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6/13/98
Harlan rammed the metal door full force with his shoulder, eliciting no
result. It wasn't even dented!
"Radu!" he yelled, excitedly. "Can you--?"
The Andromedan was already making his way up the stair.
Instead of stopping at the door however, he moved to the control panel
next to it. Pulling it from the wall without sign of effort, he inspected
the wires inside. Wincing at the sound of imminent footsteps, he
closed his eyes and ripped out all of them simultaneously.
The door silently slid open, to Radu's great shock and
everyone else's great relief.
"Good job!" Harlan had time to declare, before rushing
through the door.
The sight outside was less than enthusing, a large area,
littered with large, boxy structures, a short railing around the
perimeter, surrounded on all sides by a thousand-foot drop to the
ground below. They had reached the rooftop.
But no matter how bad it seemed, it was better than being
trapped in a dead-end hallway to meet their end like cattle to the
slaughter.
"Split up!" Harlan yelled. "Protect Goddard," he said more
softly to Radu and Catalina. "I'll take care of Reaver."
"Harlan, no!" the Saturnian cried as she grabbed his arm.
"It's my turn to make a sacrifice, Cat," he said gently, prying
her hand from his arm and grasping it momentarily, before running to
stand near the doorway.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he spun, preparing to further
rationalize his decision with Catalina. Instead, he found Radu.
"You'll need help," the Andromedan said simply, and Harlan
could only nod in acceptance.
They stood side by side, preparing for what was to come, and
heard Reaver before they ever saw him, a war cry that shook them to
the very core.
He was irate now, furious beyond all previous furies, and half-
mad with pain. The pirate came barreling through the open door so
swiftly that the boys almost missed him.
As it was, they barely had time to attack him. It was a clumsy
sort of assault, they merely jumped on him and attempted to bring him
to the ground. By this time, they were too exhausted to do anything
else, strategy long gone from their thoughts.
Radu attempted pull Reaver's legs out from under him, as
Harlan physically jumped on his back. It was an almost comical sight,
the space pirate spinning and cursing, trying to get ahold of the
Earther while Harlan clung there for dear life.
In desperation, the pirate went to the nearest wall and began
to pound the boy against it. Harlan began to feel slightly light-headed,
and knew that he couldn't keep this up. One way or the other, he
needed to do something.
When Reaver twisted to try and deal with Radu, he leapt off
the pirate as best he could. Backing away quickly, he shouted that
the Andromedan should do the same.
They ran for the nearest shelter, behind a large air duct, to
attempt to plan some sort of offensive.
"Harlan," Radu warned, "We don't have much time left.
We've got to do something now."
"And what would you suggest?"
"You're the one who always has a plan!"
Meanwhile, Cat and Goddard were having an argument of
their own.
"Listen Seth, while Reaver's distracted, you sneak over to the
door and run down the stairs until you find the police. You can bring
help back." Though it'll be to late to do any good, she thought
privately. But if it got the boy to safety, it would be a decent ploy.
"I'm not leaving without you," he answered stubbornly. "Not
again."
Growling in frustration, she counted to ten and back down
again in order to be able to answer with some equanimity, "But we
need someone to go for help." It's not as it I can tell him the real
reason!
"So come with me! I'll go if you will."
She bit her lip in indecision. She had to get Goddard to
safety, but she didn't want to leave Harlan and Radu to face Reaver
alone. Still, she knew what she had to do. If Harlan been strong
enough to leave her, she had to do the same.
"Let's go!" she whispered, creeping towards the door.
Reaver saw none of this, however. He stalked around the
rooftop, shouting threats and trying fruitlessly to find any one of them.
"Cowards! I thought you were supposed to be Stardogs, not
babies! Come out and fight me like men!"
Harlan chose that moment to duck from cover and shout,
"You want a fight? You got one." Though slightly confused by the
Stardog comment, he chose to ignore it.
Reaver looked at him for a moment with an ugly leer on his
face and said, "You're even more of an idiot than I thought!" Pulling
out a hidden blaster, he aimed quickly and yelled, "As if I'd ever play
fair! Say goodbye, little Stardog!"
"Wait!" cried a voice from behind. "What about me?"
Turning while keeping the blaster trained on Harlan, he found
the owner of the voice. "Seth Goddard. Two fools for the price of
one." He brought his arm around with lightning speed and laughed,
"First things first!"
"Seth, NO!!!" cried Catalina, running from the shelter of a
large vent and throwing herself at him, blocking him with her own body.
At that moment, Reaver fired, a red beam of light cutting
across the distance in a millisecond. It struck her full in the back as
her momentum carried the two of them to the ground.
The pirate swore and tried to aim again at the boy, but
Catalina still blocked him reflexively.
He had no time to do anything else, for Harlan roared a
wordless cry of rage, lowered his head and sped towards him, with
every indication that he would simply ram him.
"Harlan!" Radu screamed, "Remember the plan!"
The Earther gave no sign of having heard him, but jumped
suddenly to the left when a blaster shot was fired in his direction.
Safely hidden in the shadows of an air duct, he swore and tried
to think. Things were swirling around in his head at a mile a minute,
and the only thing he could focus on was Catalina. She was... she was...
He felt numb. There was, however, one important fact at the moment
that he had to remember.
Reaver still had the weapon, and as long as he did, their
hastily concocted plan hadn't a chance of working.
"I must be insane!" he muttered to himself, but crept forward
at the same time.
Hurry, Radu! Elmira howled in his mind again. We're under
attack, we can't hold out much longer!
I'm doing what I can, he told her.
Sneaking up behind the pirate without making a single sound,
Radu snatched the blaster from his hand and slugged him in the
same motion. It had little effect, as the Andromedan knew it would,
but it gave him enough time to make good his escape.
He dashed for the cover of the vents before Reaver had time
to recover, praying that Harlan would remember his part.
His fears were groundless, however, and as the Earther
stepped from the shadows several hundred meters away, Radu could
see that he was near the edge.
"Reaver! You hide well behind a blaster, but can you fight half
as good?"
Radu made his way through the air ducts, positioning himself
for what, either way, was sure to be their final encounter.
"Why don't we find out?" drawled the pirate, sauntering
towards the boy.
As the space pirate came in range, Harlan wasted no time in
initiating the battle, taking a swing at his midsection. Reaver blocked
and held the fist, squeezing with all of his enhanced strength.
Before his hand became a mangled, broken mess of loose
parts, Harlan ducked, using Reaver's own weight to flip him.
The pirate regained his feet quickly, but lost Harlan's wrist
somewhere in the process. He swung a roundhouse punch in the
boy's direction, only to find that he was no longer there.
Harlan had flipped out of the way, coming down behind the
pirate.
Reaver reoriented himself and turned before Harlan had the
chance to strike.
They circled each other warily, neither wanting to make the
first move.
"Has anybody ever told you that you are extremely ugly?" Harlan
asked innocently. Though his heart felt as if it were being ripped
apart, he kept his face carefully emotionless.
"No, never," Reaver returned sardonically. The pirate looked
rather nonplused.
"Because it seems like, somewhere along the line,
someone would have. I mean, you are just sooo... well I'm sure
you get the picture."
"Yes."
"What do people see in you? I mean, lets face it, your people
skills need work too. You're rude, vile, murderous, treacherous--"
"Yes, I get the picture. Is there a point to this little game?"
"No, not really. Just trying to pass the time until you kill me.
And by the way..." He continued to ridicule the pirate's disposition,
personal habits, parentage, and anything else he could come up with
after spending a lifetime around some of the most uncouth people in
the known galaxy.
"Would you just shut up!" Reaver finally burst.
"Make me!"
Deciding that this would be an excellent idea, Reaver lunged
at him.
Standing his ground for as long as he could, Harlan once
again dodged to the side. But this time, Reaver found himself staring
down a very long drop, braced against a low railing.
Giving him no chance to recover, Radu rushed from his hiding
place and together, he and Harlan pushed the killer over the edge.
They watched as he tumbled downward, grasping for
purchase but finding nothing to hold onto. Radu heard him scream,
"Pull me out, Ubi! Now!" and then he vanished in a wash of
white light.
"We did it!" Radu whispered, both to himself and
Elmira, as he sank to the ground. His elation was short-lived,
however, as he remembered who had payed most of all for their
victory.
Harlan dashed to the other end of the roof, Radu limping after
him. By the time the Andromedan got there, he already had the girl's
limp head cradled in his lap.
"Cat," he murmured.
"Harlan?" she responded weakly.
"I'm here," he sobbed, tears running freely down his face.
"You're gonna be okay."
"You always were a rotten liar, Harlan Band." She smiled
weakly. "Did we do it?"
"Yeah," he choked. "Reaver's gone, galaxy's safe."
"Good." She spoke softly now, and he had to lean closer to
hear her. "I love you, Harlan."
With that, she was gone. Her eyes fluttered closed and he
knew beyond any certainty that he was alone. He murmured her
name and allowed the tears to come unchecked.
Radu busied himself with Goddard. The boy seemed to be
unconscious, knocked insensate when he hit the pavement. His
pulse was strong though, and the Andromedan decided that he was
not badly hurt.
A cracked voice interrupted his inspection, and at first, he
didn't recognize it as Harlan's. "Why are we still here?"
Radu asked Elmira and repeated back her answer. "When
the present where the time device is, changes, we'll change too."
Harlan only nodded.
Elmira? Radu thought worriedly. Are you...? He waited
for several moments, hoping against hope that she was still alive, if
only so that he could say goodbye. It was silly, he seemed to know her
in this other reality, yet he couldn't help but feel as if goodbyes
were appropriate.
I'm here, Radu, she finally responded.
Elmira, I just wanted to say... I mean... thank you, for doing
what you did. And...
Yes?
Why did you do it?
Why does anyone do something noble, something crazy or
wonderful? I did it for love. Then she vanished from his mind before
he could respond. He didn't attempt to contact her again, recognizing
her own form of goodbye.
He turned his attention to Harlan, saying, "I think it's almost
time."
The Earther stood, gathering Catalina's still form up in his arms.
"Let it come." He held her close to him, swearing an oath to himself
even as he did so. I will find you, Cat. I don't care how impossible it
is, or what stands in that way, or that I may not even remember
swearing it, I will find you. That is destiny.
And as a brilliant white light flashed before his eyes he
embraced it, falling into nothingness.
"--in the universe is that?" Harlan asked in surprise, from his
position on the couch in the game room. A brilliant white shockwave
passed them, gone even before he had finished speaking.
"I...I don't know," Radu replied, confused.
They both sat in silence for a moment.
"Mind if I take a raincheck on the chess?" Harlan said at last.
Radu quickly agreed, neither wanting to express what was on
their minds.
As the Earther walked calmly to the jumptubes, informed them
of his destination, and slid down as he had done a hundred times
before, his thoughts stayed with Catalina.
A thought, a message almost, rang through his brain. Find
her! it ordered him. Ridiculous, of course. He knew where she was,
and that there was no way to get her back, but it remained all the same.
Reaching his destination, he sank to the ground and let the
emotions come. Perhaps he would take the advice someday...
...In Yensid, Catalina suddenly sat up straight, inadvertently
hitting multiple buttons on her computer console as she did so. For
some odd reason, she felt very, very glad to be alive...
...Working in the Command Post of the Christa, Commander
Goddard looked up from the helm console and smiled at the sight of the
shockwave. Oddly enough, it occurred to him that the Harlan, Cat, and
Radu he had know so very long ago reminded him strongly of the
students he now taught...
...Somewhere in space, Reaver stood cursing over the smoking
remains of a now-useless time device...
...And on an immense Killcruiser, Elmira awoke, suddenly very
grateful that there were Spung guards outside her door, and that she
was a prisoner among her own people, and that her people had failed
miserably in all their attempts to capture any planets in the Terran
system, and that somewhere, far away, an Andromedan boy named
Radu was on a ship called the Christa, safe and happy and free.