"Good afternoon, denizens of seefra... or goodnight," "Depending on the rotation of your location." "This is virgil vox, the voice of reason," "Riding the sound waves live to tell you how it is." "Rhade!" "Be right back." "On the house." "Thanks." "Why?" "Like to know who's in the place." "I'm in this place a lot." "Why?" "Not much to tell." "I'm stuck here like everyone else." "Maybe." "You seem like the kind of guy that's good at getting unstuck." "I used to be." "Not so much anymore." "Well, here's to "used to be."" "A fine woman, despite her temper." "How'd you come to meet her?" "Seems like a lifetime ago" "On seefra-Eight." "Queen of the rice festival she was," "For three years running." "I was just a grunt that built the float she rode on." "It's that kind of story, you know?" "Night before the parade, she came to check the work." "Well... we got to talking," "And, of course, i made her laugh." "One thing led to another, and, um... let's just say, i was picking rice out of my back" "For about a week." "You were lovers?" "Yeah, on good days." "And on bad ones?" "Well, she tried to eat me once." "Just the once." "What did i just miss?" "Don't go." "It's just a game." "What" "You're firing at nothing." "Cover me." "Cover you?" "Come on!" "No!" "I've got to stay and fight." "Suit yourself." "Let's go." "Just another day in glamorous seefra." "The universe is a dangerous place," "But in our future," "My crew and i fight to make it safe." "I am dylan hunt," "Captain of theandromeda ascendant," "And these are our adventures." "If this doesn't clear up your headache," "Nothing will." "You're lucky to be alive." "Old greyban ranbamagen's ghost, that's who done it." "His ghost!" "Old greyban ranbamagen." "His ghost, that's who done it." "Well, whatever it was," "I've never been so scared." "My hands were shaking to where i couldn't control them." "That's because something was controlling you." "Marika... made a friend's hair turn white." "He deserve it?" "No man deserves what marika done." "I mean, she makes monsters" "Out of men." "That's what women do." "Yeah, well, whatever happened here," "I offer 1,000 canaa" "To whoever brings me back" "My stolen painting." "You're more sentimental than i would've thought." "Sentiment?" "That painting's worth 10,000 canaa." "Can you bring it back?" "I'm in." "Interested?" "If i get a cut of the reward." "Where do we start?" "How about with this guy?" "Find out what killed him?" "Yup." "The ghost of greyban ranbamagen!" "Old greyban ra" "Thank you." "I'll take him off your hands." "Not without paying me, you won't." "Pay you?" "Pay you for what?" "It's my job to collect the bodies," "At five canaa per." "Excellent heating fuel, these ones." "Life's cheap here." "Apparently death is very expensive." "Mm." "Hyper-Spectral imaging identifies something solid," "Metallic," "But it moves in an organic fashion," "Going up every nose in the joint." "Well, it must attack" "The neuron receptors in the brain" "To cause that kind of response." "This guy's heart is healthy," "But his adrenaline residue's off the charts." "Maybe he died of fright." "Maybe." "Well, since you guys were breathing this purple mist," "I thought this might be a good place to start." "Magnify." "Would you look at that." "Nano-Bots." "Is that a symbol?" "Bring us in closer." "We find what that symbol is, we find sembler's painting." "This all seems so familiar," "But i don't know why." "Understanding... will come." "We hope." "Do you remember?" "I don't know." "We travel in different universes," "You and i." "Reality seems to have only one place," "The perspective from where we stand," "But reality has many heads." "This, too, you will learn." "You don't want to go there... fair warning." "Yes, i do," "And if you want your painting back," "You'll tell me whose symbol that is." "There's a place on seefra-Seven." "Some say it's a myth, but i'm not so sure." "It's a place of monsters and ghouls," "The compound of a destroyer of men," "Named marika." "I will repeat, i'm in, but for a price." "Otherwise i wouldn't make this trip." "Am i clear?" "Uh, crystal." "We're in a new paradigm, dylan," "And themaru'sin bad shape." "I need new ring laser gyros, and in this armpit of a system," "Even just asking for certain technologies" "Can get you killed." "Don't worry, you'll get paid," "And then you can afford your new gyros." "We're coming in for a landing, but i've got to warn you," "This won't be pretty." "I see what you mean about the gyros." "Great." "What?" "Just great." "I busted out my ag cylinders." "Looks like i'm going to have to stick around and fix this." "You guys'll have to go on without me." "All right, uh... just get it ready." "We may have to get out of here fast." "I can't take care of myself." "I'm too young," "Too erratic." "I can't help it." "Age isn't relevant, neither is time." "Time?" "You are impressionable, trance gemini." "Don't fool yourself." "Look at the system we're in." "Two suns." "Why am i here?" "Because things are not as they were." "And that is a good thing." "Your role and dylan's are now reversed." "Before, you guided him," "And now, he is the only one who can guide you," "But he needs you now." "Go." "Another underground system" "Like seefra-One." "Ideas?" "Um, kill the guards, blast our way in," "Grab sembler's stolen property," "Blast our way out." "I was thinking of something a little more quiet." "You know, like a diversion and sneak in." "How did you do that?" "I didn't do a thing." "Whatever it was," "It came at the right time." "Maybe someone's looking out for us." "What do you think?" "Which way?" "It's your party." "Look out!" "These guys are deformed." "Ugh." "All right." "Let's go." "She's very good." "If you like life," "Throw out your weapons and surrender!" "Harper?" "Harper!" "Stop firing, fleshbag," "Or i'll rip out your entrails!" "Dylan?" "Hey, hey, rhade." "We're not here to kill harper." "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." "I'm sure!" "Ah, ah." "Take it easy." "Take it easy, putting it away." "Harper?" "Harper." "Crap." "Okay." "I've got to think." "Uh, finally starting to do all right here," "And now you show up." "Now we got somebody else to worry about." "What?" "No "hello?"" "No "thank god you're still alive?"" "No shouts of fond recognition?" "Maybe you should kill him." "Okay, okay, okay." "I was kidding." "I know." "Okay, okay." "Sorry." "Um, so how are you guys?" "Fine." "How are you?" "Oh, you know." "No, i don't." "You see, i thought you were dead," "And then, well, you're not." "You're here, you're alive, makes me very happy," "But all i get from you is just... weird." "Look, it's not safe here." "Trust me, you don't want to be here." "Is rommie here?" "More or less." "He's up to something." "More or less, yeah." "Yes, i made it through, but it was a while ago." "How did you get here?" "I'm not exactly sure." "One minute i'm smelling magog breath," "And then next, there's a bright light," "And this feeling like i'm" "Being disassembled atom by atom." "Yeah." "So you did go through it, too, huh?" "Oh, yeah." "Well, i ended up here" "With nobody and nothing." "So you started thieving." "No." "I started thieving when i was, like, four." "This, this is, uh- It's not thieving." "Oh, crap." "Why don't you meet me back at the lab?" "Are you going to be safe?" "Yes." "In good company, harper." "Very." "Her name's doyle." "She protects me." "She makes sure i don't end up stranded" "On some hellhole of a rock." "Now, please, you've got to go." "Stop pretending" "Like you're concerned for our lives, harper." "Okay, for the moment," "I am concerned mostly about mine." "I just don't want the guards to see you." "We've already met the guards." "What?" "Oh, crap, this is really not good." "He is stealing." "Look," "Just let me show you the way out." "We came to collect a reward." "We need the money to fixandromeda." "Theandromedais here?" "Beka?" "On themaru, effecting repairs." "Themaru?" "Andromeda, beka, you guys," "This is great news." "Now, good-Bye." "We're not leaving without the painting." "All right." "Hottie with horns and a tail, kind of freaky?" "Mm." "Right." "Now, let's go." "That's weird." "How many weeks have you been here?" "Weeks?" "I've been here years, pal." "Three, to be almost exact." "Three years?" "All that time," "And you couldn't find a way out of this place?" "I've been trying, okay?" "I thought i was here the longest," "And that's been under a year." "Well, obviously some sort of time dilation" "And expansion's been taking place." "I don't know how i got the long end of the stick," "But we must have gone through some kind of vortex." "All put down here at different times." "What did you mean when you said" "That rommie was here "more or less?"" "Uh..." ""more or less" was the wrong thing to say." "I meant, in a sense." "So rommie made it." "Oh, she's here all right," "But you know how it was." "There were magog everywhere." "She saved me." "Ah, ventilation ports." "They pause on the hour." "I fixed them so i could sneak in and out." "Talk to me, harper." "All right, there's this woman." "Always is." "She runs the place." "Marika." "You heard of her?" "Yeah, so no games." "Who is she?" "She's a geneticist, a bad one." "I'm just trying to hide you guys from her." "Right, those guards." "Pretty messy." "Yeah, she's been trying to make new life forms," "But with the ban on technology, she's had to cut corners." "Makes for a lot of mistakes." "New life forms?" "She's got this vision of building a new vedran age." "She got their genetic imprint" "From pods she uncovered." "You're growing vedrans?" "I prefer "farming" the perfect being." "On the other hand," "If by "growing," you mean" "Random accretions of living tissue" "Only a mother could love, then, yes, you'd be correct." "Check that, not even a mother." "So marika was getting nowhere until you came along." "I only refined the process some." "It's still kind of piece by gruesome piece," "If you know what i mean." "There's your cue." "How did you spread fear so easily?" "Come on, what makes you think i had anything to do with that?" "Harper." "Pheromones." "I developed a whole bunch." "Some workers took one that induces fear." "They're using it to steal, i guess." "Not just stealing, people are dying." "People are dying?" "They went too far." "The thieves!" "They'll get what they deserve" "When marika finds out they've been stealing," "Which'll be soon." "They'll be sorry, and so will you" "If you don't get the hell out of here." "Now, as we say on earth,adios!" "He's dodging what happened to rommie." "He didn't insult me, not once." "That's not right." "In this world with so little, i give you everything," "But you steal, and you bring intruders here?" "Marika... come on, steal?" "Me?" "Like you say, you give me everything." "Why would i steal?" "And intruders?" "Pshaw!" "I haven't seen any." "Guards were attacked, harper." "People came here because of the thefts." "Now, what do you know about this?" "I know you're upset." "They stole a ship from you," "But they also broke into my lab." "They stole my bots, my pheromones." "They stole all this stuff from us!" "If i may say "us."" "I want to know who it is just as much as you do." "I have to be very careful, harper." "Before you arrived here, i was only breaking tech laws." "Yeah, and they can only skin you alive once." "And since you've been here," "We've done things they don't even have laws for." "Haven't i kept you out of hot water so far?" "I help you," "You help me." "We've got to keep that going, no matter what." "If you really want to bring back" "The good old high-Tech vedran days," "I suggest you let me get back to work." "Facts indicate" "Someone else was involved in the thefts." "I want to know who." "Me too." "Whatever i can do to help, you know where to find me." "Trust in the harper." "He's in one piece, yes, but different somehow." "Same old same, but worse." "Well, there's news." "I mean, look, three years in this dump hole," "No friends." "A guy's got to live, right?" "Sure, he's living," "But i get the feeling" "It's at the expense of others." "Sounds right up your alley, rhade." "Come on, you guys." "Let's go find out what harper's been up to." "Keep your pants on." "You want to get out of here, or not?" "Seefra asleep." "Your voice of necromancy... sly agate-Colored eyes and unexpected rainfalls." "I'm virgil vox." "This one's for you." "Gogol." "Come here, big guy." "Why is it every time i look for something," "It's not where i left it?" "You told me to clean up." "Yes, but..." ""a place for everything, everything in its place,"" "Not, "put things in new places each time."" "Make sense?" "You're the boss." "I know i'm the boss." "That's why you do whatever i say." "Ah, geez." "Come here, have a seat." "Sit down, big guy." "When i built you, certainly i made some mistakes." "I wish you'd dress a little better," "But it's important to let you make your own choices." "Because i made you, what happens to you... what your fate becomes... big guy, you've got to be more careful." "The stealing." "The thieving." "It's supposed to be a secret." "Nobody's supposed to know it's me." "Master... i know, i know." "You're just trying to do what i say," "But this time, you went overboard." "People died." "That brings attention." "When marika finds out it can't be anyone but me... well... your old friends are back." "They're here." "Of course they are." "That's my plan." "I knew they'd be back." "We'll talk later." "Okay?" "I know... what i should do." "Huh... guess who plays here?" "He's lost his mind." "Not surprising." "Yeah." "Harper's lost his mind." "Was that rommie?" "What's left of her." "She's going to be fine." "There's just a few things i haven't quite worked out yet." "Seamus... what have you done?" "Just been... trying my best." "It's tough without andromeda's tools." "Unfortunately, my best hasn't been good enough." "Not yet, anyway." "Low-Life... soul-Stealing... sphincter." "Hey!" "What are you attacking me for?" "I built her." "I spent four years with her," "And another three trying to get her back." "Harper, don't dig the hole deeper," "Just talk." "Rommie... she blew up." "Then after i got tesseracted here," "I figured i was never going to see any of you again, so... so you tried to rebuild her." "I downloaded her vitals onto my hand-Held" "From the leftover pieces," "But it was just basic brain stuff," "None of the interaction of emotion and data" "That was my rommie." "Just her head." "I can't get it right." "Her systems won't cooperate." "Harper, it sounds like" "Rommie didn't like what you were doing to her." "So you just shut down your conscience." "It's not that difficult to do when things get tough enough," "And obviously you've been here long enough" "To know how tough they can be." "This whole system... the same freaking mess duplicated nine times." "Sometimes, a person's got to do" "What they got to do." "How are you getting by, rhade, huh?" "By the tight pants, i can only guess." "And you, i'm sure you've got some scam running," "So what gives either of you the right" "To just waltz in here three years later and judge," "Let alone interfere with my survival, huh?" "I don't care about your survival." "Look, i failed, okay?" "She's in some kind of internal conflict." "I'm afraid what she'll do." "You're lying." "Okay, go ahead, power her up." "Maybe you'll be the first one she kills." "She's not rommie anymore, okay?" "She's someone else." "Marika's got gogol." "What?" "I got a problem." "One of my workers." "For your own safety, stay put." "You look great." "Looks like he's sneaking out." "That's what sneaks do." "Your organic parts are still of use to us." "Now, unfortunately for you," "Your creator, harper, is a genius." "He gave you the ability to feel pain," "To suffer," "If only in ignorance." "For crying out loud, at least anesthetize him." "The cells we want cannot be tainted." "Our entire purpose is the creation of a pure vedran." "I'll develop new cell structures" "We don't have time." "I toiled for a decade before you came here, harper," "Sacrificed everything to recreate the new vedran line" "To save us all." "My vision will not be compromised." "I'm sorry, buddy." "And now, you'll be part of a greater eternity." "Ready yourself." "I wouldn't put those on without knowing what they do." "Well, i'm hoping it's a v.R. Relay into rommie." "Hoping?" "We'll find out." "It's your brain." "Let's wake her up." "Rommie... rommie, i know you're here." "I've come to help." "Rommie... it's dylan." "Do you recognize me?" "And i want you to report for duty." "Rommie, acknowledge andromeda ascendant hierarchy" "And commonwealth command structure." "Commonwealth." "Command structure." "Andromeda." "Who are you?" "Are you harper's friend?" "It doesn't look that way." "But he can help you." "He will always help you." "He can undo the harm he's done." "You can trust him." "I trust him." "Tell me who you are." "I am unsure." "You, rommie, are andromeda." "Then i don't exist." "When i said somebody had to fall," "I meant marika, not gogol." "He never really was all that bright." "Yeah, and i made him think" "I wanted him to sacrifice himself." "I will kill her." "I will kill her right now, harper." "I'll do anything for you." "I will kill her right now." "No, no, trust me, it's too risky." "It would expose us." "We could never do it." "Then we need someone who can." "Marika!" "Stop!" "I got an idea!" "You do exist, rommie." "You and andromeda are one." "I'm awake... after so long." "It's been nano-Millennia." "No, no, see, that- That's harper's doing." "I think it's been a very short time." "I do remember a dark eternity." "It's over now." "How, at first," "I swore i would serve whoever freed me" "From this unjust imprisonment." "And then, when no one came... how i realized" "That whoever freed me" "Was my betrayer." "What are you talking about?" "And then how i swore to kill whoever set me free." "Listen to me." "You're here to destroy me." "No!" "Welcome back." "You find her?" "Yeah, i found her." "What if we could turn everyone across this system" "To our side," "Get them to back our dream of a vedran rebirth." "My dream." "Your dream, all yours." "I am simply a lowly helping hand" "One you have to keep in hand." "However, i only have two, you know." "Hands." "What if we could get everyone's hands working on your goal?" "I like it when you scheme." "I like it when you like it when i scheme." "The fear pheromone... use it." "Bend people to your will." "Rule with terror." "Really, it would be the only humane thing to do." "Word would spread... resistance would evaporate." "Like a ripple on a wave of pheromones." "I like it." "I want a demonstration." "I know just the place." "So, uh... i was talking to rommie." "You're still alive." "Ha." "I can fix her." "She's just a little messed up" "To say the least." "That must've been a hard adjustment for you." "It was." "I lost hope," "Alone in this armpit." "So, unfortunately for me," "I found other pursuits for my talents." "Yeah, i know." "You make one hell of a thief." "I've been creating people." "Pals." "I've been working really hard." "We have," "And done not a bad job, considering." "Good old harper." "They're amazing, dylan." "They got emotions." "They feel." "I mean, they really feel." "They feel pain" "So you escaped into your work." "Yeah, the point is," "Marika uses their feelings to get to me." "She was going to kill gogol, one of my creations." "So... to save them, i had to do it." "Do what?" "In a few days," "This whole system's going to be a cesspool of fear." "What have you done, harper?" "Marika's going to let loose the fear pheromone at daybreak," "And use it to take over." "And you put her up to it." "You created the mist." "You gave it to her." "You did that." "It's every person for themselves here, okay?" "Things change." "You know that." "If you really want to make a difference," "There's still time." "You could stop her." "So that's what you're really up to." "You want marika out of the way," "But you want me to do your dirty work for you." "Well done, harper." "Well done." "You made your problem my problem." "Citizens of seefra!" "This is your last morning." "A new day," "A new vision of life will be granted to others," "Those who will hear the tale of woe that once was this town," "But your sacrifice will serve as a lesson" "To those who would oppose me." "I will not be challenged!" "For we must all work together... to one vision." "A new vedran birth!" "Good-Bye, seefra-One." "Go!" "Damn it!" "I'll be back." "Sweetie, i have something for you." "It won't work." "I'm immune." "Well, you see, this one's a little bit different." "It's a present from my new old friend mr." "Harper." "It'll neutralize the fear bots and you." "Fear... it'll eat you up, spit you out." "I could use a drink." "Well, i'm willing to bet today, for us," "They're on the house." "Let's go get that reward." "The painting." "I am going to disappear for a week." "Hey, do us a favor, make it two." "How about you?" "My work here is done." "I'm going back to harper." "Well, thank you." "Could i talk to you for a second?" "Sure." "Back to harper?" "How does that work?" "Hello." "They don't like harper." "Well, they're, uh, they're disappointed." "They're hurt." "We have a history together," "And he tried to forget it." "And you?" "I don't know if i can trust him anymore." "He knows that." "He asked if he could speak to you." "I believe he needs your trust." "Well, then, he'll just have to earn it, now, won't he?" "Wish me luck." "Listen." "Maybe it wasn't fair to her" "To keep her basic functions going like this for so long." "Maybe... maybe i did do it more for me than for her." "But believe me," "It was only because... i love rommie so much, i guess i just couldn't let go." "You gave her your best, harper." "You have to know that." "I'll send your love." "Rommie, do you understand what's happened to you?" "I believe so." "You're making decisions without your core processor." "Now, yes." "I think that's a good thing." "It means you're on your way back to us." "Do you trust me?" "Trust?" "I have to shut you down." "It's only for a while," "And i need to know if that's okay with you." "I believe it is." "Thank you." "In my nano-Cortex," "I will think on all that has happened," "What has changed," "What has remained." "Perhaps... i can reach a conclusion" "More in keeping with my former programming." "That's all i can ask." "I'll do the rest." "Thank you." "I hope to see you again." "You'll see me again."