Day Two
Harper had trouble listening to Dylan talk, his brain was so scattered that Dylan's droning just went through one ear and out the other.
Harper had returned to his quarters and tried to sleep, falling asleep was no problem it was once he was a sleep he began to dream and that is where the problem was, he keep returning to earth but he forced himself wake up before the nightmare began.
Beka had cornered him after he had given up on sleeping, on his way to the briefing she kept asked him whether or not he had told Dylan. Harper tried to shake her off but his stomach was constantly growling but he couldn't stand the smell of food without feeling nauseous, he could only manage to swallow water and coffee for this week and that never seemed to fill his stomach.
"Harper are you listening to me?" Dylan asked.
"Um?" Harper tried to pull his brain together.
"The virus is not there," Rommie stated.
"But where? It's not in the…" Harper trailed off losing his train of though thankfully Beka grasped where he was going and finished the sentence.
"Why isn't it in the gravitation system if it's not on the disk?" Beka asked quickly.
Beka thought for a split second that Dylan gave her a suspicious look but a moment later he had turned away to look at Rommie. Rommie thought for a moment, which allowed Harper, gave Beka a grateful side-glance.
"Could it be possible that it disappeared when the system exploded and cut your finger, Harper?" Rommie questioned.
"I suppose so, hey," Harper said getting his mind on track way too late, "Are you saying it's in me?" Harper asked exasperated.
"No I'm saying it self-destructed to prevent us knowing where it came from and why," Rommie said suspiciously.
"But bugs aren't sophisticated enough to blow themselves up," Harper said, "There really just one way communication devices.'
"Well we're going to need that virus check all the systems on the station then check your own Rommie," Dylan said, "Take Harper with you."
Harper nodded and turned to leave the room with Rommie.
Harper put down the controller that he was using and rubbed his eyes, he had been searching the station's systems for the past six hours.
"There is nothing here Rommie," Harper said.
"But I can't find anything in my systems," Rommie said confused.
"Maybe you need some fresh eyes," Harper said.
"Well yours aren't," Rommie said.
Harper dropped his hands and glared at her.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well you haven't slept in thirty-six hours, or eaten," Rommie said.
"Not true, I have fallen asleep, and I have drunk coffee," Harper contradicted.
"Coffee isn't food, and you're not getting to the state where you dream," Rommie said.
"I just wait-" Harper began, "how do you know I haven't been dreaming?"
"Well…" Rommie hesitated.
Harper raised his eyebrows.
"I've been monitoring your vitals,' Rommie said.
"Why are you doing that?' Harper asked coldly.
"I was worried about you," Rommie said concerned.
"I don't need you to worry about me," Harper snapped.
"You're not eating or sleeping, I don't want you to die slowly," Rommie said getting annoyed.
"So you want me to die quickly!"
"I don't want you to die at all," Rommie said shocked.
"Well maybe I do!"
Rommie watched Harper with a hurt and shocked expression while he worked.
"Are you going to help me or are you just going to stare," Harper growled.
"Do you really want to die?" Rommie asked softly.
Harper stopped.
"Rommie, I-" But he couldn't say anything to her shocked face.
Harper put his controller down and walked around the console her eyes following him.
"Look," Harper began taking Rommie's hands, as she looked horrified by what Harper had just said. "I didn't mean that-"
"Then why did you say it!" Rommie demanded.
"I was…" Harper stopped he didn't know exactly why he had said it.
"You don't know?" Rommie said quietly.
"I was angry," Harper settled on that for lack of a better word.
"So you said you want to die because you were angry at me?" Rommie said exasperated.
"No, not at you, I was angry," Harper said, "at myself," he added.
Rommie frowned.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled."
Rommie watched him for a while then opened her mouth to say something else but the door opened and commander Kalen walked in.
Harper dropped Rommie's hands and grabbed a controller as she put her hands behind her back.
"I was coming to check on your progress," Kalen said.
"I believe we are finished," Rommie said and Harper forced a smile and nodded.
"I can't find anything in your systems," Harper said.
"Neither can I," Rommie said.
"Oh well, it must be in one of your systems," Kalen said.
"We'll check those next," Harper said quickly.
"Of, course," Kalen said smiling funny, "we wouldn't want this bug to get away!" she said overly cheerful.
Harper frowned at this strange behaviour.
"Shall we start now?" Rommie asked Harper, she apparently didn't notice the strange behaviour.
"In an hour," Harper said, "I want- I want to check out the station."
"I'll gladly give you a tour," Kalen said.
"No, no that's alright," Harper declined, "I'll just…wander."
"As you wish," Kalen said and she left.
Harper replaced the controller with a glance at Rommie, she still looked concerned.
"I'll be fine," Harper said and he left as well.
Harper stuck his hands in his jacket and wandered the gambling floor, his brain was fuzzy and his eyes hurt with every twitch and move. He had been scanning the crowd for anything suspicious.
Unfortunately with his tired eyes anything can be suspicious and he wouldn't know it. The calls and shouts were all blurred into one and it didn't help with a fight going on.
Commander Kalen's attitude was strange, but Harper couldn't put his finger on it, something was wrong, but his brain being so tired he couldn't think of anything.
Maybe he would just have to dig a little deeper.
"Hey, Harper!" Trance said happily.
Beka and Trance appeared behind him. Harper gave a small smile.
"You look tired," Beka said sympathetic.
"Like looking for a needle in a hay stack," Harper said, "a really, really big haystack."
"Haystack?" Trance asked confused.
"Earth expression," Harper explained.
"So finding something really small in a really big pile of something?" Trance asked.
"Sort of, but everything looks the exact same," Harper said, "and the needle is the size of your pinkie finger."
"Wow," Trance said, "lot of work?"
"Six hours, only gone through it about twice," Harper said. "And even then we could have missed something."
"I would be tired to," Trance said.
"So do you know who started the fight?" Harper asked evaded more questions about his tiredness.
"Tyr," both Trance and Beka said at the same time.
"But I finished it too," Tyr said walking towards them.
"Well I don't think Dylan would want us fighting," Trance said.
Tyr raised his eyebrows.
If he had begun to say something Harper didn't hear it, the girl standing in the deserted hallway in front of them distracted him.
She stood in ragged clothes and was cut and burned in more places then one, he knew that girl, the same girl in his mirror the same one he was chasing that morning.
He knew that he wasn't just seeing things for he closed his eyes that they burned and watered but when he opened them again she was still standing there watching him with the most curious expression.
He could remember the last time he had seen her like it was yesterday, not the times in his mirror or on the Andromeda, no, it was on Earth seven years ago, seven years he had to live with the fact that she was dead and it was all his fault, he couldn't save her.
Kao, she was the liveliest girl Harper ever knew, full of life and happiness, and ironically she had been only seven when the Nietzscheans came, such a waste of life.
Just seeing her and thinking about what happened seemed to bring a lump in his throat, he had been so attached to her, he had loved her so much and the Nietzscheans had to take away the only comfort he had in his life.
It took him five years to track her down, only for her to die once he had saved her.
"Harper?" Trance asked poking him in the cheek.
Harper tore his eyes off Kao to look at the purple girl beside him.
"Yeah?"
Harper was painfully aware that there were tears in his eyes, but he wiped them away in a way that it would be tiredness tears.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"About what?" Harper questioned looking back at the girl; she had disappeared.
"Fighting," Trance said with large eyes.
"What?" Harper asked completed confused.
"Maybe you're losing your mind," Tyr suggested.
Anger boiled up in Harper, which was simple to do lately.
"Piss off," Harper snapped and he stalked away into the corridor where the girl had been moments before.
"Harper get up here!" Dylan called angrily.
Harper growled and left the Maru where he had taken refugee from everyone. He vaguely wondered whether he was going too reprimanded for yelling at Rommie and Tyr.
Harper entered the command deck with the most pissed off look that the others were surprised and didn't bother him.
"What do you want," Harper said saucily.
Dylan stared for a moment at Harper's behaviour then spoke.
"Tyr's station is malfunctioning, fix it," Dylan said handing a controller to Harper seeing if the same attitude regurgitated at Harper might quell his own.
Unfortunately that's not what happened.
"Fine!" Harper snapped grabbing the controller.
Harper walked over to Tyr's station, where both Tyr and Trance were standing; the only other two except Beka on command.
Harper began work and Tyr leaned on the banister facing him watching him.
"Do you have to hover?" Harper asked through his teeth.
Tyr just ignored him.
"Do you think you can fix it?" Trance asked on the other side of him.
He turned to her with a nicer expression on his face and in his voice.
"Oh course I can," Harper said.
"Then do so," Tyr said menacingly having teased Harper on many occasions before and not having him retaliate.
"This sort of thing takes time," Harper said controlling his anger.
Tyr leaned forward and Harper turned to face him. Saying quietly so that Trance couldn't hear he whispered;
"Maybe you are just losing your mind," Tyr said.
Harper's eyes flashed with anger.
"BITE ME!" Harper yelled and pushed Tyr with his right arm.
Harper pushed with surprising strength that caused Tyr to become so unbalanced that he actually fell over the banister.
Everyone one in command stared at Harper who punched the controller with unnecessary force and then thrust it into Trance's hands as she stared unbelievingly at him.
Stalking from the command Harper didn't look back. Tyr raised himself from the floor and wiped his bleeding lip with the back of his left hand looking murderous. Instinctively Tyr ran from the deck after Harper.
"Tyr wait!" Beka called but he didn't answer.
Harper walked down the corridor and heard Tyr behind him. Suddenly Tyr grabbed Harper's shoulder and pinned him against the wall his spikes at Harper's neck.
"You shouldn't have done that," Tyr threatened.
Harper didn't answer but narrowed his eyes and pushed Tyr's arm away. Harper took a step and Tyr called out.
"Coward."
Quick as a flash Harper swung back and his fist impacted on Tyr's right shoulder.
Tyr stumbled but before Harper could move again, Tyr grabbed his wrist and driving his spikes as far as they would go into Harper's arm and sliced knowing that he hit the bone somewhere.
Harper cried out in pain and blood spurted everywhere.
Tyr pushed Harper into the corner with a horrible crunch he hit the wall and slid down not moving when he got to the bottom. Blood spilled all over the ground.
"Get up!" Tyr ordered.
Harper didn't move.
Tyr's anger ebbed away and panic filled its place. He moved forward to see Harper but before he got anywhere Trance and Rev came around the corner.
"Harper!" Trance cried and ran to his side.
"What did you do?" Rev asked horrified.
"I-I," Tyr stuttered just as horrified.
Rev stood between Tyr and Harper as Trance saw to his wound.
But Harper knocked her hand away and stood up. Rev turned to look at him; with his head down and his bleeding arm still gushing covering him in his own blood Harper looked very creepy indeed.
"What was that for?" Rev asked, "She was only trying to help."
"I don't need her help," Harper said in a dead voice.
Rev looked shocked.
"But you need medical attention," Rev said surprised.
"I don't need anything you can offer me Magog!" Harper snapped and he whirled away holding his bleeding arm close and walked away leaving a hurt and confused Rev accompanied by Trance and Tyr.
Harper sat in his quarters his face screwed up in pain his eyes welling up with tears as he one by one thread stitches threw the gash in his forearm, he had found some wire in the engine room and he had sterilized it before he began but it still hurt like hell.
The part that he had already stitched was no longer gushing, more like oozing slightly and where the wire entered and exited was red around the edges.
In a way Harper thanked Tyr but in another he wanted to beat him to a pulp. It was reaching forty-eight hours since he had slept and now the pain in his arm was giving him a good excuse to stay awake.
Before he had wondered whether or not Dylan was going to reprimand him when he had mouthed off to Tyr, but now he was sure that he was going to be now for pushing Tyr over the banister.
But apart from a hail from Rommie asked him where he was and he telling her that he was going to sleep and continue tomorrow he hadn't heard from anyone.
He finally finished tying off the end off the wire and his arm throbbed painfully and feeling light headed he decided that maybe he should go to the medical bay to get something to replenish his blood.
Looking at the clock he saw that it was four in the morning, decided that Trance would not likely be in the bay he got up to leave.
He walked down the dark hallway and into the medical bay finding the drug he needed he injected himself and found that he head began to clear immediately.
"I thought you'd appear sooner or later," a voice said in the dark shadows of the room.
Harper jumped and looked around.
Trance appeared from the corner with a concerned face.
"What do you want?" Harper said coldly.
"To see if you'll alright," Trance said.
"I fixed it," Harper said holding up his arm and Trance's jaw dropped.
"You call that fixing!" Trance said horrified.
"It's stopped bleeding," Harper shrugged.
"But-" Trance said walking forward to look at it. "That can easily be infected and that must have hurt!" she exclaimed.
"That was the point," Harper said shortly dropping his arm.
"To be infected?" Trance asked.
"No," Harper said staring her in the eye, "to hurt."
She looked horrified.
"You know why I want it too hurt?" Harper asked in a menacing voice taking a step forward causing Trance to step back.
"No," she said a little frightened.
"So that I know," Harper continued taking another step.
Trance smiled weakly.
"That I am still," Harper said backing her into the wall and raising his voice.
Trance gulped.
"ALIVE!" Harper yelled at her and walked out of the bay; leaving Trance still against the wall horrified.