Title: Bonds Made, Bonds Broken
Author: Diana McCallum
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Harper believes Andromeda's crew is trying to kill him. Is it true, or is something else strange happening on Andromeda?
Author's Note: Setting is a little bit after Widening Gyre, but in my universe Trance got the larvae out of both Harper and Tyr right away. No sense in adding more complications to a story. There's a lot of Harper and Tyr interacting and hanging out in the beginning of this fic, but it is NOT A SLASH!!! Just had to mention that. Please enjoy.
The Eureka Maru flew smoothly through the open space while on its way to the Maritou Space Station for supplies for the Andromeda and her crew. The Andromeda herself was currently busy trying to prevent a comet from striking a defenseless planet. It sounded easy enough but would take some time so it was decided that the Maru should get the supplies. Onboard the ship, all was quiet. Extremely too quiet for that tastes of Tyr Anastazi. He was completely and utterly bored.
Tyr sat in the pilot's chair even though he didn't do the piloting, it was just the most convenient place to sit for the time being. They had just finished the final slipstream jump before they reached the station. It had been several hours since they left Andromeda and Tyr felt the boredom lurking into his bones. He despised having been chosen for this mission and didn't mind telling anyone so. As he sat in the piloting chair he threw a deck of cards into a hat one by one, with a hundred percent accuracy. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and started to make his way to the only other person onboard the ship.
"Where are you, Little Man?" Tyr called out as he entered Engineering and saw no one.
"Right here." Harper replied as he crawled out from one of the overhead vents. "What can I do for you?" He asked.
Tyr sighed, "What is our ETA for the Space station?"
"I don't know. Like an hour, maybe two. What's wrong? Those superior Nietzschean genes can't handle the boredom of space?" Harper asked, in a slightly mocking tone.
"I do not enjoy this much inactivity. How did you stand the boredom on this ship for months on end?" Tyr's voice clearly revealed his frustration.
Harper laughed, "Boredom? Are you kidding? I'm the Engineer of this scrap heap, the *only* engineer. You think I ever had a day where there wasn't fifty bagillion things to fix? What do you think I'm doing now? These aligners haven't been replaced in years, the slipstream drive hasn't had an overhaul in about that long, and the core processors are slowly but surely degrading. I don't get the luxury of having to deal with boredom." Harper jumped down from the vent and strolled over to a nearby console. "If you really want something to do feel free to pick up a nanowelder and start working on the aligners." He said with a cocky grin.
Tyr scoffed at the idea, "Reduce myself to the level of a grease monkey? I think not."
"Your choice." Harper shrugged as he climbed beneath the console and began fidgeting with the wires. He tensed suddenly and looked Tyr in the eye seriously, "You're not gonna tell Beka that I called her ship a "scrap heap", are you?" He asked, his eyes pleading silently.
"That depends on what's in it for me." Tyr almost laughed at the look on Harper's face. "Relax, I won't tell her what you said about her precious ship. To be honest I mostly feel the same way." Tyr admitted, still leaning against the wall. "How in the galaxy did I ever get stuck with this assignment?" He was mostly talking to himself, but Harper had an answer for him.
"Because, it was us or no one." Harper said, without coming out from beneath the wiring, "Trance and I aren't allowed to take the Maru out alone now, thanks to our little run in with Gerentex, Beka said we were irresponsible or immature or something. Like, what's up with that, anyway? But, I have to come because I'm the only one who can pick out the proper supplies, Beka and Dylan are needed on Andromeda and Rev, well I think Rev just refused to come." Harper scratched his head, trying to figure out why Rev hadn't come.
"I do not blame him for refusing, why I ever agreed in the first place is beyond me." Tyr stated.
"Well at least the company's good." Harper smirked, indicating himself since he was the only other person onboard.
Tyr looked away, as if in partial disgust, "God, what was I thinking?"
"Oh yeah, like you're Mr. Conversationalist." Harper remarked, focusing once more on the minor repairs.
Tyr had no comment and continued his wall leaning. The next few moments passed in silence. To many it would have seemed like an uncomfortable and slightly tense conversation, but it was an amazing improvement for these two. Harper and Tyr had never really been able to get along until the Magog attack. They had been civil, most of the time, but Harper's insecurities about all Nietzscheans and Tyr's thoughts that he was a "superior race", had always kept the two from communicating. However fighting off a fleet of Magog together in hand to hand combat and then being captured and infested, tends to make people grow closer. That day had by far been one of the worst in Harper's life, and Harper had lived a *bad* life. In all his years on Earth he'd been able to avoid the Magog and infestation. It was on the Andromeda, the one place Harper had finally felt safe, that his worst nightmares had come true. And through it all Tyr had been there beside him, giving him the courage to fight, and not allowing him to quit.
"This ship is in dire need of a recreational area." Tyr commented, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to mention it to Beka next time we upgrade the place." Harper said sarcastically as he crawled out from beneath the console. He began tapping the screen to check if his fix-it job had been sufficient; to his dismay the screen still wasn't responding.
"Damn it! What the Hell is wrong with this thing?" He smashed his fist against the screen in frustration.
"You are the Engineer. I would hope that *you* would be the one to know." Tyr said, in his subtle smart alec way.
"Oh, ha ha." Harper crouched down to check beneath the console once more. "It's probably something simple, like .. AH!" Harper was thrown back as the console he'd been working on exploded. He hit the wall with a thud and sunk to the floor.
Tyr lifted his arm to shield himself from the sparks and yelled, "Harper!"
The young engineer made no signs of movement. The fire control system kicked in almost immediately and the struggling flames were quickly doused. Tyr made his way to Harper's side and rolled him onto his back. He was unconscious, but his breathing was steady.
"Harper, can you hear me? You in there little man?" Tyr slapped his cheek lightly in an attempt to get a response. Harper began to shake his head but didn't open his eyes. Tyr slapped him again, slightly harder than before. "Open your eyes and get up, I have seen you shake off worse things than that."
Harper moaned and opened his eyes, "Man, you're all sympathy aren't you?" He asked rhetorically as he pushed himself up onto his elbows.
"I just knew that your skull was too thick to be permanently affected by that meager blow to the head." Tyr replied as he extended his arm to Harper. Harper took it graciously and stood up while rubbing the back of his head.
"Damn it, that hurt. Musta accidently crossed some wires while we were talking." Harper said absently and started to head back over to the console to find the problem. Halfway there he was hit with a rush of dizziness; he stumbled back slightly and clutched his head. Tyr grabbed him by the arm and kept him upright.
"Easy, your skull may be thick but not impenetratable. Let's take you to the Medical bay first, shall we?" Tyr suggested already leading him out of the room.
"Fine, whatever." Harper agreed, too disoriented to argue.
Tyr chuckled softly to himself, "I have to give you credit little man, you do manage to keep life interesting."
"It's what I do." Harper replied, "Need a picker upper? Just call Seamus Harper. He'll blow himself up for your amusement." Tyr rolled his eyes and hauled Harper along to the Medical bay.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Little less than two hours later, they arrived at the Space Station. They docked quickly and made their way onto the station. Tyr thought that Harper seemed far too excited to be there and purposely lagged behind while Harper scrounged around the area for the supplies they were there to get. Harper for his part was excited for a good reason, he loved bartering for supplies because he could always get a great deal. The incident in Engineering was at the back of his mind and almost completely forgotten, he just added it to his list of injuries in the line of duty. A quick scan had shown his skull was still intact and a painkiller was keeping back the killer headache he knew would follow up something like that.
"Tyr, would you hurry up? You're the one who was so bored the whole trip, you'd think you'd move a little faster so that we could get out of here." Harper commented as he continued to lead the way around the station.
"I do not derive the same pleasure you do from socializing with these swindlers." Tyr replied, without quickening his pace.
"These swindlers? Oh, you've never seen the Harper in action. I'll show you some swindling." Harper smirked as he made his way through the crowd.
An hour later Tyr hated to admit it, but Harper was definitely a swindler extraordinaire. He argued over prices with every merchant they talked to. At first Tyr had been annoyed that Harper could never accept the first offer so they could be on their way, but eventually he realized that the young man was as good as he said. He was sometimes able to get the item for less than half of the seller's original price. He would look over all the items carefully, detecting any minor faults, any imperfections were unacceptable and would immediately drop the price by several thrones.
Once while they were acquiring a part for the slipstream of the Andromeda, Harper had realized that the merchant knew absolutely nothing about the piece of equipment. He immediately asked if he could take a look beneath the panelling and began to point out problems with the part that weren't there, although the man wouldn't know that. It was clear Harper knew what he was talking about and they got the expensive part for practically nothing.
After they acquired the items they were immediately brought to the Maru. Tyr usually took them himself and by the time he returned Harper was always ready with another bargain for him to load.
"I must admit, I would hate to try and sell you anything. You do realize you robbed that man of at least five hundred thrones?" Tyr asked as they made their way around the station, but he already knew the answer.
"I know. Wasn't it sweet? God, I love this stuff." Harper said excitedly as he glanced at their list of supplies, "Okay, all we need now are those parts for the navigational system. Let's try this guy, he looks like a pushover." Harper rushed ahead, eager for another bartering session.
Tyr lingered behind, knowing Harper could handle it. He leaned against a railing and watched as the people milled about the area. Fifteen minutes later he realized that Harper should have finished by now. He made his way over to the shop area that Harper had entered and peered inside.
"Look pal, I'm telling you for the last time that it's not worth more than a thousand thrones. You can take it or leave it." Harper practically yelled at the merchant.
The store keeper didn't look happy, and it was obvious he didn't like the price being offered. He was slightly larger than Harper, but most people were. Tyr honestly didn't know what race he was; he wasn't human, but wasn't far off either. The differences were subtle, but there; the slightly miscolored hair, enlarged eyes, only three fingers. Other than that he appeared human.
"I will accept fifteen hundred and no less." He said firmly.
Harper seemed absolutely appalled, although Tyr knew that was more than likely quite a reasonable price. He decided to make his presence known, mostly because he had become bored again and wanted to get the parts and leave.
"Harper, will you be finished shortly?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest to emphasize his point.
"Huh? Oh yeah, give me a sec." Harper requested, then turned his attention back to the man, whose gaze now seemed to be focused directly on Tyr.
"You know, now that I think about it, a thousand thrones seems very reasonable." The man said, his speech stuttering slightly. He had very quickly become nervous.
Harper was pleased but also somewhat confused. He looked back at Tyr and realized how menacing the large Nietzschean appeared. He smiled as he realized that the man had probably assumed that Tyr was Harper's back up so to speak. It probably wasn't uncommon for the more powerful patrons who arrived at the station to dress as everyday buyers to avoid thieves. The merchant must have thought Harper was one of them and Tyr was his bodyguard or enforcer of sorts.
[[Whatever works.]] Harper thought pleasantly.
"Well, I'm glad you agree." He paid the man the agreed sum and then turned to Tyr, "Okay, we can go." He smirked.
Tyr breathed a sigh of relief and took the package from the cowering man. The crowd seemed to have dispersed slightly as they made their way back to the ship and they no longer had to push to make their way through.
"Well let's see, deduct another thousand and then let's say, oh, three hundred to give back to Dylan as his change and we have a remaining total of ...." Harper was tapping a pad, figuring out how much they had spent, "twelve thousand thrones. Oh, I am good I am so good. Half of which goes to you my friend."
Tyr looked at him, slightly puzzled and partially annoyed, "What are you babbling on about?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? You see Dylan gave us a working amount of twenty five thousand thrones to buy all these supplies. With my lovely charm and ability to find a decent deal, I got us all the equipment we need for a measly thirteen thousand. So I figure we give three or four hundred back to Dylan as the change and he'll never be the wiser as to the actual amount. Seeing as you're my partner in crime I only see it as fair that I give you your half. Six thousand thrones enough to make you stop complaining about the boredom of this mission?" Harper asked, handing Tyr the flexi he'd worked out the calculations on so he could inspect them.
Tyr looked at the figures and allowed a smile to pass his face, "I should have known there was a better reason you were so determined to get a good deal for every single item. And yes, I believe the trip has become almost worth its while."
"Glad you approve. Just adding to the Harper college fund."
"You are planning to go to college?" Tyr asked, somewhat surprised.
"Lord no, the fund which I spend on college girls. They are so demanding. Dinner and drinks and valet parking, they always want the whole shebang." Harper explained.
"Yes, well just be sure that Dylan isn't suspicious of our little deception." Tyr warned him, "The good captain has been known to be very tricky."
"Damn right. But it's not like he's not gonna believe that prices have risen a little over the last three hundred years." Harper said, taking back the flexi.
"You better hope so, little man."
They continued walking around the station and ten minutes later Harper turned to Tyr with a mixture of confusion and worry on his face.
"Uh, do you know where we're going?" He asked, scratching his head.
Tyr growled in frustration, "I was under the impression you knew where we were going."
"Me? You're the one who's been going to the ship back and forth all day." Harper defended himself.
"Yes. And in that time I have taken so many twists and turns in these corridors I can not tell one from the other." Tyr cast a weary eye around the station; finally they had everything they needed and they forgot where they parked.
"Okay, look. All the docking areas are on the outside of the station, so if we walk around the perimeter we have to reach the Maru eventually right?" Harper suggested as a course of action.
"That's all well and good but this station is huge, it should only take, oh I don't know, two hours to go around the perimeter." Tyr told him, although he knew it was the only course of action.
"Well I know we didn't dock two hours away. The ship can't be too far. This way." Harper indicated. Tyr sighed and shifted the case with the parts in it to his other hand before he followed him.
Fortunately for them Harper was right, they found the ship ten minutes later.
Harper leaned over a railing and squinted, "Ha! There she blows!" He pointed to the docking area below them where they had left the Eureka Maru.
Tyr looked himself and felt a surge of relief that it was indeed the Maru, "Finally. Let's get back to the Andromeda quickly. God, another six hours with you as my only company. What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"Man, I love you too pal." Harper replied sarcastically as he led the way to the staircase leading down to the Maru's docking port. The docking areas were practically deserted; a sharp contrast to the crowded corridors and walkways around the market areas, right now there was no one in sight as they made their way down the winding staircase.
Harper jumped down the last three steps gleefully and spread his arms wide, pointing extravagantly to the ship in the airlock.
"Home again, home again, jiggedy jig." He smirked and glanced back to Tyr coming down the stairs closely behind him.
"Do shut up and get on the ship."
"Well, aren't we cheerful? You know it wouldn't kill you to ... huh?" Harper didn't finished his statement. His attention was drawn to the walkway above their heads. There had been no one in sight a few moments ago but there was someone up there now who didn't want to be seen. Several somebodies, Harper thought. Tyr noticed too and glanced above to see several sets of feet crossing the walkway swiftly.
"Harper, get on the ship." Tyr urged him, as he came down the last few steps.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Harper took off for the ship but it was too late.
A half dozen men came barrelling down the stairs behind them, while four more jumped off the walkway above them and landed directly in their path.
"Oh great. Who the Hell did we piss off now?" Harper asked as he kept a wary eye on the men now circling them. They were all of average height and build, bigger than Harper but smaller than Tyr. They were dressed in everyday wear so clearly weren't secret operatives but they did seem rather mad. They were a mixture of humans and other humanoid like species that they couldn't identify. Harper realized that two of them were men they had walked by when they were trying to make their way back to the ship when they lost it for a few minutes.
"Hey guys, we don't know you so why don't you just head on back to whatever hole you crept out of and ..." Harper was once more cut off as one of the lead men suddenly threw a smoke bomb at their feet. White gas immediately filled the area, nearly blinding in its intensity. Harper began to cough roughly as he inhaled the gas, while Tyr barely had to clear his throat. The men converged on the duo as the smoke poured from the bomb.
Harper was trying desperately to control his breathing when he felt the presence of their assailants converging on them. He fought them off best he could; they were bigger than him but Harper fought dirty. He punched the first man square across the jaw and elbowed the second in the gut, but he knew he couldn't keep up the fight long.
"Harper!" He heard Tyr call his name and turned in time to catch the metal case that Tyr threw him.
Tyr was enjoying himself for the most part, although he was mentally chastising himself for having not brought a weapon onto the station. He lashed out at his attackers, easily dropping them.
Harper smashed the metal case into one man's head and then bashed another in the stomach with it; clearing a path for himself. He began to cough once more as he made a break for the Maru.
"Tyr, let's jet!" He yelled behind him as he boarded the Maru swiftly.
Tyr for his part wasn't in too much of a rush, but he threw another man to the side and followed Harper onto the ship. Once onboard he closed the doors and they pulled away from the station. Only when they were undocked did he turn his attention to Harper.
"I hope that will teach you not to mention such large sums of money on a station filled with thieves and murderers. It's a good way to get yourself killed. It nearly did." Tyr commented as he walked over to where Harper was leaning against a wall, gasping for breath, "Are you alright?" He asked, with more curiousity than concern.
"I think .... there was ....... something in .... that gas." Harper said as he coughed hoarsely and his eyes began to droop.
"I'm feeling no ill effects." Tyr stated calmly; Harper didn't reply. He continued coughing, getting closer to floor level with every breath.
Tyr shook his head as Harper fell unconscious, "I swear boy, trouble follows you around like a dog. Knocked unconscious twice in one day, what are the odds? And I don't suppose you'll be waking up to pilot the slipstream."
As Tyr brought Harper to one of the crew quarters on the ship to sleep off the gas, he couldn't help but wonder about the gas's odd effects. Harper was unconscious, although it appeared to have been a slow acting knock out gas, Tyr felt absolutely fine. Not even a slight irritation. He finally came to the conclusion that it simply must be a human thing.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Another planet saved and signed. Not bad." Dylan commented to Beka as they awaited the Eureka Maru's return. They had stopped a meteor which had been on a collision course with a planet that was uncapable of destroying it. They had changed the meteor's course easily enough and in doing so the the Frelic's had been quick to sign the Commonwealth Charter.
"Well, if Harper and Tyr would get back soon, I'd be even happier. They've been gone too long." Beka said, as if on cue the sensors began flashing and the screen showed the Maru dropping out of Slipstream.
"Some wishes do come true," Dylan noted, "Rommie, hail them. Let's find out how they did."
Dylan waited patiently for the screen to flicker and was greeted with the always serious face of Tyr, sitting in the pilot's chair, and Harper leaning against the back wall, rubbing at his temples.
"Welcome back. How did the supply run go?" Dylan asked, thinking that perhaps for just once the Andromeda crew had, had a peaceful and successful mission.
"Interesting to say the least. The flight home may have been a bit more enjoyable if Harper could have stopped complaining about his headache for two minutes or more." Tyr commented, half growling in his annoyance.
Harper stopped rubbing his temples and glared at Tyr, "Oh, bite me. Just cause you didn't get affected by that knock-out gas."
"Knock-out gas?" Beka questioned, confused and concerned.
"Long story." Harper replied curtly. It was clear neither man was in a very good mood.
"We shall go into full details once we board." Tyr added.
"And after a trip to medical." Harper clutched his temples again to emphasis his point.
"I think this is a story I want to hear. See you when you've docked, Hunt out." Dylan said then closed the comm.
"This should be interesting." Beka remarked as they both made their way to the hangar.
~~~~~~~~~
"Oh geez, when did the lights on this ship get so bright?" Harper asked as he stepped onto the deck of the Andromeda. Of course the lighting was the same as it had always been which in itself was much brighter than the Maru, causing Harper's headache to escalate even more.
"Do you never stop complaining?" Tyr snapped angrily as they made their way onto the ship. His temper had been raging the entire trip home, causing him to snap at the tiniest annoyance. He stormed out of the hangar and barrelled past Dylan and Beka without so much as a hello.
Beka and Dylan swiftly moved out of the way when they saw the steamed Nietzschean heading towards them and watched as he left the deck and moved out of sight.
"Well, he's a happy camper." Beka said sarcastically.
"What exactly is wrong with him?" Dylan asked Harper as they approached the engineer.
Harper gave them an exasperated look. "I have no idea, but I wish I did. He's been ready to bite my head off the entire trip home. Only four hours of which I was actually conscious for. But I went by one of the unused crew quarters on the Maru and there was a bunch of stuff all smashed up. I tell you there is something seriously wrong with him. Probably a Nietzschean thing." He commented.
"Hmm, you mentioned something about knock-out gas." Dylan raised an eyebrow, indicating he wanted the full story.
"Right." Harper smiled sheepishly, "Let's walk and talk shall we? I gotta get my butt to Medbay for some stronger painkillers."
As the trio made their way through the corridors of the Andromeda, Harper filled them in on all that had transpired onboard the station. As they reached the doors to the Medical bay he had almost finished regailing them with his tale.
"I mean, these guys came from nowhere. So we fought them off and got on the Maru and headed out. Then I kinda started to not feel so hot and may have passed out slightly."
"How slightly?" Beka inquired.
"Five hours maybe." Harper answered uncertainly. They all looked up and saw Trance, wagging her purple tail behind her gleefully.
"Harper, you're back." She stated with a huge smile. She always missed her friend when he left.
"You know, I thought I was back, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for clearing that up." Harper replied sarcastically, but in a tone that offered no insult. "You got anything for a major headache? May be a side effect of a knock-out gas."
Trance cocked her head to the side slightly, "What happened?"
"Oh, long story. I tell it better without the little man with the nanowelder in my head." Harper replied, indicating he was clearly in pain.
"Okay, I'll get you something." She walked over to a cabinet and looked through her various medicines.
"Just one thing I want to clear up. Why did the men attack you in the first place?" Dylan asked curiously.
Harper thought about it a moment. He had neglected to mention the fact that he and Tyr were keeping and splitting twelve thousand thrones of Dylan's money. Actually Harper was greatly considering keeping Tyr's share for himself with the way the big man had been acting earlier.
"Well, I may have mentioned that we had twenty-five thousand thrones to spend, while we were walking through a pretty busy part of the station. Tyr thinks someone heard me and thought we still had it. But we spent most of it." Harper hadn't lied outright in a long time. [[Still got it.]] He thought to himself.
"Makes sense. Those stations are full of thieves and swindlers. Where do you think I met Harper?" Beka commented with a smirk.
Harper was slightly irritated by that comment but couldn't think of a very witty reply, he settled for, "You know, I'm not gonna waste a perfectly good comeback on that remark, but trust me, it does exist."
They were saved from further argument when Trance came back in, medicine in hand.
"Here, try this." Trance handed the hypo over to Harper who took it graciously. His features relaxed into a painless expression almost immediately.
"That's better. Thanks Trance." Harper jumped off the examining table. "So, there anything else or am I free to go where no man has dared go before?"
"Where's that?" Dylan asked.
"My quarters. Even I've been scared to go in there lately. I gotta rig up a cleaning bot or something." Harper replied, schematics and blueprints immediately forming in his mind at the thought of a new project to work on.
Dylan chuckled slightly, "Sure thing. The core processors have been acting up a bit lately, but it can wait until you get some rest."
"Sweet. See you in a couple hours then." Harper happily strode away from the Medbay and headed to what he shamefully called his quarters.
~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, in the onboard gym, a punching bag was getting the pummeling of its life. Sweat trickled down Tyr's face as he went through his unrelenting work out. He attacked the bag as if it was his worst enemy, every punch stronger and more devestating than the last. His frustration and, what could only be described as rage, had been building the entire flight back to the Andromeda. He just had an unquenchable rage building within him. The gym seemed the best place to go. It now seemed as though it wouldn't be a long term solution. The punching bag didn't look as though it would last much longer.
"Aargh!" Tyr grunted as his final blow landed with so much force that it dislodged the bag from its position in the ceiling. As it landed at his feet he tried futilely to expell his anger by kicking it as it rolled away. As he pulled his leg back for a second kick he suddenly jerked back into reality. The realization that he had no idea why he was so angry, hit him like a ton of bricks.
"What in the galaxies am I doing?" He asked himself as he looked down at the broken punching bag.
"I was just thinking the same thing." Tyr turned sharply, all his senses alert for attack for some reason. He relaxed only slightly when he realized it was the holographic AI that had joined him.
"Hope you're proud of yourself." Rommie commented, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Tyr looked down once more and grimaced slightly, "Not really. It took far longer than it should have." He replied, still trying to figure out exactly why he had been so angry.
"Great. It's still broken and you haven't even gained a sense of accomplishment. What a waste." Rommie said sarcastically.
Tyr felt his blood begin to boil as his temper flared once more, "You can fix it in minutes, so please stop complaining."
"You're in a bad mood." Rommie stated, matter-of-factly.
"Well perhaps if everything on this relic of a ship was not falling apart at the seams, I would be in a better mood." Tyr replied. He grabbed a towel off the rack and stormed out of the gym. His footsteps echoed down the hall as he tried fiercely to stomp out his anger.
"Point proven." Rommie said to herself, quirking an eyebrow at his response. Then her hologram disappeared and she set to work fixing the punching bag along with the thousands of other duties she was doing at the same time.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tyr stormed through the ship in search of some way to disspell his anger; no ideas were forthcoming. He was angry and frustrated, he didn't know why, and he was in no state of mind to try and think of a reason. In his own mind he had every right to be angry, at whatever he liked. What he really needed was something to release his anger on. Before he even realized he was heading there, he found himself at the Machine Shop. It seemed as good a place as any to vent his frustrations.
He practically rushed into the shop and looked around; he saw no one in the vicinity. He had wanted a human opponent to release his wrath on but then decided that inanimate objects would do just as well. With a growl he attacked a shelf of parts, he pulled it from its position against the wall and hurled it across the room. He kicked a piece of scrap metal and then turned his attention to what appeared to be a half finished bot. Undoubtedly one of Harper's latest creations.
[[That boy has been a complete nuisance later, and nothing but a bother. Everytime I see him he is getting into trouble or doing something equally as annoying.]] Tyr's anger escalated with these thoughts and he lashed out at the bot with a newly intensified rage, kicking parts on the floor and ripping apart still attached pieces with his bare hands. He didn't even notice when Harper entered the room.
Harper was reading a flexi as he came in and looked up to see what all the noise was about. He was shocked to see Tyr destroying his latest work of genius.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Harper yelled, and then ducked as a chunk of his current project flew past his head. He stomped over to Tyr, grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Hey, man I asked what ...." Harper never finished the sentence. The only thing he saw before slamming into the wall was the look on Tyr's face; there were no signs of recognition, no rhyme nor reason behind his eyes, just a need for destruction. Nietzschean destruction. And Harper knew that was one of the worst kinds.
Tyr was unaware of anyone else being in the room, so of course when he felt himself being spun around by someone behind him, his finely toned skills took the action as a threat. He lashed out fiercely, catching Harper sharply across the right side of his face with a left hook Mike Tyson would be jealous of. Harper let out a low groan of pain as the punch sent him reeling into the wall.
There were no coherent thoughts going through Tyr's mind. It was nothing but a jumble of impulses and random negative thoughts and images.
Harper tried to steady himself against the wall; that punch had almost knocked him out. As he rubbed his jaw he looked up and saw that the Nietzschean had him in his sights. There was an animalistic rage in Tyr's eyes that sent a shiver down Harper's spine. This was not the Tyr that was his friend; this was a crazed man, with a need for violence and destruction. Harper didn't know this man, but he sure as hell feared him.
"Look Tyr, old pal, I don't know what's gotten into you .." Harper ducked a sheet of metal, "... but how about we just go on down to the Medical Bay and get you checked out?" Harper asked hopefully. He suddenly really *really* wished he didn't have the tendency to set the room to 'privacy mode' while he was working. There was no sign of understanding on Tyr's face; he simply narrowed his gaze threateningly and his body suddenly tensed.
Tyr responded by attacking the young engineer; he moved faster than the eye could see. The Nietzschean wrapped his hands around Harper's throat and lifted him more than a foot in the air. Harper quickly began turning red, and then an unnatural shade of blue, much to Tyr's delight.
[[KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!]] The word rang through Tyr's mind, like a death mantra. Over and over. It was all he heard, all he wanted or could think of doing.
Harper struggled valiantly to remove the larger man's hands from his throat, but Tyr was simply too strong. He resorted to a survival method he had learned long ago that almost always worked. He kicked Tyr below the belt as hard as he could, something you just don't do to a guy unless it's absolutely necessary. Harper decided it was. He was released from the massive grip and fell into a heap on the floor. Harper gasped for air and tried to scramble away knowing he would only have a few seconds to recover as Tyr stumbled in pain.
"You disgusting, worthless, kludge!" Tyr yelled in anger. He recovered from the blow rather quickly and turned his attention back to the young man.
[[KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!]] It wouldn't stop. It just kept repeating itself over and over in Tyr's mind, sending him into a blind rage. He saw only a blinding red and at that moment had no sense of right or wrong.
Harper staggered to his feet and tried to make it across the room, while still gasping for much needed oxygen. He was halfway to the far wall when he saw motion from the corner of his eye. He had the presence of mind to duck, and that probably saved his life, as a metal pipe flew through the air where his head had been microseconds earlier.
[[It's just not my day.]] Harper thought to himself.
Tyr, equipped with the lethal metal pipe, lashed out again. This time he aimed for Harper's midsection. The engineer avoided the hit by jumping back and crashing into a shelf of spare parts. The various tinker toys scattered across the floor as Harper collided into it, sending it crashing to the ground. He rolled with his own momentum and landed on the other side of the shelf amidst the pile of clutter on the floor. He pulled himself up with an audible groan. Everything was hurting, absolutely everything. He could feel tiny metallic parts had embedded themselves into his arms and legs when he fell and he thought his arm might be broken, it sure as hell felt that way. He looked up and felt his only sliver of hope; the comm unit on the far wall. [[Nearly there.]]
"Put up a fight you worthless Mudfoot!" Tyr growled in disgust while kicking his way through the stacks of broken machines.
"Oh, god." Harper muttered under his breath. He scrounged deep inside himself and somehow found the strength to pull himself out from the debris. With an unexpected burst of speed and energy he threw himself at the wall and hit the comm button.
"Dylan! Beka! Anyone! Help!" Harper shouted into the comm unit. He was about to say something else, but was stopped by the heavy metal pipe smashing into the comm unit, breaking it instantly.
[[Oh sh*t.]] Was all Harper thought as Tyr pulled his arm back once more, to strike another devestating blow.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Dylan walked down the corridors of the Andromeda, completely unaware of what was going on only two decks below him. It had been a good week for him and his crew. They had signed another planet, gotten all the supplies they needed for quite awhile, and everything seemed to be going well among his crew. In fact everything was going so well, he didn't even know how he was going to spend the rest of the day. He thought he may challenge Tyr to a basketball game, but the Nietzschean had been in such a god awful mood he was reluctant to ask. He decided he should at least try. Just as he was about to ask Rommie Tyr's whereabouts, a message came through the shipwide intercom.
"Dylan! Beka! Anyone! Help!"
Dylan's eyes widened in shock and surprise as Harper's fear stricken, and panicked voice played, and was then abruptly cut off and replaced with static. He ran to the comm unit on the wall and activated it.
"Harper? Harper where are you?" He asked, concerning speeding up his voice. No reply. "Rommie, locate Harper."
"Harper is currently in Machine Shop 2." Rommie reported. Dylan was racing away even before she finished. He knew everyone else onboard had heard the message and knew someone had to have called security bots to the Machine Shop. He didn't waste time using the ladders that connected the decks, instead he jumped down the ladder shute and turned on his anti-grav units, falling fast, and safely to the next level.
[[Hold on Harper.]] He thought as he raced down the corridor. He was now on the right level, he just had to get to the Machine Shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoa!"
Harper flew out of the way as fast as he could to avoid the lethal swing of the metal pipe, but he wasn't fast enough. His world suddenly became a sea of black as the pipe struck him squarely on the back of the head, partially clipping his shoulder. He fell to the ground with an audible thud, and was unconscious before he hit.
Tyr glared at his now defenseless opponent and growled in his rage. The victory had done nothing to appease his anger, in fact the lack of a decent fight had enraged him quite well.
[[KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!]] The mantra in his head was relentless. He kicked several pieces of scrap metal in frustration, and threw the pipe into the wall with all the strength he could muster. A groan from the still unconscious Harper, caused him to focus his attention on him once more. As he looked at the engineer sprawled on the floor, completely unaware, his mind was assaulted with several images.
~Harper smiling cockily as he fixed their latest technical problem. Harper unplugging himself from the Andromeda at the last second and saving Tyr's life as he shot a Magog. The entire crew together ondeck, looking out the view screen.~
The images came and went so quickly it was maddening. Tyr growled in rage that he couldn't bring the memories up again and took his anger out on the closest thing. Harper.
Tyr pulled his leg back and kicked Harper in the ribs with bone crunching precision. Harper was still unconscious but he groaned painfully and then drew in several deep, wheezing breaths.
The action did nothing to make Tyr feel better. He drew his foot back again and was stopped in midkick. There was a sound of a weapon being charged and a flash of red, then Tyr fell to the ground unconscious.
Dylan stood in the doorway, forcelance in hand and at the ready in case Tyr somehow got up from the first hit. After several seconds, when he was certain the big man was indeed out of it, he moved to Harper's side.
"Harper?" Dylan asked with concern as he flipped the young man on his back. He felt slightly ill when he pulled his hand away from the back of Harper's head and found it covered in blood. "God, Harper. What the hell happened here?" He whispered under his breath. He knew the room must have been in privacy mode or Rommie would have stopped this much sooner than him, so he ran into the hall and hit the nearest comm unit.
"Medical Emergency, Machine Shop 2, on the double!" He ordered, and didn't wait for a response before rushing back into the room.
Dylan kept a weary eye on Tyr as he assessed Harper's injuries as best he could. There was the blood of course, he wasn't bleeding too badly but it was there nonetheless. He also noticed brutal, bright red marks on Harper's throat which suggested he'd been choked. He didn't doubt there were other injuries he couldn't see visually. What he couldn't figure out for the life of him was why Tyr would attack Harper in the first place. The two had been getting along amazingly well the last few weeks and Dylan doubted that this little confrontation could possibly go without reprecussions on the friendship. The medical bots finally arrived, followed closely by a very winded Beka. Dylan had no doubt she had run all the way down from the Command Deck. She took in the scene quickly and then joined him by Harper, who was now being moved by stretcher by the Medical bots.
"What the hell happened?" She asked in concern as she watched Harper being carried away, unconscious.
"Tyr." Dylan replied cryptically, his voice losing almost all emotion. The bots were getting ready to take Tyr away. Dylan stopped them and looked down on the man with a new sense of disdain. How or why he would have attacked Harper so fiercely is something he would have loved to know, as much as getting his Commonwealth.
"When you get him to the Medical Bay, restrain him immediately. Treat him while he's strapped down if you have to. Don't let him go." Dylan ordered. The bots responded accordingly and then continued to carry Tyr away.
"Tyr happened? Dylan what are you talking about?" Beka asked further.
"I don't know. I'll tell you what, I know too damn little about all this." They followed behind the bots all the way to the Medical Bay.