Places I'd rather forget

Part 5: Kiss me

Once on Sinti the crew all helped with the research; well Dylan mainly stood around trying to look important because the research was well over his head, he called it supervising the research effort. Had Harper not been the unwilling subject of all this effort he would have called it getting in the way. Beka mainly helped by threatening to kill people if they didn't work faster but at least she made coffee in between.

Things were now looking slightly brighter, the Perseids had a revolutionary new technique for lowering intercranial pressure and keeping the brain well oxygenated; they had brought Harper some more time with this, but it wouldn't last forever. Now Trance and Rommie were running and analyzing samples of new antibiotics; progress was slow they had succeeded in creating a sample that would kill the bacteria unfortunately it would also kill any other organic substance too, so there was still a lot of work to do.

On board Andromeda, Rommie's hologram watched over Harper.

He hadn't moved for days he wouldn't leave her side, she was weakening now he knew it even as he convinced himself she would recover, the moments of consciousness were just mere glimpse's now and her fever refused to stay down.

He stroked her hair, her eyes flickered open and she saw the tears in his eyes

"Don't be sad" she said "I'm going some were better"

"No, don't go, I need you"

"I have to" she replied "my time has come"

"But I love you" he protested

"I love you too but its time for me to go now and neither you or me can stop that it's just the way it is" her voice sounded weaker little more than a whisper he had to lean in closer to hear her.

"I'm glad I met you, you made this life seem worth it" she said.

His tears began to fall more heavily now and some splashed on her face; she reached out a hand to caress his face.

"Kiss me" she said.

He bent down further and softly touched his lips to hers, her eyes fell shut and he realised she had gone.

Trance searched the probability strings looking for a way forward she could see two clear futures but not the paths towards them that usually meant the situation was beyond her control. She simply had to do her best and hope for the best outcome.

Not being able to use her gift to help her Trance had to draw on her own talents she hoped it would be enough. She had lived a future with out Harper and had no wish to return to that place yet now she had formed the memory she could not quell it and thoughts rushed unbidden to her mind. For a moment she allowed her self to grieve for her fallen friends though in this reality they still lived she had lived with the pain of their deaths for to long to forget she said a payer for each of them and hoped she didn't have to repeat it for this reality she couldn't bear to live with their loses again. Harpers death almost killed her last time this time it might.

Trance went back to the andromeda to work to remind her that Harper was still alive and so hope still remained for her perfect possible future.

As Trance watched Harper she thought about him and the times they'd spent together she'd helped him with a few repairs and some of his engineering projects, it happened less now which she regretted, but in the beginning they did almost everything together. She'd helped him with the FMS and the temporal transporter she'd also helped him create the Nanobots to clean the hull of andromeda up after an attack, she'd been good at that because she was used to dealing with Nanobots they had many medical uses.

A thought hit Trace and jolted her pack to the present she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of if before: Nanobots.

Of course Trance had injected Harper with extra shots of Nanobots to help boost his own immune system to fight the infection but so far it had had no effect; the infection was overwhelming and bacteria rapidly replicating and had so far destroyed all antibiotics introduced to his system before they had a chance to work.

Trance wondered if she'd been taking the wrong approach all this time. Maybe the antibiotics weren't the problem maybe she just needed a better way to get them into his system before the bacteria had a chance to destroy them.

Trance thought she may just have found that way: she could use Nanobots to carry the antibiotic, like a kind of piggy back, protecting them from attack. The more Trance thought about the idea the more she was convinced it may just work; of course she'd have to flood Harper's body with 10 times the normal volume of Nanobots due to the severity of the infection, but if they outnumbered the bacteria there was no reason why it shouldn't work.

Trance realised all this time she'd been thinking purely of the biological skipping over the idea of augmenting the biological with the technological. In her future this had not worked out well for Beka, but this was another reality and it was Harper not Beka lying on a bio bed she needed to account for those changes it could well lead to a more positive outcome. Suddenly the probabilities opened up in her head and she knew this was the right course to take. Maybe her perfect possible future wasn't to much to ask for.

As Trance headed back to the planet to tell the Perseids of her theory Harper had another flashback to one more of the places he'd rather forget.

The first thing that hit him along with consciousness was pain, pain like he hadn't felt before. Next the terror hit him; he was held firmly to a wall in what could only be the Maggog world ship then he felt 'them' squirming inside him and his feelings went beyond simple terror into some indescribable horror.

Harper was both comforted and saddened to find he was not alone Tyr was with him. As they hung there awaiting their fate they both shared some secrets which somehow eased his fear; then he heard their salvation and they were safe at last.

When he awoke next for a few glorious seconds he managed to convince himself it was all some horrible nightmare, but the nightmare soon refused to end.

He felt so low just wanting to end it all so he didn't have to deal with the horror of his life anymore after all he'd been though on Earth he shouldn't have to go though this now but it seemed life just hadn't finished using Seamus Harper as a favourite play toy.

Rommie's timely arrival reminded him that he still had something to live for he was thankful for that; they promised to fix each other and that was a promise he would never brake.

The next few months were hard at times but he tried to stay positive for the sake of the crew more than anything else.

When the end came Seamus Harper was terrified more terrified than he'd ever been, but not for him, no, he was scared for the life of his friends, he didn't want to be responsible for their deaths he couldn't bare that, that's why he made Tyr promise. Even so he knew the pain that living with his death would cause them, cause Beka, that's why he wouldn't give up. But Harper had seen this first hand before on Earth, the images forever scarred into his mind, he knew what was going to happen to him, he didn't think the others could truly understand not even Rommie.

When Harper found the end didn't come it was still a piercing blow for now he was responsible for the death of a great mind.

The crew gathered round the bed of their friend as Trance prepared to try her last hope to save the life of her friend. She was sure this was the right choice still her closeness' to Harper made her doubt her self what if this didn't work?

Trance injected the Nanobots into Harper's blood stream now all she could do was Hope and pray monitoring Harper for signs of improvement.

At last Trance saw what she was looking for the modified Nanobots were waging war against the infection and winning, it looked like this was going to work, Trance allowed herself a small smile; this did not go unnoticed and soon Trance found herself under integration by Beka.

A few hours later Harper found himself opening his eyes to take in the smiling faces of his crew mates; no sooner had he done this when he found Beka launching herself into his arms hugging him tightly, he hugged her back a little confused by Beka's forthright show of emotion, 'just how sick was I?' he thought only realising he'd said the words out loud when Beka said she thought she'd lost him this time, and he was never to be allowed near a planet ever again.

'Oh boy' though Harper, suspecting that arguing the point would be futile, and it would be a very long time before he managed to get planet side again.

For once life was kind to Harper and he had no memory of the nightmares he had relived while sick; only the feeling of having visited his past remained and strangely this comforted him more than anything else, as he had the strangest feeling he'd got to see his family and friends once again.

The only nightmare that bothered Harper that night was the thought of Beka blocking his way off the ship, and there for his access to all the hot chicks on whatever planet they visited next. I hope all the pretty babes come to the ship instead or I may remain dateless forever he thought.

The end.

Sorry for the wait in posting this part hope you liked it.