Havin' a Bad Day
TITLE: Havin' a Bad Day
AUTHOR: Mercury's Winter ( mercurys_winter@yahoo.com )
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Teeny tiny ones for BOTB and F&L
ARCHIVE: Yes, ask first though please
DISCLAIMER: I do not own ANDROMEDA or any of it's characters. They belong to the lucky folks at Tribune.
SUMMARY: This is in response to DataPort's Harper Owie challenge at SlipStream. The challenge was to hurt Harper ten times in one fic. My story is set early in season one.
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"Ow! Dammit!" Harper swore as he rubbed his jaw. "Tyr, do you have to hit so hard?"
"Stop whining, you're voice is reaching ultrasonic levels." Tyr grimaced and threw another punch in Harper's direction. He pulled it at the last possible moment, not really wanting to harm the other man but determined to get his point across.
"OW! Owowowow!" Harper danced around with his hand over his eye. "All right! I've had it! I don't wanna be your punching bag anymore. Let's just admit that I will never be any good at hand-to-hand combat." Harper winced as he gingerly palpated his cheekbone. "Aw, man! I think it's broke!"
"Let me see." Tyr sighed. He grabbed Harper's chin and roughly twisted it from side to side. Harper was gonna have one heck of a shiner but Tyr was certain nothing was broken. "If it will make you feel better, go have Trance check it out, then meet me back here in one hour."
"But...but..." Harper sputtered, "I'm wounded! Can't we call it a day?"
"Do you remember what happened the last time we engaged the Drago-Kazov?" Tyr asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He couldn't believe they were having this conversation *again*.
"Yeah, yeah, I know this one, we got our asses kicked, barely escaped with our lives, yadda, yadda, yadda." Harper made talking motions with his hand and rolled his eyes. "I know Tyr, I was there, remember?"
"I have begun to question your memory, because as *my* memory serves, you got your "ass kicked" worst of all." Tyr began advancing on Harper, his finger jabbing at Harper's chest with each "you" "*You* spent three weeks on bed rest. *You* weren't able to repair the ship. *You* need to learn to defend yourself and until I am satisfied that you are no longer endangering my survival, we will continue these lessons." Tyr leaned in closer and whispered in Harper's ear, "Understood?"
Harper stumbled back, immediately on the defensive. "Yeah? Well...If *YOU* had done your job, mister tactical officer, we would never have been boarded in the first place!" Harper put on his "so there" face.
Tyr raised his arm, as if to backhand Harper. Instead he ruffled the younger man's hair and said, "You *are* learning, little man, albeit slowly. Go have Trance check your eye."
Harper jerked his head away from Tyr's hand, "Why are people *always* doin' that to my hair? I HATE that." He pouted.
Tyr laughed as he slung a towel over his shoulder and sauntered toward the showers. "One hour." He called out as he rounded the corner.
***************
"Trance! Yoo-hoo, Traaaaance!" Harper called as he entered med bay. "Heeelllooooo! Anybody home?"
"I'm here Harper, you don't have to shout." Trance appeared from behind a console, wiping her purple hands on a rag.
"Sorry. Hey, whatcha doin'?"
"Oh, this scanner has been giving me trouble. At Dylan's check-up yesterday, it insisted that he was pregnant."
Harper doubled over with laughter, "Oh, man! I can just see the look on his face!" Harper pretended to be a serious diplomat, "I'm sorry Mr. Hunt but we cannot join the Commonwealth, our society believes that males should breast feed exclusively." Harper once again dissolved in to a fit of giggles.
"Harper, please, it's not THAT funny." Trance said hiding her own smirk.
Harper wiped tears of laughter from his eyes as he recovered his composure. "Whew! Heh, heh. What were we talking about? Oh, yeah, your scanner's busted. Why didn't you call me sooner? I woulda been here in a flash to help out my Sparkly Purple Babe."
"Well, you were really busy yesterday and today you were training with Tyr so I figured I'd try and fix it myself." Trance smiled innocently and swished her tail. Her face fell when Harper looked worried. "What? Did I do it wrong?"
"Trance, no offense, but remember the last time you tried to fix something?" Trance nodded and traced a line in the floor with her foot. "The toaster has never been the same, it won't even "talk" to Rommie anymore, and Tyr still blames you for his hair getting all singed." Harper reached into his tool belt and produced his trusty nano welder. "But have no fear Purple Princess, The Harper will save you!" He brandished the welder like a sword and "attacked" the console. "Take that! And That!"
Trance giggled at Harper's antics. Harper dove under the console and "attacked" it from underneath. "Harper," Trance began, "What are you doing here anyway? Like I said, I didn't call you."
"Nothin' much, mostly hiding out from Tyr. Man, that guy is freakin' obsessed with my fighting skills."
"He's just trying to help you, Harper." Trance admonished.
"Well, he's gonna help me right into my grave if he doesn't watch it, he nearly broke my jaw *and* my cheekbone today." Harper said from under the console, a hint of whine entering his voice.
"Maybe you should try harder." Trance suggested as she crouched beside the scanner to watch Harper work.
"Trance, I'm trying as hard as I can." Trance pressed her lips together and cocked her head, her brow furrowing. Harper looked up at her and sighed, "Ok, maybe I'm not but I already know how to fight." He glanced sideways at Trance who was still giving him *that* look. "I know how to fight *dirty*." He amended. "It's gotten me this far so why can't he just leave it alone?"
Trance gave Harper a sympathetic smile, "Maybe he's doing it because he cares about you and doesn't want you to get hurt again."
"Well, he's got an interestin' way of showin' it." Harper sneered. He admired his handiwork, "All done here!" He crawled out from the console and announced with a flourish, "Once again Harper rides to the rescue!" He twirled the welder deftly through his fingers, blew on the end and tucked it back into his tool belt. Unfortunately he was paying too much attention to showing off and not enough attention to the welder. He placed it upside down and ended up activating it. The welder burned through its pouch, sending a beam meant to cut steel straight at his boot.
"Owwwww! Ow! HOLY CRAP OW!" Harper grabbed his foot and hopped around medical.
Trance dove for the welder and managed to turn it off before it cut right through the deck plate. She blew a stray lock or hair off her forehead, sighed heavily and helped the bouncing Harper to a cot.
"Oh! My foot!" Harper lay back, still managing to keep a hand on his boot. He had his eyes shut tight. "I can't look. Trance, is it gone?"
Trance gingerly removed Harper's boot. It had a deep slash from where the welder had made contact. Once she had his boot and sock off she searched for a wound. Finally she found a tiny hairline scratch on the outside of his heel.
"Trance, I think I'm gonna faint...I see a tunnel, and a light...Grandma?"
Trance rolled her eyes and threw Harper's boot at him. "You will be fine but if you want we can have your boot buried at sea."
Harper cracked open one eye and studied Trance. He slowly sat up and warily took a look at his foot, it took him a moment but he found the injury. "Whew! Thought I was a goner, I mean, look at the size of that gash! I coulda bled to death! You saved me again darlin'" He leaned over and planted a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek.
Trance playfully slapped at his arm. Relieved that he wasn't hurt but not ready to forgive him for teasing her. "You'd better go change, you don't want to be late for your next lesson with Tyr."
Harper's shoulders slumped "Aw Trance, thanks for reminding me." He said sarcastically.
"You're welcome." Trance snickered as she literally skipped over to her newly repaired scanner.
Harper gathered his boot and his welder and headed for the door. On the way Trance heard him mutter, "I'm sure I can come up with *some* way to get outa this, I am a genius after all."
***********************
Swish...Thump. Swish...Thump. Harper started humming a tune to the syncopated beat of his uneven gait, his mangled boot under his arm. He sighed as he reached his quarters. Fumbling with his boot and welder he somehow managed to key the lock on his door. The usual mess of clothes, empty Sparky cans, tools and half-finished projects greeted him. He tossed his boot in the corner and slid off his tool belt. Harper frowned as he examined the damage his welder had caused the belt. It would be hard to repair, maybe one of Rommie's bots could give it a crack and spare him the frustration.
As if reading his thoughts, Andromeda's hologram flickered to life in front of him. She glanced around the room, a disgusted look on her petite features. "Harper, what will it take to get you to clean up this pig-sty?"
Seeing his favorite AI always perked Harper up and, of course, he couldn't resist the huge openings she always gave him. He pasted on his most winning smile and started ticking things off on his fingers, "A bubble bath with your avatar, Virtual Sparky Cola in your VR matrix, Gerentex's head on a platter, unending supply of Newbaren Weisbrau, my own casino drift....um,...oh yeah, and get Tyr to chill out about these "lessons." He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head. "Yeah, that oughta about do it."
Andromeda merely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, she'd walked right into that one. She was going to have to pay more attention to how she phrased comments to Harper in the future. She shook her head, dismissing his "list", "Speaking of Tyr, you now have 43 minutes and 23 seconds until your next lesson."
Harper threw up his hands, "Not you too! Why is everyone so concerned all of a sudden about whether or not little Seamus can punch a Neitzschean in the kneecap?" Harper began pacing back and forth waving his arms, one boot on, one boot off.
"Harper, I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this," Andromeda began.
Harper's pacing reached a frenzied peak, he spun to face Andromeda, his unbooted foot landing on an empty Sparky can. The can went one way and he went another. Harper felt himself falling and had time to let out a startled yelp before he hit the floor, his backside taking the brunt of the impact.
Andromeda's virtual mouth fell open in surprise, she quickly closed it to stifle a giggle. Harper glanced up at her as he got to his feet, rubbing the affected area and wincing. "It's *not* funny." He grumbled.
"Now you see why it's important to keep your quarters tidy." She smirked. "41 minutes now, I suggest you get ready."
Harper stopped rubbing his bottom and decided to try a different approach. He put on his most charming smile and batted his eyes, "Andromeda, why would I need to bust these hands up fist-fighting when I have a big beautiful warship like you to protect me?"
Andromeda uncrossed her arms, "Harper flattery will not get you out of this. I say go back and take advantage of Tyr, learn all you can from him. You are a quick study and, with time and practice, I think you could flatten him."
Harper grinned, "Flatten him? Is that a technical term?"
Andromeda tilted her head to the ceiling and raised her hands, palms up as if to say *Why me?* "Harper, I'm serious, you need this. Now change your boots and get your bruised butt back to the gym."
"Yes ma'am." Harper said crisply and mock saluted. Andromeda shook her head and fizzed out.
Harper chuckled as he made his way to his closet. He got down on his knees and began digging, throwing things over his shoulder until he got down to his spare boots. So far the only things he had found that resembled boots were the pair that were half melted from their encounter with the Cetus. Harper shuddered *Why do I even keep these* he thought and tossed them over his shoulder to join the pile of cast out closet crap. "Ah-ha!" He exclaimed but instead of spare boots, he sat back and popped the top of an unopened can of Sparky. "I knew I had one in here *somewhere*" He said to himself.
"38 minutes, Harper." Andromeda's disembodied voice chimed over the com.
"Yeah, yeah." Harper waved his hand in dismissal. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He crawled over to the bed, slid an arm under and came up with an extra pair of boots. "Rommie? Where's Dylan?" He called as he sat down on the bed and began lacing up his boots.
"Captain Hunt is in Command." Andromeda answered.
"Thanks doll." Harper jumped up, grabbed his tool belt and jogged out the door.
***********************
Harper practically raced into command, Andromeda had been giving him a second by second countdown of the time remaining until his "date" with Tyr. Harper glanced around and finally spied Dylan on his command podium with Rommie, Andromeda's avatar. It looked like they were going over some schematics. Harper bounded over to them. "Hey! How's my favorite Captain today?" He said jovially.
"I heard that." Beka's voice came from near the pilot's station.
"Oops, sorry Beka, didn't see ya there." Harper grinned sheepishly and started again. "Uh, hey Dylan! How's my *second* favorite Captain today?" Beka shook her head and smiled.
"I'm just fine Mister Harper, how are your lessons going?" Dylan said, his eyes never leaving the schematics.
"Um...they're going GREAT! Yeah! Ah, Tyr even gave me a break since I'm doin' so well. And, um, he said I should come up here and see if there's anything you need me to work on. Specifically anything that might take a REALLY long time."
Dylan still didn't look up, "Is that so?" Rommie glared at Harper, she shook her head slightly and raised her eyebrows in Dylan's direction. *What?* Harper mouthed at her.
"She's trying to tell you that I already know that Tyr is expecting you back in the gym in, ah, 35 minutes." Dylan turned his attention away from the schematics just in time to see Harper's face go from shock white to beet red.
"Um...yeah, I was just, I mean, I wanted to..." Harper stammered.
"I wish you could see the look on your face right now, Harper!" Beka called form her position at the helm, laughing hysterically. "Oooh, that's a good idea! Andromeda, is there anyway you could record this moment for posterity? I do believe Seamus Zelazny Harper is speechless." She opened her mouth to tease him some more but instead came three quick sneezes.
"Gazuntite." Harper said sarcastically and stuck his tongue out at Beka. He stopped as the wheels in his mind ground into overdrive. He ran over to Beka, looked into her eyes and reached his hand up to feel her forehead. "Beka? Are you sick?" He asked expectantly.
"What? No! I never get sick, musta been some dust in the air." She sniffed and grabbed a tissue from her pocket.
"You *are* sick! You never carry tissues!" Harper was practically jumping for joy. "Beka," He said seriously, trying to ratchet his enthusiasm down a notch. "I need you to sneeze on me."
"What?" Beka, Rommie and Dylan cried in unison.
"Sneeze on me, cough one me, anything, just give me your germs."
"Why?" Beka asked, extremely suspicious.
"Well, if I'm sick, I can't train with Tyr and then I can actually get my work done and not run around with alternating black eyes every other day." Harper moaned.
"Harper that doesn't make any sense," Beka said, "if you're sick you won't be able to get any work done anyway. And besides, I am *not* sick!" She sniffed again and nodded her head firmly.
"Fine, have it your way." Harper's shoulders sagged dejectedly. He began to move past Beka when he suddenly stopped, grabbed Beka's face in his hands and kissed her full on the lips.
"Harper!" Beka exclaimed as she tore herself free from Harper's grasp. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Harper didn't answer, he was already halfway to the door, he turned and yelled, "You shoulda seen the look on *your* face! Priceless, Beka! Rommie, I'll take two 8x10's and 50 wallet sized!" He smirked at Beka and waved as the doors closed behind him. "Thanks for the cold by the way!"
******************
Harper trotted backwards and waved to Beka through the closing doors. He chuckled at the depth of his own genius. He knew he would catch hell for his little stunt later but it was worth it in his opinion. Besides, he now had the perfect excuse for getting out of combat training, thanks to Beka and her cold germs. He knew he was being childish about the lessons with Tyr but he *hated* being told what to do. He would rebel against authority with every ounce of energy he had. Not to mention, the challenge of finding new and interesting ways to avoid any work that didn't involve engineering or Andromeda.
Harper turned to face forward again and barely missed smacking headlong into Rev. Harper hit the brakes a little too quickly and Rev had to reach out a clawed hand to keep him from falling. "Master Harper!" Rev exclaimed with what Harper had learned a long time ago was a smile, "You must be very excited about your next lesson to be heading to the gymnasium in such a rush." He paused and narrowed his eyes, peering closely at Harper, "That is where you are going, isn't it?"
Harper looked at Rev, dumbfounded, "What is this?" He exclaimed. "Some kind of conspiracy?" He sidled past Rev as he continued, "No, wait, I know, it's a nightmare and any second now I'll probably find myself naked in front of a hundred dignitaries, right?"
"I am sure I don't know what you mean, Master Harper. Perhaps if you would like, I could accompany you to the gym and you could explain it to me on the way?" Rev said, turning to follow Harper as he inched down the corridor.
Harper held up his hands defensively, "No, no, that's ok Rev, I ah, have something to take care of before I meet Tyr, um, yeah. Thanks for the offer though. Bye!" Harper turned on his heel and sprinted down the corridor.
Rev stared after him, a look of amusement on his bat-like face. He couldn't help but smile at Harper's enthusiasm. He just wished that Harper would find more productive venues in which to channel his energy. Rev turned, about to continue on to Command when he was nearly run over again, this time by an irate Captain Valentine.
"Sorry Rev," She clipped, standing on her tiptoes to peer over his head at the corridor beyond.
"That is quite all right, Beka, it seems..."
"Did Harper come through here?" Beka interrupted, as she placed her hands on her hips, steam practically rolling out of her ears.
"Why yes, as a matter of fact he did. Beka, is something wrong?" Rev placed a hand on her arm.
"You bet your ass something's wrong! When I find that little pip-squeak, I'm gonna pound him into the deck plates! He's gonna wish he had paid attention to Tyr's lessons by the time I'm though with him. I'll..."
"Beka, violence is never the answer, no matter what Master Harper has done. Perhaps you would like to join me and meditate on your problem?" Rev said, trying to calm her down but Beka wasn't listening. She saw movement down one of the adjacent corridors.
"Yeah, maybe next time Rev, later!" Beka raced off, leaving Rev wishing he had never left the monastery.
*************************
Harper skipped into medical and upon seeing Trance, he hopped up onto the exam table. "Trance-baby, get the yeshee dono board out, I'm gonna be keepin' ya company for a while!"
Trance assumed an exasperated stance. "Harper, what are you talking about. I gave you a check-up yesterday, you're completely healthy, well, as healthy as you ever are. You know, you *really* need to cut back on the Sparky."
Harper rolled his eyes, "Not the Sparky lecture again, babe, that's gettin' *really* old. But no, that's not why I am here." He lay back on the table, his fingers laced behind his head. "I'm sick! Put me on bed rest and heat up the chicken noodle soup!" Harper grinned smugly at his friend.
"Harper, what makes you think you're sick? You sure don't look sick to me."
"I have it on good authority that I have just contracted Beka's cold, and you know me and my weak immune system," Harper made exaggerated coughing noises, "I could be here for *weeks*!"
"You're still not making sense, Beka doesn't *have* a cold." Trance was tiring of this game, as much as she loved spending time with Harper, she *did* have work to do.
"She is too sick." Harper insisted.
"She is not."
"Is too."
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Harper!" Trance shouted, "I am her doctor, I would know if she were sick."
"No you wouldn't." Harper grinned, he was having a grand old time.
"Yes, I would."
"No you wouldn't."
Trance gritted her teeth, clenched her eyes shut and stomped her tiny foot on the floor.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're cute when you're angry?" Harper teased.
Trance exhaled loudly and shook her head at Harper, "You're impossible, you know that?" She smiled at his proud grin. "Seriously, though, what makes you think you caught a cold from Beka?"
"Well, I saw her sneeze a buncha times and her nose was all stuffy." Harper explained.
Trance looked thoughtful, "Andromeda? Where is Beka right now?"
Andromeda's hologram flickered to life in front of them. "First Officer Beka Valentine is currently 10 meters from med bay." She looked at Harper, trying to keep the smirk off her face. "I believe she's looking for you."
"Oh, crap!" Harper exclaimed as he jumped off the exam table. "Trance! You gotta hide me! She's gonna kill me!"
"What? Trance couldn't help but get caught up in Harper's panic but then things started clicking into place. She folded her arms and gave Harper a hard stare. "What did you this time?"
When it was apparent that Trance wasn't gonna budge until she got an answer, Harper began searching the room himself as he said, "It has to do with how I got her cold, I'll tell ya everything later. Just help me find a place to hide!"
"This had better be worth it, Harper." Trance led him to a metal cooler where biological samples were kept chilled while they awaited diagnostic testing. After Harper entered the cooler he caught Trance's eye placed his finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Trance nodded and closed the door.
No sooner had the door closed than Beka entered med bay. "Harper!" She yelled, "I know you're in here!"
Trance appeared from around a corner, a flexi in her hands. "Beka! What's up?" She said sweetly.
Beka glanced around the room angrily, "Have you seen Harper?"
"Harper?" Trance asked innocently, "I haven't seen him, why?"
Beka's shoulders slumped, she took out her tissue and blew her nose wetly. "Oh, I just need to teach him a lesson in personal space."
Trance nodded sympathetically as she took a closer look at Beka. "Are you feeling all right?"
Beka nodded and wiped her nose one last time before returning the tissue to her pocket. "I'm fine, just my allergies acting up." Beka waved a dismissing hand.
"But Beka, you don't have allergies." Trance frowned. "Come sit down and let me take a quick look at you."
"No, Trance, really I'm all right, I'll be even better after I get my hands around Harper's neck."
"Now, Beka," Trance said as she steered Beka to an exam table, "we both know you'd never *really* hurt Harper."
Not even realizing she'd been led, Beka sat down. "Yeah, true, but couldn't I at least *bend* him a little?" Trance giggled and pulled out an instrument from a nearby drawer as Beka continued. "He's just gotta know he can't go running around doing whatever he wants anymore. This isn't the Maru and it certainly *isn't* Earth. There are new rules to follow."
"I realize that Beka. He has made amazing progress though. We can't expect him to change overnight." While Beka was distracted, Trance used the instrument to draw some of her blood.
"Ouch! Trance, what the hell was that for?" Beka squealed, rubbing her now sore arm.
"Just checking on something, don't worry, you'll be fine."
Just then the two women heard a loud crash followed by a muffled *Ooops*.
"I *knew* he was in here!" Beka said as she hopped nimbly from the table. "Harper! You're dead meat!"
"Beka, wait..." Trance began but Beka was already headed toward the cooler. Trance reluctantly followed.
Beka stood before the door and called, "All right shorty, come out and take it like a man." She mentally counted to three, giving him a chance to give himself up then she grabbed the handle and yanked open the door.
Harper was nowhere to be seen. On the floor were several broken glass tubes and a shelf that had overturned. A whispered *ouch!* followed by a quiet curse got Beka's attention. She glanced toward the ceiling just in time to see Harper's scrawny butt squeezing through a ventilation shaft.
"Come down here you little coward!" Beka hissed as she jumped up to grab his foot before it could follow his butt into the shaft. She caught it and pulled with all her might, she heard Harper yelp and grinned. She had him now!
Suddenly Beka found herself on the floor of the cooler, Harper's empty boot in her hand. She looked up in time to see the socked foot it belonged to disappear through the opening.
Trance helped Beka up; they looked at each other, looked at the boot in Beka's hand. Both women promptly dissolved into a fit of giggles.
********************
Harper scurried through the ventilation shafts as fast as his hands and knees could carry him. He only paused to catch his breath when he was sure Beka hadn't come tearing through the vent after him. He giggled nervously as he rested, wishing he could have seen the look on Beka's face when she fell flat on her bum, his boot in her hand. It was then that he remembered the rack of test tubes he had broken, the act that forced him to make a hasty exit from the cooler in the first place. "Ah, man! Now Trance is gonna be ticked at me too! Can this day get any worse?"
"I wouldn't say that if I were you." Andromeda's hologram said as it fizzed to life a few feet in front of Harper, "I know you well enough by now to know that yes, it can get worse."
Harper's face brightened immediately, "Hey beautiful, come to kiss my boo-boos?" He gave her his most leering grin.
Andromeda sighed and was about to launch into a lecture on protocol and inappropriate comments when she noticed blood on Harper's hand. "Harper, what happened?"
Curious, Harper looked where the hologram indicated. "Huh," he said, frowning, "I musta cut myself on somethin'." He popped his injured fingers into his mouth.
Andromeda's nose wrinkled in disgust, she didn't even want to think about where Harper's hands had been. "Perhaps I should tell Trance that you will be returning to medical to get that treated."
Harper's eyes widened, "Uh, no, I don't think so, not today darlin'. Beka's still there, she's gonna kill me! Besides," He pulled his fingers from his mouth and held them up for her to see, "All better, it was just a scratch."
Andromeda eyed her engineer suspiciously and decided to let the subject drop. "Fine then, you have exactly 3 minutes until your lesson."
Harper opened his mouth to object but instead of his intended protest came a loud sneeze. "Sheesh," he snuffled as he wiped his nose on his sleeve, earning him another disgusted glare from the hologram. "That came outa no where." A thought occurred to him and he grinned, "Hey! You don't think I'm coming down with Beka's cold already do ya?"
"No, Harper, that is impossible, the incubation period for the common cold is 5 days, even with your immune system you wouldn't exhibit symptoms for at *least* 24 hours." She tried hard not to smirk at the dejected look on Harper's face. Had he really thought that ploy would work, with her of all people?
"Ok, I give up." He glanced around the shaft. "Uh, I don't suppose you could direct me to my quarters, I got kinda turned around." The hologram folded her virtual arms, not speaking. Harper sighed and held up his bootless foot, "If I'm gonna die today, I'd like to do it with my boots on."
Andromeda rolled her eyes, "You are not going to DIE, good grief, and I thought Tyr was the only one on this ship into drama." Harper gave her his saddest puppy dog eyes, his lower lip extending in an adorable pout. Andromeda threw up her arms, "Fine! Left, right, right."
"Thanks darlin'!" Harper said as he set out down the shaft, whistling a peppy tune. *sucker* he thought. Once he got to his quarters he would find a way to end these "lessons" for good.
Andromeda shook her head as Harper disappeared down the shaft. *sucker* she thought. She heard him sneeze two more times before she closed her eyes and re-focused her hologram on medical.
*****************************
"Mission accomplished." The hologram smirked. Beka and Trance were in the cooler, cleaning up the last bits of glass from the broken test tubes.
"Excellent!" Beka exclaimed. She had been so eager to resume the hunt for her cheeky engineer that she had nearly upset the remaining test tubes.
"Go ahead, Beka, I can finish up here." Trance said to Beka's already retreating form.
"Come on, Andromeda, let's cut him off at the pass!" Beka yelled over her shoulder at the hologram.
Trance shook her head. *And they think I'M immature* she thought as she resumed cleaning up Harper's mess. She knelt and gingerly picked up the last pieces of broken glass when something caught her eye. "Hmmm..." She turned the shattered tube over and read the label. Her eyes widened slightly. She straightened and left the cooler, crossing immediately to the sample she had taken of Beka's blood. "It can't be." She muttered. Trance took both items to the diagnostic computer and started running tests.
************************
Harper stopped whistling as he neared his quarters. He had sneezed several more times and his nose was now dripping. He felt like crap. Several times he was forced to stop as waves of dizziness swept over him. When he finally came to the last corner, he turned around, intending on exiting the vent feet first. He was now sweating and nauseous and all he wanted was to crawl into his bed and wait for it all to be over.
He felt his feet hit the cover of the vent and he kicked it out of the way and slithered through the opening. He paused halfway out, his head swimming. Suddenly he felt himself being hauled the rest of the way out of the shaft, his fingernails screeched on the smooth metal as he scrambled for something to grab onto. He yelped in surprise as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. "You're late." Came the unmistakable voice of Tyr Anasazi.
"What the..." Harper shook his head to clear it and tried to focus. He glanced around and noticed he was *not* in his quarters. Realization dawned on him, he'd been tricked! He jumped to his feet and raced for the door, he'd almost made it when he found his way blocked.
"Have fun, shorty, I'll be waiting for you right out here when you're done." Beka winked at Harper as the doors shut began to shut, Andromeda's hologram smiling beside her. She glanced behind him and added, "Oh, yeah, and Harper...don't forget to duck." Harper slid to a stop as the doors closed and the locks engaged.
Harper stuck his tongue out at the doors and turned just in time to see Tyr's fist coming at his face. He ducked and felt the breeze as it just missed his cheek.
"The ship has kept me apprised of your antics." Tyr sneered, obviously not impressed at Harper's attempts to avoid him.
Harper regained his balance and shot Tyr a look, "What can I say, she can't stop talkin' about me." He wiped sweat from his eyes and stumbled as the room began to wobble. He held out his arms to steady himself. "Tyr, I'm not feelin' so hot, can we do this la..." Harper was cut off by Tyr's fist connecting with his jaw, the blow sent Harper spinning. He didn't have time to get his bearings before Tyr landed another punch to his midsection, forcing the air from his lungs. "Ooof!" Harper weakly held up his hands and formed a "T." Tyr ignored him and kicked his legs out from under him. Harper landed hard on his back. "Hey! I motioned for a 'time out'! You cheated!" Harper declared as he stiffly got to his feet.
"There is no 'fair' in combat, boy." Tyr loomed over Harper who backed up, his hands in front of him.
"Seriously Tyr, just stop for a minute, ok? I gotta catch my breath, I think I'm comin' down with somethin'"
"I am sick and tired of your childish games now defend yourself." Tyr bellowed as he launched a massive fist at Harper's face. To the surprise if both men, Harper blocked the blow with his left hand and delivered a quick jab which landed directly on the Nietzschean's nose.
"I said STOP!" Harper yelled, amazed at his own actions but even more surprised at the force with which the words flew from his mouth. The two men stared at each other, eyes wide and mouths agape. Slowly Tyr brought his hand up to his nose, his fingers came away bloody. He turned his gaze to Harper and growled the sound rising from deep in his chest. Harper backed slowly toward the door. "Tyr, I don't what just happened here but I think we should call it a day."
Tyr ignored Harper, "I think you've been holding out on me little man. What are you trying to do, make a fool out of me?" Tyr's eyes flashed as he thought of Harper conspiring behind his back.
"Uh, no! Tyr! Of course not," Harper continued his slow retreat. He saw the look in Tyr's eyes, a look he knew all too well. Tyr was about to loose control, Harper knew he had to do something to diffuse the situation. He still felt like crap but a new feeling was coming over him. Hitting Tyr had felt good, really good. Harper shook his head, trying to concentrate on what he was saying. "I always told you I could fight, I just prefer letting my gun do my work for me. I can hold my own long enough to get away at least."
Tyr scoffed, "Is that why in every combat situation I've had to save your pathetic ass?"
Harper stopped, "Hey, now, that's not fair, I've come to your rescue plenty of times."
"Name one." Tyr sneered, he would be damned if he was going to let this little human land another blow. Tyr decided that Harper would have to learn today's lesson the hard way.
"Uh, well, there was that time..." While Harper was wracking his brain trying to come up with something, Tyr rushed him. Harper's jaw dropped in surprise as the Nietzschean's shoulder impacted his midsection. Harper flew backwards and landed hard on the mat, he looked up and saw Tyr's fist slamming down toward his head. Harper suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline unlike anything he had experienced before. Suddenly things looked clearer, time seemed too slowed down, and everything clicked into place. Harper twisted out of the way at the last instant, bringing his feet up to Tyr's chest, he pushed off and flipped backwards onto his feet as Tyr fell gracelessly to the floor.
Harper stared at his hands, he felt great, he felt awesome, invincible even. What power! This was amazing! He felt like Superman. He briefly wondered if he could fly. *Hold it right there!* a small part of his mind screamed *5 seconds ago you felt like shit, now you're wondering if you can fly* "Bugger off" Harper muttered to himself, maybe today Tyr would be the one learning the lesson.
Tyr slowly got to his feet, his mind reeling, "What is this? Some kind of trick?" Tyr stared at Harper who was hopping in place and cracking his neck like a boxer warming up before stepping into the ring.
"I don't know, Tyr, I told you I felt weird." He punched the air a few times, trying to disperse some of the amazing energy buzzing through his system. "We should stop, I don't wanna hurt ya." He said with manic twinkle in his eyes.
"The sun has not yet risen on the day that a kl..." Tyr paused and gathered his emotions, "that a human will defeat Tyr Anasazi in hand to hand combat." He assumed a defensive posture and twitched his fingers for Harper to go ahead and try.
Harper shrugged, "It's your funeral." The two men circled each other slowly, each looking for any weakness in the other's defense. Harper swung at Tyr's stomach but Tyr leaped out of the way. Tyr threw a hook at Harper's chin but Harper ducked under it. They continued in this manner for a few minutes, sizing each other up. Finally, Harper faked a punch at Tyr's head and when the Nietzschean raised his hands to block, Harper delivered a quick jab to his midsection. While Tyr was doubled over from the blow, Harper brought his elbow down on the other man's back, right between his shoulder blades. Tyr stumbled but did not fall. Harper bounced back on the balls of his feet allowing Tyr to recover. "This is fun! I don't know why I avoided it for so long. So, how am I doin' professor?"
Tyr straightened to his full height, determined not to let Harper's ramblings distract him. He resumed his stance and motioned for Harper to come again. Harper nodded slightly and charged. Tyr easily averted Harper's attack and used the other man's momentum to drive him to the mat. Startled to be on the ground, Harper hesitated, giving the other man the opportunity to deliver several punches and one rib cracking kick. Harper barely felt it; he reacted purely on instinct, his every move lithe and cat-like. When Tyr brought his foot back to strike again, Harper grabbed it and twisted, throwing the Nietzschean off balance and sending him crashing to the floor. Harper was on him in a flash, fists flying. Tyr blocked most of the punches but enough landed to start his ears ringing.
Surprised at the younger man's ferocity, Tyr's Nietzschean survival instincts kicked in. He grabbed Harper by the waist and threw him full force across the room. Harper struck the far wall and landed in a heap at its base. Tyr got shakily to his feet, he stared warily at Harper's prone form. When Harper didn't move, Tyr felt a pang of guilt. He'd used too much force. He'd felt the rib crack under his boot and was about to call a truce when Harper took him down. Tyr crossed the room in six large strides and knelt by his shipmate. He grabbed Harper's shoulder and slowly rolled him onto his back. He grimaced when he noticed the large lump rising on Harper's forehead from where it had struck the wall. Suddenly Harper's eyes popped open, "Surprise!" He said as he delivered two quick jabs to Tyr's face. Tyr grunted in surprise as he felt himself falling back.
Harper hopped to his feet, feeling as strong and sure as ever. He'd been stunned for a moment when he hit the wall but he felt no pain. He felt a little giddy actually, he hoped Tyr wasn't down for the count yet because he was finally starting to have fun. Harper walked over to Tyr and nudged him with his still uncovered foot. "Jeeze, Tyr, I never thought a Nietzschean would fall for the old "playing possum" trick." Harper goaded, "I mean, really, how inferior ya gotta be to let your guard down like that?"
Tyr snarled and quick as lightening, he wrapped his legs around Harper's and sent him crashing to the floor once again. Tyr twisted his legs, at the same time slamming them down forcefully on Harper's shins. Tyr grinned with satisfaction when he heard Harper's tibia crack. The grin faded when no scream of pain followed. Tyr released Harper's legs and flipped to his feet. As soon as the pressure was off, Harper also got to his feet, although one wouldn't quite hold him up.
Harper smiled, and wrenched his knee to the side, popping the bone back into place, the smile never leaving his lips. "Good move, but not good enough."
Tyr struggled to maintain his calm facade. Never before had he seen someone smile while they set their own leg. His mind reeled, something was terribly wrong. At first he'd thought that Dylan or Beka had set him up to take an embarrassing fall by Harper's hands. He assumed that they had been training Harper on the side, but now, after what he just witnessed, he wasn't so sure. Harper still had a manic gleam in his eyes, he advanced on Tyr, his fists raised, ready for round three. Tyr dared not betray his thoughts as he resumed his stance. His mind racing, trying to figure out what to do next.
****************************
Back in med bay, Trance had completed her tests and was waiting for the results. She nervously tapped her fingers on the screen, willing it to hurry up. If she was right, then Harper could be in a lot of trouble. After what seemed like an eternity, the computer spat the results onto the display. "Oh no." She murmured. She raised her purple head and addressed the ship, "Andromeda, where is Harper?"
Andromeda's image replaced the results on Trance's screen, "Harper is in the gymnasium, Beka's plan worked perfectly."
Trance felt on the brink of panic, "What's he doing? Is he ok?"
Andromeda paused to give Trance a funny look, "Accessing. Privacy mode is engaged, authorization Tyr Anasazi."
"You mean we don't know what's going on in there? He's alone with Tyr?" Trance looked as if she were about to hyperventilate.
Andromeda noticed Trance's agitation and attempted to calm her down, "Trance, it is common practice for Tyr to engage privacy mode when sparring, I'm sure everything is fine."
"No, I'm pretty sure it's not. Andromeda, override privacy mode, authorization acting medical officer Trance Gemini." Trance ordered, her body fairly twitching with anxiety.
"Aye." The image on the screen closed her eyes.
********************
Harper felt totally out of control. Part of him knew that his leg was broken but he couldn't feel a thing, he was still bursting with energy. It felt like an adrenaline rush with really cool side effects. He still had no idea what was happening to him but he really didn't care. For once in his life he felt powerful, unstoppable. For once he was the one in control, he was physically equal to Tyr. Tyr! He still couldn't believe he'd actually gotten Tyr down. It felt so good, he wanted more, he wanted to make sure the Nietzschean knew he wouldn't have Seamus Harper to intimidate anymore. Harper was startled out of his thoughts by Andromeda's disembodied voice, "Privacy mode override, authorization Trance Gemini. Stand by for door release."
"Oh no you don't." Harper said as he back-flipped across the room, landing nimbly near the door controls. "We're not done with our lesson!" He yelled as he smashed the controls with his fist. Wires fizzled and sparked. Harper's hand came away bloodied but he never noticed.
********************
Back in med bay, Andromeda opened her eyes and looked disbelievingly at Trance. "Harper just short circuited my door locks to the gymnasium."
"Tell Dylan to meet me there, we're going to have to break the doors down." Trance said as she raced out of med bay.
"Break down the doors, Trance, what is going on?" Andromeda said as Trance's tail disappeared into the corridor.
"Check the medical computer!" Trance yelled over her shoulder.
It took exactly .00023 seconds for Andromeda to process the information and become very, very concerned. Her image disappeared as she left to inform Dylan.
********************
It took a moment for Tyr to fully realize what Harper had just done. By destroying the door controls, Harper had turned their little tête-à-tête into a battle for survival. A cornered Nietzschean was nothing to mess around with. Tyr struggled to maintain his composure. His bone blades flaring as if they had a mind of their own. Tyr had no wish to seriously hurt the young engineer but he would not allow himself to come to harm under any circumstances.
Tyr shook his head, amazed at the turn of events. Who would have thought that he could ever think of the scrawny engineer as a physical threat. He studied Harper who was limping but only slightly, Tyr didn't think it would affect his newfound abilities at all. He paused again to wonder what had happened to the younger man. Was it drugs? Was Harper taking flash? Tyr stared into Harper's eyes and found no telltale signs of the amphetamine. He could hear Harper's heart slamming in his chest, sounding as if it were about to burst. The young man's breath was coming in great gasps, wheezing and crackling from several broken ribs, perhaps a punctured lung. The knot on his forehead that Tyr had noticed earlier from his contact with the wall had swelled and turned a mean purple, the bruise spread down his face and mingled with the ones under his eyes. Harper looked like hell, Tyr couldn't imagine what was keeping him on his feet.
Tyr decided to try to reason with Harper, perhaps he could get the young man to med deck without further incident. "Harper open the door. You obviously need medical attention." He said as calmly as he could.
"Yeah, I always need medical attention and do you know why?" Harper yelled, his agitation growing by the millisecond, "it's because of you! You and every other one like you." A dark fury blossomed in the engineer's eyes as every pain the Nietzscheans of Earth had inflicted upon him rose to the surface of his memory. "You Ubers are all alike, always punching and kicking and oh, yeah, lets not forget killing. You're very good at that." Harper's eyes were wide and glassy, his panicked breath coming in great gulps as he spent nervous energy pacing a short strip in front of Tyr.
Tyr felt a pang of sympathy for the young man. He could imagine what life on Earth must have been like for he knew how horribly the Drago Kazov treated thier slaves. His patience was at an end however. Harper was winding tighter than a spring. Tyr decided to try a more direct tactic. "Open the doors NOW!" He bellowed.
Harper stopped pacing and faced Tyr, "Open the doors? Hell no, I don't think so. I told you I didn't want to do this, that I wasn't feeling well but would you listen to me? No, so I don't think I'm gonna listen to you, you incompetent, inferior, murdering son-of-a-bitch." Harper couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth nor could he stop them. He actually liked the way Tyr's nostrils flared with rage, his fists clenching and unclenching, it gave an even greater sense of power to elicit such an emotional reaction from the usually stoic man.
Tyr trembled with barely contained rage. He stood his ground as Harper advanced on him. "I am willing to overlook your comments Mr. Harper because you are obviously not in your right mind. Let Trance take a look at..." His words were cut off as Harper grabbed Tyr's throat and started to squeeze. Tyr immediately brought his forearms down, raking his bone blades across Harper's biceps leaving long jagged wounds that immediately filled with blood. Harper didn't even wince although his arms weakened slightly and he lost his grip on Tyr's throat. Tyr staggered back, gasping for breath. "Touch me again and I will kill you." he rasped.
It was Harper's turn to sneer, "You couldn't right now even if you wanted to." He drew back his leg, planning on a nice roundhouse kick to the head when Tyr pounced. He drove Harper to the ground but Harper's reflexes were still faster, he rolled with the attack and ended up on top of Tyr. He grinned, his face pale from blood loss but still seemingly unaffected. He stood, and quickly kicked the Nietzschean in the kidney. Before the older man could recover from the blow, Harper moved down to Tyr's leg, "My turn." He slurred and proceeded to stomp as hard as he could on Tyr's shin, his insane grin widening when he heard the bones snap. Tyr groaned but gave no other signs that he was in pain He struggled to rise but Harper planted a foot in his stomach, driving him down again.
Harper circled Tyr, "Get up and defend yourself *boy*." He mocked as he moved in to deliver another kick, jumping back before Tyr could get a hold of his leg. "Come on, the enemy will not relent, get up, Uber." Another kick, Tyr felt something burst in his abdomen. He struggled to concentrate, to keep Harper in his line of vision, anticipate, and retaliate. Harper delivered another kick to the chest, Tyr heard his ribs crack. His vision began to grey and finally darken.
Harper approached the semi-conscious Anasazi and drew back his foot for the goal winning kick to the Nietzschean's head. He paused mid-swing, recognition flashing briefly through his mind. He studied the scene before him, a defenseless Nietzschean just waiting for the final strike but something was wrong. He swayed on his feet his body trembling. Where was he? Other senses slowly returned. He became aware of frantic voices from outside the room. Some of them were calling his name, at least he thought it was his name. He turned his head, confused. Where the hell was he anyway? Didn't he have something he was supposed to be doing? He suddenly noticed Andromeda's hologram, how long had she been there? She was saying something to him and gesturing frantically but he couldn't make out the words. The world started spinning and he struggled to stay on top of it. A bright flash of light forced him to shield his eyes with a shaking hand. Squinting he was able to make out five figures emerging through a smokey haze. Familiarity tugged at his mind, and suddenly reality crashed in on him. Harper shuddered and fell to his knees, his eyes never leaving the door. He watched with startling clarity as Trance pushed her way through the doors and past Dylan, Beka not far behind. All the energy that had sustained his manic episode suddenly left his body and he found himself on the floor gasping for breath, every nerve, muscle and bone feeling as though it were on fire. Darkness crept slowly through his mind, squirming black tedrils crossed his vision which had narrowed to a pinprick. The last thing he was conscious of was Trance's warm hands on his face and her soft voice telling him to hang on.
**********************
Consciousness slammed into him like a freight train. Awareness, now that took a little longer. He dared not betray his return to wakefulness lest his adversary be watching. He was disoriented but until he got his bearings, he remained motionless. His patience paid off because slowly the events that landed him in his current state revealed themselves to his fog-filled mind. He heard voices murmuring nearby and groaned as he realized who they were and where he was. The voices quieted immediately and he felt someone approaching. He slowly opened his eyes and just as he had guessed saw Trance Gemini hovering over his bed in med bay.
"He's waking up." Trance said, turning to the rooms other occupants.
"What an amazing deduction." He whispered hoarsely shooting the purple woman his most exasperated glare. She ignored him and held his head up offering him a drink of water.
Dylan appeared on his right. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was run over by a Magog swarm ship, twice."
"Well, Trance says you're going to be just fine." Dylan said encouragingly.
Beka came into view at the foot of his bed, arms folded, a smirk seemingly glued to her lips. "Lucky for you we got there when we did. Harper very nearly finished you off."
Tyr let his head fall back on the pillow, "Defeated by a kludge." He muttered closing his eyes against the memory.
Trance felt genuinely sorry for Tyr, his pride was bound to be bruised far more than his body. "Harper didn't mean to hurt you, he wasn't himself."
Tyr opened his eyes and stared at the girl. "Of that I have no doubt. Where is he?"
Rommie stepped forward ready to restrain Tyr should he be stupid enough to seek revenge on her engineer. "He's over there," she gestured to an adjacent bed, "Don't worry, he's been restrained."
Tyr frowned at the avatar's obvious attempt to mock him and turned his eyes to the area she indicated. He could barely make out Harper's small form amidst the various tubes and wires intertwining in and around his body. "What is his condition?" Tyr decided to ignore the trace of concern that laced his words.
"He's not doin' so hot, what the hell happened in there, Tyr?" Beka said, her smirk gone as she too gazed upon the fragile form of her friend.
"Why don't you tell me." Tyr said, addressing his statement to Trance rather than Beka.
"Well, it's a little complicated, are you sure you're up for this?" Trance said, "I mean, you have a couple of broken ribs and a broken leg. Your nano bots are nearly finished repairing a ruptured spleen but you'll still have to rest and take it easy for several days."
Tyr sighed, amazed that he had put his concern for the boy's welfare first, not even thinking to ask as to his own condition. He decided that he must have sustained a concussion for that was the only explanation for his very un-Nietzschean behavior. Shaking his head slightly he pushed those thoughts aside for the moment. "As you said, I will survive. Now, I would like it very much if one of you would explain to me how in the *hell* the ship's resident mudfoot was doing back flips on a broken leg?"
Trance visibly flinched at the force in Tyr's voice, "He, uh, I mean, there was this thing and it..." Beka put her arm around Trances shoulders trying to calm her down. Rommie stepped forward, and related the facts to Tyr, her android voice a clinical monotone.
"Beka didn't have a cold. She was exposed to a bacterium on Bangor Drift that manifested its symptoms as a virus. Upon recognizing the bacteria as foreign, her immune system responded and began destroying the invaders. As each of the microbes were destroyed, they released a toxin. When Harper kissed Beka, he received a dose of that toxin." Tyr opened his mouth to point out several holes in the avatar's theory but she held up her hand for silence and continued. "Alone, the toxins would have had little affect on Harper. However, he was additionally exposed to Axylcolase, a catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in the limbic regions of the brain. Combined, these agents induced a severe reaction mimicking Phencyclidine more commonly referred to as "Angel Dust". This resulted in faster than normal reflexes, completely anesthetized pain receptors, and adrenaline in near lethal levels. Add to that uncontrollable rage, fear, paranoia, the list goes on. I could print up a copy if you would like to read the entire medical explanation."
"That will not be necessary." Tyr said. He vaguely wondered what the odds were of Harper being exposed to that specific combination of chemicals. Knowing Harper though, Tyr figured those odds were a lot less significant than for the average person. He glanced again at the bed where Harper lay. "Will he be all right?" Four sets of eyes focused on him and he quickly added, "For this ship to survive, it must have an engineer and as he appears to be the only one, it would be in all our best interests to keep him alive."
Trance, having regained her composure laid a hesitant hand on Tyr's arm and took a deep breath, "It's not good. Harper has a broken leg, two broken ribs, a punctured lung, severe lacerations, and a fractured skull. He lost a lot of blood which, in hindsight, probably saved his life as it rid his body of the toxic chemicals." Trance's voice was shaking as she recalled treating Harper's grievous wounds, "I set his leg and put a tube in his chest to re-inflate his lung. I sutured the cuts on his arms and I am monitoring his brain for swelling. He's still unconscious." She looked helplessly at her crewmates, "I've done all I can, the rest is up to him."
Beka resumed her position at Trance's side. "He'll pull through. My shorty is to stubborn to die."
"I had to defend myself." Tyr blurted out. Again everyone's attention focused on him.
"Don't worry, Tyr, we understand what happened. You had no choice, Harper was completely out of control." Dylan said, "Believe me, if there had been any doubt as to the circumstances surrounding his injuries, I doubt you would have woken up at all."
Tyr nodded slightly; he understood the underlying threat in Dylan's words. He was not completely trusted by the captain and with good reason. Tyr had no desire to earn the crew's trust, they were merely a means to an end. If that were true, why did he feel the need to explain his actions, why did he care what they thought of him? Why hadn't he just killed Harper rather than risk harm to himself? Tyr sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. Trance picked up on her patient's weariness and began the task of shooing everyone out of medical. "I have to check Tyr's vitals and then he needs to rest."
"But what about Harper?" Beka protested, unwilling to leave her friend.
"Andromeda has been monitoring Harper's condition the entire time, there is no change. I want you to get some rest too. I'll call you as soon as there is anything new, I promise." As soon as the doors slid shut behind the last concerned crewmember, Trance turned her attention to Tyr. "How are you feeling, really?"
"I know what you are trying to do. Don't waste your breath. I do not feel guilt, remorse, fear, anger, or any other wasteful emotion over my actions as they concern the little professor. I do however feel tired so please complete your tasks in silence and leave me be."
Trance nodded and quietly checked Tyr's monitors, however she felt compelled to add one more thing, "He looks up to you."
Tyr gave her a disgusted look, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Harper. You are everything he's not."
Tyr scoffed, "If it is as you say, why would he make such a spectacle of avoiding me?" Tyr paused, scowling, "No, you are wrong. He hates my people and, from his perspective, he has every right to. I could never induce any emotion in that boy but fear."
Trance looked thoughtful as she recorded Tyr's medical information on a flexi. "Fear, yes, there is still fear but there is also a growing respect." She leaned in close and whispered conspiratorially, "The only reason he made such a game out of avoiding your sparring sessions was because he couldn't stand letting you down. He knew you were disappointed in his progress even though he was trying his best."
Tyr lay back to digest this information. Trance smiled softly then left him to his brooding. Tyr watched her tend to Harper, trying to make sense of the thoughts racing through is mind. Fear he could understand he was feared wherever he went. He had grown accustomed to and come to expect that reaction. It came naturally with being Nietzschean. The ability to inspire fear in one's enemies was a valuable survival trait. Tyr found it hard to wrap his mind around the concept of respect. Sure, he'd been trying all his life to garner the respect of his peers, his *Nietzschean* peers. Since the fall of his pride, everything he had done had been to bring the words respect and Kodiak back together. However, respect from a kludge, now that was venturing into uncharted territory. He had neither sought nor expected anything from this crew. Not friendship, not loyalty, not concern or sympathy. He was completely taken off guard by Trance's words.
Tyr decided he'd had enough introspection for one day. He sat up and began to unhook the various monitoring devices taped and strapped to his body. Trance had left the room so he didn't have to worry about her insisting that he remain in medical. He gingerly set his injured leg on the floor and slowly tested his weight on it. The repair nanobots were working well but it was still sore. He hobbled to the foot of his bed and found his clothes in a locker. He dressed slowly, his thoughts returning to the pathetic sight on the opposite bed. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself at Harper's bedside. A war raged on his face upon seeing Harper's still form. His Nietzschean upbringing demanded retribution for the physical attack, his survival instincts screamed that he should not let someone live that may present a future threat. He knew, though, if he followed his impulses, he would loose valuable allies and the diminishing but still very real possibility of taking the ship for himself. Deeper than that lie the truth; he couldn't kill Harper in cold blood. Before him was a man who had saved his life numerous times, a man Tyr found himself beginning to respect.
Harper, as though aware of the mental battle being fought mere feet from him, began to stir startling Tyr out of his reverie. Monitors started beeping as the young man's eyes fluttered and he began the slow journey back to consciousness. Before Trance could reappear, Tyr gathered his things and limped out of medical.
******************
True to her word Trance alerted everyone that Harper was waking up and that he would be ok, after a couple of weeks in bed, that is. During which time he proceeded to drive the rest of the crew crazy with his boredom. Tyr kept his distance during Harper's convalescence. Not only did he not visit Harper but he also began distancing himself from the rest of the crew, determined to not let his relationship with any of them become a weakness. He could not afford to let anything interfere with his ultimate plans of glory. Or so he kept telling himself.
When Harper was released from medical, he avoided Tyr like the plague. Despite everyone's assurances that Tyr had no hard feelings about their encounter, Harper just wasn't willing to risk life and limb at the hands of a ticked off Nietzschean (again). Finally, with Trances constant urgings and encouragement, he decided to try talking to Tyr.
Harper stood in the doorway of the gymnasium. He could see Tyr slowly twirling a punching bag, seemingly lost in thought. Harper hesitated and turned to leave, having changed his mind. "What do you want." Tyr's voice froze him to the spot.
"Uh, I ah..." He stammered. "I mean, um..."
"Perhaps you should return to medical, you seem to have developed a stutter from your blow to the head." Tyr said, turning to face Harper.
"Ha, ha, nice to see I didn't break your funny bone." Harper quipped, relaxing a little. He took a couple of steps through the doorway. "I came her to...I mean...ah hell, Tyr, I'm sorry about what happened." He stopped and stared at the floor, his hands absently fiddling with a piece of wiring.
"How much do you remember?" Tyr asked trying to appear nonplused by the young man's apology.
"Not much, just kinda flashes, I want you to know that I would never, uh, in my right mind, try to hurt anybody on this ship." Harper chanced a glance up at Tyr, hoping the larger man knew what he meant. He was still ready to bolt, just in case Trance had been wrong about the Nietzschean's 'we need the engineer alive' attitude.
Tyr nodded ever so slightly. He crossed his arms and studied the human. "As you said you were not in your right mind but for future reference, you'll have to tell me when you are in your right mind so I will be able to tell the difference."
Harper gaped at Tyr but upon seeing the twinkle in the Nietzschean's eyes he relaxed the rest of the way and lightly punched Tyr in the arm. "Yeah, well I may not remember much but I know I mopped the floor with ya."
Tyr growled and quickly grabbed Harper in a headlock. Harper squirmed as he was treated to a Nietzschean sized noogie. When Tyr finally released him, Harper made a fuss of straightening his clothes and his hair, a fake scowl on his face. He couldn't hold the mask for long though and soon was treating the Nietzschean to one of his famous lopsided grins. "So, big guy, do you think you could teach me to do that..." He waved his hand in the air, "...that whatever it was I did."
Tyr couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped his lips. He turned back to the punching bag, and said nonchalantly, "Next time don't be late."
The End
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