Title: Choices Given, Chances Taken
Author: Harper's
Censor: PG-13
Spoilers: IHCRAL and IMALL
Story: Harper becomes sick(big suprise). Can Tyr save him?
Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own these characters, they basically belong to Tribune.
Note: This contains slash, but not anything real explicit. If you find this kind of this offensive, use common sense and don't read it. Thank you. I'd also like to thank crazy_harper_angel for beta reading this.
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"I don't suppose you have any ammo left." Tyr looked over at Harper.
"I've got one round." Tyr knew what he was asking.
"One round, one round is good. One round is good." Tyr couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Would you like to close your eyes?" He was going to go through with this? Harper just nodded. Tyr raised the gun...
"W-w-wait, I was thinking. Maybe they're not so tough, you know?" He was grinning insanely now. "Maybe uh, maybe we can take them in hand to hand combat. What do ya think?"
Tyr was giddy with relief. They were both insane. But it was a chance.
"That's my boy!"
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Tyr pulled himself up on the ledge. His hands where numb and bleeding, and he still had a ways to go up the mountain.
"Tyr! Slow down!"
Tyr glanced down and saw he had left Dylan a few miles back. Why was the human so slow? Didn't he understand the importance of the situation?
Tyr sat down and leaned against the smooth ledge. He had been pushing his body to it's limits the few days, and it was beginning to show. Tyr decided to let his body rest while waiting for Dylan to catch up. Meanwhile, his mind began to wander.
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Harper was working as always. After the Magog attack, the Andromeda had been in need of repairs....badly.
"Dylan wants to know if you can get the sensors on Deck 15 up anytime soon."
"Oh sure...." Harper rolled his eyes, "you know...just after I get the other five million projects done, sure. How does next month sound?"
Harper turned back to his work at a consol. Tyr ran his eyes along the boy's body, something he found himself doing more often lately. Harper turned around, and Tyr was sure to avert his eyes back to the younger man's face.
"Any reason your still here? Or do you just want to spend some quality time with yours truly?"
Yes came to the front of Tyr's mind, but he bit down the response.
"I believe our commander would like a more precise answer than the one you gave."
"Well then..."
Harper never got to finish his statement. The next thing Tyr knew, he was holding down the boy. Harper's face was covered in tears as he screamed and withered in pain.
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"Earth to Tyr!"
The Nietzschean blinked. Dylan was standing over him looking worried.
"You ok? Don't tell me you have it too?"
"No....I'm fine." Tyr shook the images of Harper's pain out of his head. “Let's get going."
Dylan nodded, and they continued.
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"And so I told them they could take that welder and shove it up their..."
"Harper!" Beka just laughed at Dylan.
"Alright! I'll use table manners." Harper sat up straight and took his elbows off the table.
"Well this is a first," Beka teased him.
"I prefer intellectual conversations with my meal." Tyr rolled his eyes at Harper's fake accent. Unfortunately, Harper noticed.
"Well, Mr. Hot Shot, why don't you show us your wonderful talents at vocal control?"
Everyone turned to stare at Tyr. The challenge had been made.
"I refuse to become involved with these silly games of yours boy."
"In other words, Tyr's chicken." Tyr glared at the boy, and then stood up. He noticed Harper was ready to flee from the table at anytime. This made Tyr smile inwardly.
"You need to learn how to speak properly." Everyone's jaw dropped. Then Harper started laughing. The rest of the crew soon followed. Tyr walked over to Harper and pulled him up by his shirt collar.
"Your mocking me?" Harper stifled his chuckles long enough to talk.
"No! You were just so good!" Harper began to laugh again.
Tyr wanted to beat the boy. But instead he pushed him back to the floor. As he walked towards his quarters, a low chuckle could be heard.
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Morning light from the first sun came down on the small camp. Dylan came out of his tent to stretch.
"Let's go." He found his pack thrown at him. Tyr had taken care off all supplies and was ready to be off.
"How much sleep have you gotten?"
"Sleep is irrelevant..."
"Tyr?" Dylan's tone left no room for arguing.
"One...maybe two hours. Now let's go." Tyr turned to leave.
"Tyr you need to stop. We've been going hard over every kind of terrain imaginable. You've barely gotten any sleep. You've hardly eaten..."
"Dylan he will die!"
"Killing yourself won't help." Dylan met Tyr's eyes. What he saw...desperation, need, and fear? Tyr turned away.
"At least give me time to get ready." Tyr nodded and sat down.
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Tyr was bored. He had read all his books three times now. The ship hadn't encountered any emergencies for weeks now.
He dribbled the basketball around an imaginary opponent. Dylan was off talking politics to some planet that showed a faint interest in signing the charter.
Tyr looked up as Harper entered the room.
"Hey Tyr. Have you seen Trance around?"
"I believe she's in tending to those plants she loves so much."
"Alright." Harper turned to leave.
"Do you know how to play boy?" Tyr tossed the ball at Harper, who easily caught it.
"The only physical activity I like involves me, a woman, and a bed." Tyr ignored the comment.
"You take that ball. You have to keep dribbling it..."
"I'm not stupid. I've seen you and Dylan." The he tossed the ball back.
"First one to fifteen." Harper sighed and took of his tool belt. Tyr tossed him the ball.
At first Harper just let the Nietzschean win. But Tyr knew the boy was as competitive at he was. After a few taunts, he was playing as roughly as Tyr. The game was slowly turning into a death match between the two players.
"What's the matter Tyr? All talk and no walk?"
"I wouldn't be doing that boy." Tyr pivoted and shot. The ball hit the rim, and both men jumped for the rebound. Harper fell into Tyr, and they went crashing to the floor.
"Sorry about that." Harper pulled himself off Tyr. Strangely, Tyr felt disappointed. This confused him. Why would he care? The answer he got surprised and scared him.
"Hello? Tyr? The game's not done." Tyr looked up at Harper. The boy was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. And he smelled....
"Yes it is." Tyr got up and started to dash towards the door.
"But I thought that...."
"I forgot to do something." Tyr was in a hurry to leave. Every moment in the younger man's presence was making him feel and think about things he didn't want to.
"Hey! You don't get off that easy. We're finishing this later." Harper's eyes narrowed.
"Alright boy." If Tyr had ever run faster in his life, he didn't know it.
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They had made it. The small cabin was visible in the distance. Tyr began running. He burst in, taking the old wooden door off it's hinges.
Bare shelves greeted him. In one corner was an oak table. There were no doors, no medicines, no one to be found.
Dylan came in breathing hard.
"I thought she said it would be here."
Tyr turned to Dylan, fists clenched at his sides.
"If the remedy isn't here, then we our wasting time."
"Time? What is time to you friend?" Both Dylan and Tyr looked at the far wall. Leaning against it was whatever Trance's species was. This one was a bright red and seemed to be male.
"You creatures are indeed interesting. Believes to have all the time in the world. Only finds out otherwise in the worst times possible." He shook his head. "The universe is indeed ironic."
"Who are you?" Dylan approached the "man" with caution.
"I am many things my good Captain Hunt. But a name I believe is what you seek, so I shall reply Asher."
"I don't think we've met before." Dylan looked at the male curious.
"Oh, but we have Dylan," he winked, "we have."
"Can we cut through the introductions?" Tyr was impatient. "We are looking for.."
"Remedy for your friend! Harper is dying, this I know. Trance told me so. I have your cure. But are you sure you want it?"
"Yes. Where is it?" Tyr was dangerously close to breaking. Asher merely smiled.
"Behind the door."
"There isn't a..." Asher stood aside, a door appearing where none had been before.
"Only one may go through at a time. Good Captain shall enter first."
Dylan glanced at Tyr. Sighing, he turned and followed the creature into the room.
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"He's dying."
Shock overcame Tyr at the Trance's words.
"He's got an infection in his bloodstream. Andromeda and I think that one of the Magog from the attack was carrying something. With all the blood spilled around, it would've been easy for a virus or bacteria to find it's way to Harper."
Tyr stayed looking impassive. Inside, though, his blood churned. After the fight, after all they went through, the boy had made it. Harper had fought his worst nightmares. And when it looked like they had won...
"I don't even know what the disease is! Andromeda doesn't have it on file or anything." Trance was close to tears.
"There must be something..." Beka searched the girl's face for an answer.
"There is one thing I can think of." Hope filled Tyr. A chance.
"I have a friend. He always had a remedy for anything. If anyone can cure this, he can. He lives very far away, though. I'm afraid there's not enough time..."
"We have to try." Dylan stepped forward. "Andromeda, prepare one of the slipfighters. Trance, I want coordinates. Beka's in charge while I'm gone."
"Who says you get to go?"
"Beka this is not a debate. Standing here and arguing will only make us lose time. For once listen to me. If not because you respect my decision, then do it for Harper."
"That was a low shot." But she didn't look angry.
"I'm going as well." Everyone turned to stare at Tyr.
"Tyr I need you..."
"To do what? You need someone to go with you. Trance needs take care of Harper. Rev is a Magog. Beka needs to take care of the ship. Andromeda is the ship. Logically, I'm your only choice."
Dylan looked ready to disagree. He and Beka exchanged a look. Dylan turned to Tyr and nodded.
"Let's do this."
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Tyr looked up as Dylan walked out. The captain's face was stark white. Tyr stood up as Asher signaled for him to enter the room.
The place they entered was just as bare as the room they had left. Two chairs were the only furniture.
"Sit." Asher gestured. Tyr remained standing.
"Where is it?" Asher merely sighed.
"It's too late for your friend. He is already dead."
"Your lying. There is no way you could know that," Tyr growled. He was...he had to be....
"How much do you know about Trance? From what you've seen of our species, what makes you think I couldn't know? Or that I would lie?"
All hell broke loose. Tyr grabbed one chair and threw it at Asher. He then picked up the creature by the front of his shirt. Their faces were only an inch apart.
"I came all this way. I bled to get here. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and right now, I'm very angry. Give it to me."
"It won't help. I don't have a medicine that can bring a human back from the dead."
"He's not dead!" Tyr slammed him into the wall. Asher was unaffected.
"Why is this hard for you to believe? I thought Nietzscheans didn't care for humans."
"What even makes you think..." Tyr shook his head. "I don't need to deal with this. Give it."
"You creatures...as I told you before. You all think time is on your side. That you have tomorrow to do something. But tomorrow has already left. You were too late to confess your feelings. And now the one you love is dead."
"I don't..."
"Wake up!" Asher pushed Tyr away with surprising force. "You Nietzscheans! Always saying your not afraid! But that's only in battle. When the real fight, when a real problem comes up, what do you do? Run like a coward!" Asher was pacing now.
"I'm not afraid of anything." Tyr's initial shock was overcome by anger.
"Then why haven't you told him how you feel." Tyr didn't have an answer. Asher nodded.
"I think it's because your afraid of rejection. Of knowing Harper doesn't feel the same way about you. And you believe that knowing this would make you weak. But let me ask you this." Asher made sure Tyr was listening. "Hasn't not knowing made you even weaker?"
Tyr opened his mouth to disagree, but found no argument. Asher was taking his deepest fears and feelings, and laying them out for him to see. There was no way to turn away from this now.
"What does it matter anymore? It's too late. I'm too late." Tyr thought he would actually cry.
"No...Harper is still alive."
"But you said..."
"I said what I needed to, so you would find what you needed to. But you need to hurry!"
He produced a vial of completely clear liquid and handed it to Tyr. Tyr stared at it for a moment. It wasn't too late. There was time.
"Dylan! Let's go!"
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"What do you need boy?"
Harper was standing in Tyr's doorway. He had been there for awhile, but Tyr had been waiting for Harper to make the first move. After ten minutes, Tyr had become impatient.
"Oh...I was wondering if you were having any problems with anything. So do you?"
"Everything seems to be working efficiently."
"Ok." Instead of leaving Harper just stood there.
"Are you sure?"
"Boy..." Tyr turned to yell, but the look on Harper's face stopped him. Something was definatly wrong.
"Well, I guess you could look at the lighting..." Harper looked grateful and went to work. After that, he asked if for another project. And another. And another. Tyr was beginning to get fed up again.
"Boy, come here." Harper walked slowly towards Tyr and sat in the chair he pointed to. Harper looked everywhere but at the Nietzschean.
"What's going on?" At that, the boy turned to look Tyr in the eyes.
"She was killing herself. Why didn't I stop her?" So that's what this was about.
"Harper, Beka was addicted. Dylan wasn't even able to talk her out of it until it was almost too late."
"She is my best friend! I could have at least told Dylan or Rev. But no! I was stupid..." Harper stood up suddenly, knocking the chair over.
"Harper. Calm down." Tyr tried to keep his voice even.
"Calm down? Calm down?! She could have died! And it would have been my fault!"
"Harper!" The boy wasn't listening. Tyr resorted to pushing him against a wall. He came an inch from Harper's face. He had to help the other man somehow.
"It was Beka's decision. Only she could stop if she wanted to. You did what you could. Sometimes that is the only choice we have."
Tyr realized how close he was to Harper. Luckily, Harper was too wrapped up in his own emotions to notice Tyr's. The boy slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. He looked dangerously close to tears. Tyr desperately hoped the boy wouldn't start crying. It would be too much for him.
But Harper got himself together and stood up.
"Thanks Tyr." He walked out.
"Anytime boy."
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They ran onboard the Andromeda. Trance met them halfway to medical and took the vial from Tyr's careful grip.
Days passed with no word. Trance wouldn't let anyone in to see Harper. On the fifth day since Dylan and Tyr had come back, she finally came out. She had been crying.
"There wasn't enough time. He's only got a few more hours at the most. I'm really sorry. I tried everything..."
She ran down the hallway sobbing. Rev went after her. The rest of the crew stood in silence.
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Everyone had gone in and said goodbye. Except Tyr. He couldn't. After working so hard, after having so much hope.....
He screamed and took out his fury on the wall.
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It was his turn. He had to say goodbye. Harper was expecting him.
He walked into Medical. Harper was laying on one of the beds. He was so thin, so sickly. It made the bigger man's heart contract to look at him.
"Hey big guy. Are you just going to stand there or are you goin' kiss me goodbye?"
Tyr crossed the room and put his lips over the younger man's. Harper pulled back in surprise.
"I didn't mean literally." Tyr sat next to the bed. He placed Harper's hand, small in comparison to his, in between his two hands. Harper looked at them.
"Tyr?"
"Harper. Just shut up, please. When I first came here, I thought of you as nothing but a short, weak, sickly human. But...things change. You've proven yourself to be a capable engineer. Your smart, and witty, and...."
Tyr swallowed hard.
"While I was looking for that antidote....I realized something. I...I think I've fallen in love with you."
Tyr expected Harper to push him away.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harper lightly caressed the side of Tyr's face.
"I was afraid you would reject me." Harper laughed at that.
"You thought I would reject you?" Tyr smiled. But it disappeared when the boy started to cry.
"What's wrong?"
"We finally figured this out. But it's too late. God, the universe does hate me." Tyr tried to think of something to say. But he started crying. That only made Harper sob harder.
Both men stopped as Harper began to spasm. Tyr held him down until it stopped, cursing himself for not being faster, quicker in order to stop this from happening.
Harper looked up at Tyr.
"Thanks." Tyr nodded and slid on the bed, pulling Harper close. If these was going to be their last moments together, he was going to make them worthwhile. Harper laid his head on Tyr's chest. No memories came now. There was just here and now.
Trance came in after a few hours, but seeing the two men huddled together, she left them in peace.
They stayed like that for hours. Tyr just stroking Harper's hair. Losing themselves in each others closeness. But it couldn't last forever.
Eventually, Harper's heartbeat slowed. His breathing became shallow. He looked up into Tyr's eyes.
"Love...you...." Tyr held him closer.
"Shhh. I know. I know boy." Harper closed his eyes. And the rhythmic thumping stopped.
Andromeda had been moderating Harper's vitals. The minute he stopped living, she told the rest of the crew. Beka held Trance as the young girl sobbed. Rev said a prayer. Andromeda mourned the lost of a friend.
Dylan was left to go into Medical. He saw Tyr cradling the body of his only love. His shoulders were shaking. He didn't even look up as Dylan entered. And he didn't move as Dylan turned around and left.
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The funeral was small. Just those on the ship. All of his relatives were dead already. He had joined them now.
Rev said a prayer. Each member was able to put an item in the coffin that reminded them of their former crewmate and friend.
Trance put in a descendant of Walter, a little purple plant named Lily.
“Even when we die, the seeds we sowed in our lives keep us immortal.”
Beka put in his favorite nanowelder.
“You could always fix anything. But when we had to fix you, we failed. You were the best damn engineer I could hope for.”
Rev put in a picture of the unfinished X-1.
“Even through the most impossible tasks, you tried.”
Rommie added a strand of her hair.
“You gave me life physically. But you brought life to all you met.”
Dylan decided on part of Harper's surf board.
“The universe will never know what it has truly lost.”
Tyr was left.
The Nietzschean walked over to the coffin. He looked down at the pale face. The only time Harper ever looked at peace. And it was after his life had ended.
Tyr took out his gun.
"When the Magog invaded the ship, and it looked like hope was lost, you were ready to die. But just before I would have shot you, you stopped me. Because you believed we had a chance to survive."
He raised the gun to his head.
"TYR!" Dylan ran towards the Nietzschean. But Tyr put the gun down.
"Do you think I still have the chance to survive without you?" He set the gun inside the coffin. He had just given Harper his word to keep going. Because he knew that's what Harper would do if they traded places.