Life in Death
Title: Life in Death
Author: ILH, aka Melissa
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Rommie's emotions run high as she tries to deal with a tragedy.
Series: None
Fandom: Andromeda
Spoilers: Seasons 1 and 2
Disclaimer: Andromeda is property of Tribune.
Author's Note: I never planned to post this, but I felt the urge to today.
Glass and a tiny computer chip...the rest had diminished into the growing void of oblivion that separated me from the rest of the known universe. Twelve days and eleven nights had been longer than eternity. And I had laid in the same spot, virtually unmoving. One of the few advantages to being "artificial" as humanoid lifeforms quickly say. I can lay in this exact position, and if I am unmoving, remain here for an infinite period of time. I need not eat or drink or sleep or any of those other necessities to humanoids. Another advantage I suppose.
I didn't even stir when the slamming and banging began on the door again. I would not allow anyone to enter, and the portion of me I had ceased all contact with could not comply with their demands, regardless of their words or High Guard codes. A useful override created by Harper. Harper... I didn't cry, nor had I over the course of the time I had laid on the bed. I blocked that portion of my memory. Yet another advantage, but one that prevents me from attaining true humanity. It had been humanity that we had been discussing on that morning. I finally allowed the memories to cascade through my mind again.
"Rom-doll, I just figured out something I've been thinking about for months!" Harper exclaimed excitedly between bites of cereal. Although it was past noon, he had just woken up. None of us had the heart to force him to sleep or be awake. The larvae had been causing much more pain than they previously had. Sleep was his only reprieve.
"Oh?" I asked, wondering what sort of project he had in mind.
"You know how your sense of taste is really limited right now, just to sweet, sour, salty and spicy? Like you can't tell the difference between lemons and limes beyond their composition through your sensors," he began.
"Yes. Have you found a way to increase the sensitivity of my sense of taste?" I had looked forward to that discovery. Humanoids have always held food in high regard, even claimed some foods had the ability to affect sexual prowess. It fascinated me. I had not yet been given the opportunity to experience the true range of taste and effects of food.
"We'll need to pick up a few things on the next drift, but I can see the schematics in my head. Aren't we gonna be somewhere tomorrow?"
"On the day after tomorrow we will dock at Devarin Drift to replenish our supply of spare components for my picotransducers and nanothrusters," I replied. I failed to mention there was also a medical facility on Devarin Drift that often provided great assistance to desperate medical cases. Devarin Med Center was widely known in the medical community, but I assumed Harper had not heard of it.
"Why don't we just stop at Aldari? That's two hours from our current position." He pushed himself to his feet, leaving the cereal bowl and glass of juice sitting on the table.
Without my usual annoyance, I moved the bowl and glass to the proper disposal unit and turned to Harper. "Devarin Drift has a better reputation than Aldari Drift." I again failed to mention in what aspect.
"I know exactly what Devarin Drift has a better reputation in, Rom-doll. My little friends here..." He paused and patted his stomach. "They might make my body sick, but my mind's all here. I'm not one of those desperate medical cases DMC likes to flaunt."
"Devarin Medical Center may be able to do something for you that we can't, Harper. Don't you want to survive?" I asked.
He slammed a chair farther under the table. "You could've at least asked me about it! Dammit, Rommie, I knew everyone else was treating me like a naïve little kid that can't handle the truth...but not you." His anger was evident, and I knew in all probability it was a side effect of the medication he was taking to prevent the larvae from progressing into the later stages. That, however, did not change the way his words stung me.
I remained calm on the exterior. "I assumed you wouldn't-"
I was suddenly interrupted. Harper quickly stomped out of the Mess Deck, his face and neck flushed red with anger.
"Wait, Harper!" I called after him, but it was useless.
I opened a channel between my avatar and mainframe, watching Harper while I followed him in the corridor. He entered a Machine Shop and enabled privacy mode.
I arrived at the door of the Machine Shop. "Harper!"
"Why should I listen to you?" he asked over a communication device of some sort.
"I did not intend to anger or otherwise upset you." I wasn't certain what would cause Harper to allow me entry.
"Good intentions don't getcha very far." I heard metallic clanging and a subdued groan over the communication line.
"Are you ill?" I asked.
"Of course not. I've got baby Magog crawling around under my skin, but I'm fine and dandy," he sarcastically snapped. A louder groan followed.
I realized the gravity of the situation and contacted Dylan in his quarters. "Harper, let me help you."
He paused. "Only you."
"What?" I asked.
"Dylan and all of them...leave them out in the corridor."
I glanced around the vacant corridor. Harper was evidently delusional, but my database stated delusional individuals were more likely to cooperate if one 'plays along' with the delusions. "I will. Step back, Captain Hunt."
The Machine Shop doors slid open. I quickly entered as if someone were following me in case Harper was watching. The doors immediately closed behind me. I found Harper's wrinkled shirt discarded on the floor in front of the door. Harper himself was splayed out on the floor between several pieces of machinery a few feet away.
"Rommie...help me..." In his trembling hands he held a clear glass component of one of his more recent engineering projects.
"Med Deck is better suited for the care you need right now," I said.
"It's too late for that...sit down." He glanced at a spot beside him with glazed over blue eyes.
After a moment of deliberation, I complied and kneeled near him. His symptoms did indicate his statement was correct. No one had discovered a cure, and the bulge in his stomach was slightly stirring. It would increase the crew's safety level if Harper were to remain in his current location.
"The parts in Engineering...they're all where they belong...in the supply cabinets," he said between ragged breaths. "It's all ready for...the replacement."
I felt a pang of pain at the thought of anyone replacing Harper. I found myself speechless.
"My quarters...override...Harper alpha seventy-six...white button..." The bulge in his stomach turned. He groaned. "Before I can't..." He started to reach for one of his pockets. He fumbled for a moment before producing a tiny computer chip. He thrust it into my hand.
I simply held it and watched Harper staring into my eyes.
"You're my...masterpiece," he whispered. He reached up and lightly caressed my face.
I knew there were a thousand courses of actions I should have been taking, but I was not driven to action until Harper winced and screamed. The larvae were preparing to emerge. I slipped the tiny computer chip into my pocket. I had no forcelance, but I found a sharp metal pole and a nanowelder. They would suit the purpose they were to serve.
"I'm sorry, Harper," I said softly. I reached with both hands down to Harper's face and lightly caressed it as he had mine. I moved my hands to either side of his clammy neck and in a quick nearly painless action broke it. I assured myself I had taken the right course of action. The larvae would have caused excruciating pain as they emerged.
I turned on the nanowelder and began burning through the bare skin of his stomach. I felt fortunate I could deactivate my sense of smell. The larvae were barely below the surface of the skin, tiny furry Magog. The nanowelder immediately killed one, but the others took it as an opportunity to emerge.
I took them in my hands and threw them to the other side of the Machine Shop. I would not allow them to touch Harper's corpse. I lifted the metal pole and with little difficulty killed the other small Magog. I disposed of the Magog corpses in a near-by waste receptacle. I forced my emotions aside and wrapped Harper in a plastic tarp that had covered one of his projects.
I connected with my main frame for a moment, but the lack of Harper's life sign and the sight of his body laying in front of me wrapped in a tarp were overwhelming. I exited the Machine Shop and raced to Harper's quarters. As soon as the doors had shut behind me, I implemented the override and pressed the white button near his door.
I took several steps and threw myself face first onto his bed.
The memories were overpowering. I rolled over and seated myself on the edge of the bed, fighting the tears. In an attempt to distract myself, I reached into my pocket and removed the computer chip. I held it in front of me and examined it closely. It was a pleasant shade of blue and seemed to have some labeling on the side that lacked circuitry. I, however, would require a magnifying device to read the text without entering the main frame.
I stood and exited Harper's quarters. Beka was tampering with the door circuitry.
Beka dropped the tools she had been using. "Rommie!"
"Are my systems in satisfactory condition?" I asked. I had no desire to enter the main frame unless it was absolutely necessary. Strong emotions usually have an adverse effect on ship functions.
"About the same as they were. Report to Dylan before you do anything else," Beka said.
I nodded and went in the general direction of Command Deck until I was certain Beka was not following me. I instead went to Engineering. I found the microviewer in its proper storage place, as Harper had assured me the equipment would have been.
I inserted the computer chip into the microviewer and read the text printed on it: 'INSTRUCTIONS IN FILE HARPER 323502 - PASSWORD: SPARKY 76 K'
"Access file Harper 323502," I said.
"Password?" Andromeda asked.
"Sparky 76 K," I replied, rather surprised Andromeda had not chastised me for my behavior or even mentioned it.
"Video file appearing on Main Engineering viewer," Andromeda said.
Harper's image became visible on the viewing screen. "Hi, Rom-doll. If you're watching this I guess you guys didn't come up with a cure. But don't blame yourself. I'm not totally gone yet. And I bet you're asking yourself how. Well, I've been working on copying and downloading my personality and knowledge to a database for a while. It's not totally finished yet, but a lot of it is. That little chip you have contains what I've got done of it. Don't worry, I won't take over your avatar. Just have Beka install it. Trust me, she can hold her own in basic engineering. It goes in the empty socket behind your right ear. Oh, and one more thing. Thanks for giving me the chance to be the engineer of the greatest starship in the universe." He grinned, and the message ended.
I felt the warm wetness of a tear slide down my cheek, followed by another.
Beka emerged from the doorframe and placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. "Let's go to one of the Machine Shops. I'll take care of the installation," she said softly.
"Okay." I quietly followed her to a Machine Shop, noticing it was not the Machine Shop that I'd left days ago. Beka was treating me in the same manner that we'd all treated Harper near the end. I felt a pang of guilt as I realized what I'd been doing to my engineer...my best friend.
Beka patted a table. "Hop up here. It'll just take a minute."
I handed her the chip and sat on the table.
She pulled back a flap behind my ear and pushed the chip into place. "I'm going to have to turn you off for a minute, 'kay?" She gently stroked my hair as she replaced the flap.
I nodded and felt my world fade into black...
When I regained an AI's equivalent of consciousness, I immediately noticed a familiar presence in my positronic brain. Harper's plan had worked. His database was securely stored within me, there for me to access whenever I missed him.
With my first genuine smile in over a week, I hopped down off of the Machine Shop table. I looked at Beka, who seemed shocked by my sudden happiness. I understood; in her position, I would have been surprised. It wasn't a concept I believed a humanoid could truly grasp, the integrating of another person into oneself. I had lost Harper only in body. His soul was still very much a part of me. Words of even a simple explanation failed me, so I exited the Machine Shop with a simple, "Thank you, Beka."
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