Chapter 4

Dylan and Beka stood on the command staring at Trance.

"What do you mean?" Beka asked a little shocked.

"I mean he's been infected by a really, really bad virus," Trance explained.

"I'm receiving a hail from the station," Rommie interrupted, "it's Commander Kalen."

"Put it through," Dylan said.

They all turned to the screen as the Commander's face appeared and to their surprise Harper was standing just behind her looking guilty.

"Captain Hunt," Commander Kalen started.

"Why you do have my engineer?" Dylan asked bluntly.

"That is why I am calling," Kalen said.

"What's he done now?" Beka asked in a mocking voice.

"It's what he hasn't done," Kalen said.

Beka frowned and looked at Dylan.

"What hasn't he done?" Dylan asked.

"Apologize!" Kalen said angrily.

"Apologize?" Beka asked confused.

"He has broken into a room that has specifically said DO NOT ENTER!" Kalen almost yelled.

"And that's a problem?" Tyr asked.

"Yes! He's stolen important information that is classified for the-"

"That's not true, I haven't stolen anything!" Harper jumped in, voicing for the first time.

"Mr. Harper get up here," Dylan said.

"But Captain I want to keep him here for question-"

"I don't care what you want him for; I want him up here NOW!" Dylan said his turn to get angry.

The Harper on the screen gave a small guilty smile then left the view as Kalen tried to protest.

"Captain-"

"No buts, Hunt out," Dylan ended and Rommie cut the transmission.

Dylan paced for a moment, but when Beka spoke he could tell she was angrier then he was.

"Dylan," she said through her teeth, "let me handle this."

Dylan looked surprised.

"Alright," he agreed, "Just don't kill him," he added.

Beka turned to the door as Harper walked through. He walked straight to her and you could see he was eager to tell her something but he didn't get much out.

"Beka, I-"

She slapped him.

Harper stumbled and his hand flew to his right cheek.

"How dare you-," Beka said raising her hand again.

Dylan grabbed it feeling that one of her slaps was enough.

"What was that for?" Harper snapped.

"You know that we need their help, we did you go sneaking-" Beka growled.

"They did it first!" Harper interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked.

"They were snooping around Andromeda's files, she and I found something but then there was surge of energy and I got kicked out," Harper explained feeling that it would be better to leave out the part when he could remember when he left the Maru for the engine room.

"I have no memory of that," Rommie said.

Harper stopped.

"But you must, I mean-," he stuttered.

"You have not entered my systems today," Rommie stated.

Harper frowned slightly.

"So explain why you were on the station?" Beka asked.

"I was trying to make a point," Harper spat.

"Well, you made one," Beka said, "One that I don't like."

"Like mother like daughter," Harper muttered.

Harper's head exploded with pain and his eyes erupted in little stars; he felt himself fall to the ground but couldn't see the way down.

Beka struggled attempting to box Harper's ears again but Dylan held her back.

Harper's eyes cleared to see Trance bending over him and Beka struggling in Dylan's grasp.

"How dare you-" Beka spluttered to angry to speak properly, "nothing!"

"That's enough!" Dylan yelled and Beka fell silent while Trance helped Harper to his feet.

Harper stood and pulled his shirt from Trance's grasp and his right shirtsleeve went up slightly only to reveal his savaged arm.

"What is that!" Beka exclaimed dropping her arms, which were still held back by Dylan, who ended up holding her up as she went limp.

"Oh, that?" Harper evaded, shacking his sleeve down over the cut again, "that's nothing…"

"Nothing!" Beka said exasperated, "There are bloody wire stitches!"

"I- I cut it in the engine room," Harper lied.

"The engine room?" Beka said disbelieving.

"Yeah, it- it was late and…"

"I didn't want to wake Trance," He concluded.

Both Beka and Dylan stared at him, unaware that everyone else in the room knew that he was lying. Harper stole a glance a Tyr who looked guilty.

"Why do I get the feeling that everyone here knows the truth except Beka and myself?" Dylan said finally letting Beka go and she seemed startled at the fact that she had to now support her own weight.

Everyone else glanced at each other.

Tyr stood up and began to speak but Harper cut him off.

"No," he stated firmly.

"But-" Tyr began.

"No," Harper repeated.

Dylan looked at Tyr then Harper hoping for a clue.

"Mr. Harper tell me what is going on," Dylan demanded getting irritated.

"I'm not telling you," Harper said coldly turning his back on him.

"Why not?" Dylan asked.

"Because I don't want to!" Harper snapped.

Everyone else just looked away as Dylan looked at them.

"Mr. Harper I need to know what is going on in my ship," Dylan demanded.

Harper ignored him completely.

"Fine, go to med deck with Trance," Dylan barked at him.

"Fuck off!" Harper snarled and walked past Dylan banging his shoulder as he went; Dylan forcefully grabbed his arm.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Dylan yelled.

Harper fidgeted in a bad mood, lying on his back on the med bed as Trance checked something he couldn't care less about. He sat up suddenly and swung his legs off the bed.

"Harper, what are you doing?" Trance exclaimed.

"I'm leaving!" Harper shouted.

"But your not well," Trance pleaded.

"I'm fine," Harper said.

"Then why do you have blood on your pants?" she asked.

Harper stopped and looked down at his pants, on them was a smear of red substance.

Trance watched him carefully and frowned slightly as he did something very strange.

Harper placed a hand to his mouth and then rubbed it on his pants.

"Harper?" Trance asked slowly.

"I don't know," Harper lied, "maybe my arm?"

Although both Trance and Harper knew that it wasn't his arm that caused the blood but Trance took the opportunity anyway.

"Can I inject nanobots to fix the cut-" Trance began.

"No!" Harper snapped.

Trance looked shocked.

"You're trying to heal me for something I don't have!"

Harper didn't know why he was saying this only that the little voice that he usually ignored was now stronger than ever and told him not to take the nanobots and to go back to the station, back to that room.

"Then why are you hallucinating?" Trance cooed.

Harper pulled himself back to reality.

"I'm not," he stated.

"Then why doesn't Rommie remember your encounter?"

"The energy," Harper stated a thought dawning on him.

"The what?"

"When I was in the core, both Andromeda and I were hit by some sort of energy weapon," Harper explained, "That could have erased her memory and that's probably what kicked me out!"

"You're not making any sense," Trance said worried, "Rommie would have detected a surge whether or not the A.I. system was knocked out."

Harper stopped and thought it over, that was true, but his version made sense also.

The only thing left is that Trance was telling the truth and he was infected by something.

No. That wasn't it, maybe the crew was crazy and he was the only one sane; that works.

Harper turned and left the med deck at such a speed that Trance couldn't catch up to him.

Dylan sat with his head in his hands, it was four in the morning and although he was extremely tired his mind wouldn't let him rest.

"Dylan?" Trance's voice sounded through the comm. link.

"Yes Trance," Dylan answered.

"Did I wake you?" she asked tentatively.

"No," Dylan said "Not at all."

"Well…" she paused.

"Spit it out Trance," Dylan said.

"Harper's not here!" she said so quickly that Dylan hardly heard her.

"What?" Dylan exclaimed.

"Harper left med deck," Trance said a little slower.

"And you didn't stop him because…?"

"He was a nasty mood."

"Really," Dylan said sarcastically, "do you know where he went?"

"No," Trance stated.

"Alright," Dylan said getting up.

"Dylan?"

"Yes Trance?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, it's not your fault."

Harper rubbed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his face. He had been working for three hours now and his stomach squirmed uncomfortably.

Harper looked through the files and frowned something was there somebody deliberately put that virus in the station's computer but not the gravitation system. Harper frowned and an idea popped into his head, this virus was alive wherever it was now.

Then another document came up showing a face that Harper knew all too well she was the one who put the virus in and she wasn't who she said she was.

He coughed suddenly and gagged bending over; frightened and took deep breaths to slow whatever was coming up from coming up. He stood bent over for a moment as the squirming in his stomach over whelmed him.

Losing control of his stomach muscles Harper threw up and with a sickening sound the contents of his stomach hit the floor.

Dizzy he frowned that as his eyes were blurry and cleared that the contents of his stomach were not food as one would image but blood and tissue that surely shouldn't be out of him.

"I told you not to come here!"

Harper heard the sharp voice before the energy from the weapon hit him in the back and he fell sideways instantly unconscious.

Dylan stood on command with Beka and Rommie asking them whether or not they had manage to find Harper; with both at a no Dylan was lost.

"I don't know where he could have gone," Beka said.

"I haven't detected his life signs anywhere," Rommie stated.

"Which can mean he's blinded your sensors from his life signs or he's already dead," Dylan said, "I'd prefer the former."

Rommie stopped moving for a moment and Dylan frowned.

"We're getting an incoming message from the station," Rommie said.

"Put it through," Dylan said.

The face of Commander Kalen appeared in the view screen, she looked extremely worried.

"Commander?" Dylan asked, "To what do I owe pleasure?"

"It's your engineer again."

Dylan turned around not to show his frustration he pulled at his face with his hands then turned back to the view screen.

"What has he done now?"

"It's what happened to him."

"What?"

"I'm afraid he was found in the room again, although this is slightly more serious then before," Kalen stated.

Dylan sighed frustrated.

"Send him up here," Dylan ordered.

"I can't," Kalen answered.

"Why not?" Dylan argued.

"He's been shot."