TITLE: Pay More
AUTHOR: Michael J. Gallagher ( mikejoe@odyssey.net )
SYNOPSIS: Harper loses _another_ bet with Rommie (Sequel to "Pay Up")
RATING: Somewhere short of NC-17
DISCLAIMER: Tribune owns GRA. I am getting nothing out of this but the satisfaction of entertaining my fellow GRA fans ... and the exericse from running for cover after this one, but I had to do it ....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Check mate!" Andromeda's hologram said.
"Oh, crap," Harper groaned.
"And we agreed -- you only get another game if you won one of the first two," Rommie's Android self said. "You lost both. Time to pay up."
"C'Mon, Rommie! You can't expect me to -- "
"Yes."
"But IN PUBLIC!?"
"We agreed. Don't worry, Harper. It will be fun in the end. Trust me.... "
*******THE NEXT DAY*******
"No, I'm sorry," Dylan was saying to the young man on the screen. "There's no one on this crew by that name. Goodbye!" The screen blanked as Tyr, Harper, and Rommie entered the bridge.
"Did I miss something?" Tyr asked.
"I won't be sorry to leave this drift," Dylan said. "That's the fourth one today. Someone asking for this Zeena person."
"Zeena?" Tyr said as he busied himself at the weapons station. (Harper and Rommie went down the ramp to one of the forward stations. Rommie followed the conversation with interest while Harper seemed more absorbed than normal in his work.)
"Yeah, this young human female who's supposedly a member of this crew."
"I've heard of her."
"But there is no such person, Tyr! I'm getting tired of saying so over and over again."
"Maybe it was one of the others?" Rommie said helpfully (Harper seemed to squirm in place). "What did .... she ... look like?"
"Um, short, about Harper's size. With short, blonde hair. And they keep mentioning this metal thing on her neck that sounds like Mr. Harper's -- " Dylan broke off, freezing like a statue.
Harper finally turned around, forcing a smile and a shrug.
Dylan finally regained something he hoped was composure and remembered how to talk. "Mr. Harper -- "
"Yeah, boss."
"You, ahhuhhmmm, have you made any bets recently?"
"Yeah, boss."
"With Rommie?"
"Uh-huh."
"Over a chess game."
"We played a couple yesterday."
"And you lost."
"Trashed both times, Boss."
"I see."
"But he went down fighting," Rommie said.
"W-w-wait a minute," Tyr said, coming down the ramp. "If we accept that Harper was this Zeena person, who was with her -- him? 'Zeena' was supposed to have had this young male companion -- " Tyr broke off; it was his turn to make like a statue. Then both Tyr and Dylan gaped at Rommie. She smiled back.
"Uh, Tyr?"
"Yes, Dylan?"
"Want to shoot some hoops?"
"I was about to ask, yes."
They left the bridge very quickly.
Harper started laughing. "Oh-oh kay, Rommie. That part was fun. The looks on their faces .... " He doubled over.
"See? I told you it would be fun. So you will agree to -- "
"No!" Harper stopped laughing and straightened up. "No way, Rom Doll. _That_ was fun, freaking out Dylan and Tyr, but the rest, no, uh-huh, forget it."
"Not even if I up the ante by promising to ... " Rommie whispered in Harper's ear.
Harper thought it over for exactly 7.478624 seconds (Rommie counted, of course).
"We'll talk," Harper said.
THE END
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