a good soldier and made my family proud," Rhade answered before continuing. "The camping trips are my fondest memories of my brother and father," he added.
"Sorry about your brother," Harper offered softly. "I never had any brothers or sisters, at least none that survived," Harper shrugged. "My ma told me once that they'd had children before but none were strong enough to survive more than a few hours, but for some reason I did."
"You are a very strong individual," Rhade agreed.
"Guess I had to be," Harper considered. "And stop with the compliments, you're making me even more uncomfortable than I already am."
"I misjudged you, I only saw how you were on board the Andromeda, that is not truly who you are, I realise that now," Rhade stated.
"Yeah, well I adapt as need be," Harper answered, before speaking again. "So why did you join us?"
"Join the Andromeda?" Rhade checked.
"Yeah, why did you leave all that stuff you had on Terazed to join us?" Harper stressed, still struggling against his binds whilst Rhade remained calm and unmoving.
"Because I was considered a criminal by the Commonwealth," Rhade answered. "You know that, Dylan protected me and continues to do so."
"Rhade, you didn't really have to stay, you know as well as I do that the Commonwealth would have eventually listened, and you'd have worked out some way to convince them of your innocence," Harper stated knowingly, but was clearly still distracted by his own situation, the cold and the rodents.
"Maybe I don't have the same faith in the Commonwealth as you," Rhade suggested.
There was a brief silence, where Harper made no sound, not even to move the rodents that continued to bug him. Finally he spoke, but it was with a sad tone. "What is going on?" Harper asked with despair evident in his voice. "You know we were there, that day," Harper stressed. "That day when Dylan proclaimed that he would rebuild the Systems Commonwealth and we told him he was wasting his time, that this universe was beyond help but he didn't listen," Harper spoke animatedly, both belief and disbelief lacing his words.
"Yet you still stayed," Rhade remarked.
"Yeah, hell we stayed," Harper agreed. "And slowly, he got us, one by one he convinced each one of us that rebuilding the Commonwealth was the right thing to do," he sighed. "So we fought by his side and then in amazement we watched it become a reality, we worked right by his side through thick and thin to make it a reality."
"And now?"
Harper sighed again. "Now, I see Dylan questioning his own Commonwealth, protecting you and us to some extent, from it, and you know the sick joke, we built this monster, together, Dylan couldn't have done it alone."
"Maybe he should have listened to you in the first place," Rhade commented. "But then you, and the others, would never have realised your true potential, that's no joke."
"Exactly my point!" Harper exclaimed. "Damned if we do, damned if we don't, this universe is one sick joke, and I'm tired of being the butt of it," Harper seethed.
"But to not try, that's not how Dylan does things, and that's something you've come to respect," Rhade guessed. "And follow," he added knowingly.
"Ok, ok, I get your point," Harper stressed. "I'm not saying we've not learnt or gained from Dylan," he sighed. "We just need that invincible high guard captain that we woke up from 300 years of sleep right now, on Edenia," Harper stressed, his voice quieter now. "What we have here is someone who is only human, who has seen all he's worked for fall apart, and I'm not sure he's got that enthusiasm any more to keep fighting," he finished to a brief silence from Rhade.
"He is in great pain, not only with his shoulders but in his inability to keep us all safe because of his injuries," Rhade stated. "Dylan is a soldier first, and he's been unable to perform even the simplest duties, he's not been able to protect us."
"Stop covering for him," Harper stressed. "You know, maybe I'm the dumb one but I don't like seeing Dylan being only human, I want to see him kicking ass for good and doing the right thing, getting our butts out of here!" Harper snapped. "I don't want to see him weak, or questioning the thing he talked me into helping him build, that now looks like we're going to have to destroy, along with all the other crap that's in this universe!" Harper's anger was growing. "I didn't leave Earth to make things right, I left Earth to help myself but he talked me into this hero crap, blinded me with stupid Commonwealth ideals and maybe now I'm realising that I'm no hero, and never have been!"
Rhade could hear Harper fighting the restraints. "Harper calm down, you're cold and hurt, and you need to conserve your energy."
Harper didn't stop, and realised that by balling his hand up he could just about slip it back through the metal restraint holding his forearms. With renewed focus Harper concentrated on pulling his hands through the restraints, it was tight but slowly they were coming through.
"What are you doing?" Rhade asked, concerned by Harper's sudden silence.
"I can free my hands," Harper then stressed in barely a whisper. "Pays to be small sometimes, and besides who needs skin on their knuckles," he joked as he pulled both his hands from the restraints finally. Immediately he sat up, and then yelped in pain as he hit his head on something hard above him.
"Mind your head," Rhade quipped.
"Where the hell are we?" Harper asked, rubbing his head before pushing against the wooden surface above him, dislodging it enough to move it aside. Light suddenly bathed them both and Harper quickly worked on releasing his feet by pulling the metal restraints apart.
Once free Harper crawled over to help Rhade and freed one of his arms, and then waited whilst the Nietzschean finished the job. He moved back, seeing that they had been placed under the floorboards of a room. Sitting on the floor now, and bringing his hands around himself to try and warm up, Harper tried to clear the fuzziness in his head.
"Come on, let's get out of here before Kenan returns, he wants to talk to you but I don't think he has anything to say that you want to hear," Rhade informed him.
"I don't remember," Harper mentioned.
"You were out cold for quite a while, had me worried for a bit," Rhade admitted but moved swiftly to the door. "You ok to move?"
Harper was attempting to get to his feet, but was struggling. He then noticed for the first time the bandage on his leg. "I was shot," he then remembered with shock.
"They removed the bullet, and did a good job patching it up," Rhade quickly accessed and found like his own injury, that Harper's had been fixed well. Seeing Harper was unsteady, the Nietzschean helped the engineer up the rest of the way. "You're not looking too good," he then remarked, feeling a lot of Harper's weight.
"Cold," Harper simply said. "Feel like shit," he admitted, as he struggled to hold himself up.
"We have to move," Rhade stated.
"Not sure I can, feel numb," Harper grimaced, hardly moving.
"I can carry you?" Rhade offered and saw the human hesitate and fail to answer, taking that as permission to do so, the Nietzschean hoisted Harper over his shoulder and didn't hear any complaints. "We'll get you better in no time, somehow, just hang in there," Rhade assured Harper, who remained quiet, as the Nietzschean tried the door, finding it locked but his actions had alerted someone outside. Without hesitation Rhade put Harper back down, and prepared to fight whoever challenged him.
TBC