Part 8

"Is she dead?" Beka asked.

"No, she's dying though," Trance moved away from the fallen body of Marika, resting against the wall of the cave.

"Why didn't they just finish the job?" Beka complained, looking at the unconscious form of Marika.

"She might know what happened to Harper, we should try to wake her," Doyle suggested.

"Trance?" Dylan prompted, and with reluctance Trance prepared a booster and pressed the injector into Marika's neck.

After a few moments Marika began to stir, and she awoke to find herself surrounded. Wearily she tried to focus, but it was clear she was suffering.

"Where is Harper?" Beka demanded.

Marika simply looked at Beka with slight amusement. "Tech police."

Doyle crouched down. "What did you do to him?" she accused.

"Doyle, you let him down," Marika half smiled.

"What?" Doyle asked, caught out by the accusation.

"He built you to protect him and now he's probably dead because you failed to follow your programming," Marika tiredly revealed.

"Built me?" Doyle checked. "I am not a robot, what are you saying?"

"Not a robot, android," Marika's voice was weak. "He tried to convince me that the best he could do was Gogol," Marika managed and then paused. "But I found out about you, and that's when I learnt not to trust him, I tortured him because of you, because you're not real."

"No," Doyle began to shake her head.

"You already know deep down that I'm right," Marika guessed and her eyes closed. "I left Harper secured to his work bench, the tech police wouldn't have missed him, its over and he's probably dead already, and I'll be joining him very soon," she half smiled.

Doyle stared at Marika as she slumped and then quickly moved away. "It's not true," Doyle denied what she had heard but the others remained silent. "It can't be true!" she stressed turning back to them.

"She's dead," Trance confirmed finally, and they all moved away from Marika to try and gather their thoughts.

"I am not an android," Doyle stated, looking at Beka for some form of confirmation. "Please, tell me Harper wasn't lying to me all this time!"

"Doyle, I'd be lying if I didn't suspect," Beka admitted. "Some of the stuff you say, that you seemingly pull out of thin air, it just reminds me of someone we used to know."

"Rommie," Doyle already knew who Beka was referring to.

"Harper has built a very lifelike android before," Dylan confirmed.

"Then why build me, and not Rommie?" Doyle asked, and then abruptly turned away. "But I am not android, so why am I even considering this!"

Rhade then poured the contents of a bottle into a bowl and put it in front of Doyle. The bowl omitted a gas like cloud and fizzed before her. "Sub zero, if you truly believe you are not an android you will not be tempted to put your hand inside," Rhade declared. "But if you suspect then you should have no problem."

Doyle stared at the bowl for a long time and just when it looked like she would walk away, she swiftly moved her hand and placed it flat down into the bowl, feeling no ill effect. With sudden urgency, Doyle turned and left the room.

"Doyle!" Beka called after her, and then followed leaving Dylan, Rhade and Trance to only frown at each other.

"It does raise the question why did he make her, and not rebuild Rommie?" Rhade remarked finally.

Dylan could find no words, and Trance had no answer as they slowly began to walk back through the caves without word.

The trees seemed to be thicker with every step and Harper was hopelessly lost now, and his arm was itching like it was on fire. He pulled his sleeve up and saw a small graze that was inflamed, and his skin was now covered in a rash.

"Just great," Harper snapped, and scratched at it without care. His back also itched now, and his whole side felt like it was burning.

"Hey, who's there?"

Harper paused on hearing the voice, feeling a threat close by and he stood his ground ready for a fight even though he was weak with fever and the rash had made him feel irritable.

"Who is there?" the voice repeated.

The threat was getting closer and Harper was starting to panic, knowing he didn't want to be caught again and his thinking became irrational. With deep breaths he decided to fight, and rushed forward, flattening the guy with ease but Harper only had surprise on his side and was soon overpowered by three other guys who easily pinned him to the ground despite his best efforts.

"Another one, man, look at him!"

"Should we leave him here?"

"No, he must be the one Lucas brought back, he fits the description of delusional and panicked, he's short with some weird disc in his neck," the younger one spoke, as he checked Harper.

"He wasn't infected when he escaped, but he's clearly been exposed and for too long and look," the guy he'd originally flattened grabbed Harper's forearm to show the graze. "He's sick already it's not just inhalation or exposure, the stuff's in his blood."

"We need Kalika, she can help him and this man needs help urgently," the eldest of the group decided and no one argued as they tried to help Harper to his feet, but Harper continued to struggling and his mumbled threats were a concern.

"You have to do it, you know it's the illness talking," the youngest one spoke up, looking to the eldest.

"Doesn't make it any easier," the eldest one took a deep breath, and then brought his hand back sharply, catching Harper across the cheek and knocking him out with ease. They then all gathered the fallen man and easily carried him back to camp.

TBC