And now the final part... thanks to everyone who has followed this story and read it right through to the end, it means a lot and I have appreciated everyones comments, and I really hope you have enjoyed the ride!

Sadly this will be my last epic fanfic as I'm going to start working solely on my original stuff in 2007, finally having the push to put energies usually reserved for fanfic into being more original - I hope one day you might come across some of that! (if I'm back here in six months you know it didn't go so well lol!! hehe)

thanks!!

Part 52

“Will he be ok?” Dylan asked as Beka came away from the cot where Trance was treating Harper.

“Health wise, probably,” Beka frowned. “Mentally, we don’t know, this is a lot to take in and then he’s human again, completely,” she glanced at his neck. “No mechanics at all, from one extreme to the other,” she sighed.

“So long as he’s still here,” Dylan gestured but saw the flash of anger and frustration in Beka’s features to his words.

“He was android, Dylan, I saw him destroy his own body, his human body that he gave up and I had only just accepted that and now suddenly he has one again, I mean what the hell is going on, what happened back there with Tyr’s kid, that’s not normal, none of this is normal!” Beka raged, losing her control.

“What did we all want, on command, once the Abyss had been destroyed?” Trance asked as she moved towards them showing concern for Beka, now satisfied that Harper was stable and sleeping.

“Harper to be ok?” Tyr asked as he leaned against the wall, with some awkwardness in his expression.

“The past, present and future joined forces to destroy the Abyss, but then we witnessed hope and a simple miracle save our universe,” Trance smiled.

“A miracle?” Beka seemed doubtful.

“We all hoped for one, for Harper,” Trance offered. “Maybe in different ways but essentially we were hoping for the same thing.”

“But how did the kid do that?” Beka asked. “And don’t tell me he’s some sort of god, I don’t buy it, I can just about buy that he is a genetic reincarnation of some long gone dead guy, but don’t ask me to go so far as to believe he can perform miracles.”

Dylan cleared his throat before speaking. “The engine of creation has been myth for so long, many doubted that what you brought to the Andromeda was the genuine article, after so many have failed to make it work,” Dylan offered. “But we all saw it in action.”

“My child was able to make it work, he is blessed and now you must all believe who he truly is,” Tyr spoke up proudly. “Harper is with us now because of this.”

Trance smiled at Tyr. “You can go now and believe Tamerlane indeed found a higher plain by which to activate the engine and bring Harper back to life and as a human back to his true born form,” Trance suggested and paused before continuing. “Or you can believe that the engine of creation can only work outside of your universe, and we got lucky that Tamerlane was pressing the buttons at a time it could function and that he was so close to Harper when it activated, that his youth was able to channel the engines energy back in to Harper.”

“So it wasn’t Tamerlane, it was just lucky?” Beka checked with a show of relief, but Trance only smiled and returned to Harper’s side.

“We were in a strange place, outside of our universe,” Dylan agreed.

“My son controlled that beam and he directed it into Harper,” Tyr protested.

“I don’t know,” Beka was torn, remembering the look on the kid’s face when he was supposedly guiding the light. “It makes sense that it activated when it did, and Tamerlane was hitting all the buttons.”

“I have a feeling this is a discussion we’ll never truly find the answers to,” Dylan suggested, seeing Trance glancing over and still smiling that smile he recognised as a ‘not telling’ gesture.

“Trance was by the machine too, just as it activated,” Beka remembered.

“My son saved Harper,” Tyr remained adamant before he left med deck.

“But it wouldn’t be the first time Trance has found a way to save Harper against the odds,” Beka countered after him, remembering the Magog eggs.

There was a sudden scream and both Dylan and Beka looked over to where Trance was now checking the restraints containing Harper, as he struggled on the cot very awake again.

“Harper!” Beka hurried over to his side and immediately saw more cohesion in her friend’s face as his eyes met hers. “It’s ok; I’m here, I’m right here, its ok.”

Immediately Harper relaxed and took some deep breaths, his face caked in perspiration as he looked around wide eyed. “Hurts,” he gasped.

“What hurts?” Beka asked anxiously.

“Everything,” He stressed, and grimaced as his body tensed against the restraints.

“Trance, we need a stronger sedative,” Beka ordered and turned back to Harper. “Just calm down and try to relax, we’re going to help you, ok?” Harper nodded his head to her words. “You trust us right?” she checked.

“Always,” he strained to speak before Trance administered the stronger sedative and he immediately relaxed into sleep.

“What is wrong with him, why is he in pain?” Beka asked desperately.

“His consciousness is confused, he was human then android and now he’s human again, his reactions and responses are fighting, been forced into a confined space once again,” Trance shrugged. “He can feel again, and maybe his consciousness quickly forgot the pains of being human,” Trance suggested.

Beka just stared at Harper, seeing his chest rise and fall again was a sight that she couldn’t explain but she felt an overwhelming sense of joy at. She reached out a hand and brushed the matted hair away from his brow, and she could only smile at Harper. “I have my Harper back, that’s all that matters right now,” she stated with passion.

“Take as long as you need,” Dylan put a comforting hand on Beka’s arm. “Get him back to his normal self, and then tell him he can report for duty as a member of this crew.”

“But the Commonwealth,” Beka began.

“Let me deal with the Commonwealth, I’ve seen enough a hundred times over to know they have nothing to worry about when it comes to Seamus Harper,” Dylan stated, before leaving med deck.

Beka looked at Trance and showed her amusement. “Harper’s gonna lap this up, freedom of the Commonwealth, I hate to think what he’ll abuse first, Dylan is creating a whole new type of trouble for himself,” she smiled.

“But a good happy trustworthy problem,” Trance was quick to confirm.

“Yeah, now that sounds like the Harper I remember,” Beka agreed.

---

Rommie was cautious as she was met by both hologram and the image of her self on command. “Ladies,” Rommie greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“How are we feeling?” the hologram corrected. “None of us feel.”

“Schematics,” Rommie glared at her holo-self. “Harper is human once again.”

“We know.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Rommie stated with frustration. “Things were said and done while he was like us, that he probably will remember.”

“You want to know how we will deal with this?”

“Of course, I mean,” Rommie paused and looked at the screen. “You almost forced him to merge with you.”

“I did not!” Andromeda protested.

“You did too,” Rommie returned. “He won’t forget the things you said, and how you responded to having him inside you, so to speak,” Rommie looked uncertain.

“You feel I should feel embarrassment?” Andromeda questioned. “I can not feel such things.”

“You, we,” Rommie paused for a moment. “You must feel something, a loss, sadness, regret?” Rommie questioned.

“I have adapted to the new information and expect things to resume as they were,” Andromeda offered.

“He has no data port,” holo-Rommie revealed.

“Could cause problems,” Rommie agreed.

“He can be fitted with a better model than previously,” Andromeda suggested. “One that will give him greater connection and less feedback shocks.”

“I’m sure Dylan and the others would happily fund such an operation, if Harper so wishes it,” Rommie stated.

“Why would he refuse?” Andromeda showed confusion.

“It’s a major operation and he’s been through a lot already,” Rommie defended him. “Have the others noticed yet?”

“Yes, although they are trying not to react, it doesn’t directly affect them as much as it does us,” Andromeda answered.

“The thought of Harper not getting his data port back,” Holo-Rommie spoke up. “I can’t think how we can revert back to an engineer that can not directly link to us; we have grown use to this function being available.”

“It remains Harper’s choice,” Rommie stated. “But I’m confident he’ll want to hook up to us again just as much as we want him back, working on our systems, right sister?” she looked directly at Andromeda.

“I would appreciate it if he chose to get another data port,” she reluctantly agreed. “I do miss his presence.”

Rommie couldn’t help the knowing smile. “I’m sure he’ll miss you too if he couldn’t hook up, he’s also an old romantic like that,” she teased.

“I do feel a loss now that Harper is no longer like us, akin to losing a vital sub-routine that could have greatly benefited our operation,” Andromeda suddenly spoke up.

“You had a taster of something good but I fear it would never have been permanent, Harper is too much an individual, his own person to ever allow himself to be consumed by something greater than he, after all the Abyss tried twice and failed,” Rommie considered with some pride. “In his own mind, he is the greatest,” she added with a smile.

“Very true,” Andromeda conceded and Rommie found herself alone on command as her sisters flashed out of sight.

---

Trance smiled as Beka approached, and she noticed how tired the blonde captain looked. “I’m sorry to wake you but I thought you should spend some time with him, at this time.”

“Where is he?” Beka asked, blinking her eyes awake.

“On the Maru, in the engineering section,” Trance gestured. “He’s still sedated so not quite his normal self, he’s making more sense now though,” the golden alien offered. “He’s lightly sleeping at the moment.”

“In the engineering section?” Beka frowned.

Trance shrugged. “He’s happy there, I think he needs to be in a place he trusts,” she offered.

“And he’s ok to be off med deck?” Beka checked.

“He’s perfectly ok, the trauma of his return is still a concern but physically he’s as good as new,” Trance assured her. “In fact he’s never been in better condition.”

“OK, well I guess I better see what I can do, thanks for looking after him Trance,” Beka gestured.

“I didn’t want to wake you too soon, but he needs a friend who can relate to him more about being human,” Trance hinted, and then moved past Beka leaving her to look at the Maru before deciding to enter.

The feeling of home never left Beka whenever she stepped onto her ship, so many memories and feelings hit her each time and she never grew tired of it. A sound she never usually heard hit her now, pain filled sobs and she raced through the ship towards engineering. She found Harper in the furthest corner, his knees brought up to his chest and his face buried as his arms hugging himself, and his body was racked with sobs.

“Seamus,” Beka spoke with concern as she moved to his side. Harper looked up with a tear stained face, breathing heavily between sobs and he just stared at Beka. “Come here,” Beka offered and she quickly embraced the eager engineer who hugged her back with some vigour. “It’ll be ok, you hear me, Seamus? Everything will be ok, I promise,” she repeated as she gently rocked him in her arms, needing to believe her own words as much as Harper.

It was another five minutes before the sobs had quietened down and Harper gently pulled out of Beka’s protective hold. He sat back against the bulk head, drawing his knees back up to his chest as he leaned his head against the railing that ran beside him. Beka watched over him, he looked younger and even slighter than she remembered; making her wonder whether the engine had brought back his right aged body.

“Are you ok?” Beka asked. Tiredly Harper nodded his head, a movement she barely noticed. “Are you in pain?” Again Harper nodded, and he wiped his eyes on his sleeve before taking a deep breath.

“What happened?” he then asked in barely a whisper, sounding a little shell shocked.

“I’m not sure I could explain but somehow you’ve had your body returned to its original state,” Beka attempted.

“It hurts so much,” Harper grimaced, and he forced back the tears this time, as he hugged himself tighter.

Beka tried to look sympathetic but she knew she only looked confused. “Trance believes that the shock of being human again is your pain, that it’s not directly physical.”

“This isn’t my body,” Harper then dismissed.

“I’m not sure you can exchange it,” Beka offered and smiled, and was pleased when she saw Harper smirk finally, relaxing slightly. “Harper, I’m just glad your still here in some shape or form.”

Harper took some deep breaths before responding. “I’d just got use to the fact I wouldn’t be human again, wouldn’t have to suffer like this and I’d be free.”

“You’re still free,” Beka assured him. “And the pain will ease, and I promise to make sure you don’t suffer. The past few weeks have been a nightmare for all of us and we’ll never go back to those times, we’ve been given a second chance, Harper,” Beka encouraged.

Bringing his hand to his neck, Beka saw Harper hold the area where his data port used to be, on his original body. “You can get a new one, I’m sure we have the funds,” Beka lightly spoke.

Harper seemed unsure as he brought his hand away and hugged himself again. “I don’t know,” he offered and then looked up with a troubled frown. “I’m tired,” he then stated.

“You can sleep on the Maru,” Beka offered and helped him to his feet, noting how shaky he was and put it down to the sedatives still inside him. “You’ll feel better after some sleep.”

“Don’t count on it,” Harper responded, and Beka put her arm around his shoulders to lead the way.

They both stopped on seeing Tyr ahead of them, cradling his son in his arms. “He’s been restless, I’m just walking him around to encourage him to sleep,” Tyr offered as they both began to approach.

“This is your son?” Harper checked, as he got closer and moved to Tyr’s side to get a better look.

“Tamerlane,” Tyr offered Harper a better look at his young son, and his son’s eyes opened to look at Harper.

“May I?” Harper asked, indicating a wish to hold the child.

“Harper you’re still unsteady on your feet, maybe it’s best for Tyr to keep hold of his son?” Beka nervously spoke.

“Tyr, you trust me right?” Harper asked and Tyr slowly nodded his head and transferred the boy from his arms to Harper, who expertly took a good hold on the child and cradled him in his arms. “So you’re the future of the Nietzshceans?” Harper half smiled. “If only my ma and pa could see me now, cradling the reincarnation of what’s his face, they’d be so proud,” Harper quipped. “But I hear you saved my life,” he frowned. “You’re already as confusing as your dad, you know that kid?” he smiled and then handed Tyr his son back. “I need to rest,” he simply said and moved past Tyr out of sight towards the bunks.

“How is he?” Tyr asked once Harper was out of earshot.

“Hard to say, he’s confused, hurt and unsure of who he is,” Beka offered. “But he’ll be ok, I’m sure of it.”

Tyr considered Beka’s words and looked down at his son. “I will be leaving with my son tomorrow, I have other concerns now,” he offered and then looked at Beka. “But look after Harper, and don’t ever hesitate to contact me if the little professor picks up his habit of finding trouble again, never hesitate.”

“I will,” Beka assured Tyr, and then looked amused. “I’m sure he’ll find it a comfort to know you have his back.”

“My son helped him for a reason, of that I am sure and as a result I will consider Harper important to my family, that is all,” Tyr stated.

“Of course, because friendship is so unlikely,” Beka teased as she moved past a bemused Nietzschean.

Beka arrived in the crew quarters to find Harper already tucked under the blankets of his bunk and she moved to his side. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she checked. “Do you want me to stay?”

Harper looked at her and seemed to consider her words before responding. “I shouldn’t be here, should I?”

“Of course you should!” Beka dismissed.

“But,” Harper began in protest. “I died, you saw me killed, you saw me as a machine and now I’m human when there’s no real explanation for that is there?”

“Harper,” Beka soothed, and brushed his hair back with her hand tenderly. “You are Seamus Harper, and as ever you have defied all odds and excelled beyond what you should have,” she stressed with a smile. “If you’d of been killed by the Abyss, or become a part of this ships mechanics then none of us would be here right now, think about that for a moment, you being here means we’re all here too, ok?” Beka said with fondness.

Harper frowned and then looked at Beka. “I want to disagree,” he stated and then sighed. “But I can’t, I did save the day didn’t I?” he smiled smugly.

Beka lightly laughed. “Of course you did, hero, who else could have told us in step by step instructions how to defeat the Abyss, who else could have figured that out from just a bunch of memories you had implanted inside you?”

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that I turned into a machine when I did, I mean,” Harper paused. “There was this information that organics couldn’t process but I happen to turn into machine just at that time we became aware of it and suddenly it made sense.”

“What?” Beka checked.

“The information, I made out that it was my natural genius but it was mainly a computer mind that needed to calculate that stuff to make sense and once I got the implants, well, it all made sense,” Harper offered tiredly. “Not even Trance could have figured it out.”

“Trance,” Beka repeated the alien’s name.

“She’s not stupid,” Harper slowly smiled.

“You mean?” Beka prompted.

“Did she really try to stop what was happening, ever?” Harper questioned. “She knew before I did, why do you think she called you here to baby-sit, I was getting too close to the truth that she had to leave.”

“Your brain works too hard,” Beka offered, but her own mind was now running over the possibilities. “You should rest.”

“I’m ok, you’re right, I’ll be fine,” Harper stated assuredly. “Just growing pains.”

“Growing pains?”

“Needing to fit the body, it’s easing now, I’ll be my old self tomorrow, sans data port of course, and years of exposure to crap on Earth, I’m a new man, literally,” Harper grinned his trademark smile.

“And Trance planned all this?” Beka asked.

“I didn’t say that,” Harper spoke before turning over and settling down to sleep.

“You did,” Beka protested.

“I just said she’s not stupid,” Harper returned, his back still to Beka. “Besides it doesn’t matter does it, all any of us wanted was for things to return to normal and you’ll see I’ll be my usual annoying self when I wake up.”

“And as far from normal as possible, trust me,” Beka remarked, and then frowned. “Are you ok?”

Harper turned over and looked at her. “Yes, now let a man sleep,” he stressed but saw Beka still looking unsure, and he moved to sit up, wrapping the blankets around him. “Are you ok?” he then asked knowingly.

“I’ve done nothing but treat you like crap,” Beka stated, and felt her emotions rising.

“I’ve hardly made it easy for you, and haven’t I already said we’re cool?” Harper asked tiredly.

“But do you mean it?” Beka asked.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course!” Beka stated.

“Then I mean it,” Harper shrugged, and looked at her with conviction. “You got your wish Beka Valentine, you have your Harper back now let me sleep so I don’t kill you before you’ve had a chance to appreciate it some more.”

Beka couldn’t help the smile, and she slowly nodded her head. “OK, point taken, if you need anything,” she began.

“I’ll call Rommie,” Harper murmured from under the blankets.

“Gee thanks,” Beka mocked.

“Least she lets me sleep!” Harper returned.

“I just want to be sure you’re ok,” Beka defended and began backing out.

“I’ll be fine, go,” Harper requested, but she could hear him stifling a laugh and with a huge smile Beka left Harper to rest.

---

“Don’t say it!” Andromeda stated.

“What?” Harper looked surprised as he turned to the screen, having just completed repairs, he had been human again for nearly two days and Dylan had agreed to him returning to light duties, which Harper translated as fix the ship but don’t kill yourself doing it.

“You were just about to say I’m all fixed and in perfect working order,” Andromeda guessed.

“Well you are,” Harper offered confused.

“The last time you said that,” Andromeda began.

“Oh,” Harper was quick on the uptake. “Babe, I won’t ever say those words again if you don’t want me to,” Harper smiled. “Gee, definitely not after the last time,” he frowned.

“Harper,” Andromeda spoke with a different tone, and she waited for Harper to look at her before she continued. “You haven’t requested a new data port to be fitted.”

“I know,” Harper began to walk, as he fussed with his tool belt replacing the tools he’d been using, by way of distraction.

“Are you going to?” Andromeda’s hologram appeared in front of Harper and he abruptly stopped.

Harper looked around before he finally settled on looking at Andromeda. “I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s not you Andromeda, I promise,” Harper was quick to assure her.

“I miss you,” she admitted, and looked at Harper with some doubt.

Harper took a deep breath and nervously his hand went to where his data port had once been, on his other human form. “I’m a little nervous.”

“Nervous?”

“About anyone messing with my head again, the artificial stuff,” Harper admitted.

“Have I made you nervous?”

“Not you,” Harper dismissed immediately. “Listen Romdoll, it’s not you, I promise and if anything the time I spent with you, so real and so amazing as it was, it was the only good I can remember when I was like that, so don’t think this is anything to do with you. It’s all about me,” Harper said sincerely.

“You are human,” Andromeda stated.

“Yeah, and right now I’m fully human and I just need to live this for a bit before I go and get myself kitted out with a new port,” Harper stated.

“I understand.”

“You do?” Harper checked unsure.

“I would love to have the choices that you have had,” Andromeda revealed.

“No, trust me, you wouldn’t, you think its tough being the toughest kick ass war ship in the galaxy?” Harper half smiled. “Try being a kludge, a puny little human with,” Harper paused and closed his eyes. “It’s so much more complicated, trust me.”

“I trust you, and I trust that when you are ready you will soon be able to interface with me again,” Andromeda stated.

“It’s all about the interfacing with you, Romdoll, isn’t it,” Harper then teased. “I promise you’ll have me all to yourself again one day, maybe I’ll get a port that gives you even more access to the Harper, I have no shame,” he continued.

“You know my reasons for wishing you better access to me,” Andromeda reputed.

“Yeah, the classic old Harper loving,” Harper teased some more.

“My sister was right,” Andromeda shook her head both as a hologram and on screen before disappearing from sight, leaving Harper alone and wearing an amused expression.

“Now,” he proclaimed. “Everything is back to normal,” Harper grinned and with a simple content sigh he continued back towards command, ready to serve the Andromeda right where he belongs.

The end