Trance knew that something dreadful must have happened to Harper or to someone he loved to cause him to change into his current form. She couldn't help but wonder what it was, but what troubled her more was what he might have done after he changed.
Of all the stages of life an Avatar goes through, Harper was now in one of the most powerful and dangerous of them all.
Eternity appeared in Medical next to Harper.
"Will he be alright?" Eternity asked, with a note of worry in her voice.
"Eternity." trance began. "Something happened, I'm not sure what, but whatever it was,… was very bad. I tried to warn him. I thought he had learned to control his temper."
"Trance." Eternity said calmly. "You didn't answer my question. Will Harper be ok?"
"I'm sorry." Trance replied. "I guess I'm overreacting. Physically Harper is fine, just a bit tired. After he finishes resting, he should be fine."
"Good." Eternity said. "I really don't want to lose him. Not only is Harper my captain, but I have come to think of him also as a friend."
"I know." Trance told her as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Harper has something about him that makes it easy to like him and love him."
"Unfortunately he also has something about him that annoys the hell out of people," Someone said from one of the other beds. "even those that love him."
"Brendan, you're supposed to be sleeping." Trance scolded.
"How can I sleep with all the commotion you two are making." Brendan replied. "I'm surprised he can sleep." Brendan gets a good look at Harper lying in the bed next to him. "He changed again?"
"Yes." Trance answered.
"How?"
"Unknown."
"Why?"
"Unsure."
"When?"
"I don't know!" Trance replied a bit too harshly.
"You're just full of answers aren't you?" Brendan said.
"Leave her alone Brendan." Harper said.
"Harper!" Trance shouted. "You're awake."
"As if I could sleep with twenty questions going on." Harper replied.
"I'm sorry Seamus." Brendan apologized. "I shouldn't have been giving Trance the third degree. I was just concerned."
"We all are." Trance stated. "Can you tell us what happened?
"Sure thing." Harper replied. "It started after the fighting. We were on our way back here to Eternity……….
Back on the road.
"See what you did Rommie?" Becka asked.
"Me? You're the one that mentioned a statue." Rommie defended.
"They could have my statue holding a gauss gun in one hand and my nano welder in the other." Harper continued.
"We'll never hear the end of this." Becka groaned.
At that moment, they saw a man nearing their position coming from the opposite direction. As he drew nearer, they could see that he was a Nietzchean, and not just any Nietzchean but Lord Mephist himself. Everybody immediately drew their weapons and aimed them at the former dictator of Boston.
"Am I glad we ran into you." Harper said as he approached Mephist. "I was afraid you had decided to leave the party without saying goodbye, and we was having so much fun with your Uber friends."
"Oh I wouldn't dream of leaving without saying goodbye to Seamus Harper." Mephist replied with a big grin on his face. Harper figured the big Uber must have cracked up. What did he have to be happy about? He's lost everything.
"It is with much shame that I admit my defeat." Mephist continued. "It is still beyond me how a Kludge could defeat me, but I swear your victory will be a hollow one. Never will you be able to look back to this day and feel joy or pride. No, for you this day will be remembered as a day of great sorrow and pain. You may have succeeded in freeing Boston, but you Mister Harper still lose."
As Mephist finished speaking, he pressed a button on the remote detonator,….. But nothing happened.
"You were saying." Harper said. "It looks to me like your little toy is broken. Care if I have a look at it?" With a swift and calculated movement, Harper easily removed the device from the Nietzchean's hand. "Ah, a remote detonator. It seems to be fully functional, so that means the defect must be on the other end. Once again bad guys lose, good guys win."
Refusing to admit defeat, Mephist drew his weapon intending to kill Harper. Before Harper could react Mephist fell dead to the ground, the result of a blast from Rommie's force lance.
"Thanks Rommie."
"Anytime Harper." Rommie said. "But I wonder what he was attempting to blow up."
"He said it would cause me great sorrow and pain." Harper replied.
"Trance!" Becca, Rommie, and Harper all said in unison.
"She still may be in danger!" Harper said.
"Let's go!" Becca shouted.
Moments later they were walking up Eternity's boarding ramp.
Eternity appeared in front of Harper.
"Identify yourself." Eternity commanded.
"Eternity, it's me," Harper said. "Your captain,…Seamus Harper."
"That's not possible." Eternity replied. "Captain Seamus Harper is currently in Medical."
"WHAT?" Harper and his friends asked.
"That's impossible Eternity." Harper said. "I know who I am. I'm me, Seamus Harper, super genius. Rommie, Becca, tell her."
"It's true." Rommie said. "This is Harper. Becca has been with him during most of the battle."
"That's right." Becca replied. "If this wasn't Harper I would know."
Eternity still looked doubtful. Harper had a thought.
"Eternity, if you don't believe us, scan me. My DNA will match that of your captain, because that's who I am."
On board Andromeda.
"Dylan," Andromeda announced. "Incoming message from Captain Stark."
"Put it on the main viewer Andromeda." Dylan replied.
"Dylan," Captain Tony Stark began. "The battle seems to be going well for Earth."
"That it does Tony. I've received word that Boston has been completely liberated of Nietzchean occupation."
"That's good to hear. Things are going well in other major cities as well. Within a week we should have control of more than half of the planet's major cities."
"Control?" Dylan asked. "I thought we were freeing Earth, not taking it over."
"We're not taking Earth over Dylan." Tony said. "But Earth will need help rebuilding their government. The Commonwealth intends to stay as long as it takes to help them get back on their feet. We will help set up schools, Hospitals, Libraries, and other needful items, as well as build, train, and supply their military."
"I understand.' Dylan said. "You have to forgive my suspicious nature."
"I too can understand Dylan." Tony said. "After all you've been through rebuilding the Commonwealth, only to discover that a large portion of it was corrupt, and then this latest occurrence concerning my father, I'd be concerned if you weren't a bit suspicious. But I assure you that the Commonwealth has no intention of taking away Earth's freedom Dylan, and if ever our new Commonwealth again falls into the hands of corrupt leaders, you can count on me to fight by your side."
"Thanks Tony. I appreciate that, and hope that it never comes to that again."
"Me too Dylan." Tony said. "We've fought hard to have our Commonwealth restored and I refuse to let corrupt politicians nearly destroy her again. Every captain in this fleet feels the same way…. Dylan if anything ever does happen, we are yours to command."
"I don't know what to say, except thanks." Dylan said, hoping that the day would never come that he was once again fighting against the very Commonwealth that he and his crew helped restore.
"You're welcome." Tony said. "With that said and done, it's time we had a conference to discuss and plan Earth's future."
"I really don't think it's up to me to make plans for Earth Tony. It's their planet, not mine."
"You're correct it is their planet, and so far every resistance fighter that we encounter agrees on one important part for their future. They want Brendan Lahey of Boston to serve as their leader. I understand that he is with your people in Boston. As soon as possible we need to meet with him and discuss his future as Earth's new leader. I believe it would also be good if he could transmit a message worldwide to all of Earth."
"I understand. I'll contact Eternity and have them return as soon as it's convenient for them to do so."
"Thank you captain." Tony said. "One more thing. I wanted to inform you that I sent your prisoners as well as my father to Terrazed, where they will be tried for their crimes against the Commonwealth."
"Tony." Dylan said. "I'm very sorry about your father."
"Me too Dylan." Tony said, before ending his transmission. "Me too."
------------------------
On board Eternity, in Medical, Blue Harper had just finished informing Trance, Brendan, and Eternity how he managed to save them from Mephist's bomb. Trance appeared greatly relieved that Harper had not done anymore harm that what he had. Apparently he was learning to control his anger.
"It's wonderful Harper that you're learning to control your new powers over time." Trance said.
"Actually Trance," Harper said. "To be totally honest, It was another happy accident. I didn't intentionally travel back, it just happened. In fact when I looked around and saw that I was alone, I thought I had vaporized everyone." An awful thought occurred to Harper. "They are ok, aren't they?"
"Don't worry." Eternity said. "They are here. I am, however, holding them on deck three, until I can verify the identity of an individual that is with them."
"Who is it?" Harper asked.
"I won't know until I finish scanning him." Eternity answered. "But he claims to be you."
"Me?" Harper shouted, but then his mind began computing recent events. If he went to the past and stopped Mephist's bomb, then the him in the present would have never left the others. He would still be in the present, probably met Mephist, and dealt with the stupid Uber when the bomb failed to explode. "Trance. I think I messed up."
Trance began to worry again, as she too realized what had happened. There can't be two Harpers existing in the same time. With her it was different. She had bent a very strict law of time and space when her two selves were on Andromeda, but it was for the greater good of the universe and she had the support and strength of all of her multitude of selves to keep the guardians from noticing what she was doing.
Trance noticed the look of worry on Harper's face.
"This can't be right can it?" Harper asked.
"It's ok Harper." She lied. "Don't worry. Everything will be ok."
"You're a terrible liar Trance." Harper said. "I know this is different than before."
"This is different," Trance said. "but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to turn out bad."
------------------------
In the corridor on deck three, Eternity appeared.
"The scan is complete." She said. "I am sorry Harper. You are my captain."
"That's ok Eternity," Gold Harper said. "but what's this talk about another me being in Medical"
Eternity retold Harper and the others the tale that Blue Harper had told her and Trance.
"Can we see him?" Becca asked. "Is he ok"
"He is well." Eternity said, as she led the way to Medical. "But he has changed."
"Changed?" Rommie asked. "Changed how?"
"He is no longer gold."
"Are you saying the other me is no longer an Avatar?" Harper asked.
"No." Eternity answered. "He is still an Avatar, but he is now blue."
They arrived at Medical and Harper, Becca, and Rommie followed Eternity inside. Rhade however went straight to his quarters mumbling to himself about how he was ever going to retain his sanity with two Harpers to endure.
"Where did Rhade go?" Golden Harper asked.
"I don't think he's ready to deal with two of you yet Harper."
"Deal with me?" Harper asked. "He should be glad that there's two of me. There'll be twice the genius, twice the Harper charm, twice as much work getting done…."
"Twice the talking." Becca stated. Harper started to retaliate but was distracted when he saw his other self on the med bed watching him.
"Hello." Harper said. "I guess you're me."
"That I am Harper." Blue Harper said.
"Eternity explained to us what happened. Thanks for saving them."
"Don't mention it." Blue Harper said. "You would have done the same. I guess you did in a way."
"This is too weird." Becca said.
"You're telling me." Blue Harper said. "I look like an Andorian minus the antennae."