Chapter 9

Day Seven

The Andromeda lurched with an explosion that was detonated on her port side. Dylan looked up from his station.

"What was that?" He asked slowly.

Suddenly another explosion went of, and then more. The Andromeda rocked violently.

"Rommie, what's going on?" Dylan yelled as he grabbed the console.

"We are under attack," Rommie stated bluntly.

"I gathered that!" Dylan yelled.

"Shall I fight back?" Rommie said strangely subdued.

"YES!" Dylan roared as he lost his footing and went flying across command.

Suddenly Tyr stumbled into onto command with a worries look on his face.

"Kalen is gone," He yelled over the racket, "some sort of transport device, I didn't think any existed!"

"That's just great!" Dylan cried as he attempted to stand up. "Rommie why haven't you fired yet?"

There was no answer and abruptly the ship went dark and silent. Everything was dead and the attack had finished.

Dylan looked around confused. Rommie stood deactivated at her console and the Andromeda wouldn't respond to his command.

"It's a trap," Tyr suggested at once.

"Set by whom and why?" Dylan asked.

"Well Kalen of course," Tyr responded looking at Dylan as though he was mad.

"I meant who was Kalen working for?" Dylan replied saucily.

"Does that matter right now?" Tyr asked then he suddenly perked up listening.

"Yes!" Dylan yelled, "why?" he added seeing the behaviour of his weapons officer.

"I think we are being boarded," Tyr said.

"You can hear that?" Dylan asked astonished.

"Well they're being really noisy," Tyr said, "and they're right outside command,"

000

Beka looked up as the first bomb hit. She was reading Harper's book that had fallen in the med deck beside him. Trance was busy with some sort of machinery trying to find a way to get ride of the virus that was terrorizing Harper's body.

Another lurch came and Beka grabbed for Harper's hand as the ship moved violently.

With one more pitch the lights and monitors went black. Beka immediately closed the book and looked to the monitors that we keeping Harper alive. None of them were working. Trance ran over straight away and placed her fingers on his neck to find a pulse.

000

Kao stood waiting for him as the memory disappeared and Harper was left in the room again. Three of the lighted windows had gone out.

There was only two left too look at and he didn't want, he wanted to end now, and he would end it if he had too.

"Why are you showing these to me?" he asked again.

Kao walked up to him.

"Because you need to see that these things were bound to happen and that there was nothing you could done to stop it," she answered.

Harper looked up shocked, she had not given such a straight answer before.

"Come, these were not your fault," Kao answered putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Not me fault!" Harper yelled hitting her hand away. "Not my fault? I killed Cahan and Duncan, it was because of me that my parents were killed, I – I lost Kao," Harper said tears welling up.

"Come, just one last memory," Kao said softly, "only one more."

She walked to the far window.

Harper followed her, and glancing in he immediately began to cry.

"I cannot watch this," Harper choked, "I don't ever want to relive this."

"You have too," Kao said.

"Why?"

"Because you need to get over it," Kao said.

She pushed him slightly and he went forward to the door. He grasped the handle and turned. But he did not push it open. Half of him wanted to run away and half of him wanted to see this again, make sure his nightmare was just a distorted part of this memory.

He took a deep breath and walked in.

Seamus and Beka burst through the cell door of the Nietzscheans headquarters. Both fired at the Nietzscheans that were following them.

Seamus dropped his gun as he found her at last.

Slowly he walked to the figure chained to the wall.

She was slumped, bruised, broken and near death. He lifted her face and a small light lit in her eyes and she smiled.

"Seamus I knew you'd find me," Kao said weakly.

He shot of the chains and crouched to hold her up as she collapsed.

"I've come to take you home," he said overcome with emotion.

She smiled and touched his face.

"I have home now Seamus," she said, the light was leaving her eyes though the smile remained.

"But I promised I would save you!" he choked and tears began to run down his face.

She pulled him closer to her, "You have saved me, brother."

Seamus hugged her so close as she fell limp and he cried.

Beka stood behind him watching her new ward weep over the body of the girl he had called his sister. She felt tears form in her own eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

She allowed Harper a few more moment with his sister before she forced him too leave.

He went reluctantly but without force. He didn't even bother to fight back as they left. His long goal was to find and bring his younger sister home but he had failed so what was the point of going on.

Harper turned and left, he knew now that there was no reason for him to stay. He understood was Kao was trying to tell him. His sister was not blaming him for her death. But he was still blaming himself.

He came out to Kao and looked at her intently. No more tears came, he just stared. The window behind him disappeared and he stared at Kao.

She smiled weakly.

"Do you understand me now?" she asked.

"I cannot stop blaming myself," Harper said.

"You have too, if you don't I will die," Kao said shocked.

"What do I care if you die? You're only a virus," Harper said coldly.

"No, that's not it at all," Kao pleaded.

"Isn't it?"

"No, I need you, you needed me," Kao said.

"I DON"T NEED YOU!" Harper yelled.

Kao looked shocked and he began to walk towards her.

Suddenly he stopped.

Kao looked at him confused.

But he wasn't paying any more attention to her. His hand went to his heart. He gasped for breath.

"What's happening?" he gulped.

Kao shook her head confused.

"I don't know," she answered.

He gasped and fell to his knees.

"It hurts," he said meekly.

Kao abruptly disappeared. Harper looked around. She was gone but the window was still there. He frowned and looked through that window. It was a memory. The pain was gone, and he walked towards it. All his friends were gathered around a med bed that Harper lay on.

They were all there. Beka clinging to Rev, Trance trying to revive him, Tyr standing guiltily in the corner, and Dylan was standing at the end of the bed, looking as though he just came out of a battle. Rommie stood beside him looking confused.

Unexpectedly a bright, white light flared behind him. He held up his arm and looked into the whiteness trying to see who was there. Because he felt it, he could feel that familiar presence watching over him.

A silhouette appeared in the light. The figure of a young woman with a large abnormality growing out of her back.

Harper gawked as the face appeared.

She was dressed all in white, a snappy suit outfit, and she had beautiful red hair cascading down her shoulders. Large feathery wings sprung from her back.

She walked to Harper and he found that she was the same height as him.

This angel smiled at Harper, as he stood dumbstruck.

"Hello big brother," Kaolin said. "Long time no see."

0000

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