I own nothing. Please learn that so I can stop putting this. It's annoying.
-. Chapter Eleven .-
"Why are you up?"
Dylan turned around and faced the confused face of one of his oldest friends. He relaxed more, letting his shoulders drop and leaned more against the pillar behind him, Rommie coming over to stand in front of him. He watched her for a short moment as she looked around, most likely hearing things outside that he knew he never would be able to.
"You still haven't answered my question." she said, facing him once again and tucking her hands into the pockets into the slightly baggy pants.
Dylan smiled. "C'mon Rommie, it's about to rain. When was the last time we've seen it rain?"
She crossed her arms across her chest and faked a scowl. "You're not supposed to be up this late."
"Fine, I'm changing that rule." he said, nodding his head once. She dropped her arms and tilted her head to the side.
"How will you be doing that?"
"I'm older then you. So, you should respect me, and do as I say, not the other way around."
"Dylan, that doesn't work."
This time, he tilted his head to the side.
"My AI was created before you were born, so, I am older then you."
"Ahhh..." she smiled down at her, "But your AI is Andromeda, and you are Rommie. Two totally different personalities. So, technically, I am older then you, by about, 300 years."
She shook her head at him, hiding her smile. "You're hopeless."
"I'm older then you."
"You're insane." Rommie looked at him for a moment, crossing her arms again. "It's well passed midnight, and everyone without a shift but you is asleep. You and Rhade have your own quarters and he's asleep. Why aren't you?"
"Something's not right here." Dylan said, sounding serious, a change from his teasing behavior before. "I feel like if I fall asleep, someone will sneak up in my room and stab me in my sleep."
Rommie nodded in understanding. If she needed to sleep for at least eight hours, she'd probably feel the same as well. "There are guards at each end of the hall your and Rhade's quarters share. If you want, I'll have them move closer to your doors."
Dylan sighed, smiling again. "You won't give up until you're sure I won't wake up 'til morning will you?"
"Nope."
Dylan shook his head, smiling at the avatar as he leaned to the side, looking up and the clouded skies. "It'll start soon. Let me stay out a little longer?"
When Rommie didn't answer, he took it as a yes and waited. Soon enough, like he said, rain started to come down from the heavy clouds.
"Precipitation." Rommie said. "Water droplets being released from clouds that could no longer hold them. Often resulting in mud, floods, mud slides, as well as river and crop growth. This is what you wanted to see?"
"You're starting to sound like Andromeda again." Dylan said, eyes admiring the water that sustained life as if fell from the skies. When he looked back at the women before him, he got a questioning look. "You do it sometimes. Sound all technical. Then you switch and sound like Trance or Beka." he smiled at her, then looked back out at the rain. "It's beautiful."
Rommie nodded, looking out herself. The way the rain blurred certain things at certain distances, and then showed itself as separate droplets against the trees were quite beautiful, but she still couldn't fully grasp why her Captain was still out here instead of being inside, warm, and asleep.
Dylan stood up and stretched his hand out from under the protection of the high roof, letting the rain fall onto his hand. He hadn't felt any weather for such a long while; it was nice to feel something nature created again. But soon, the soft pelting on his hand turned into a burning sensation, and before he could blink, Rommie had pulled his hand out of the rain and held his other firmly to keep it from going to the one in pain.
Rommie watched as the skin on Dylan's had slowly went red, the skin appearing to burn and break on its own accord. She looked up, pain written on his face clearly obvious though he tried to hide it. Something clicked in her head, and she looked at his hand again. Picking off a small piece of skin, his hand gripping her other roughly when she did, and she did a quick over, then started to drag him into the building.
Dylan let himself be dragged into the building, the pain in his hand decreasing slightly, though it still stung fiercely. When they got into the hospital wing, a young man, no older then twelve, gave a jump start when Rommie slammed the doors opened, and quickly moved around, grabbing a pair of plastic gloves and slipping them on. Rommie then sat him down on a table, the young boy rushing over.
"Make sure he doesn't leave this room." she said, still staring at his hand. Quickly, she turned to leave, only to stop at the door. "Treat him for acid burns."
"You better pay me for this Beka." Harper growled into a headphone, trying to stay in the shadows as he crept towards the cargo ship in Andromeda's docking bay.
"I keep you safe Harper, that's pay enough." Beka's voice said in his ear softly, most likely walking down a hall or on command, trying to act normal.
About an hour earlier, they had asked Alexander if they could use his cargo ship to go down onto the planet, and, like he was expected to do, he threw a fit and said, or more like screamed, no. Then, both Beka and Andromeda had tried to threaten him. Beka, putting her force lance to his head and telling him to shut up. That didn't work. Andromeda changed the gravity force around him and held him to the floor, strong enough so that he wouldn't move, but since he wasn't a Heavy Worlder, not so much that it would crush him. That didn't work either.
Then, of course, the crew stepped in. Which only became more yelling, shouting, threats, and insults, most of which were directed at Andromeda.
Harper shook his head, smiling. Andromeda was not a ship you wanted to mess with at the moment, but that was expected. She had lost three of her crew, and part of herself, and was completely helpless to get them back. But they would.
As said before, that lasted an hour. This led up to Harper, standing warily at the door to the enemy's ship. Acting quickly, using Trance's advice to believe that he didn't have enough time to fool around like they did when they had originally come across the Andromeda after they pulled her out of the black hole; he slapped a flexie on the key pad beside the door, and started his work.
"One minute thirty seconds, go Harper." he whispered to himself when the air tight door opened, allowing him into the ship.
Looking around quickly, he noticed that its layout wasn't much different then the Maru's, but where the Maru had original extra rooms and compartments, this ship didn't. Hell, he didn't even know what they called it. Walking a little farther in, he noticed that its interior was much like the Maru's as well, simple and less expensive the Andromeda's massive walls and support beams, the latter of which wasn't normally seen. But, as he walked further towards the cockpit, he started to love his two ships even more. They were a lot cleaner.
The thought of turning around and grabbing an air tight space suit crossed his mind more then once.
Sucking it up, he sat down at one of the controls, and staring playing around, molding the ships control system to how he wanted it. Once he was done, a record of two and a half minutes later, he signaled to Beka that all as ready, and gave Andromeda all rights to the ships controls. Smiling, he slipped out and walked causally to his quarters.
"Andromeda, do me a favor." Harper said, stopping once he turned a corner.
"Of course Harper." said the AI, her face appearing on a screen across from him.
"Prepare a hot, very hot, shower in my quarters please. With lots and lots of soap, and if you have to, steal some nice smelling stuff from Beka's room."
Andromeda smiled softly at the engineer as he scurried off, rubbing his arms as he ran towards him room. "Of course Harper."
"Good morning Ron." Rommie said, not even trying to hide the malice in her voice.
"What-" Ron mumbled, slowly sitting up in his bed, noticing the dip in the mattress to the side of him. Turning in that direction, he came face to face with a dark figure; the voice identifying it was someone who refused to die on his list. "Why are you in my room?"
"I was outside." Rommie said, sitting back slightly, tilting her head at him.
The room was dark, and she hadn't bothered to turn on the light. She was sure he couldn't fully see her without the light, but he felt her weight on the mattress and could hear her voice clearly.
"I was with Dylan." she said. "It started to rain, and he stuck his arm out. Then, out of no where, his hand starts to burn itself. You have some explaining to do."
"I have nothing to say to you. Now leave before I call for a guard." he threatened, but Rommie didn't move.
"I'd like to see you try." she said. Letting her eyes adjust so she could see in the darkness like it was broad daylight, she noticed him scowl at her, puff up his chest, and open his mouth to yell. Acting quickly, she moved forward and clapped her hand over his mouth, pushing him back against his thin pillows.
"Is there any other piece of environmental information I should know about Ron?" she asked slowly, lightening her hold on his mouth slightly.
"No." he said quietly, glaring up at her.
Seeing he wasn't lying, she nodded her head and let go of him completely, sitting back up again. "If you are lying to me, Ron Alnar, I promise you, you will forget it." she said, then got up and left, leaving the man to seethe by himself in his room, with nothing close enough to satisfy the need to smash or break something.
'I'll kill her.' he thought bitterly, staring up at the ceiling. 'I promise her that.'
"Harper." Beka nodded to him as they met in a corridor, turning at the same time and heading down the same hall. "You shaped up nicely." she looked him over quickly. "And I'll take my lavender soap out of your pay check."
"Gee, thanks boss." Harper said sarcastically, though he did quite enjoy the lavender smell to get the sight of the inside of that ship out of his head. Changing his tune quickly, he asked, "How's your day gone?"
"Good." Beka answered, the both of them turning down another corridor at a three way. "I trust you have good news."
They both stopped, and Harper turned to stand in front of her. Pulling out a flexie from his pocket, he smiled and handed it to her. She looked at it briefly, and then smiled herself. They nodded to each other before turning in the opposite directions and heading off, both smiling the entire way.
"Miss Andromeda." the twelve year old boy said when Rommie re entered the hospital wing, though this time she didn't startle him.
"How is he?" she asked, noticing he wasn't in the main room where she had left him to wake up Alnar.
"There was minimal tissue burnage, and nothing else. He'll be fine, but his hand will be sore for at least a few days." the boy looked up at her, then down at his shoes. "I'm sorry none of you were informed about our burning rains. Alnar usually tell outsiders... We're the only city out here that gets them around this time. This was the first of the season."
"Don't worry about it. Where is he?" she asked softly, which seemed to help since the boy looked up at her again, even though he didn't look her in the eye.
"He's in a private room, and Raki is with him. I informed Commander Rhade and he asked me to tell you to meet him in his quarters once you came back. Raki and I will stay with him."
Rommie nodded, standing still for a second. "I don't want anyone but the Commander and I to be able to see him. His room is completely off limits to anyone outside the four of us."
Rommie inwardly smiled as she noticed the young man perk up at hearing the fact that instead of saying three, she said four, including him. He nodded enthusiasticallybefore she said thanks and left, heading off to Rhade's room.
-. End of Chapter Eleven .-
Wow. I quite like this chapter. And it only took me four hours to write! Talk about a writing spree eh? Anyways, reviews!
Awohali -
Thanks!
prin69 -
lol. Thanks for the review! I like how they made them too... but hey, Harper like loud music, so why not use it? Thanks for the review, hope ya like this chapter too!
Jade Rhade -
XD Terla is awesome... And yes, Alexander is an ass. That's the point of his character. And surprisingly, I based him on a guy in my English class! But I changed his last name, just to be safe. I'm such an evil person. Thanks for the review! Lots of Rhade for you in the next one, 'kay?
Thank you to my three (GAH! It's gone down:'( ) reviewers! This chapter was made in the short time it took me and posted on the same day just for you!
