Chapter Eleven

"Quick!" Harper's voice was horse and unrecognizable as the entire crew of the Andromeda stared at him.

"Harper!" Beka managed to say.

He was still holding onto Dylan's arm, "the data cord, quickly!!" he said urgently, feeling the strength that he had gained leaving him.

Dylan still seemed to stare at him dumbstruck.

"NOW!"

Tyr broke free first and got the cord and passed it too Harper.

He plugged it into his data port with a painful expression and held the other end, as he began to fall unconscious again.

Tyr grabbed and plugged it into the Andromeda.

Nothing happened.

They looked at each other confused.

"What was that about?" asked Tyr finally.

They exchanged looks and Trance broke free to check Harper. He was unconscious and life signs weak, but he was defiantly alive.

There was a sudden flicker on the screen and then static where Andromeda AI usually appeared.

"This is starting to get a little creepy," Beka said dislodging herself from Rev and walking to the screen.

She stood there for a moment when suddenly-

"Hey Boss!"

Beka jumped a foot in the air as Harper's face appeared on the screen.

"Harper!" she exclaimed.

"What are you doing in there?" Dylan asked.

"Well, my body couldn't handle the two consciousnesses in there in a weakened state, so I came here, with Kao," Harper explained.

"Harper you get out this instance so I can kill you myself!" Beka said hysterically wiping tears off her face.

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?" Trance asked coming to him as well.

"Well my body couldn't handle it," he replied sadly.

"I think now would be a good time for you to tell me what has been going on," Dylan said menacingly, the fear of loss had left.

"I think now you should blow the crap out of these Venques, they aren't going to get this virus back," Harper said.

Dylan glared at him but nodded for Tyr to go and take care of them.

"They are no match to the Andromeda," Harper said.

"What makes you think that?" Dylan asked.

"This is why."

There was a sudden jerk to the ship as it changed direction quickly.

"I would prefer that you didn't do that Harper," Rommie stated coldly.

"It won't take long, just gotta blow the crap outta Kalen for shooting me," Harper replied.

"Why did you go there Harper?" Beka asked.

"I wanted to find out about Kao," he said.

"But she's…" Beka trailed off.

Harper paused looking at her, "a different one, I'll explain later."

Dylan looked from the two incredulously, wondering if he would ever figure out what had happened.

000

There was a constant banging that could be heard whenever someone came to close to Harper's work room for the next couple of days.

Dylan had managed to get very little of the truth when Harper was finally back in his body. What he had pieced together was simply that Kao, the virus-conscious, was now out of Harper and in the mainframe of Andromeda waiting for a new home.

On the subject of Harper's unusually and downright despicable behaviour over the week he had learned very little. Aside from the fact that he had done this every year for seven years and it had something to do with his dead sister. But before Harper disappeared Harper himself had informed him, that it would not happen again.

It had been three days; he had just barricaded himself in his work room and barely spoke. Dylan was starting to get worried again.

The Venques had been easily defeated, Harper saw to that when he was in the Andromeda's mainframe. But by request from Harper, they had recaptured Kalen and kept her alive. Beka did have a wonderful punch against the woman when she was brought on board again but otherwise she had been left alone.

Dylan sighed, it was time to go to Harper.

"Harper?" Dylan called through the comm. Link.

"Don't worry I'm finished," Harper replied.

Dylan surprised to hear that Harper was actually doing something in the engine left the bridge at once to find out what had conspired.

He walked to the door to find that Beka and Rev were also there.

"Did he call you?" Rev asked.

"No I came by myself," Dylan replied, "why?"

Harper slid out of the workroom.

"Okay, we can go see Kalen now," Harper said.

"Would you mind explaining?" Beka said standing with her arms crossed.

"Of course," he smiled weakly, he opened the door.

A girl stood there.

She was barely thirteen, skinny, with long red hair. Her clothes were neat and her eyes green.

She smiled at them.

"Dylan, Rev," Harper said, "this is Kao, the likeness to my sister, however our friendly virus-conscious new body."

Dylan smiled, "I suppose that you want her too met Kalen."

Harper looked back at Kao.

"I would delight at meeting her," Kao said with a wicked smile.

000

Tyr sat reading as Kalen paced back and forth.

"How long are you going to keep me here?" snapped Kalen.

"As long as needed," Tyr answered not looking up.

Kalen growled and continued pacing.

The door suddenly opened and Tyr and Kalen looked up at the person who entered.

Kao walked in looked directly and only at Kalen.

Tyr raised an eyebrow at Dylan who followed with Harper, Beka and Rev. Dylan signal to wait.

"Who are you?" snarled Kalen.

"I would have thought you would have known," Kao replied coolly.

"Like I would know a scrawny teen," Kalen replied.

"I wasn't always this way," Kao said, "in fact I was a real person once."

The others glanced at each other behind her.

"A real person?" Kalen scoffed.

"Yes," Kao said, "you know, the prisoners you keep, those whose mind seem strong enough to survive the process of separation."

Kalen falter in her step.

"Minds that are severed never know anything else," she said.

"Of course not, kill the body, rip out the mind and its so shocked that it doesn't remember or know anything past the duty the Venques put it too," Kao said darkly, "so many people have gone through that painful experience and their life and afterlife are ruined."

Kalen twitched.

"Unfortunately you used my mind for too long. I remember," Kao said with hatred filling her voice.

Kalen smirked, "what are you going to do to me?"

It happened so suddenly that no one could stop her.

Kao released the force field, grabbed Kalen by the upper arm and used her new mechanical fingers to dig into Kalen head.

Dylan jumped forward but blood was already gushing from Kalen's temples and she began to scream an unearthly scream.

There was a pause and Kao ripped her hand free of Kalen's head and there was something that looked misty and floated that clutched to Kao's bloody fingers.

But the moment passed Kao let go.

There was silence in the room, as Kalen lay dead at the girl's feet.

Kao turned, "I'm sorry captain, I will leave your ship immediately and not put you in anymore trouble."

Dylan made to stop her.

"What did you do to her?" he asked.

Kao sighed, "The same thing she did to me."

000

The Andromeda moved away from the station not to long afterwards. Dylan rubbed his temples feeling the stress of the last week and a half settle in.

Kao stayed on the station; there to help the people regain what they had lost. Dylan was glad to leave. He had never been upon a station with so much chaos and couldn't wait until the Common Wealth was going strong again to get that under control.

"Finally peace and quiet," he muttered to himself as he walked to his quarters.

000

Harper stared dully around his quarters. He had slept fine during the night despite what he had seen Kao do. He was happy to report to himself that his appetite had returned in full and although he was still feeling more tired than usual he was on the mend.

There was a buzz at his door and he opened to find Beka standing there.

"Hey," she said quietly, "can I come in?"

"Sure," he replied and turned to sit back down on his bed.

"Harper, I'm glad that you have got over this," she said.

Harper grunted.

"I know that you miss her, but you have a lot of life ahead, she wouldn't want you to waste it," Beka said, "you'll see her again."

"I already have," he mumbled.

Beka frowned, "I'm sorry?"

"Nothing," Harper replied quickly, he faked a yawn, "I really should sleep before Trance confines me to Med Deck again."

Beka smiled and got up.

"Here," she said holding out a small rectangular object, "this is yours."

He took it and she walked out of the room.

Few tear slid out of his eyes as Harper flicked through Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Something fell out onto his lap.

He smiled.

Four very happy people smiled broadly back out of the picture at him.

End.