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arfic-l-digest        Monday, February 12 2001        Volume 01 : Number 004




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 20:33:32 -0500
From: "Michele Bumbarger" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Eclipse: Darkness Falling (Part 2)

Title: Eclipse - Book One: Darkness Falling

Part 2: Chapter One

Author: Michele Mason Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

TV Series: Alternate Universe Crossover - Buffy, the Vampire
Slayer/Highlander: The Series/Original Series Tomorrow People and New
Series Tomorrow People

Rating: TV-14, there's a little bit of bad language and it gets
violent in some points, nothing more than you'd catch on prime time
television though

Archive: Only mine (Alternate Realities).

Author's Notes & Comments: See Ramblings in Part 0

Disclaimer: None of these characters, television shows, or concepts
belong to me. The Tomorrow People are the property of Roger Damon
Price, Thames/ITV Television, and Tetra Television. Buffy the Vampire
Slayer characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Highlander:
The Series characters belong to Panzer/Davis, Rhysher Entertainment
and Gaumont Television. All are used here without permission and not
for profit. All original characters are the by-product of my own
warped and twisted imagination.

****

Chapter One

She found him exactly where she knew he would be found. Slumped over
the workbench, forehead resting on the white sleeved lab coat that
covered his arm, a pile of papers scattered beneath his cheek and
within reach at his fingertips he slept as though he lounged in his
bed back home. Juggling the cardboard tray that held three hot cups of
coffee, a large orange juice, one cranberry juice, three bagels and a
box of half a dozen donuts, and the shoulder bag slung over one arm,
she smiled fondly at him as her elbow grazed the light panel.

The room brightened instantly, artificial fluorescent light coloring
everything in a sickly yellow glow. For a moment, the sudden
brightness stung her dark eyes, and Sue Lee took a moment to blink in
the brightness before everything came into focus once again. Computer
equipment, laser technology and other items that she could never
identify or remember the names of lined the walls; the printer at the
far end of the room hummed softly while spitting out a row of
equations that read like a foreign language to her untrained eyes. A
multitude of different cords crisscrossed the floor, books and
notebooks piled on the various desks and tables, and still she managed
to skirt around them all with the grace and familiarity of a dancer on
a stage. The tray found its way to its usual place on top of the
compact refrigerator, and she skittered across the room with two cups
of coffee in those Styrofoam cups.

Now, there was something that amazed her. Styrofoam. One would think
that with all the technological advances the Unified Alliance had made
in the past years that Styrofoam would have become a thing of the
past. But in this case, as well as in so many others, old habits died
hard she supposed.

Slipping onto the lab stool besides her target, Sue Lee set down the
coffee cups and affectionately mussed the tousled dark head of hair.
Her voice was a soft lilting and British accent, complimenting her
fine Asian features. "Come on Sleeping Beauty, it's time to join the
land of the living."

He stirred slowly, heavy lidded dark eyes opening to blink at her in
confusion. Sue Lee watched in amusement as the emotions of waking
drifted across his handsome young face as his eyes slowly came to
focus on her. Then suddenly, as if someone had flipped on light, he
was awake and sitting upright.  Rubbing the back of his neck and
yawning, he spoke in the familiar Australian accent that he had
retained even after living in the British Provinces for most of his
life. "Sue Lee . . . what are you doing here?"

The unasked question being 'What are you doing here this late?' That
thought made her smile more brightly.

"It's already morning, Neiman. You slept here last night." Sue Lee
paused and nudged one of the cups of coffee towards him. "Again."

He grinned sheepishly, and took the cup. "How did you know I was
 here?"

"Where else would you be? I stopped by to pick you up," she popped the
plastic lid from her coffee and lifted it to her nose, enjoying the
aroma that wafted up. "My turn to car pool us, remember? Anyway, you
weren't home. You didn't answer when I rang you, and your bed wasn't
slept in."

"You let yourself in again," it was an accusation.

"You should be glad that I worry about you," Sue Lee retorted.

"Mother henning me is more like it," he grumbled.

Sue Lee shrugged, undeterred by his indignation. She had been
mothering him for so long that she didn't think it was possible for
her to not mother him. "Adam, you really need to start getting some
sleep."

"I get sleep," Adam argued over the rim of the coffee cup.

"Some place other than this lab." Jumping off the lab stool, she
marched over the white write-on/wipe-off board and studied the
equations written there for a moment. She knew nothing about physics
or math, but she was observant enough to know that the equations had
not changed at all in the past few weeks. "You and Red still haven't
worked this out?"

"Not yet, but we're getting closer." The shift in topic brought down
Adam Neiman's defenses and he was by her side in a heartbeat. "The
part that's slowing us down is the quantum differential. I think that
if we . . ."

The rest of his words were lost on her because they made about as much
sense as to her as Ancient Egyptian. Sue Lee did however, smile in
encouragement, enjoying the enthusiasm and love that Adam showed for
his latest interest . . . solving the problem of time travel. Or
rather disproving all the theorems and equations that demonstrated why
time travel was an impossibility. And, given enough time and enough
rope to hang himself with, Sue Lee knew that he would manage to do
just that.

Adam Neiman was what was a "golden child." He had a mind like a vice
and a photographic memory. And he had been born that way naturally . .
. not engineered in one of his father's biological laboratories like
so many of the golden children who emerged these days. His father, the
esteemed Dr. A. Marcus Neiman, hailed Adam as the prime example of how
intelligence and ability could most arguably be inherited. Adam, for
his part, tried to ignore his biological relationship to Dr. Neiman as
much as possible.

"Whoa, Neiman, put a cap on it will ya?"

The call came from the entrance of the lab as their friend, and the
other half of Adam's time travel equation, wandered into the small
private lab. Red was, as usual, wearing nothing more than a pair of
sweats and running shoes although the weather was cool and slightly
damp. He raked his fingers through his damp titan hair, the feature
that earned him his nickname, and headed immediately towards the
refrigerator and the breakfast tray which Sue Lee had provided. "You'
re putting Sue to sleep again."

"Hey Red," Adam raised his cup in greeting. "You're here early."

"I told you I would be," Red grabbed the remaining cup of coffee and
opened the box of donuts. "You didn't think I'd forget?"

"Did you boys have a break thru last night?" Sue Lee asked, admittedly
a bit curious. Marmaduke "Red" Damon crawled out of bed before ten o'
clock in the morning only for the most specific and important of
reasons. For him to have arrived at the lab before nine o'clock was a
fact that didn't escape her scrutiny.

"Yeah, I was just telling you -" Adam stopped in mid-sentence, his
dark brown eyes focused on the woman in front of him. "You weren't
listening, were you?"

"I was listening. I wasn't understanding."

"That's because Neiman over there thinks that everyone is a MENSA
scholar and that he doesn't have to explain things in plain English,"
Red leaned against the window sill, and gave her a wink. "Sometimes, I
don't understand a word that he's talking about. . . so did you go
home last night or did you pull up a stool?"

"I got sleep," Adam responded instantly to his friend's inquiry.

"You slept here. Why do you even pay rent? Just buy yourself a cot for
the corner and you'll save money."

"Speaking of which," Sue Lee spoke up quickly, hoping to stave off
what would certainly turn into a mild disagreement between the two
young men, "I brought you a change of clothes. I thought that you
might want to teach class today in something different than you were
wearing yesterday."

Adam took the offered shoulder bag with a sigh and another one of
those sheepish grins that made him look like a young boy and not the
twenty-five year old man who was out to foil Einstein and the other
great minds of the twentieth century. "Thanks, Sue."

"Get changed. You've got class in twenty minutes."

As Adam disappeared into the back office to change, Sue Lee returned
her attention to the board of equations. "So, did you have a break
thru?"

"We think so. We may have found the problematic equation," Red spoke
around the donut he was rapidly devouring, but it was a behavior so
typical that Sue Lee barely noticed it all. "I'm going to do some
hypothetical runs through the computer to see what I come up with
while Neiman's in class today."

Pausing briefly to finish swallowing, he lowered his voice and cast
his eyes towards the office. "You know, we really need to do something
about him."

Sue Lee nodded, "I know. He needs to get out more."

"He needs to get a woman. He needs to date . . . to do something
besides hole himself up in this lab with his computers and equations."
Red didn't mince words, but Sue Lee hadn't expected him to. One thing
she had learned about Red was that he was honest . . . blatantly
honest.

She hadn't trusted the young, loud student from the when he Adam had
first introduced the two of them almost three years ago. But she was
protective of Adam Neiman; from the time his mother had died when he
was only six years old, Sue Lee had been his nanny and his best
friend. Although a distance of ten years separated them, they had
always been close and after watching him hurt by his father's cold and
methodical love, and the few failed attempts at friendship, she had
taken it upon herself to be both a mentor and mother to him.

Red was Adam's friend though, not someone who simply wanted to get
close to him because of who Adam's father was. He was a loyal friend,
and one that was honest enough to tell Adam the things he needed to
hear and not only the things he wanted to hear. He was also a whiz kid
with computers and his addition to Adam's team was priceless.

"How many times do I think I've told him that? Suggested it?
Encouraged it?" Sue Lee asked softly. She waved her hand negligently
around the lab, "This is what he loves. It doesn't matter what I say
or what I do. This is Adam's passion."

"And what happens when he solves this equation . . . and he will solve
it, Sue. What happens when this is gone? What's going to get him all
fueled up then?"

Sue Lee stared sadly at the office door behind which Adam changed. "I
don't know, Red. I really don't know."

** End of Chapter One

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then
I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the
terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve
them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
           -- Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, A Late Delivery from Avalon


********
a l t e r n a t e REALITIES Fan Fiction Archive
http://www.alternate-realities.net
********


- -
 To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2001 20:42:37 -0500
From: "Michele Bumbarger" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Eclipse: Darkness Falling (Part 3)

Title: Eclipse - Book One: Darkness Falling

Part 3: Chapter Two

Author: Michele Mason Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

TV Series: Alternate Universe Crossover - Buffy, the Vampire
Slayer/Highlander: The Series/Original Series Tomorrow People and New
Series Tomorrow People

Rating: TV-14, there's a little bit of bad language and it gets
violent in some points, nothing more than you'd catch on prime time
television though

Archive: Only mine (Alternate Realities).

Author's Notes & Comments: See Ramblings in Part 0

Disclaimer: None of these characters, television shows, or concepts
belong to me. The Tomorrow People are the property of Roger Damon
Price, Thames/ITV Television, and Tetra Television. Buffy the Vampire
Slayer characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Highlander:
The Series characters belong to Panzer/Davis, Rhysher Entertainment
and Gaumont Television. All are used here without permission and not
for profit. All original characters are the by-product of my own
warped and twisted imagination.

****

Chapter Two

He hated this part. After three weeks of excuses, of polite
declinations due to lectures to prepare or exams and proofs to grade,
of think tanks and brainstorming with the physics and math departments
at the University and of simple hiding in his lab and pretending that
he wasn't aware of the calls channeled into him, Adam had run out of
excuses. Now it was time for the obligatory lunch with his father,
where Dr. Neiman feigned interest in the life of his son and
inevitable tried to convince Adam of how righteous and wonderful the
world was and how fortunate Adam was to live in it.

It didn't help matters any that these lunches or dinners or unexpected
meetings always took place at Psi Corporation and Centre for
Development and Control, or The Centre as it referred to itself. Not
that this was the only Centre; but this was the one in London, and
when one spoke of The Centre everyone knew what you meant. The Centre
was the polite way of naming it; Psi Control was the derogatory end of
it and Adam used that particular designation as often as possible.

Placing his fingertips against the finger pad and looking into the
scanner, he waited indifferently while the computer performed its
routine security check. The Centre was a world and city within itself;
no one got either in or out of The Centre without passing through the
security checkpoints. This was how the Unified Alliance protected its
"interest."

Adam bit back the bile of gore and disgust that rose in his throat at
the last thought. They were people, for God's sake. Psi's were people
just like the rest of them. Yes, they were given some extraordinary
skills and abilities, but they were neither animals nor bizarre freaks
of nature. They breathed the same air and their bodies functioned in
the same fashion. The only differences were traced genetically, or
sometimes found in brain scans, and even those could sometimes be
unreliable.

"Neiman, Adam M. Normal. Security clearance provided. Enjoy your visit
to The Centre."

Barely acknowledging the soft feminine computer voice, or the security
guard that handed back his pass card, Adam shoved his hands deep into
the pockets of his coat and headed into The Centre proper.

Normal. That was his designation in the computer files of the
Alliance. Meaning that he lacked any psionic abilities and therefore
was allowed all rights and freedoms as a full citizen of the Alliance.
Normal. Even though he had never had a normal day or relationship with
his father. Normal, even though nothing about him truly was. It didn't
matter. That was where the line was drawn, you were a normal or you
were a psi. And if you were a psi, your life was not your own from the
moment the government found you.

But The Centre was meant to provide the illusion of normality and
freedom to the psi's. A huge complex with shopping centers,
restaurants, schools and living complexes, it was here the 'best of
the best' of the psi's lived, worked and existed while they waited for
the Alliance or Psi Control to find some work for them. They had
everything that they could ever want . . . aside from the ownership of
themselves.

Walking among them didn't bother Adam the way that it did so many
"normals." He had been here often enough to know that psi's preferred
to keep their distance from norms as much as norms tried to keep their
distance from the psi's that were mainstreamed into the outside world.
He also knew that psi's didn't need to go out of their way to read the
minds of norms; it seemed that most norms were so loud that psi's had
to concentrate to *not* hear their thoughts.

He took his time walking through the public garden on his way to the
private elevator that led up to the Operational Offices. The top most
level of The Centre where his father, and hundreds of other men and
women who somehow believed themselves to be the closest thing to God,
sat and watched and manipulated and controlled the world beneath them.
Personally, he liked the public garden; he liked the serene
tranquility and beauty that it provided, just as it was supposed to
provide a buffer between the psi's and the outside world. Adam knew
that it was more for the comfort of the norms that had to come to The
Centre to work than to provide any comfort for the psi's themselves.
Psi's had no lives and no rights.

Slumping against the elevator wall, he ignored those in the elevator
with him as the carriage began its ascent. He didn't wish to make idle
conversation about the war in the Russian front or the slow political
breaking down and reshaping of the South American continent. It was
only a matter of time before the entire world was part of the Unified
Alliance, one government, one church . . .how long before they tried
to make them all one mind?

Two psi's and two norms occupied the elevator with him. The metallic
black bands they wore on their wrists could identify the psi's. Those
bands tracked them, just as their DNA markers did. Everything about
them was contained in those bands, and they could not be removed
without alerting the military police and Psi Control at the highest
levels. Those bands tagged and collared them like dogs, marking their
difference from norms. Without them, they would have appeared just as
normal as everyone else.

At least that was not his father's invention. That was not something
else for him to be disgusted with the name Neiman for creating. Not
that it was any consolation to him; his father was responsible for
enough that disgusted him.

Adam checked his watch. Not that he needed to really. He had an
internal awareness of time that was more precise than any watch ever
had been. No, he checked his watch because it gave him something to do
in the silent hum and rise of the elevator. He checked his watch
because it would allow him to focus his thoughts and plan the
remainder of his day . . .which he hoped would go better than his
morning had.

Starting with Sue Lee waking him in the lab, the day had gone
downhill. And Adam honestly hadn't meant to sleep at the lab last
night. Last night, he had intended to go home, get a shower, feed his
cat and focus his mind on something else other than those equations.
He knew that his mind was getting too cluttered, that he wasn't
focusing properly and he knew the only way to combat that was to take
a few steps back and approach it from another angle.

But that hadn't happened. Instead, he had woken up to Sue Lee's
mothering and spent the last ten minutes before he dashed off to teach
his sophomore level physics class listening to Red try and set him up
with some grad student or another. While he appreciated their concern
and their efforts, neither of his friends seemed to realize that the
last thing Adam had any interest in at this moment was a romantic
entanglement. Those always ended in upset and heartache and he wasn't
going to travel that road again yet . . . if he ever did. Besides,
even the most intelligent and brightest of The University students
didn't hold Adam's interest. They didn't think the way he thought,
they didn't see the things he saw no matter how hard he tried to
explain them.

They didn't share his passion and in the end, that was the biggest
disappointment of all.

His students today had been ill prepared for class and no amount of
prodding could seem to make them think and perform properly. Then
Professor Cage had actually gotten offended when Adam found the simple
error in his theoretical equation and corrected it. Adam wouldn't have
minded the man's offense or scathing remarks if the professor hadn't
asked for his help to begin with.

"I don't know why you bother to help those dried up prunes," Red had
remarked. "They're jealous of Neiman, and they don't appreciate your
mind."

Maybe not, but he didn't have to be a stuck-up windbag simply because
they were, did he?

By the time the elevator reached Central Operations, Adam disembarked
alone. He nodded and smiled at the general receptionist and headed off
towards his father's offices. The sooner he got this over with, the
happier he would be. And with any luck, Red might have actually made
some progress on those computer simulations.

"Adam."

He saw her too late to alter his course and pretend he hadn't seen
her.

"Lucy."

She was precisely as he remembered her . . . no that wasn't the truth.
She looked the same; the same shoulder length brown hair, the same
inquisitive gray eyes, but other than that there was nothing there
that Adam remembered. The Lucy he knew had been energetic and wanted
to conquer the world. She wanted to be a journalist; she wanted to
travel beyond the boundaries of the Alliance and show the world the
truth of what lie beyond in Asia and Russian and Africa. She wanted .
. . she wanted to make a difference.

Well, he supposed that she was doing precisely that. Only these days
found her making a difference for Psi Control. Standing before him now
in the standard white uniform of Psi Control, her identification badge
on her right shoulder and a clip board and data computer in one arm,
Lucy Adams was not the young idealistic college student that he had
fallen in love with and almost married. These days, Lucy Adams was
about as free and independent as the psi's in the lower levels; Psi
Control owned her, but she had gone willingly when the price was
right.

She made a difference. She made the world see Psi Control the way they
wanted to be seen.

And in the end, she had made Adam not wish to see her at all anymore.

"How are you?" It was the standard question. It wasn't that she truly
cared or wanted an answer anymore than he wanted to give an honest
one.

"Fine. You?"

"Good," Lucy nodded. "Still working in your lab?"

"Always." Adam raked his eyes roughly over her, noting the rings on
her sleeve. She had two red ones now, not just one. Apparently she was
doing her job well enough to earn a promotion. "I see you're still
doing well with Psi Corporation." Corporation, not Control. No one
dared say the derogatory when under video surveillance or in the place
where even the plants and floors had ears.

"I'm satisfied and happy." A pause, and then, "I'm seeing someone."

And that was supposed to mean what to him? She had already sold her
soul to Psi Control, what did he care if she gave her heart to one of
its vultures? "Let me guess. A doctor."

"A very talented doctor. You could be as good as him, Adam."

He heard the silent accusation in her words. It was the same
accusation that he heard so often from his father. He could do
something useful with his mind - biogenetic engineering, computer
engineering, anything except for wasting his time and his talent
teaching at The University and holed up in his lab. Never mind that
what he did gave him satisfaction. Never mind that it made him happy.
Of course in this materialistic world where the rich got richer and
the poor wasted away until the day they mercifully died, happiness
didn't seem to be of much importance.

"No thank you, I'm good where I am. I've got a lot of sharp students
this semester."

"Well, good luck to you then. I have press conference." She brushed
past him, the all too familiar scent of her perfume making his heart
clench. God, how could he still love her after all this time, after
all that had happened and the bitter words they had exchanged?

Adam couldn't resist getting in a last retort. "Good luck sleeping
with yourself at night."

Lucy faltered, but barely. He wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been
watching for it. Then she was gone, hurrying on to hail the wonders of
Psi Control for the modern world.

Adam continued towards his father's office, hoping to get lunch over
with as quickly as possible. He was suddenly very tired . . . and
feeling slightly ill.

*** End of Chapter Two

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then
I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the
terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve
them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
            -- Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, A Late Delivery from Avalon

********
a l t e r n a t e REALITIES Fan Fiction Archive
http://www.alternate-realities.net
********




- -
 To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message.
 For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
 "help" to the same address.  Do not use quotes in your message.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 11:28:58 -0500
From: "Michele Bumbarger" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Worlds Away (Part 13/??)

Title: Worlds Away (Part 13/??)

Author: M. Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

Fandom: New Series Tomorrow People

Rating: PG-13/TV-14

Summary: The Tomorrow People are swept away to a different world,
where they must take up the lives of their alter-egos and try to find
their way home . . . which won't be easy.

Dedication: To Kasey, Anne and Beth who continue to enjoy this ongoing
tale.

Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People (Adam Newman, Ami Jackson, Megabyte
Damon, and Jade Weston) are the property of Roger Damon Price, Thames
Television, ITV, Tetra Television and Nickelodeon. They are used here
without permission, but not for profit. The lands, countries, customs,
deities, and original characters are mine and mine only, springing
from the depths
of my imagination and should not be used anywhere else without my
permission. Please do not repost this to any list or archive it
anywhere else without my express permission.

Previous parts at http://www.alternate-realities.net/worldsaway

*****

Chapter Thirteen

"This has to be the world's biggest joke."

Adam quirked an eyebrow at Megabyte as the redhead slumped into one of
the gilded chairs, tugging the buttons of his short coat free. He
plucked at the buttons absently, as if he had been wearing short coats
his whole life, and Adam couldn't help but wonder if in the two weeks
he'd been in this world, if he had become as comfortable in his
surroundings as his friend.

The two young men were alone in Lord Bial's private study; for how
long Adam didn't know, but he was glad that they could take these few
private minutes. For as long as Hagen was content to smile brightly at
one of the servant girls that apparently kept his bed -- and other
things -- warm while he was at Elspera Keep, and Stewart in conference
with Lord Bial, they could speak freely. So far, however, only
Megabyte had done any speaking. Correction, Megabyte had spent the
last ten minutes complaining.

"I mean," Megabyte continued to grumble, wiggling free of the
restrictive coat, "how come I get stuck married to Jade and you get to
be a prince?"

Adam nearly choked on a mouthful of the spiced wine. "Way to look at
the big picture, Megabyte."

"I am looking at the big picture. I'm *married.* To *Jade.* How much
bigger does the picture have to be?" Megabyte scowled.

"Well, *Marmion,* at least you've had Jade."

That quieted the other. Megabyte shifted in his seat, fidgeting while
twin roses of red blossomed in both of his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Adam, I
didn't mean -- it's just -- well, it's been so weird."

Weird didn't describe the half of it; Megabyte wasn't the only one
experiencing "weird," but Adam wasn't going to remind the other of
that little fact. He didn't feel like arguing, or even getting into a
lengthy debate over who had been more miserable and confused; his
friends were here, they were alive, and for now that would have to be
good enough.

Waving his hand to dismiss the topic, Adam settled back into his seat.
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to see you guys."

"Yeah, same here."

Adam smiled a bit, "You think you could be a little more
enthusiastic?"

"Why don't you try spending two weeks married to Jade and see how
enthusiastic you would be?"

Leaning forward, Adam fixed his friend with a probing stare. "Has it
really been that bad, Megabyte?"

The other man straightened up, opening his mouth to respond and then,
meeting Adam's eyes, promptly snapped his jaw closed and slumped back
against the seat. He spent a few moments studying the floor, his
boots, and even the fabric of his pants before finally looking up at
Adam. "Just because I haven't killed her doesn't mean that I like this
arrangement."

It was as close to an admission of acceptance that Adam was going to
get and he took what he could. Megabyte would never, ever admit to
enjoying having Jade around, but Adam knew his friend well enough to
be able to read between the lines. And perhaps enjoyment wasn't the
right word, but Megabyte hadn't been alone for the past two weeks, and
that had to make some kind of difference, however minute.

"I'm sure that Jade admires your restraint," Adam said in response.

"Whatever," it was Megabyte's turn to change the conversation and
dismiss the topic, which he did with a slight shrug and a loud kick of
his heel against the leg of his chair. He stretched out, making
himself more comfortable, one leg tossed idly over the arm of the
chair. "So, now what?"

"Now what?" Adam looked at Megabyte over the rim of his goblet.

"Yeah, what do we do now? You're here and I'm here and Jade's here . .
. so, how do we get home?"

"How did we get here?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly."

Megabyte's eyes narrowed. "Way to go with the cryptic, Adam."

"All right, then what do you want me to say, Megabyte? I don't have
the answer. I don't know how - or why - we're here. Until I got to the
keep today, I wasn't even sure if anyone else was here. For all I
knew, I was completely alone in a strange place with strange people
and even stranger customs.

[No offense, Megabyte, but I've been more concerned with keeping up
appearances than trying to figure anything else. I don't think that
the king would take kindly to finding out that I'm an imposter.]

"And why couldn't we call you telepathically?" Megabyte sat up
suddenly, nearly splashing his drink down the front of his white linen
shirt. Adam didn't know whether he had heard Adam's words and was
ignoring them, or was simply following his own thoughts and hadn't
heard a word that Adam uttered. "I tried, while we were on the ship,
but I couldn't. I could talk to Jade, but we couldn't even sense you."

Adam chose not to take offense at the slight, particularly when
Megabyte's words echoed thoughts that Adam himself had entertained.
When he first arrived in this world, he thought that he had sensed
something - Megabyte and Jade - just beyond the reach of his mind;
repeated telepathic scanning and calling had proven futile and he gave
it up as wishful thinking, believing that because he thought he saw a
glimpse of them on the beach before the black void swallowed him that
his mind was playing tricks on him. But they really were here - and
had been here - this entire time. And speaking with them
telepathically was as easy now as it had been on earth.

Although he hadn't sensed them immediately; however, that could have
been because he was no longer trying to.

"This place is . . . different, Megabyte. Maybe the rules here are
different."

"What do you mean?"

It was Adam's turn to study the intricacies of the floor tiles and the
patterns made by the wrinkles and folds of the material of his
breeches. He hadn't thought before he made that observation aloud, and
now he was wishing that he had. It was easy to watch his words around
Hagen and Stewart, knowing that his life could depend on what was said
or not said, but with Megabyte, he forgot himself. And the truth of
the matter was he didn't know how much he wanted to tell his friend
about the powerful magic of this world; certainly, it was an issue
that needed to be discussed, but . . . how much information was too
much information, particularly when there was so much that Adam still
did not understand.

"Magic."

"Huh?"

"There's magic here, Megabyte. It's real."

"You mean like David Copperfield?"

Adam shook his head. "No, I mean like Merlin. And Gandalf." Even as he
said the words, they didn't ring true in Adam's heart; he was pretty
certain that what he felt was nothing like what the books described
for Merlin and Gandalf. "Or something like that at least."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Merlin?"

He had expected a little bit of incredulity. "Okay, then not Merlin.
More like -- Willow on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer."

"Uh-huh."

"You're not taking me seriously."

"Are you taking you seriously?"

"Megabyte, do you know what damiar means?" Adam only paused long
enough to make sure he had the other's attention. "It means
'priestess-mage' and I've seen a few things that make me believe that
they aren't joking or exaggerating when they say that."

"Priestess? Doesn't that kind of mean she can't get married?"

Adam blinked at Megabyte in disbelief, "Have you tried to learn
anything about this world the whole time you've been here?"

"Yeah. How to walk on a ship without falling on my face and how to
shave with a straight edge without slitting my throat."

Adam opened his mouth to comment, then shook his head with a smile.
Until that moment he hadn't realized how much he missed Megabyte and
his wisecracks. "Besides that, Megabyte."

"Not exactly. But it wasn't like I could run over to the library and
check out a book on Stiborn culture and history. I was on a *boat,*
Adam."

"Right." Adam set his drink aside and leaned forward, steepling his
fingers together. "Well I did have the opportunity to run over to the
library - the Palace has its own." Adam ignored the way Megabyte's
eyebrows rose slightly at that announcement, "And I'll tell you one
thing, Megabyte, we are not in Kansas anymore."

"No duh."

"Could be worse though. Right now, Stiborn happens to be one of the
most powerful kingdoms this side of the Spire Mountains and Eternal
Ocean. The only two kingdoms that are even as powerful are Carelle
Ichtung to the east and Albarasque. And Albarasque is very soon to be
our ally."

"Our ally?"

"For what it's worth, Megabyte, right now we are who everyone thinks
we are. You are Lord Marmion Ruele and I'm --" Adam took a breath, he
might have been able to play the role, but saying the words was still
somewhat difficult, "I'm Prince Adam Aldaric."

"And you're going to marry a priestess mage, which I guess is a lot
worse than being married to Jade. At least I know Jade."

"Oh, now you see the positive side."

"Yeah, I guess this is one case where the grass isn't greener on the
other side, huh?"

"Megabyte?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut-up."

*** End of Chapter Thirteen

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then
I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the
terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve
them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
       -- Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, A Late Delivery from Avalon

********
a l t e r n a t e REALITIES Fan Fiction Archive
http://www.alternate-realities.net
********




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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 11:40:28 -0500
From: "Michele Bumbarger" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: Eclipse: Darkness Falling (Part 4)

Title: Eclipse - Book One: Darkness Falling

Part 4: Chapter Three

Author: Michele Mason Bumbarger

Email: [e-mail]

TV Series: Alternate Universe Crossover - Buffy, the Vampire
Slayer/Highlander: The Series/Original Series Tomorrow People and New
Series Tomorrow People

Rating: TV-14, there's a little bit of bad language and it gets
violent in some points, nothing more than you'd catch on prime time
television though

Archive: Only mine (Alternate Realities).

Author's Notes & Comments: See Ramblings in Part 0

Disclaimer: None of these characters, television shows, or concepts
belong to me. The Tomorrow People are the property of Roger Damon
Price, Thames/ITV Television, and Tetra Television. Buffy the Vampire
Slayer characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Highlander:
The Series characters belong to Panzer/Davis, Rhysher Entertainment
and Gaumont Television. All are used here without permission and not
for profit. All original characters are the by-product of my own
warped and twisted imagination.

****


Chapter Three

The Centre had it all. The entire upper levels of the place were built
and designed to accommodate every need of those who worked there.
Right now, Adam sat across from his father in a large open-air
restaurant, counting the minutes until this slow and painful torture
had passed. Although, this time, Adam couldn't really complain. This
lunch gathering hadn't been nearly as painful as some others. But that
probably had more to do with the fact that his father spent nearly
every other minute on the telephone and ignoring Adam. Which suited
Adam perfectly well.

He pushed the overcooked vegetables around on his plate and allowed
his eyes to wander across the restaurant. Funny how these doctors and
psychologists and scientists could work here every day, and yet not a
single psi was seen in the restaurant. This restaurant was so
prestigious that the psi's weren't even allowed to work here. Talk
about your double standards.

Adam was glad for the lack of conversation for another reason. He was
still reeling from his run in with Lucy. How many times had he come
here and managed to avoid her? How many times had he gone
intentionally out of his way to avoid her? There was nothing left
between them, all words had been said and all tears had been shed. She
hadn't even waited for him to get home from the lab before moving her
clothes out of their shared flat. But maybe it had been better that
way; their last few weeks together were so volatile, the less contact
they had shared the better off they both were.

He realized now that it wasn't that he was still in love with her but
that he *had* been in love with her. Once, he had thought that he knew
her better than anyone else on the planet. Once, she had shared his
ideas and his convictions. Or so he had thought. He hadn't realized
how easily money and prestige could sway her, or how easily power
could corrupt and change her lofty ideals. It made him feel greatly
disappointed in her . . . and in himself for not being able to see the
true self that she hid.

"So, Adam, how are classes this semester?"

His father's voice pulled Adam from his thoughts and he looked up at
the man across from him. The physical similarities always bothered
him. He didn't want to look like this man, not even the slightest bit
but there was nothing that he could do about it. Physically, he was
his father's son and staring across the table was like staring at
himself in the future. It made him want to be sick.

"Good," Adam answered by rote. "They're going well. I'm teaching two
classes and one honors class."

"Only three classes? Are you having trouble with the physics
department?"

"No, Father, I only want to teach three classes. I wanted some time
this semester to work with Professor Cage and Dr. Emmerling on some
their theoreticals. And I wanted some time to work on my own."

"Adam," Dr. Neiman leaned across the table, feigning concern as only
he could. "I admire your convictions, truly I do. But with your
skills, with that mind of yours, you could be doing so much more. You
think that little facility you have is something? You should see the
facilities we have here at The Centre. Adam -"

Adam rolled his eyes in disgust. It always came back to this. His
father trying to convince him to work at The Centre, to abandon the
one thing that gave him any happiness and satisfaction and become a
government drone. Not just any government drone, but a drone doing
things and following principles that he did not believe in.

"We've been over this, Dad," Adam cut him off abruptly. "Those are
your goals. Not mine. I'm happy teaching. I want to teach. That's why
I became a teacher."

"Teaching? What good is it doing you? Your students, not one of them
has your genius or your potential. You are wasting your time at The
University when you could be doing so much more."

"Like what? Harvesting *slaves*?"

Dr. Neiman's eyes darkened and narrowed dangerously, and Adam knew
that he tread upon very thin ice. "You mind your words, Adam Marcus.
Psi Corporation is the strongest, most profitable and most powerful
corporation in the Unified Alliance. It is the reason that you have
all the things that you have, that you had growing up. It fed you, it
clothed you, and it owns you whether you work here or not. Don't ever
forget that."

"Where do I sign up?" Adam asked darkly. Standing he threw his napkin
on the table and shook his head in undisguised disgust. "I'll talk to
you later, Dad. I have some appointments to keep."

He left, ignoring the angry shouts of his father behind him, ignoring
the questioning and scandalous looks he was given as he stormed out of
the restaurant. Adam walked briskly, clenching his fists at his sides,
hoping and praying that no one and nothing got in his way before he
calmed himself. He didn't want to take his anger with his father out
on an innocent passerby.

No, the inside wall of the elevator sufficed just fine. He pounded the
wall once, twice, three times and kicked it for good measure once the
elevator doors closed behind him. Angry tears stinging his eyes, he
took a few deep breaths and acknowledged that abusing the elevator
really hadn't made him feel any better.

He hated that man. He knew that he should feel some twinge of guilt
for thinking that way, but he didn't. He hated his father. He hated
that man who didn't know him and didn't want to get to know him; who
took every opportunity he could to tell Adam that not only was he a
failure, but why he was a failure. All because he didn't agree with
Dr. Neiman's views and never had.

Adam knew now why he had avoided this lunch date. He now recalled why
he made the excuses and avoided the telephone calls. And this time it
had only taken thirty minutes of agony for him to recall it. Thirty
minutes, an undercooked lunch and some very bruised knuckles.

Stepping out of the elevator on the ground level, Adam looked down at
his knuckles and rubbed them gently. At least they weren't bleeding.
They would definitely be bruised, he would have to see about bandaging
them when he returned to the lab. And he would have to brace himself
for another lecture from Sue Lee about learning to control his temper.
Maybe he wouldn't bandage them after all. He wasn't quite in the mood
for more of Sue Lee's lectures and mother-henning.

But he needed to do something to diffuse the still burning anger
inside of him. Maybe he and Red could head over to the gym and hit the
mats. Failing that, he could always exhaust himself with a few laps
around the pool -

So completely focused on his own thoughts, he didn't notice the
obstacle in his path until he walked right into it. An armload of
books tumbled to the ground among simultaneous exclamations of, "Ow!"

Despite his anger, he forced his politeness and manners to the fore.
"I'm sorry."

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

Rubbing his chin, Adam stared down at the head of dark curls and
sighed. If they kept apologizing to one another, it was going to be
very long day. He knelt down beside her, helping her gather the books.
 "Here, let me at least help you."

"No, you don't have to. It was my fault. It's quite fine, really." She
reached for the scattered books, carefully keeping her distance from
him.

"Four hands make for faster . . . " Adam paused as their hands reached
for the same book and his eyes fell on the thin metallic black band on
her slender wrist. "Work."

She caught his pause, how could she not given what she was and
immediately her hand drew back. She apologized again, gathering up the
last of the books, before standing and speaking to him slowly and with
that submissive tone that reminded him of just how far the levels of
distinction were drawn by Psi Control. "Really, I'm sorry for the
inconvenience. Might I have that back?"

Her head rose slowly, dark eyes slowly rising to focus on him and for
what could have been an eternity or only a few moments, there was
nothing else save for those dark pools that drowned him. Her skin was
a radiant nut brown, ebony curls brushing her shoulders and framing
her oval face while small white teeth bit on her full lower lip as she
stood there, clearly poised on the edge of flight.

God, but she was beautiful.

"Please? My book, sir?" The sound of her voice, made him realize that
he was still standing there, staring at her like he had never a woman
or a psi before and Adam immediately felt himself flush hotly . . .
something he hadn't done in quite a while.

Releasing the breath he hadn't realized he was holding until that
moment, Adam extended the book to her after taking a quick glance at
the title. "Byron. Poetry."

"Yes," she took the book and tucked it into her arms. "I'm sorry
again-"

"Don't," Adam held up a hand to forestall her. "I bumped into you. It
was completely my fault."

He didn't miss or mistake the ripple of surprise that played across
her face at his words. Of course, in this place she wasn't used to
being treated like a real person, with real feelings. She wasn't used
to being given respect.

Not quite knowing how else to respond, she simply nodded. "I have to
go now." She skirted around him, hurrying away from the public gardens
towards the safety of the inner living area of The Centre.

"Wait," Adam turned and followed her, quickly insinuating himself in
her path. Later he would wonder what insanity possessed him, but at
that moment he didn't really care. He wasn't really doing anything
wrong. The gardens were open to everyone - it wasn't as if he was
talking to her within the inner walls of The Centre. "Who are you?"

A pause, and then with resignation, "Beta two zero one seven."

It took Adam a moment to realize that she was giving him her Psi
Control designation.

"No," he shook his head, "I meant, what's your name?"

Another pause, and for a moment, he thought that she wouldn't answer.
Then, quietly, "Amelie."

"Amelie," Adam repeated. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Well, Amelie, I'm Adam." He extended his hand again, this time in
introduction, giving her what he hoped was the most open and friendly
smile that he could. "It's nice to meet you."

Disbelief flickered across her features as her eyes darted from his
outstretched hand to his face and back again. Then, very slowly, as if
she was afraid that he would bite her or sting her, her hand rose and
clasped his.  "It's nice to meet you too."

Her hand was warm and soft. Like her eyes and her voice. Adam felt his
smile widen. "You know, I don't bite."

She almost smiled back. Almost. Suddenly she seemed to recall that
they were breaking every rule of social etiquette even if they weren't
breaking any laws. She jerked her hand back stiffly, bristling like a
threatened animal. "I have to go."

And then she was gone, running her identification bracelet over the
door and disappearing into the heart of The Centre.

*** End of Chapter Three

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then
I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the
terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve
them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and
unfairness of the universe."
       -- Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, A Late Delivery from Avalon

********
a l t e r n a t e REALITIES Fan Fiction Archive
http://www.alternate-realities.net
********



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------------------------------

End of arfic-l-digest V1 #4
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