"No." "No way." "It's not possible." "Not even i could consume this much." "What's the matter?" "Questioning the amount of your bill" "Or the size of your problem?" "My only problem" "Is a bartender lining his pockets" "By padding my bill." "The only thing padded around here, rhade," "Is your drunken ego." "Wait, wait... wait." "If you weren't too blasted to count," "You'd realize he's been giving you" "The family and friends discount." "Blasted?" "I am not" "Uh, thank you very much, but, uh... why don't you take it outside?" "No." "Seriously," "The harper-Bashing" "Is getting a little bit old." "If it isn't you" "Whining about your bill," "It's doyle whining" "That he didn't make her a real live girl." "What did you just say?" "Which part of "take it outside"" "Am i mispronouncing?" "Oh, something only a machine ear would pick up." "She doesn't mean it, doyle." "She's on the" "On the" " On the what?" "Sorry." "Ooh." "Way to bite the hand that protects you, kludge." "This is protecting?" "And don't call me "kludge," uber." "I don't whine about not being... organic." "It's not that great anyway." "Oh, you whine a little." "All right." "That's it." "No more drinks for you." "Zero drink maximum, pal." "Finally- An intervention." "Oh, i guess you'd know all about those." "What was your intervention for?" "Flash abuse, or possession by the abyss?" "Ooh." "Sorry." "Take it outside!" "Ha!" "Outside?" "Is that outside enough for you?" "Not the hair!" "Aah!" "Take it like a woman, you!" "My eye!" "My eye!" "Ha ha!" "Ow!" "No biting." "No biting!" "Oh... laugh it up." "Laugh it up." "I don't know about you, but that felt too good." "Yeah, amen to that." "Yeah, i guess." "You know, it's kind of amazing" "We haven't killed each other by now." "Life is the only thing left to lose." "And it's a pretty crappy life too." "I mean, stuck here in a stinkhole like this." "We all know whose fault that is." "Oh, trance, he didn't mean you." "Smooth move, rhade." "Ah!" "Damn, damn, and damn!" "Ah!" "Sorry,andromeda." "It's not you, it's me." "It's my inability to get you more power" "In this godforsaken place." "Damn it!" "Oh, hi, trance." "I didn't hear you come in." "Goodbye, dylan." "Trance?" "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." "Doyle!" "Hi." "I, uh... i'm looking for trance." "Have you seen her?" "Actually, yes." "Well, good, then maybe" "You can tell me what's wrong with her." "She came toandromeda, and she was just acting... i don't know." "Something was wrong, and then she just left." "Okay." "Well, here's the thing." "We were talking, and she came along" "And she might have heard something" "That she might have misinterpreted." "She... she left?" "Yeah." "So, she heard you... rhade." "Rhade say... that now we know" "Whose fault it was that everything was lost." "I see." "So a bullet meant for me hit trance?" "Well, that's just great, because now she's gone." "We'll find her." "Yeah, well, i'm going to go look for her in the tunnels." "I can help." "I've been here three years longer," "And i know those tunnels better than you do." "Thanks." "Lead the way." "Who's there?" "I know someone's there." "I'm sorry." "Am i trespassing?" "No." "Well, yes." "I maintain this sector of the tunnels." "I'll go." "Wait!" "Are you alone?" "Yes." "You were crying." "You must be lost." "I really don't want to bother anyone right now." "I'm just going to leave." "Well, you can't." "Uh... i don't mean to frighten you, but it isn't safe down here." "There are... traps." "Oh." "Are you running away to hide yourself" "Or lose yourself?" "Is there a difference?" "Well, i've been sweeping these tunnels for many years." "I've seen every variation." "Well, let's just say both." "Well, at least i thought i had." "There are no princesses on seefra-1," "And i'd at least have heard of you" "If you were from one of the other seefras." "Uh, no, i'm not a princess." "No." "Then what are you?" "Honestly, i have no idea what i am." "I'm orlund." "Trance." "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness." "No, i'm... no, i'm not." "Well, if you don't know what you are," "Then you don't know you're not a princess." "Well, it must take one to know one." "You must be the king of the alpha sector," "Seefra-1 tunnels, then?" "Oh, no, simply a custodian, filling an inherited role." "I maintain the tunnels," "Like my father and his father before him." "How do you maintain them?" "I keep their secrets." "It must be great to have secrets." "Mine are all out in the open." "Tell me one." "I ruin people's lives." "These tunnels seem endless." "8,259 klicks." "A little trivia i picked up from the methus diagram." "Oh." "Which way?" "That way." "Okay." "Ifandromeda was at full capacity," "We could search this without leaving command." "Ifandromeda were at full capacity," "You wouldn't be here" "Cursing every new day on seefra." "It's a tunnel dweller camp... and it's still fresh." "How fresh?" "Very fresh." "Look out!" "Well, i hope trance didn't meet up with these guys." "We'll find her, dylan." "She doesn't know" "How to defend herself." "She has powers, but she can't control them yet." "It must be hard for her." "You don't know the half of it." "You think the others are taking it hard," "Not sure where they are in space and time?" "But it's even harder for trance," "Because she's blaming herself." "She's taken all the responsibility," "But she doesn't know why." "Is it getting warmer in here," "Or are my sensors off?" "Well, we're a long way down." "The closer we get to the core, the hotter it gets." "Whoa!" "Well, there's, uh," "Something you don't see every day." "What happened to him?" "Same thing that happened to them." "This way." "If you follow it all the way," "It will take you right through" "To the other side of seefra-1." "Wow." "My part ends around here." "I bid you farewell, princess." "I can't take you to the next town," "But i can show you a shorter way." "Well, i've heard" "That there are settlements down here." "Aren't there any that are safe?" "Shh." "What do you hear?" "Stay down." "Now do you believe me it's not safe down here?" "That weapon... something else, isn't it?" "It's more like a sculpture than an instrument of war." "A sculpture that turns its victims to stone?" "A high-Energy magnetron in the barrel" "Produces a tuned e.M. Pulse" "Which causes instant molecular atrophy." "Now, i haven't been" "To all of seefra's other eight other planets," "But i know that was not made on any of them." "Very astute, princess." "You're wrong... and you're right." "This elegant weapon" "Is from here, but not from seefra." "A riddle." "Then it's from tarn vedra." "It's vedran." "You know about the vedrans?" "Princesses can't study ancient history?" "I knew someone once who'd love to see that." "It's beautiful." "And now it's mine." "Mine to use as i see fit." "To protect princesses with." "It's starting to add up, guys." "Must be." "I imagine rhade's at the point" "Where things are starting to look up." "Actually, rhade's at the point" "Where you're starting to look pretty." "Excuse me." "Ow!" "I only look down." "It keeps me" "From tripping over my own ideals." "Who are you kidding, rhade?" "You don't have any ideals." "Exactly." "You're a nietzschean." "All you have is... mm." "Go on." "That's right." "You really have nothing, do you?" "Ah, you have been paying attention." "Don't be so glum." "It could all be out there somewhere." "In one of those other universes, maybe." "You could still be living your past" "And have everything." "That's right." "You could still be an admiral on tarazed." "With a wife and three little children." "Yeah." "A wife." "Children?" "You don't have ankle-Biters, do you?" "What?" "Rhade, you never mentioned" "They're dead." "What if we're backwards?" "Is there another beka valentine out there" "On anothermaru," "With another seamus harper riding shotgun?" "Or have they been cosmically erased" "By your arrival here?" "Hmm." "I'm so sorry, rhade." "The party's over." "You rescued me." "All in a day's work... besides dealing with them." "They keep trying to steal our secrets." "You know, vedran technology must be respected." "It's beautiful, symmetrical." "It bestows powers" "These plunderers can't possibly imagine," "Let alone be trusted to use wisely," "And they never learn." "Well, i often wondered what it would be like," "Being the one to be saved." "It's nice." "Any time, your highness." "Anyway," "It should be safe now... safe for you to go." "Go where?" "Oh!" "This is extraordinary." "Is this vedran too?" "How did you find this place?" "It was destiny." "That's how they do things," "The vedrans." "I was working the blink shift," "Sweeping the rails," "My father's route, and his father before him." "But no one ever sees your work." "I see it." "That's what matters." "But you don't know why you work, do you?" "Knowing up here" "Is not as important as knowing in here." "Your heart is in the right place." "That's a good thing for me to remember." "Damn." "I thought for sure" "If i didn't tell him i was coming," "He'd be here." "Andromeda?" "Dylan's not here." "Yeah, i... you know, i liked it a lot better" "When you were about a million times smarter than me." "So did i." "Find him?" "No." "Well, where the heck is he?" "I mean," "Usually his only focus" "Is trying to get andromeda" "Up and running again, on fumes, no less." "You know," "Doyle's nowhere to be found, either." "Looks like we're both out of luck." "Hey, you don't think they're... trying to avoid us, do you?" "Why, just because he owes me 8,052 canaa" "He knows i need today," "And she'd probably rather play high guard mechanic" "Than bartender's assistant?" "I don't know why i bother coming back here." "She doesn't mean it,andromeda." "Yes, she does, harper." "This situation leaves me no choice" "But to activate doyle's beacon." "Wait." "You have doyle" "On a tracking device?" "Yeah, it's just a..." "precaution for her own good." "Wow." "Wait a minute." "There's no signal." "Why is there no signal?" "Well, it serves you right." "She probably found it" "And ripped it out with her bare hands." "Where does it say she ditched it?" "Well, the last transmission" "Was about a half a mile underground," "In a tunnel." "Kind of perfect, isn't it?" "A man from the lowest strata of seefran society" "Chosen to find this." "You know a lot about the vedrans." "Well, we all grew up with the myths," "And when i found this place," "That's when i began to understand them," "To really get inside their heads." "Have you ever told anyone about this?" "No." "Are you kidding?" "And risk vandals finding it?" "Hell, i'm in enough trouble if they ever come back." "I can't see why." "You're taken such good care of it." "Oh, i've done a lot more than that." "I've found enough missing keys to make a complete set." "A key for each door," "A door for each chamber" "Seefra-2, seefra-3," "Seefra-4... which one is for seefra-1?" "We're on seefra-1." "With these, i can open any door," "Even though i'm not vedran." "I know their secrets." "I stole their high guard patch." "They won't be happy about that." "They won't be happy... that the chosen one knows about their secret?" "Or perhaps you were chosen to discover their secrets." "That's how i feel sometimes." "No one really understands the vedrans." "It's better to be safe than sorry." "Are you hungry?" "Here i am, promising to protect you," "And i haven't even asked if you've eaten." "Dylan, this man is petrified" "But not decayed at all... like something turned it to stone." "And i thought i was worried about trance before." "All right, let's go." "It's one of my traps." "Traps?" "You set the traps?" "The ones you warned me about?" "I have to check it." "I'm sorry." "I can't leave you out there alone." "I need you to wait in here." "This room is just like the last one." "Oh, it only looks that way." "Anyway, you'll be safe." "Oh... when i come back, i'll let you back in." "Okay." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Hold it right there, pal." "Turn around, arms up high." "Please... i'm just a poor tunnel dweller" "Who doesn't want any... ooh!" "Ah!" "...trouble." "It didn't affect you." "Define "affect."" "It can only mean one thing." "You're... you're paradine." "Doyle, wait." "You said "paradine."" "Oh, yeah... i know all about you and your race." "Transfigured vedrans." "Dylan, he has no idea what he's talking about." "I know a lot more than i'm talking about." "You recognize it?" "It's, uh, vedran." "You see?" "I knew i was right" "When it didn't kill you like everyone else." "It must be a d.N.A. Sniffer." "A weapon that detects" "The d.N.A. Of whoever it's fired on." "Yeah, operates on the same principle" "As a force lance." "Then why didn't it kill you?" "I don't know." "Maybe it's not programmed for my d.N.A." "But every organic from perseid to ogami to human" "Is programmed in." "Everything... but vedran and paradine." "Ingenious... a weapon incapable of friendly fire." "Oh, it's not that friendly." "I hate to tell you," "But that's not going to do anything to me" "Oh!" "Ow!" "Unless, of course..." "it uses electrical charge." "Lose it." "Put these on." "Move it." "Just say the word, and we'll jump him." "No, he knows too much." "I need to find out what it is." "Amazed i found it, huh?" "Move it." "What is this, some kind of maze?" "It's too late to plead ignorant," "So don't bother." "We just want to talk." "We're looking for someone." "I might as well admit you're looking at him." "Now i just have to make sure" "You can't go back" "And tell your paradine friends about me." "You seem awfully afraid of that." "Yeah, the, uh, paradines" "Are the good guys, remember?" "Or are you just" "A really, really bad guy?" "I've done nothing" "But preserve the vedran legacy," "But i'm not stupid enough to expect thanks for it." "I know they'll want to punish me." "I have to go." "I have someone waiting for me." "What do you have, another hostage?" "A friend." "A princess." "Goodbye." "We're not the only ones." "There are hundreds of angry paradines" "On the way." "You might as well just give yourself up." "You're bluffing." "You hear that?" "A princess." "Trance." "Uh-Huh." "We have to get out of here." "Yeah, like 10 minutes ago." "Would you mind?" "Not at all." "Thank you." "Come on!" "Uh... we need the key." "There's no way out." "Where do you suppose" "They all lead to?" "I have no idea." "Hey, why don't you run the vedran code" "Through your programming?" "See if there's another way to unlock these things." "Efforting." "Are you okay?" "Nah, i don't feel so hot." "I think my circuits are melting." "Yeah... oh, god!" "God, it's hot!" "It's really hot!" "My gosh." "That's charged quartz." "Lots of it." "But on seefra-1?" "And why is it hot?" "Well, it looks like" "It's getting hotter by the minute." "Dylan, by my calculations, you only have six minutes." "Six minutes for what?" "To live." "Ah, that's..." "that's plenty of time." "I like it when things get hot." "It's never easy." "There is no place where light cannot be born." "I know i used to do this before." "Dylan wouldn't lie to me." "Dylan?" "I didn't realize i was being watched." "You're going to try to tell me" "You weren't summoning up your royal guards?" "You said you would protect me," "And then you just left me here, locked out." "Why are you angry?" "I should have known." "It was too coincidental," "You showing up in the tunnel when you did." "So out of place." "So lost." "You're paradine..." "and you're with them." "Paradine?" "No." "I'm a princess, remember?" "You came to investigate me." "I fell for it." "I told you everything!" "We were playing this sweet game... and you were so gallant." "I like you very much," "But i don't think you're well right now." "Perhaps i'm crazed," "But i'm dedicated," "Willing to do whatever it takes." "That's not the same thing." "Now, i have two of your soldiers imprisoned," "So unless you call off this inquisition," "I will be forced to let them die." "Soldiers?" "I don't have" "What do these soldiers look like?" "Why don't we just use the same name," "Since we both know it?" "Dylan." "Four minutes, 32 seconds." "Thanks, doyle." "Thanks for the countdown on my life." "How's the search going?" "It's not working." "Furs from seefra-3." "Look at this." "The carving from seefra-8, all this money." "Where did he get this?" "We should've killed him when we had the chance." "Killed him?" "Then we wouldn't have found out where trance is." "We don't know where trance is." "We're just guessing." "All he said was he had someone to get back to." "I can't believe harper programmed me" "To get headaches." "Well, at least he didn't program you to sweat." "Maybe, maybe not." "You know, considering the circumstances," "You're pretty calm." "We have to stay calm, or we'll make things worse." "Do not manage me, okay?" "I am programmed to freak out like any human," "So that's what i'm doing." "I'm not trying to manage you, doyle." "I'm trying to manage the situation." "Oh, like you managed to splinter your entire crew," "Strip them of everything," "And leave them to scratch out a living" "In the middle of nowhere?" "Hey." "I'm trying to do everything i can" "To fix what's happening to my crew." "I can't believe i just said that." "Yeah, but that's what they think, right?" "No, it isn't." "They think all i care about is fixingandromeda." "You know what?" "They're wrong." "They are wrong!" "Sorry, doyle." "Look, no one's going to die." "Okay?" "Come here." "We're not going to die." "Somewhere around here" "Is where her tracking signal went dead." "I wonder what could've happened to them." "Hopefully not that." "I found something." "It's another door." "Well, it's not like the others," "So maybe the vedran codes will work on it." "Look at that." "They're heating up." "I'm doing that." "I'm... i'm heating up the crystals." "It's from the electromagnetic energy" "You're generating." "I guess one of us is going to die after all." "I don't plan to." "I mean me," "If you can call it dying." "If i power down," "The e.M. Reactions will stop," "And you'll live." "That's a last resort, doyle," "But you've given me an idea." "Oh, dylan, i'm flattered, but we don't have time for this." "Not that kind of idea... but don't think i haven't thought about it." "Excuse me." "Where's your subdermal power converter?" "Rommie's was in her neck." "I have no idea." "Why?" "If your e.M.E. Can affect those crystals," "Then maybe, just maybe," "It can override this magnetic locking mechanism" "On this door," "But first," "I have to increase the output of your converter." "But that'll make it really hot in here," "And the air poisonous to you." "Like it makes a difference" "At this point." "Besides, that's exactly why it'll work." "Excuse me?" "The best solutions" "Are always the most illogical." "Yeah, you can't program that kind of thinking." "Got it." "Oh!" "I see what you mean." "I'll take it from here." "Ha!" "Counter-Logic to the rescue." "Let's get out of here." "Oh, no, no, no." "I'm too turned on" "I mean "up."" "I have to cycle back down first." "Better?" "Every day, i discover something new" "Harper programmed into me." "Let's go." "Why are we back on seefra-1?" "Because you tricked me." "You tricked me" "So i'd tell you what i knew." "What are you going to do?" "Stop the other paradines from finding this place." "Who knows what they'll do to me?" "They will be grateful you have restored it." "They'll be furious i invaded it." "There's only one way." "What are you doing?" "This is the only key to seefra-1." "This way, i'll only have to guard one door." "I have to stop the other paradines" "From finding me." "That doesn't make any sense." "I was entrusted" "To guard these chambers with my life, my princess." "If i fail," "I will have disgraced my father and my grandfather," "And i can't live with that." "I can't be separated from my work." "All of the planets have chambers." "But if i destroy it," "It will destroy all the chambers on all the planets." "And all of the planets as well." "I don't know how i know that." "I just do." "Tunnel dwellers, roasting temperatures, earthquakes?" "No wonder i don't hang out here." "It'sandromeda." "Harper, you wanted to know when doyle's signal reappeared." "It has, on seefra-5." "Seefra-5?" "I don't think so... thank you,andromeda." "I want her to feel included." "Wait, wait, wait." "Up is good." "That sound... it's coming from out there." "Friends and fellow citizens... hey, just what i thought." "You thought there'd be a store" "Where the saloon should be?" "There are earthquakes everywhere." "I want you to look sharp." "And cell broadcasters?" "I thought you couldn't buy those on seefra-1." "You can't." "We're on seefra-5." "Look where the methus suns are." "You're right." "How did we get here?" "The vedran chamber." "Remember, there were eight doors." "Eight planets." "That means each door" "Is a different tesseract portal" "For a different planet." "When we were in the storage vault," "We already were on seefra-5." "That's how orlund got all those artifacts." "Stay cool, look sharp, survive." "Survive the earthquakes... trance is on seefra-1." "And so is everyone else." "What's causing the earthquakes?" "I don't know, maybe... orlund might be trying to destroy the methus crystal," "Thinking it's just a key." "In fact," "It contains all the programming information" "For the planet." "We have to get out of here." "Yeah, i'm right behind you." "All right, this is the way we came in." "This is our tesseract door." "I doubt my e.M.E. Can go high enough" "To power a tesseract." "You're right." "We need more juice." "Crystals." "The charged quartz" "In addition to the vedran codes." "You can't program that kind of thinking." "Codes in place." "What a rush." "All right." "Here we go." "Showtime." "Orlund, stop!" "I won't be punished for preserving my sanctuary." "No one's going to punish you, okay?" "No one's going to hurt you." "Just give me the crystal." "I'm not falling for that." "Listen to me!" "You're not just closing off the tunnel to seefra-1." "This whole planet will collapse if you destroy that crystal." "I swept these tunnels." "Cleaned them." "My father swept these tunnels... my grandfather... no one ever noticed us." "No one ever appreciated us... but we were here all along, toiling under the surface." "And you deserve the recognition." "I will make sure that you get it." "I deserve glory." "I was chosen." "No!" "Dylan, no." "You're stronger than i am," "Yet you pretend like you cannot take this from me." "You want me to kill you." "Do it." "Instead of honoring your legacy, i pillaged it for my own use." "I deserve to die." "Orlund, look at me." "You are guilty of what you say... but you've also done good." "Good that i am sworn to recognize... and as your high guard captain," "I order you to remain in these tunnels" "And guard this chamber." "Yes, captain." "And remember... remember what this insignia stands for." "No." "No." "You have made me a princess." "Dylan, we're touched," "But you called us here" "To give us new purses?" "Ha ha." "Back pay?" ""Back pay" as in real cash money?" "Mm-Hmm." "What'd you do, rob a bank?" ""Ha ha" again." "Kidding, just kidding." "It's from orlund's stockpiles." "He insisted on donating everything he had" "To the cause." "It was the only way he'd believe that dylan would forgive him." "And not only was there enough money" "In his underground vaults" "To pay back my debt to you" "There is enough crystal quartz" "To getandromeda up to 70% power." "Andromeda." "Greetings, everyone." "At your service." "Full service, that is." "So, for the first time since we've been here," "Her processor is now fully functional." "And 30% more," "We might even be able to get rommie back." "Yeah, but in the meantime, we're still stuck here," "And i know we still have our own little agendas," "But hopefully," "We don't have to be at each other's throats." "Well, dylan, i for one" "Knew you were good for it" "All along." "Hey, i knew too." "I knew." "That's right, harper." "Just go the way the wind is blowing." "Well, when the wind is getting brownie points... the problem is... we have to find a solution in ourselves." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Don't spend it all in one place." "I quit." "You... quit?" "Like in..." "you're quitting drinking?" "Is he quitting?" "Yeah." "In fact, looks like trance saved three lives today." "Rhade, hold up, buddy." "Coming, trance?" "Yeah." "When trance was fighting orlund," "You could have stepped in to stop him," "But you didn't." "Did you know he wouldn't harm her?" "She needed to start believing in herself again." "Do you think she does?" "What do you think?"