Part 54
Zal almost crashed into the room, his face nothing but a beaming smile, as Dylan, Beka and Junia turned to look at him.
"They've done it!"
"Done what?" Dylan was first to respond to Zal's excited declaration.
"Rhade, Harper, they've escaped!"
"They have?" Junia sounded surprised and then smiled. "It's just meant to be, he really is the power," she added excitedly.
"He is the power when he has a rampaging killing machine uber with him," Beka noted, but her relief was obvious.
"We have to find them," Dylan then stressed. "No doubt this city has a waiting list of mad men ready to have their time with Harper," he added with a frown.
"It's not safe, and we should hurry," Junia agreed anxiously. "You two find them, Beka and I will prepare the control room. We can not afford to wait any longer. I fear that Harper can not take much more."
Dylan felt like protesting the fact that Junia was issuing orders, but her plan made sense so he basically nodded his head, making sure Zal moved at his pace as they left the room in search of Harper and Rhade.
"Do you sense things?" Beka then queried unsure, looking at Junia through narrowed eyes.
"Sense things?" Junia questioned with confusion.
"Do you feel unworldly things, or have some superior power or something?" Beka explained.
"Not that I'm aware of, why?"
"Just you said that you feared that Harper couldn't take much more," Beka offered, then relaxed and offered a brief smile. "We have a friend on the ship who says freaky stuff like that, can issue orders like that without us questioning them but in her case she is usually talking from fact, she has powers, can see into the future and stuff," Beka could tell she had lost Junia at the start of her sentence, so promptly shut up.
"I only said that because the time your friend has been in Edenia he's suffered a lot, and I'm sure you'll agree that it's not hard to see that it's starting to show," Junia shrugged. "I don't need freaky powers to tell when someone is suffering."
"So why didn't you let him rest, why did you drag him off to look at those controls at a time when he was just about to sleep?" Beka now questioned bluntly, allowing her frustrations to show.
"Urgency is our game now, and you know as well as I that he is weak," Junia simply spoke and Beka couldn't argue, or respond, as they two women quietly left the room.
Rhade could hear the human's heart beating wildly, and the heavy breaths that were slowing Harper down. They had been running for a good fifteen minutes through the streets of Edenia, careful not to run into any one else as they did so. Rhade came to a stop and Harper barely noticed, as the Nietzschean got a hold of him, forcing him to come to a stop as well.
"Take a moment to rest," Rhade hastily suggested, and encouraged Harper to raise his arms to get more oxygen into his already burning lungs. "Deep breaths, don't force it," he added, growing concerned by the general lack of response from Harper and then without warning Harper suddenly fell to his knees, and almost keeled over before Rhade got a hold on him. "Harper?"
The human's face was creased up, and his head rolled. "Answers that question," Harper managed with a strained voice, his body suddenly tense.
"What question?"
"Still getting the fits," he answered, before his body relaxed and he was able to recover.
"That's the first one in a long while though, right?" Rhade checked, trying to find something positive.
"Yeah, I guess," Harper accepted, and now brought a hand to his port finally able to touch it again now the collar had been removed. He grimaced slightly, as his hand made contact with the disc, but after a few moments he was able to shakily get to his feet again, with Rhade's help.
"We should head to the building where Junia says the controls access tunnel is," Rhade suggested. "With the others seemingly freeing Junia, if we're to believe that guy, it's the most logical place to go."
"Junia is free?" Harper managed between heavy breaths, having missed that announcement previously.
"Let's hope so," Rhade offered, and when Harper made no attempts to move he supported some of the human's weight. "Come on, we can do this," he stressed.
"If you say so," Harper remarked tiredly. "My leg aches, and my shoulders, man, I need a new body, a new life," he complained wearily now, as Rhade began to escort him forward.
"Rhade!" Dylan's voice suddenly sounded and Rhade had never been happier to see the high guard captain, even if he was followed by Zal.
"Harper!" Zal exclaimed. "Aw man, what did they do to you this time?" he readily asked, taking the other side of Harper to support more of his weight.
"I'm good, just a little tired," Harper offered, but silently the three men around him exchanged concerned looks to suggest otherwise, as they headed down the Edenian street.
They hurriedly walked in silence but Dylan noted that Harper was struggling with every step. "What happened?" Dylan asked towards Rhade.
"The usual, they beat us, tormented Harper and then became their true weak selves when you so much as challenged them," Rhade stated. "If you ask me, we should just open this place up for my fellow Nietzscheans to teach them a thing or too about true power!" he seethed.
"Excuse me?" Zal spoke up. "Loyal Edenian right here, hearing every word," he reminded Rhade.
"Your leaders are weak, that's all I'm saying," Rhade sneered.
"Yeah, and all the rest, look I'm all for kicking the likes of Kenan and Pallu's butt, and hey I celebrated like the next guy when I heard you'd shot Buz in the head," Zal exclaimed, noting the lack of reaction from Rhade. "But those idiots do not represent the entire people, we need help not taught a lesson," he stressed with passion.
Rhade glanced at Dylan and saw the captain staring back at him, and he turned to Zal. "Sorry, just this place has gotten to me, I'm losing my control and almost as much as Harper, or any of us, I need to get off this rock before it drives me insane," he stated with a calmer mind. "But you're right, Zal, I do not wish it to fall to the scum of this universe due to the actions of a couple of idiots, and I will do what I can to prevent that," he added sincerely.
"Thanks," Zal spoke with appreciation, still helping Rhade to support Harper.
"All friends again?" Harper wearily asked, almost finding the strength for a smirk.
"We're nearly there, Harper, just a few more steps," Dylan encouraged.
There was a suddenly flurry of noise in the distance, and Zal was the first to react and respond on seeing a group of men to their right. "Crap, now Asa's on our case again!" he stressed, as a group of men led by Asa carrying weapons approached with speed.
"He did say he'd stop Harper getting to those controls, I guess news travels fast!" Dylan stressed and they all began to run on instinct, the building was in sight and reachable, even with Harper slowing them down, but they had no plans to stop and wait to see what Asa had planned for them.
On reaching the main door, they were pleased to find Junia opening it from the inside as they scrambled through, just as the weapons fire began. Asa's men were still a good distance behind, as Junia secured the heavy security door, shutting the rampaging group outside.
Catching their breath, Junia immediately went to Harper and saw how exhausted he looked now, as she stopped his head rolling by taking a firm hold of it. "Harper?" she spoke softly. "Harper I was so worried," she spoke with fear before embracing him where he sat, holding him tight until he finally spoke.
"It's ok, I'm ok," Harper assured her. "Just need to rest," he then spoke and Junia pulled back with urgency.
"No time for rest, we must go," Junia stated firmly.
"What's the rush, surely we can rest for a couple of hours?" Rhade protested.
Junia was already shaking her head. "We don't have two hours, Asa, Kenan, even the Gilads, word will spread, and they'll know we are here now," Junia stressed with panic. "They will destroy this building and most probably discover the hidden tunnels, and it won't take long for them to figure out to which buildings they access," she gestured.
"The buildings in question are just located behind this square, that one building in particular with the controls, I think even Tarah will figure it out," Zal offered with concern.
"If we don't act fast there might not even be much of a building left to house the controls in," Junia finished, and moved to the staircase leading down through a hatch.
Without word the three men followed her down the stairs, and they walked through a heavily shielded door once in the tunnels.
"I take it they won't be able to get through this?" Dylan stressed, taking a quick look at the heavy door.
"It'll be nearly impossible," Junia stated. "The control room has similar material encasing it, but the building is still a part of its foundations, so we could become trapped in here if either buildings fall."
"It's a risk we have to take," Dylan stated with confidence, as Zal assisted Harper through the door and they walked on ahead, as Rhade noticeably hung back.
"One of us should stay on the outside, should that happen and the buildings fall. When Harper manages to disable the shields, I can then help Andromeda locate you, I'm sure something in the ships armoury can penetrate this material," Rhade suggested.
"If you're spotted you could be killed on sight," Dylan feared.
"I will be careful, and I'll doubt they'll expect us to split up, as far as they are concerned we all came into this building," Rhade stated.
"There are two back doors, to the left and right of the building, and a secret door that leads through to the next building, use any of these to better aid your escape," Junia suggested.
"Good luck, Rhade, and tell Andromeda that if saving us becomes impossible, that she's to leave immediately and report back to the council," Dylan considered his next words with care. "And make sure Seamus Harper's efforts on Edenia are well documented, and recognised," Dylan added with sincerity, glancing down the tunnel where Zal and Harper continued to make progress, but were now out of hearing range. "This might be a close one," he added with a frown.
"I will make sure this entire mission is recognised," Rhade confirmed. "And especially the little one's efforts," he added with fondness, and with salutes from both men, Junia closed the heavy door.
"Harper!" Beka exclaimed as Zal walked in with Harper slumped against his side.
"Beka," Harper wearily offered, as he was helped to the ground. "Give me a second," he requested, as he tried to recover some energy.
"You finally made it to the control room, Harper!" Zal now enthused as he looked around. "I can't believe this is the infamous control room," his enthusiasm began to waver. "It's just like any other room I've ever been in, except for that control console over there," he stated with obvious disappointment.
"Don't touch anything," Junia simply warned towards Zal, as she moved to Harper's side. "The leg?" she simply said with her hand going down to his shin, where dried blood from taking the bullet stained his pants.
"Hurts but its fine," Harper managed, with some effort as his energy continued to ebb away.
Junia put her hand to Harper's forehead and then checked his pulse. "We should hurry."
Harper simply nodded his head and didn't object to Junia helping him back to his feet.
"Please, if he can, let him rest for a bit, just look at him," Beka requested, moving to Harper's side with concern.
"I'm ok," Harper dismissed, as Junia led him to a console.
"I think this is the main control section," Junia gestured.
"Harper, you can hardly hold your head up," Beka continued, until Zal moved to her side and took her hand.
"Things are getting pretty bad outside," Zal simply said, and Beka seemed to pick up on the unspoken words, sensing the urgency.
"Rhade has stayed behind," Dylan confirmed. "Least should a situation arise where we have trouble leaving, someone knows where we are."
"What sort of situation?" Beka asked.
"Every piece of Edenian scum knows our general location," Zal offered. "Or it won't take long for them to find out, Asa is already outside, things are going to get bad."
"Great, just great, so we finally get to the controls and may be in a position to finally remove that shield but now we can't leave this building?" Beka stressed.
"We'll find a way," Junia insisted, still helping Harper to focus on the console he was leaning against. "We have the power."
"To drop a force field shield, how does that help us in here?" Beka frowned, not convinced.
"Just let us deal with getting that power before writing our efforts off as useless," Harper snapped finding some energy, and suddenly the console in front of him came to life, with text running up the screen.
"What language is that?" Dylan asked, as Beka tried to figure it out.
"None that I recognise," Junia offered. "It's littered all around these tunnels, we simply refer to it as the power's text," she added, and they turned to Harper who was busily muttering to himself and seemingly working the controls.
"Harper, do you understand that language?" Beka asked, by his actions she already knew the answer but she couldn't fathom how Harper could possibly understand an alien text, on a planet that even the natives didn't understand.
"Working here," Harper simply said, continuing to glide his fingers over the screens, as he busily accessed the system.
"Harper," Dylan said with force, enough to get the engineer's attention.
"This is the first time in weeks I've been able to do my job, so can't you just let me be?" Harper whined with distraction, his focus completely remaining on the screens.
"This text, Harper, you understand it don't you?" Beka now spoke. "You haven't used your port to translate it, and I don't understand it, so you're not using any translator we know, so how the hell do you know it?"
"What?" Harper seemed genuinely confused, having missed the general conversation due to being engrossed in his work. "It's common," he answered then paused and looked again. "Hang on," he quickly added before Dylan or Beka could correct him. "I don't believe it," he stressed and put his hand to the screen gesturing to a particular line of text. "This bit says 'care must be taken in maintaining the shields efficiency with annual inspections to regulate the flow contained within the buffers'."
"Not in any language we understand," Dylan pointed out. "Though that alphabet looks strangely familiar."
Harper was staring at the screen now, almost nostalgically as his hands now almost stroked the letters. "It's kludge."
"What?" Beka snapped.
"Kludge?" Zal questioned, knowing the meaning from what Harper had briefly said of his past but not understanding the reference.
"This is the language we used to use on Earth, when we refused to speak the uber tongue, this is Earth's language!" Harper exclaimed with some delight at the discovery. "It's American, English, whatever they used to call it; this is old Earth language!" he stressed excitedly, suddenly brightening as he looked at Beka and Dylan with joy.
"But," Beka didn't know what to say. "That would mean that this whole city, the shield, everything," she began with disbelief.
"Is human, built by humans from Earth!" Harper confirmed with a beaming smile. "This is incredible."
"When was Edenia cut off from the outside worlds?" Dylan then asked towards Junia.
"Our records state its three hundred and sixty seven years ago," Junia responded.
Dylan frowned. "It adds up, the Earth I knew before the black hole its people did have the basic means of space travel," he shrugged.
"You know what this represents, what all of Edenia now represents?" Harper enthused. "It means Earthlings did something, that they are more than just slaves to the ubers, we now have proof that they went beyond what is commonly thought today, that humans from Earth were not simple idiotic fools or slaves!" Harper stressed, finding renewed energy. "This could change all those misconceptions, when its discovered that the mighty shield of Edenia that no force could penetrate was made by Earthlings," Harper had to stop himself from crying with joy, this discovering was stuff of dreams to him, he felt the pride of his being as he stood there. "This could put Earth back on that map, back into peoples thinking as an evolved race, maybe even give them enough to believe in themselves to finally push the ubers out."
"It can't become common knowledge that humans from Earth made this, Harper," Dylan then spoke to break the engineer's momentum.
Harper snapped his head towards Dylan with disbelief. "What?"
"If it becomes common knowledge that this text, this technology is Earth in origin, who knows what might result," Dylan explained with care. "The Nietzschean's control Earth, they control the humans there, they might just by association lay claim to Edenia and we can't let that happen."
Harper had already looked away, and was shaking his head in denial. "Shove Earth under the carpet again, boss, right?"
"Harper, we have to take care with this discovery, not just for Edenia but for Earth as well," Dylan persisted.
"No, I get it," Harper stressed, returning his focus to the screens in front of him. "What was it you all said, let me remember now, oh that was it!" Harper mocked. "Earth doesn't matter, that is what you said, and it sure didn't matter when it was relying on you to help and now, now we have this opportunity to shout Earth's case again, what do we do?" Harper shook his head with anger. "We ignore it and pretend it isn't happening, sing la la la and hope it all goes away."
"Harper," Dylan spoke firmly and this time waited until Harper turned to look at him. "Your people, the ones who speak this language that you understand and that explains these systems, they are controlled by ubers," Dylan stressed. "Do you really want them exploited for Nietzschean gain, do you want Earths past achievements to be abused by your enemy, for ubers to take Edenia away from Earth and claim it as their own?"
"No," Harper reluctantly admitted, almost kicking himself for getting carried away by the discovery, only to be knocked right back down again so easily.
"Then we do not speak about this until such a time it is safe to do so, and Earth's part in Edenia's history can be properly recorded," Dylan stated.
"We won't forget," Junia then spoke up, moving beside Harper. "Now we know the origin of our forefathers who created all this, and Edenia, we will never forget," she confirmed, as she gently squeezed his arm.
"Do you recognise that symbol?" Beka then asked, seeing a logo on the screen.
Harper was already shaking his head, but Dylan cleared his throat. "That was space agency's logo for Earth, I never had any dealings with them but they were a part of the Commonwealth, so I saw it around," he spoke softly, knowing that he had inadvertently upset a now quietly seething Harper with his orders.
"I forget that you knew a different Earth to me," Harper then responded, looking at the logo that meant nothing to him, but he felt it should. It represented a time for his people that he couldn't possibly relate to, and then he realised that he was stood in a room that his own people had created, people he only saw as slaves but who had a history that was far greater than he could ever imagine. "I wonder if any of my ancestors were ever a part of all this, or that agency?" he idly considered.
"Something to investigate once we're out of here," Dylan suggested positively.
"I'll help you find out," Zal offered to help lighten the atmosphere. "Hey, there might be some records inside of that machine that might tell you, at least offer some information of those people who built this thing," he added.
"Harper, we need to get those shields down so the Andromeda can help us," Dylan reminded Harper gently.
"Can only be done internally, these external screens are just for general basic maintenance, not control, there must be some natives around here who know what to press," Harper spoke quietly, sounding a little overwhelmed. "Says it right here, but I guess you have to take my word for it," he frowned.
"Edenians use this machine?" Junia frowned.
"It was last accessed a few days ago," Harper answered, his voice lacking its usual energy now. "The weather system?" he looked with confusion. "A storm was created," he revealed. "This system can mess with the weather? This is amazing, it has full control over Edenia, it's not just a shield," Harper continued to speak, shaking his head the whole time at what he was discovering.
"That rain storm we had a few days ago, where you," Beka began and then stopped.
"Where I was conveniently left outside tied to a tree, that was planned, it was no accident that the storm happened," Harper realised. "Crap, that means that the Gilads do have control of this system!" he then stressed with panic.
"Well where are they if they do?" Zal asked. "Wouldn't they be protecting it?"
Harper investigated the system some more, trying to find the answer as the others tried to think of possibilities.
"Maybe only one person actually uses this machine, I hardly ever see anyone down here in the tunnels, maybe sometimes Pallu or his men but never near this room," Junia then offered, and Harper immediately stared at her.
"Pallu is the true power behind the Gilads," Harper remembered. "That's what Buz told me, that it was Pallu in charge."
"If Pallu has control of this system, however limited it would explain why he doesn't flaunt his power around like the others," Dylan suggested. "He doesn't have to, he can access this and change the weather, and who knows what else."
"Still begs the question why isn't he here now, and if it's not him then whoever accesses it, why are they letting us do this?" Beka asked.
"They know something we don't," Junia then offered with a frown.
"Either way manual control only goes so far, and I can't stop now, if we want control of those shields I have to jack in," Harper stressed.
"Do you think you can jack in?" Beka asked with concern. "Is your port up to it?"
Harper turned to Beka. "I have to try," he offered, and there was some doubt in his voice that Beka didn't miss.
"Harper, you don't have to," Beka insisted.
"I do," Harper dismissed and he looked at both Dylan and Junia, and then to Zal. "There's no other way, but hey I'm coming back, so don't be running off anywhere," he grinned, as he retrieved the fixed cable that had been laid unused for years on the console.
"Harper," Beka's voice carried a warning. "You shouldn't be using that port if you don't think its working right."
"I don't have any other port to use," Harper dismissed, taking a deep breath as he handled the connecting jack tentatively in his hand.
Harper looked up finally and saw Dylan, Beka, Zal and Junia looking at him with concern clear, but at the same time their expressions conveyed the urgency as suddenly the room appeared to shake around them.
"It's started, the buildings being attacked, those idiots outside must have worked out where we went," Zal offered glancing upwards.
Harper got down on his knees and then slowly sat down on the floor as he prepared to jack in. His increasing weakness was clear by his actions, and his failing health was obvious as he willed himself to find the strength to connect.
"Harper," Beka moved forward suddenly to Harper's side, taking his face in her hand as she looked at him. "Don't do this," she spoke quietly, as the room shook again and dust now fell. "We'll find another way; you're too weak to connect even if the port was working ok."
Harper looked uneasy as he broke the stare, and he glanced at the connecting jack in his hands. "I just have to disable the shields, enough for Andromeda to come and get us, that's all," he offered softly. "I don't even have to fully connect to do that, at least I shouldn't have to," he shrugged.
Beka nodded her head in understanding, as Junia and Zal moved to her side and encouraged her to give Harper some room.
"We should be ok for a while," Dylan confirmed, checking the door seal and finding no damage to suggest they were in immediate danger.
"Here goes then," Harper confirmed and brought the jack to his port. Taking a deep breath, Harper closed his eyes and inserted the jack, ignoring the sharp pain he always felt with connection, as his consciousness was sent hurtling towards the inner sanctum of Edenia.
TBC