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Chapter one:
Harper was standing infront of a mirror just finishing the final touches on his data-port.
"The-incase-Harper-dies project? That has on ok ring to it" he said to him self .
He had been tinkering with it for nearly three hours. His data-Port would now,incase of emergancy, give him a neural shock 5 minutes after all neural activity had stopped. In other words, if it worked, it would be a life saver.
"Everyone to the bridge," Harper heard Dylan's voice ring out over the com system.
He finished what he was doing then left enginering and headed to the bridge. He was greeted by the worried faces of Dylan, Rommie, Tyr, Beka, and Trance. But there were others that greeted him too. About 20 dark beings holding weapons to his friends heads. They were tall and looked like they were made out of black armer. There eyes where like nothing any of them had seen. They were large with red rings around the outside. They were crule and soleless. As he walked on to the bridge, one turned around and shot him right in the chest as a punishmest for being the last to arrive. Trance and beka both yelled out in protest as he fell to the ground. Dead. Dylan and Tyr hung their heads. Tyr was surprised that he was feeling such sadness for someone he thought he didn't like. The black being grabed the remaining crew and roughly draged off of the bridge.
Chapter 2:
Trance was sitting on the hard floor pondering how they found her. How they got here. She looked like she was going to be sick. She looked pale.
"It's ok Trance. We'll get out of this." Beka said. She knew she had to be strong. Trance had been very close to Harper, and Beka knew that she would take this very hard. Just as she said that one of the dark figures came and grabbed Trance by the shoulders and shook her violently.
"Don't act so pathetic. What happened to him was your fault. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Said the being. He threw her agressively to the ground.
"What are you talking about? Trance has nothing to do with this." Asked Dylan.
"No, he's right, it is all my fault." She said with a guilty tone. "Before I came to you from the future, I made a couple mistakes. These people, the Shadowers, Me and future Beka were one a planet that was destroyed and we were in a ship leaving when it happened. We were easy targets for blame." She paused, "its my fault that Harper's dead and its my fault that you're here and I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
"Trance, its not your falt. You couldn't have known that this would happen.' Beka said triing to cheer Trance up but failed. Tance felt so guilty about Harper. He had trusted her and she let im down aand now he was dead.
Tyr and dylan had been talking about a way out. There was 20 of them. That's 5 each. Tyr was sure he could do it. They agreed to take trance's shar. Dylan didn't think that she could fight when she was like this.
Rommie inched up to trance and beka. "I've heard of these people. They are from the Gahya quadrent. They are known for their cruety, the distruction of planets populated with their enemie civilians and co-operation with the magog."
"these guys sound worse then the magog. We've got to get out of here."beka said rather sarcasticly considering the situation.
Chapter 3:
Harper lay flat on his back on bridge. All of a sudden he lurched and he gasped for breath. Once the caught it, he pulled his weapon out of his holster and spun around and pointed it at an invisible enemy. Once he had calmed down he felt the pain of the plasma blast just to the right of his sternum and a wave of nausea covered his body so he struggled to sick bay to get some painkillers.
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Rommie was contemplating when she sensed Harper moving through the ship. She was surprised and decided that her sensors were malfunctioning. But the sensors never lie so she sent her Holo-Rommie to check if he was alive.
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Harper walked in to sickbay but soon realized that he had no idea what he was doing. All of a sudden Holo-Rommie popped up.
Its the second one to the left she tried helping Harper find the painkillers.
Harper nearly jumped out of his pants when he heard her.
Geeze Rom, you scared the bageezes out of me! Harper said, anxiously.
He then grabbed the painkillers off the before said shelf.
They think youre dead you know. Said Rommie, worried, How are you still alive? I was monitoring your pulse.
I had this idea. I made some modifications on my data-port. If my neural activity stops then it will give me a shock a couple minutes later and Ill live and be the same old Harper you know and love. Im just glad it worked. I know Im an engineering genius, but who am I kidding? A Data-port that can save my life. I was even a little sceptical. And Im me.
I think we should start to devise a plan on getting Dylan, Trance, Beka, and Tyr back.
Rommie said already running ideas through her database.
Well have you got any ideas cuz Im fresh out. he said in his usual sarcastic tone
Rommie started to explain the plan. It was practically flawless. Except she had no idea to factor in one thing
Chapter 4:
Dylan and Tyr had a plan. They were going to jump up and attack the Guards, take their weapons and hope the others would surrender without at much of a fight. They hoped that Rommie and Beka would join the fun too. It didnt go exactly as planed.
On he count of three Dylan said one, tw-
Tyr jumped up and kicked The Shadower closest to him throwing the whole plan off balance. One of the others grabbed Trance and held a gun to her head.
I will shoot her if you dont sit down. I might shoot her anyway but youll just have to see. It said.
They could all tell that it was grinning under the skin, or armour I should say. Dylan sat down and when Tyr didnt follow he gave him an order. The Shadower that was holding Trance spun her around and backhanded her across the face so hard that I knocked her out. She fell to the floor with a thump.
If any of you try that again, shell be the price to pay he thrusted a hand towards a limp Trance.
He walked away, but as he was doing so he turned back and said to the guards:
They said they needed her alive. Not conscious. He said just loud enough so the crew could hear it too.
Once he had left, Beka rushed to Trances side. She pulled her up to the wall they were leaning against. After a while, Trance woke up with a mutter of Harper. They all rushed to her side (accept for Tyr who stayed behind thinking of a new plan). Beka helped her sit up and propped her against the wall. She looked terrible. She felt terrible. She felt guilty and lost and alone. She tried to convince Dylan that she was alright with a smile but even a small child would know that there was no truth to it.
Dylan notice how protective she was being of her. Something was bothering her. He made a note to talk to her about it as he was protective about her and didnt want to see her hurting like Trance was
Chapter 5:
OK let me get this strait. You want me to go to the armoury, get a bunch of weapons, sneak through the hallways and into the cargo bay, without getting noticed, then you want me to make some anomalous readings on sensors that will worry them enough that half will go check it out, then you want me to burst in there throw a weapon to the crew then blast our way out? And you want me to do this while Im shot? Harper said sitting on the bed in sickbay.
Yes, but you have to kill the leader first or he will kill Trance Rommie corrected.
She hadnt told the others that Harper was still alive. It had to be a surprise or they would start acting strange and the Shadowers might figure it out and Rommie didnt want to take that chance.
So why are these guys here any ways? Harper asked trying to fill the uneasy air with so noise.
Well before trance came to us, se made some enemies. These guys think that she and Beka blew up their planet. Rommie told the whole story to Harper who stood in amazement listening to what Trance had told Rommie and the rest of the crew. She finished with:
Its totally impossible. Trance would never do what theyre saying she did. Or Rather, what she will do. And I dont understand why there still here.
Hows your shoulder feeling? she asked only slightly worried.
It feels like Ive been shot. What else would it feel like? Harper said sounding slightly irritated. If trance was here then I would be good as new already. How do I fix this anyways?
Rommie started telling Harper what he should do. But, it was only a temporary solution. He had to get medical attention soon and from someone who knew what they were doing or his wound could get infected or it might not stop bleeding.
Once he was finished Harper went over the plan in his head. It seemed impossible. Even to him. He had this uneasy feeling that something would go wrong.
Chapter 6:
Rommie sat limp in a corner. The Shadowers had turned her off just before Dylan and Tyr tried to escape. They also turned off the sensors. The rest of the ship had no idea what was going on in that room.
Dylan edged over to Beka. She was sitting alone imagining what it would be like if Harper was there, with them.
Its not fair. He hadnt done anything. He was just being Harper. Why does he always have to be late? Why cant he ever take life seriously? Its like every things a joke. I miss him so much. She said never looking up.
Dylan got even more worried when he heard this statement. Letting people know how she felt and not being sarcastic in serious situations was very uncharacteristic of Beka.
Dont worry about that now. We have to get out of here before any of us get hurt. You saw what they did to Harper. I cant let that happen to any of you. Dylan said optimistically.
Tell me whats bothering you.
Its trance. Ive never seen he like this. Sometimes I think that she thinks that the hole universe it on her shoulders and that its up to her to keep it together. She takes everything personally, like it if something goes wrong she feels like its her fault. She just takes everything in without a word but I can tell that it matters. I cant imagine what her and I go through, but I think that its a lot worse then she puts on.
Well figure it out after we get out or here. Dylan said it with such confidence that even Tyr would have believed it.
The guard that was standing in front of them all of a sudden looked up and walking up to Beka.
I suggest that you SHUT UP if you want to keep you pretty little face the way it is he sneered and caressed her cheek with the flat side of the dagger hard enough draw blood.
We were sent to find that one. Not you. I could kill you if I wanted. He said it with such a sneer of delight that their hearts started pounding. One of the other guards stood up.
Hey. I dont want to have to explain a dead body. No touchier or killing until after she is delivered. Then you can do what you want with the others.
The guard dropped his knife and stepped away. The temptation to kill was so strong. It was as much her fault as it was the other
Chapter 7:
Harper had just arrived at the cargo bay when he heard their voices. They were deep and raspy. There was something off about them. Harper couldnt quite place it though it was definitely there.
Put extra guards around them. If they try to escape again, you may kill all but her. said the leader Harper was a little hesitant about the plan when he heard this but he bound in any ways with a whisper of:
Here goes nothing!
The doors opened (thankfully, no one saw accept Dylan) and he quietly slid behind a pile of containers. He snuck around so he was behind Beka and Dylan. He hadnt heard that the Shadowers were putting on more guards.
Trance was surprised and overjoyed when she saw Harper. So surprised that she yelled out his name causing a guard to turn. The guard yelled to the others but was shot by Tyrs Weapon, which started a blaze of weapon fire from both sides.
Automatically everyone jumped behind cargo containers and an invisible boundary appeared. The Shadowers where dropping like flies, just because the crew had been in this situation too many times before. But still they were out numbered and out gunned. Soon the crew was up against a wall.
We need to get out of here. yelled Beka.
Yah, no kidding Harper yelled back. He had a plan.
He doubled back and now was behind The Shadowers. HE got down 5 before One of them turned and BANG. He was down.
Chapter 8:
~A/N~ Specail thanks to Roper for writing part of this Chapter!!!~~~
It took just less then 5 minutes for Dylan and the rest of the crew to get down the remaining 7 Shadowers but once they had finished every one rusher over to Harper. Dylan bent down to check his pulse and shook is head when he looked up.
Harper hadnt yet explained why he was alive and no body asked why. They all assumed that he wasnt shot in the right place or that he was just lucky.
Tyr grabbed Harper and threw him over his shoulder and began to carry him to sick bay. Trance was heart broken. She had lost Harper twice in 1 day, too many times for anyone to handle. She didnt like that Tyr was being so rough with him. She almost opened her mouth to protest but she didnt have the energy. Instead she walked slowly to her quarters.
When the rest of the crew arrived on the medical deck, Tyr lay Harper down on the metal bed. He stepped back and they all just stared, their faces showing as proof of their greif. Beka and Rommie were crying, Dylan had a lost look on his face and Tyrs face kept his hard look. If you didnt know Tyr, youd think he didnt care at all for the boy on the bed in front of him, but if you spent as much time with him as the crew of the Andromeda did, youd know it was killing him inside.
They stood there, their heads bowed and their emotions in check, for a few more minutes. Beka decided that she needed to be alone, this was too much. She turned to leave when she heard something from the medical bed. It sounded like the sizzle of electricity. The others had heard it too. Tyr walked towards the bed and looked curiously at Harpers port. It had blue currents of electricity surounding it. Before Tyr had time to tell the others, Harper all of a sudden, started to cough.
Beka ran forwards. She grabbed his hand,
Harper? Are you okay? she asked, her voice quiet.
Im fine, why do you ask? came the expected sarcastic response.
Just thought Id ask since you just died. Said Beka, equally sarcastic. Everyone had gathered around Harper now.
Ive alerted Trance. Stated Rommie. Just as she informed them, Trance burst into the room.
Harper? she asked. When she saw that he was alive, she let out a sigh of relief.
How are you still alive, Boy? Tyr asked, always getting right to the point.
I installed a chip in my data-port that activates five minutes after my heartbeat stops. It sends jolts of electricity through my body and brings me back. Thats how I survived the first time I got shot. Too bad it still hurts. He finished.
Ill give you some nano-bots.said Trance who grabbed a needle and injected it into Harpers arm
Better? she asked.
Much.
What do you call this little chip of yours, Mr. Harper? asked Dylan.
I call it, The-Incase-Harper-Dies project. Said Harper with a triumphant look on his face.
Well, thats mighty original of you. Said Beka, sarcastically. Harper made a mocking face at her.
You know we cant make fun of Harper anymore. Said Dylan.
Why is that? Rommie asked, curiously.
Because this time, Harpers genius really did save the day.
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