ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/tpfict/archive/tpfict.199904

Internet Message Format | 1999-04-30 | 299KB

From: "Darryl Gillikin" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Extraordinary Kids, Extraordinary Crimes (1/6)
Date: 04 Apr 1999 18:41:49 PDT

"Extraordinary Kids, Extraordinary Crimes"
A New Series/Avengers crossover
by Darryl Gillikin

Part One


    Here he was again.
    Again, he found himself standing by a hospital bed, looking down at his
unconscious father.  It wasn't the first time he'd been in this
position, and in one sense at least, he hoped it wasn't the last.  If
nothing else, he wanted to be in position where the possibility of this
situation recurring still existed.
    For the life of him, though, he had no idea how he or his father had
come to be here.  He couldn't remember anything from the past few days
that could have resulted in this.  It had been very quiet lately, with
no earthshattering crises having arisen for either of them.  Yet here
they were.  Something *had* happened.  Something pretty bad to put his
dad in the hospital.
    "I so love these little intimate gatherings, don't you, Marmie?"
    He looked over to the doorway, surprised by the intrusion.  A striking
young nurse stood in the doorway, a very disturbing grin on her face.
What was more disturbing was that, apart from the grin, all of her other
facial features were indistinct, despite how hard he tried to focus.
Her voice had been sweet, innocent, almost childlike, and chilled him to
the bone.  "What's going on here?" he asked.  "What's happened to my
dad?"
    "Oh, nothing much," the nurse replied nonchalantly, still smiling.
"Chaos, mayhem, destruction, death.  All my favorite hobbies.  But then,
you already knew that."  She slowly approached him, her face becoming
more muddled the closer she got to him.  "And what's more, there's
nothing you can do to help him."  Her smile grew until it could no
longer contain the laughter waiting to emerge.  "Quite the opposite, in
fact," she continued, trying to compose herself.
    "Opposite?" he frowned, puzzled.  "What do you mean?"
    "Check out the costume, dear," she replied, spinning around in place.
"I'm a nurse, not a kindergarten teacher.  You can work that concept out
for yourself, can't you?  A bright, strapping young lad such as you?"
    Before he could say anything more, a shrill alarm sounded behind him.
Frightened, he turned back to his father, trying to find the source of
the sound.  Just as soon as it had started, though, the shrieking ended.
He turned his attention back to the nurse, who was simply laughing at
him as she backed out of the door.  "Wait!" he called after her, just
before the alarm sounded again.
    And again.
    And again.

    The phone just wouldn't stop ringing, no matter how much Megabyte tried
to ignore it.  He tossed.  He turned.  He crushed the pillow to his ears
in a vain effort to drown out the sound.  If nothing else, though, he
was at least grateful that it had ended a very odd dream.
    Finally, he could hear the groggy voice of his father as he picked up
the receiver.  The torture had ended.  The phone's demands had been met.
Silence had been attained.  Megabyte could finally go back to sleep.
    "WHAT?" Damon's voice blasted through the entire house, nearly rattling
Megabyte out of bed.
    Groaning, Megabyte opened his eyes and glanced at the clock.  4:36 AM.
Still plenty good hours of sleep to be had this morning.  But as he
tried to drift back to sleep, he couldn't help but overhear his father's
conversation.
    "When did this happen?" Damon asked the caller.  "What was taken?"
    Taken?  Despite his desire to sleep, his mind took hold of that word
and began to wonder.  Taken from where?  Taken by whom?
    With a sigh, Damon ended the conversation.  "Fine, I'll be in
immediately."
    Immediately?  4:36 AM?  This *must* be serious.
    Dragging himself out of bed, Megabyte left his room.  He made his way
to the walkway overlooking the living room and front door before
spotting his father preparing to leave.  "Dad?" he called out.  "What's
going on?"
    Damon looked up at him, motioning him to go back to bed.  "Just a
little incident at work, son," he replied quickly.  "Nothing to really
worry about," he tacked on as he walked out the front door.  Megabyte
caught a quick glimpse of Damon's face as he left.  And even through the
haze of his drowsiness, he could see that even his father didn't believe
that statement.

    Adam curled inside an alcove of the room in the spaceship he claimed as
his home.  Both Megabyte and Jade were halfway across the world,
presumably peacefully asleep.  Adam was all alone.  His only company
were the pictures he was glancing through and the thoughts lingering in
his head.  One seemed much more comforting than the other.
    He glanced down at a photo of himself with a rather cute young redhead.
She was beaming, his arms wrapped around her waist, his head tilted
beside hers.  It was from a year ago, during an incident in a small
California city.  He was still unsure of what to make of the situation
between them, but he did know how happy that picture always made him.
    Next was a picture of the three of them, taken shortly after the
attempted invasion of the Nghara.  Jade was standing on a park bench
behind him and Megabyte, making her seem the tallest of the three, an
arm around the shoulders of each.  Adam was smiling.  Megabyte wasn't.
It seemed like yesterday or last week, and not the four years that had
actually passed.  They had grown to be the most important people in his
life.  They were his family.
    The last was an old Polaroid, clearly many years old.  Four people
standing outside a beachfront house.  Two were adults, apparently man
and wife; the other two a small boy and a slightly older girl.  He
stared at it for several minutes, thinking.  Remembering...
    A presence crept into his mind, obviously filled with concern.  Adam
wasn't the only one thinking about family tonight.
    [Hey, Adam.  You up, buddy?]
    Standing, he slid the last picture behind the first two and put them
down on the nearby drawing table. [Yeah, Megabyte.  What's up?]
    [Dad just got called into the office.]
    Adam frowned. [So?]
    [Before *5 AM*?]
    [A bit early, I'll grant you.] Adam replied. [But not entirely a sign
of the apocalypse.]
    Megabyte's mental voice became a bit more on edge. [It's not just that.
I had this strange dream, with my dad in the hospital again.  I know
prophetic dreams are Ami's stock and trade, but it's got me worried.]
    Adam considered the situation for a moment.  Dreams as omens weren't
entirely unprecedented in their experience, but even still, this was no
guarantee of oncoming danger. [Sometimes a dream is just a dream,
Megabyte.  It doesn't really seem much to go on.]
    [No,] Megabyte pathed back. {I suppose not.]
    Adam smiled comfortingly, even though he realized the gesture was
wasted on someone not there. [Tell you what.  Get some rest.  It's
Jade's big day tomorrow.  If you find out anything more, or still feel
worried later, we'll check it out.]

    The sun was starting to rise as Damon pulled into the parking garage.
He'd made the trip in near record time, and rushed from his car to the
entrance.  Frank was waiting for him.  "Situation report, please?" he
asked as Frank pushed the door open.
    Frank straightened his bow tie as he struggled to keep pace.  "The
estimated time of the break-in is around 3:30 AM.  Security guard was
found unconscious with head injuries, and rushed to the hospital.  We
haven't had the chance to go over the surveillance footage yet, what
with all the confusion."
    "Do we know what was taken?" Damon asked as they reached the corridor
leading to his office.
    Frank shook his head.  "The file center was ransacked, a few cabinets
were broken into.  One set of files were stolen.  They won't tell us
what they were, though."
    Damon stopped in front of his office and glared at Frank.  "*They*?" he
echoed, opening the door.  "Just who are they and what jurisdiction do
*they* have?"
    "Whatever jurisdiction we see fit, old boy," a voice responded from
inside the room.
    Damon turned to face the source of the comment.  He was a heavyset,
middle aged man.  His hair was reddish-brown, cut very close.  His suit
dark blue, well tailored.  A cigarette rested in his right hand.
    And he was confined to a wheelchair.
    Behind the chair stood an attractive young woman of African descent,
dressed in a very smart conservative suit, much the same color as the
man's.  Her hair was dark, long but pulled up into a bun.
    Damon tried to take back control of the situation.  "And you are?"
    "Mother," the man replied, matter-of-factly.  A puzzled frown formed
and Damon's face, and he elaborated.  "Head of the Ministry."
    Damon nodded, beginning to understand.  "With all due respect, sir, why
are you here?"
    Mother took a puff from the cigarette.  "You have responsibility for a
number of very sensitive pieces of information.  In this particular
case, considering what was stolen from World Ex, we feel it best that
the Ministry handled all inquiries."
    "You've been keeping things quiet so far, I gather."
    Mother nodded.  "We wanted to speak with you first.  You never can
tell.  This might be an inside job."
    "What exactly is missing?" Damon asked.
    "As I said, you have several sensitive files and such under your
supervision.  What has been stolen is, you might say, the most sensitive
one."
    Damon's eyes widened.  "You don't meanû"
    "I do," Mother cut him off.  "However, I'll have my top two agents on
the case."  He glanced at his watch.  "They should be beginning their
investigations any minute now."

    Emma Peel liked to think of herself as ready for anything.  A
Jill-of-all-trades and expert in countless fields, it was not often that
she found herself out of her depth.  But at this moment, she was
genuinely puzzled.
    She awoke to the sound of piano music.  Opening her eyes, she looked
over at the pillow next to her.  Placed directly in its center was a
Hershey's Kiss.  Giving the chocolate a quizzical look, she picked it up
and proceeded to go downstairs.
    She listened to the music as she walked along.  Sounds vaguely
familiar, she thought.  A bit slower than she was used to, though.  As
she reached the stairway leading down to the living room, it fell into
place.  Bach's Suite in F Major.  And once she saw the pianist, she
realized it shouldn't have taken her so long to figure it out.
    He lifted his hands away from the keyboard, the piece continuing its
delightful flow.  He glanced at her over his shoulder, smiling a warm
but brief smile.  She allowed herself a little smirk. It was something
of a charming gesture, despite its underlying pettiness.  He wanted her
to know he too could play the game she had played with him just a few
months earlier.
    John Steed rose from the bench as the final note faded, turning to face
her.  "Mrs. Peel," he said, "we're needed."

    The young burglar stepped out of the elevator, a thick manilla folder
under her arm.  The "boss" would be pleased, she thought, starting down
the hallway to her left.  Oddly enough, she didn't really care.  The
office was just a few steps down the hall, and she just knew it wouldn't
be an empty room.
    Making her entrance, she turned out to be quite correct in that belief.
Two other young people were awaiting her.  One was male, the other
female.  Both appeared to be in the early twenties, but the woman seemed
slightly older.  Then again, that may have only been due to appearances.
    The man had perched himself atop the bank of filing cabinets against
the left wall.  His eyes were a dark green.  His hair was auburn, long
and wild.  His black slacks looked battered and beaten, the ankles
frayed and the knees ripped out.  A gray T-shirt was worn under a
tattered black duster.  At the sight of the burglar's arrival, he leaned
back against the wall, cushioning the back of his head with his hands.
His grin would have terrified anyone who didn't know him.  Indeed, he'd
often managed to unnerve even her with it.  Not that she would ever let
on, of course.
    The young lady behind her desk was the exact opposite.  She was highly
attractive, with long flame red hair and blue-gold eyes.  Her dress
sense was much more refined than her companions, and daring in a
different sense of the term.  Her top was a light blue, short sleeved
with a scooped neckline.  The only things visible from below the desk
were legs, all the way up to just below the knees.
    She was also making a grand show of keeping the younger criminal
waiting.  She shuffled through papers, taking folders from the desk
drawer, returning folders to another drawer, and even taking occasional
glances at the computer monitor.  Anyone else may have been intimidated
or unsettled by this display.
    The burglar rolled her eyes in annoyance.
    "You should have something for me, Musetta," she said, her gaze cold
and serious.  "I hope you haven't disappointed me."  Despite the hard,
cold stare, her voice took a light, childlike quality.  "I do so hate
being disappointed."
    Musetta approached the desk, dropping the folder with a flourish.  "No
worries, dearheart," she replied.  "Here's what you wanted.  I even left
the security guard with a little present to remember me by."  A sadistic
twinkle entered her eyes.  "I believe they call it a concussion."
    The other woman pushed her chair backwards as she stood, slamming her
hands atop the desk.  "You were spotted?" she asked, her icy gaze
hardening even further.
    "Absolutely!" Musetta beamed.  "Made a point to be, actually."
    The woman methodically walked around her desk, slowly approaching
Musetta.  Stopping directly in front of Musetta, their faces almost
touching, her cold expression morphed into a broad smile.  "That's my
girl."


    Emma perused the row of Get Well Soon cards, searching for just the
right one.  Sadly, she was having very little luck.  The hospital gift
shop was rather lacking in anything original.  The problem with
prepackaged sentimentality, she thought, was that despite its pretense
of being from the heart, it was often too cold, lacking in that person
touch.  Of course, it would probably help matters if she knew who would
be receiving this card.
    As was his habit, Steed had more or less kept Emma in the dark about
the exact nature of their new case.  So far, all that Emma knew was that
there was someone in the hospital that they needed to see.  Why they
needed to see him, she had no idea.  There was no deliberate attempt to
hide anything from her.  Steed was just not one to rush anything.  There
was always plenty of time to smell the roses and *still* save the world.
    As it happened, smelling the roses was exactly what Steed was doing.
He left the register holding two white roses, and made his way to the
card stand.  "Tell me again, Steed," she said as they left the gift
shop.  "Who are we here to see?  After all, I need to know who the
card's for."
    "I haven't told you a first time yet, that I recall," he answered,
handing her one of the roses.   There was just a hint of the
lightheartedness behind his reply.
    Emma shot him a wry smile as they started toward the lift.  "Well, I
wasn't going to mention that, but since you bring it up..."  She let her
voice trail off, giving him a chance to interrupt.
    "A chap named Jayson," Steed obliged, tucking the second rose into the
buttonhole of his lapel.  "Paul Jayson."
    Emma's brow crinkled.  "Should that name mean anything to me?"
    The lift door opening, they stepped inside.  "Not unless you're in the
habit of breaking into security installations and stealing sensitive
files," Steed replied.
    "Not in the past week, anyway," Emma answered with a playful smile.
With a loud ping, the lift shuddered to a stop.  The doors began to
open, and Steed stepped aside to allow her to exist first.  "Besides, I
have my standards.  Just how sensitive are these files in question?"
    They came to a halt in front of a door labeled 310; their final
destination.  "Sensitive enough that no one knows what they actually
pertained to," Steed said, opening the door.
    Only one of the two beds was occupied.  The patient was very tall,
almost too tall for the bed.  His head was elevated, his long stringy
dark hair uncombed.  His eyes were partially opened.  He was conscious,
but only barely so by the look of it.  "You," he began, struggling to
get the words out, "don't look like any doctors to me."
    As Emma lifted the clipboard chart from the foot of the bed, Steed
tipped his bowler.  "Quite correct.  We're not doctors."
    Paul tried pushing himself up to a sitting position, but only managed
to send waves of agony through his whole body.  He fall backward with a
deep breath.  "So, what are you then?  Police?  Because I was doing my
job!"
    Steed gave him his most charming smile.  "You could say that.  And I
wouldn't dream of impugning your integrity."
    Emma examined his chart with an expert's skill.  He had suffered a
pretty nasty head trauma, and it was noted that he kept slipping in and
out of consciousness.  One expression jumped out at her more than
anything else: "likely delusional."
    Paul continued to speak, but allowed his eyes to close.  "You've got to
get this girl."
    Steed raised his eyebrows, his voice taking on a mischievous quality.
"Girl?"
    "Yes, girl," Paul continued, though now clearly having trouble
speaking.  "She's..."
    Emma looked up from the chart.  "Quite the knockout?"
    "No, she..." Paul shook his head weakly before trying again.
"She's..."
    "Yes?" Steed prompted. "Tall?  Short?  Alluring?"
    "Inhuman," Paul spat, finally getting out the last word.
    Steed frowned, shrugging slightly.  "Ah, well, nobody's perfect."
    "Why do you say that?" Emma asked, returning the chart to its rightful
place.
    "Because humans just can't..."  He took a deep breath before finishing
the sentence, "pop in an out of existence."
    "How do you mean?" Steed followed up.
    The question came a little too late.  Paul had fallen back into
unconsciousness.

    Alone on the island's surface, Adam surveyed his handiwork with pride.
After a few stumbles, he had managed to hang the large, welcoming banner
between two trees.  He had secured the balloons to several branches.
His only regret was that no one made balloons for quite an occasion like
this.
    He turned, inspecting the beach before him.  There was a large wicker
basket lying a few inches from his feet.  But something was missing.
Something vital.  Something....
    "Blanket!" Adam gasped, an instant before vanishing.
    A few moments later, Adam exploded out of the portal, crashing onto the
beach and rolling a few times before coming to a halt near the basket.
He climbed to his feet, leaving the blanket rolled up on the sand.
Dusting off his shorts and sleeveless T-shirt, he chuckled to himself.
A good thing the girl of the hour had not arrived yet.  He would
probably never be able to live the moment down otherwise.
    Right on cue, he felt a slight disturbance in the air behind him.  The
disturbance that always accompanied one of their kind teleporting.
"Well," he heard Jade's voice, "I'm here.  The cloak and dagger secrecy
can end."
    Adam glanced over his shoulder at the new arrival.  To his shock, she
had done something which Adam could not quite recall her ever doing
before: she had followed instructions.  Adam had asked both her and
Megabyte to dress for a day on the beach.  Jade at least had done her
part, with a pair of shorts and unbuttoned short sleeved white shirt
over a dark blue one piece bathing suit.  Adam smiled warmly, unrolling
the blanket and draping it on the ground.  "Look a little to your
right."
    Jade complied, and saw the banner for the first time.  Reading it
aloud, she didn't seem to know what to make of it.
    "æHappy Break Out Day, Jade!'?"
    Adam nodded.  "Four years ago today, you got your wish.  Became one of
us."
    Jade's face brightened.  "Oh, Adam!  How sweet!  Incredibly corny, but
sweet."
    He opened his arms, and Jade knew it was futile to resist what was
coming.  She returned the hug for a bit before letting go.  "So, where's
Megabyte?" she asked, looking around.
    Adam shrugged.  "He had a bit of a rough night.  I'm thinking he might
be a bit late."
    "What?" Megabyte said as he materialized.  "And miss a chance to pick
on the kid?" he ribbed her.  There had been a time when that comment
might have had a bit more of an edge to it.  Now, it was definitely
meant in good humor.  Megabyte took in Jade's outfit, and smirked.
"Wow, they really do sell swimsuits in England.  I thought sunlight in
England was just a myth."
    "Who said I got this at home?" Jade replied with an impish grin.
    Megabyte stammered for a moment.  Jade often gave as good as she got,
but he seemed thrown off by her stealing the advantage so early in this
particular sparring session.  Finally finding a new approach, he
continued.  "Is that really a responsible use of your powers?"
    Jade gave him the same grin again.  "Maybe not, but irresponsible uses
can be fun."
    Adam was struggling to suppress his laughter.  She was absolutely
toying with him!  Things had certainly come along way between them all.
Adam decided that it might be wise for him to bail out his old friend.
"So, anyone want sandwiches?"

    The wind was tossing Emma's long red hair in all directions behind her
as the Bentley sped along.  She hardly noticed, pondering the
conversation she'd just had at the hospital.  Paul never regained
consciousness again before they left.  His last words to them had been
those odd claims about the burglar's supposed abilities.
    Steed seemed to have read her mind.  "What do you think of Mr. Jayson's
account?"
    "You mean about this girl's vanishing act?"
    He nodded.
    She paused a moment, giving her position careful consideration.  "Trick
of the light, perhaps?  Or lack of light?  Optical illusion?"
    Steed turned his attention from the road to Emma for just a moment.  "I
admit that I have no scientific qualifications, but I didn't think
optical illusions were all that keen on knocking people out."
    "Maybe not," Emma replied, undeterred, "but the person behind the
illusion might.  Then there's the possibility of teleportation."
    Steed shook his head, chuckling softly.  "There's never an easy answer,
is there?  Teleportation?"
    "An interesting concept," Emma replied, entering one of her many
elements.  "I've read a couple of papers on the subject.  I've *written*
a couple of papers.  But it bears remembering that this story came from
the mouth of the concussed.  I'm not normally this much of a skeptic,
but I'll believe it when I see it."
    "You may get your chance, Mrs. Peel."
    Emma raised an eyebrow.  "Do tell?  Where are we headed?"
    "The scene of the crime," Steed replied breezily.  "I thought we might
take in something of a show.  That is, if you're not doing anything
tonight."
    "I wouldn't miss this for the world," Emma answered, reaching under the
dash and pulling out two small cups.  "Tea?"
    Nodding, Steed turned the car onto Griffen Road.

    The movement of the ocean was failing to have a soothing effect on
Megabyte.  Then again, that wasn't too unusual.  Normally, all the ocean
managed to do for Megabyte was to make him seasick.  He had only hoped
that this time would be an exception.
    "You know," Jade began, walking up to the tree he was sitting under,
"the Megabyte I know and love wouldn't be sitting off in the background
letting me enjoy my own special day."
    As she sat down beside him, Megabyte smiled apologetically.  "Sorry,
kid.  I've just got a lot on my mind."
    "Adam said you'd had a rough night," she replied.  "You want to talk?"
    At first, Megabyte didn't respond.  After a few seconds, though, he
started to speak.  "My dad got called into the office early this
morning."
    Jade shook her head slightly in confusion.  "And this is unusual
because?"
    "It's something big!  I just have that feeling.  He still wasn't back
by the time I left."
    "Do you have any idea what it might be about?" she asked as Adam was
walking over to them.  Megabyte simply shook his head.
    "Still haven't heard anything?" Adam asked, rhetorically but still with
sympathy.  "I'm really not trying to sound callous or anything, but
dealing with dangerous things and situations is your dad's line of work.
He knows what he's doing.  I just hate seeing you worrying about
something that's probably nothing."
    Megabyte looked away, again gazing off toward the ocean.  "You're
probably right," he said, his voice hollow.  He wanted to believe that.
He really did.  He just couldn't.
    Jade looked up at Adam, with a glance that spoke just as effectively as
speech or telepathy that maybe they should check things out.
    Adam lowered into a crouch beside Megabyte, wrapping an arm around his
shoulder.  "Tell you what: if you've still got this bad feeling by the
time things wind down here, we'll go and see what's happening."
    Sighing, Megabyte smiled for the first time that afternoon.  "Thanks,
buddy."

    When the Ministry told General Damon that their two top agents would be
on the case, the pair in question were not what he had imagined.  Then
again, seeing "Mother" should have warned him that any of his
expectations should be checked at the front door.
    The gentlemanûwhich Damon felt he most certainly seemed to beûlooked to
be somewhere in his mid thirties.  His small, narrow face looked very
distinguished, an effect accentuated by the dapper dark blue Saville Row
suit and bowler hat.  He was a man of average height, but appeared
shorter due to his associate.
    His partner was a very attractive young lady, tall and leggy, with long
red hair, brown eyes, and an expression that was both mildly aloof yet
curious.  She was also quite the fashion plate, attired in beige capri
pants, a blue top which was form fitting though hardly a second skin,
and a dark green jacket extending down to thigh level.
    Damon led Steed and Emma down a short corridor, directing them to take
a left at the end of the hall.  "Tell me, General Damon," Steed began,
"these missing files were connected to some sort of World's Fair."
    "That's correct, yes," Damon answered, before slipping into a pretty
good imitation of a door to door salesman.  "The 2000 and Beyond Expo, a
sort of launching pad for many of the next decade's electronic advances
and amusements."
    "Hmm," Steed frowned.  "Not really my forte, there."
    Emma picked up the slack.  "We all have our weaknesses," she teased.
"We're talking video games, home entertainment, computers, and so on."
    "Any idea under which category our stolen files belong?" Steed asked
hopefully.
    Damon shook his head.  "If only it were that easy.  Imagine doesn't
want anyone knowing a thing about this device until it debuts at the
Expo."
    "Imagine?" Emma prompted.
    "Quite often," Steed said, almost immediately.
    Damon looked back and forth between the two a moment before explaining.
"The company behind this new super secret innovation."
    Steed nodded his understanding.  "And naturally with the plans missing,
they want the Expo delayed or canceled."
    "No, surprisingly," Damon replied, causing Steed and Emma to stop and
look at him in puzzlement.  "That was what I was expecting, too.  But
they won't hear of cancellation.  None of the companies involved will."
    He motioned them through an open doorway, into a room containing three
chairs and wall to wall video monitors.  "The surveillance tape should
be cued up," Damon informed them.  "We haven't been allowed to even look
at it until now."
    Murmuring in acknowledgment, Steed and Emma took their seats along
either side of Damon's chair.  The General pressed a button on the
armrest, and the monitor directly in front of them came to life.
    Indeed there was an unidentified woman searching through the filing
cabinets.  Suddenly, with a surprising amount of strength, she sent one
of the cabinets crashing on its side into the wall.  Within moments, the
security guard--Damon recognized him as one of the newer ones
hired--entered the room, and was appearing to be questioning an
unidentified woman.  Knowing Paul, he might have been trying to arrange
a date for his next day off.  Pity these things don't record sound,
Damon thought.
    All of Damon's thinking came to an abrupt stop when, as soon as the
guard looked away, the woman in question vanished into thin air.  Steed
and Emma looked on in fascination.
    Damon's jaw hit the floor.
    Within seconds, the girl had materialized again, behind the guard.
With one mighty swing, she knocked him out cold with a detached file
drawer.  The guard crumpled to the ground.
    Damon's horror grew as the woman calmly walked over to the cabinet
leaning against the wall, removed one file, and then teleported away.
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com



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

From: Jennifer Welk <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: A few words....
Date: 16 Apr 1999 15:01:52 -0700 (PDT)


I'd like to give an electronic shout-out to Wendy Kelley and those of you
who read the Ambientscape stories: I know it's been a while since I've
posted anything really new to TPFICT as I've been revising all my past
work.  I'd like to thank you all for putting up with that! :)

Description for the TPFICT archives:

Lassitude: Tyrran wants some time to herself, but that might not be what
she needs....





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

From: Jennifer Welk <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Lassitude [Transit]
Date: 16 Apr 1999 15:02:22 -0700 (PDT)


DISCLAIMER: The characters of Adam Newman and Erivere (the ship--Erivere
is just the name I gave to her sentience; see the Epilogue of _Blade to
the Wires_) are the creation and property of Roger Damon Price and Tetra
Films/Thames Television/Nickelodeon [US]/ITV [UK]; the Quinlan family and
Zachary Van Cade are mine.

CAUTION: This story might be seen as Tyrran/Adam UST.  Reader discretion
is advised.



Lassitude



The Quinlan family vacation cabin, 10 miles southeast
of Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
10:19 pm




    It had been a while since Tyrran had been discharged from the
hospital and had returned home to Canada.  But over the course of that
time, although it had been business as usual for Bryce, Riley had come
dangerously close to smothering her out of concern on several occasions.

    Especially since they had learned just what had happened to her.

    Tyrran still found it almost impossible to believe that she had
been kidnapped by a Tomorrow Person that neither she or the others had
met, taken to a research lab in New Jersey and subjected to a personality
implant in an attempt to create a prototype 'corporate warrior', but that
the other TPs had stopped her captors from making any real use of her.
Unfortunately, the TP responsible for all this had escaped.

    When her own memory returned, she was in a hospital with no idea
why she was there.

    If this had really transpired, why did she even have to be told
about it?  The ship, which was now capable of speaking and went by the
name Erivere, said it was because all  memories of the incident had been
lost when Tyrran's core personality had destroyed Sinthiel, the implanted
one.

    It made some sense, but not much.  Mostly it just made her
angry--considerably angry, not to mention scared.  Riley's behavior wasn't
much help.  So she needed to just get away for the weekend.

    She had left a note and come here, a place from a less troubled
time.  A place where she could not be reached for at least one hour by
most people.



    However, someone close to her was not most people.



    Tyrran almost fell off the couch when she recieved the
unmistakeable sensation of an incoming teleport.  It seemed to be heading
for the back section of the house.

    --Who's teleporting in at this time of night?--  she thought as
she tiptoed across the living room and through the kitchen to the utility
room.  --It had better not be this Van Cade bozo, or he's in for some
serious pain.--

    Holding her breath, she inched towards the utility room and turned
into the doorway--to find Adam standing next to the water heater.

    She exhaled hard.  "I wish you'd 'pathed first.  I was _this_
close to leveling you with a contact shock."

    "Considering what happened recently, that's perfectly
understandable,"  Adam said as they walked back into the kitchen.
"Erivere said she'd told you what went down."

    "Does everyone know that she talks now?"

    "Yeah.  It was a huge surprise.  In fact, she was the one who told
me you'd come here."

    Tyrran nodded.

    Adam continued.  "I came here because it didn't seem right to me
that you were here alone."

    "If you're thinking that it was you and the other TPs I was trying
to get away from, that's not it.  Riley was driving me up the wall."
Tyrran sat down on the couch.

    Adam seated himself on her right.  "I figured as much."

    "Years ago, we used to come here a lot.  This cabin originally
belonged to my mother's parents."

    That statement surprised Adam.  "That's the first time I'd ever
heard you mention family other than Riley and Bryce."

    "My parents are both art historians, like Riley.  They moved to
Halifax four years ago to take up a job offer there."

    "Was that the last time you physically saw them?"

    "No, but I've seen them only once since then.  They had decided
since Riley was capable of being our legal guardian, we would stay in
North Vancouver.  That's how it's been ever since."

    "Do they know about you being a Tomorrow Person?"

    "Yes.  Although I broke out after they left, we explained things
to them when they came to visit us on vacation."

    "How did they take it?"

    "They were pretty scared, like Riley was.  But all they could tell
me was not to make a public display of my powers."

    "What else could they say?"

    "Exactly."  Then Tyrran yawned.

    "It is getting late," Adam observed, and stood up from the couch.
"I think I should be going...."

    "Why?" Tyrran asked, standing up and stepping in front of him.

    Adam couldn't recall seeing a softer countenance on her.  After a
moment, he reached out his arms to Tyrran, and she came to him.  They
stood there in each other's arms for what seemed like hours.  "Would you
rather have me stay?" he asked quietly.

    Tyrran responded with a kiss.

    "I guess that answers that question."

    They settled back onto the couch, this time with Adam lying on his
back and Tyrran curled up next to him.  She pulled a blanket that was
draped over the back of the couch over herself and Adam.

    "Pleasant dreams," Adam whispered.

    "Now those I could use," Tyrran murmured back.



The next morning



    Tyrran awoke to typical sounds of someone making breakfast in the
cabin's small kitchen.  Then she noticed Adam was not on the couch with
her, and smiled to herself.  She got up and wandered into the kitchen.
There she saw Adam standing over the stove making scrambled eggs.

    He turned when he felt her presence.  "Well, look who's awake.
How did you sleep?"

    "Definitely better than I have in several days.  But why didn't
you wake me up to help you?"

    "Actually, could I trouble you to check the toast?"

    "Scrambled eggs and toast.  Two of the few things that any of us
can make without blowing something up," she cracked, popping the toast
from the toaster.  "You ran over to the mini-mart, didn't you?"

    "You only had enough oatmeal left for one person.  But then you
weren't expecting a guest."

    "A guest was the last thing on Earth I was expecting, considering
that I used to think that our family were the only ones who knew where
this cabin is," she said, putting the partially-done toast back in the
toaster.  "But I guess Erivere has changed all that."

    "That's going to be another major project--finding out just what
Erivere knows and what she's capable of doing.  I think it will take a
while, considering it took her about five years just to learn enough
English to be able to actually talk to us as opposed to communicating in
images."

    Tyrran nodded.  "I wonder how exactly she found out about what had
happened to me."

    "We'll have to ask."

    "You've got that right."  She paused.  "But in retrospect, I'm
glad she told you where I was."

    Adam reached an arm out and guided Tyrran to his side.  "So am I."




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

From: Jennifer Welk <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: A few words....
Date: 16 Apr 1999 15:01:52 -0700 (PDT)


I'd like to give an electronic shout-out to Wendy Kelley and those of you
who read the Ambientscape stories: I know it's been a while since I've
posted anything really new to TPFICT as I've been revising all my past
work.  I'd like to thank you all for putting up with that! :)

Description for the TPFICT archives:

Lassitude: Tyrran wants some time to herself, but that might not be what
she needs....





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

From: SapphireSky <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Beta Reader Request
Date: 17 Apr 1999 17:16:33 +0000

Hi guys,

I had to write a fiction story for English class, so I wrote a
speculation as to how Kevin and Megabyte may have met and become
friends.  It's just a short little thing, and I wondered if anybody
would like to read comment on it for me.  Thanks in advance!

Rachel with an E :)



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

From: "smith family" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Beta Reader Request
Date: 17 Apr 1999 20:17:58 -0700

I'd love to Beta your story.  It's sound interesting.  My email address is
[e-mail].

Alyson


-----Original Message-----


>Hi guys,
>
>I had to write a fiction story for English class, so I wrote a
>speculation as to how Kevin and Megabyte may have met and become
>friends.  It's just a short little thing, and I wondered if anybody
>would like to read comment on it for me.  Thanks in advance!
>
>Rachel with an E :)
>
>




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

From: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 0/1
Date: 18 Apr 1999 19:51:09 -0500



Disclaimer: I do not own the Tomorrow People. I do not own the concept
of the Tomorrow People. That concept, as well as the characters Adam,
Ami, and Megabyte belong to Roger Damon Price, Thames, Tetra, ITV, and
any other legal copyright holders that I have missed.

Notes: This story is short, and is neither new series nor old series. It
will not have a sequel, and is just my glimpse into the future, when the
Tomorrow People do finally win out. The time line enclosed will help you
understand the story better, as I have created a lot of fictional
history that factors into the story.




2190 - A group of 1,000 pacifists teleport from a square in Tokyo,
Japan, and all 1,000 reappear in London. The leader of the pacifists,
the charismatic man known as 'Jeremy Bell' proclaims the official
existence of the Tomorrow People, calling them, the Nova, or Novae for
plural.

2195 - The existence of the Novae's power and genetic difference is
confirmed by scientists from the US, Great Britain, Japan, South Africa,
Australia, China and Russia. They are officially declared a different
species

2217 - The Novae Mala Acts are passed with the United Nations, placing
civil, legal, and private restrictions on the native population of Novae

2222 - A platinum statue of 'Good Father Adam', a historical hero among
the Novae, is erected in Sydney, Australia.

2233 - The Huanga Injustice is committed on a world wide scale,
requiring Novae to become tattooed with 'NA' on their chests. Meaning
'Novae Alien'

2240 - In several countries Novae are herded into slums and made to work
for pay less than the minimum wage. The schools are segregated.

2270 - Many Novae that live below the poverty line are made to fight in
armies, and later on shipped to other planets for cheap labour and
testing subjects. The statue of 'Good Father Adam' is torn down and cut
up.

2275 - The word 'anaspeciaism' is added to the dictionary. It means the
act of trying to get rid of an entire species by means of relocation or
death.

2288 - The Novae still free begin civil protests. A large riot breaks
out in Moscow, and several hundred protesters are killed.

2295 - War breaks out between the SOTHR (Society for the Human Race) and
large, civilly rebellious group of Novae. By the end of the year, 12,098
Novae are dead, 132,970 wounded, 456 missing. The casualities for the
SOTHR are barely 1,000. This starts the period of the Ante-Exodus, in
which many Novae from different planets flock back to Earth to assist.

2301 - The Novae enlist the help of the Galactic Federation. The
Federation sends troops and weapons.

2305 - The SOTHR loses the war and their leader, John Stakov, is forced
to sign the Treaty of Cork. The SOTHR war criminals are tried by the
Lexington Committee and are turned over to the Federation for
punishment.

2350 - The SOTHR is disbanded, and burn 10,000 copies of the 'Novae Mala
Act' at the feet of a statue erected in the honour of Patron Ami (The
Patron Novae of Precognatives). The ashes are then put on the foreheads
of the Novae, in decorative symbols, and singing songs with historical
signifigance, especially those composed by Mike Bell in his later days a
musician. This what is known as the 'The Nova Burning Fevistival'

2367 - The Novae begin to register all of the Homo Sapiens, making them
wear the letters 'HSN' on their hands meaning 'Homo Sapien, Nullified'.
Saps becomes a degrading term, used only to insult, and the Homo Sapiens
become 'Humans' and later on 'Non-Telepaths'. The Non-Telepaths are
restricted, by the Assembly of Prague, to having only two children,
called the 'Eden Act'. A silver statue of 'Good Father Adam' is erected
in Melbourne, Australia, and the base is made out of the original
platinum of the old statue that was recovered.

2396 - The Novae officially place the Non-Telepaths on the 'Threatened
Species' list, and being the 'March to Stars' program, in which they
entice Non-Telepaths to leave for work camps on other planets.

2490 - The population of Non-Telepaths is down to less than 1 million.

2510 - The confirmed population of 'Non Telepaths' is now 10,000. Only
1,500 children have been born. 3000 have died.

2512 - The 'Non-Telepath' population is declared an endangered species
by the Scientific Council of Serejevo.

2540 - Only about 9,800 'Non-Telepaths' exist. There is an STD epidemic,
and treatment is not publicly offered to the 'Non-Telepaths',
drastically reducing their population. 1508 are killed and more than
half of the survivors are left infertile.

2545 - A series of violent crimes by Novae youth lead scientist to
discover the 'Empathic-Claustro Disorder', and the recession of the
'pacifism instinct'.

2555 - Solemn Young, a vibrant, outspoken leader of the 'Non-Telepath'
community, is arrested, and in jail he is attacked by a mob, of Novae
with 'Empathic-Claustro Disorder', and consequently killed. In response,
1,009 'Non-Telepaths' commit suicide.

2570 - The confirmed population of 'Non-Telepaths' is now 2,500. Only
100 are born. 1,400 died.

2580 - The confirmed population of 'Non-Telepaths' is 1,300. Only 60
were born. 160 died.

2590 - The confirmed population of 'Non-Telepaths' is 1,200. Only 30
were born. 1000 have died.

2600 - Less than 100 'Non-Telepaths' remain.

2605 - Only 60 known 'Non-Telepaths remain'. Only 30 of those are
capable of reproducing. Of the thirty there are 14 males and 16 females.

2610 - Only 15 'Non-Telepaths' capable of producing remain. 13 are
female, two are male.

2615 - One of the two 'Non-Telepath' males capable of reproducing dies.
The Eden Act is lifted.


END PART 0/1




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

From: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 1/1
Date: 18 Apr 1999 19:51:27 -0500


"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust"
By: Megan Freeman


        Nurse Marshal Middle blinked at the baby in his arms. She was a
healthy, pinkish three-day-old girl; orphaned by a father who would not
claim her, and a mother who died in the delivery room. Her eyes had
become a lovely shade of blue, dark, with yellow spots. Her hair had
decided to become a gorgeous shade of auburn. Marshall rocked her,
trying to get her to sleep, but she was wise beyond her few days. She
knew that something was wrong. They used to say that all babies were
born empathic.

        "I don't see why we're keeping her here. She should be in the
custody of the Child Welfare Agency. They'll place her with some nice
parents," said his companion, Justina Redmond. Her brown eyes showed
evident disgust at the thought that Marshal would show any sympathy to
that child. She should have been aborted, for her own good. Now that she
was born, the Nature that had created them all would have to have its
way with her.

        "What parents could care for her? Justi, she's such a pretty
child. The moment she leaves these walls, the minute she's put out into
the world, she's going to find that it's cold and rough. It wasn't her
fault. She's innocent." Marshal replied, almost sorrowed. He kept
rocking her, not wanting to let her go. This child was the last remnant
of so many dead, so many grieving, she was sin born to flesh. The baby
tears that fell down her cheeks were the concentration of a thousand
tears shed in wars that she never knew of. The blood that ran through
her veins was the blood that soaked the Earth so long ago. In those
lovely gold flecked eyes rested the most awful history, and the most
terrible future. How could he let her go, knowing what would happen to
her?
     "She's not your responsibility. It's not her fault, but we all bear
the weight of our ancestors, Marshal. Look at me, I mean, the guy I'm
about to marry insists that our first child be named Megabyte,
regardless of gender. Just because his ancestor happens to be Megabyte
the Great Damon." Justina answered, with such little empathy for a baby
that it scared him. Justina was a full telepath, an empath, she was
supposed to care about this child. No, empathy did not equal sympathy.
     "But I mean, okay, your fianc=E9e's proud of being related to one of
The Originals, but it doesn't mean that this child has to suffer. She
didn't kill anyone. She didn't attempt anaspeciaism on us so many
centuries ago. She didn't hurt anyone, but they're going to hurt her."
     "She's a Sap, Marshal. You can cut it anyway you like, she's a
godforsaken Sap!"
     "I'll not have you calling her that! She's not a Sap! She is a
Non-Telepath! You don't have to offend her! For crying out loud! Her
father won't claim her, her mother died from fear!"
     "Marshal, give it up. This child is the last of her kind, and she's
going to have to bear the brunt of her ancestor's crimes on her
shoulders. I'm sorry, but they made a mess, and she's going to have to
clean it up."
     "She doesn't even have a name. Her mother wouldn't even name her
before she died. She just kept shouting that it wasn't hers, calling the
doctors liars. She wanted this baby to be a Nova."
     "The father was a Nova?"
     "Yes, but she's a 'Non-Telepath. The mother's genes won out."
     "How could nature be so cruel? To turn a mother's hope into her
dying nightmare? If only... Are we going to name her?"
     "I was thinking we might name her Mercy Dawn."
     "You're going to torture the kid with a bad name as well, aren't
you? Make her life hard, how about it?"
     "Well, I think it's pretty. Well, I deem this child, Mercy Dawn.
Hey, what was the mother's last name?"
     "We don't know. We didn't actually get the mother's name before she
died. So we just have Jane Doe on the birth certificate. Would you like
to give her a last name?"
     "Yes, I would. Hunter. She will be Mercy Dawn Hunter from this day
forth."
     "Marshal, I hate tell you this, but it sounds as though she was
named by a nun."
     "I was going to be priest in younger years, but I had problems with
some of the rules. So Mercy, are you hungry?"
     "Marshal, can I ask something?"
     "Sure."
     "Why did you name Mercy as such?"
     "Because, she'll need to have Mercy for those who treat her badly.
Dawn is to remind her that there is hope. Hunter is to give her strength
and cunning to survive." Marshal replied, and turn to the baby, kissing
her head, "Mercy, listen to me. Be a good girl. Treat them well, though
they treat you badly. Forgive them, Mercy. Remember, you were brought
into this world innocent, and you can leave the world innocent. Everyone
must have three virtues: bravery, honesty, and mercy. The last and best
of these is mercy. And like your name, you are the last and best."

        That small, innocent bundle was carried into the home of Mike
and Vicki Adams, a couple in their late twenties. Vicki wanted to adopt
another child, a Nova child, one that she could raise like a human
being. Instead she was weighed down taking care of the child of a
species that had once been the hated enemy of her own. How could she
ever love this barbaric child? Not even with her innocent blue and
yellow eyes and curly auburn hair could Vicki ever love her.

        Yet Vicki took her vows one day, with a very small toddler sleep
on the couch. She took a vow that no matter how much she hated the
'Non-Telepaths', however much she despised Mercy, no matter what she
would tolerate her. Vicki knew that she would never love Mercy, but at
least she could be civil towards the child. She also swore that Mercy
would never call her mother. She would not be Mercy's mother. Instead
she was Mrs. Vicki, and her husband was Mr. Mike. Mercy would never have
mum and dad, _ever_.

        So, five years after they had crossed paths with the auburned
hair imp with the blue and gold eyes, they had to make a tough decision.
They could send Mercy to a public school, and let her endure the slings
and arrows of outrageous fortune at the hands of her telepathic peers,
or they could home school her and lose one half of their income. So it
was decided, without Mercy's consent, that she would be put into school.

        With the last registration paper Vicki signed, she knew she was
signing Mercy's fate, and possibly her death certificate. Yet, she felt
no remorse. She could not and would not shelter the girl from the world,
because eventually she would have to learn.

        If Jade Morton had not studied pediatric empathy for three years
at Cambridge, she might never have known there was anything wrong with
Mercy Hunter. She looked like a healthy six-year-old. She had large,
wondering blue and gold eyes, and auburn hair that was pulled up into a
naturally curly little ponytail.

        The child was malformed, some how her mind and her empathic
abilities were mutated. Perhaps she had 'Latent Empathic Disorder' which
meant she'd have to wait until her teens to get her powers. Only a few
children still had to do as the Originals did and 'break-out'. No, even
those with the disorder had the feel of a Nova. This girl didn't feel,
well, she didn't feel human. It was then that Jade understood. This girl
wasn't human. No, she was, she was too human to be in this classroom.

        Mercy Hunter was a Sap. How could a Nova teacher be expected to
teach a Sap anything? The public school system was designed for Nova,
there was no way that a Sap could be educated there. How was she
supposed to hear the telepathic instruction? How was she supposed to
practice floating her crayons to her table? Mostly, how would she
survive in a classroom full of superior creatures? It was like putting a
chimpanzee in cage full of humans. It was a stupid idea and cruel, too.

        "Hello class. Welcome to Kindergarten. I know some of you are
nervous, but don't be. We're going to have great fun in Kindergarten. My
name is Ms. Jade Morton. You can call me Ms. Jade. Now, let's go around
the room and tell each other our names." She said to the twenty young
children that sat at miniature tables with miniature chairs.

        One by one each said their name, verbally. Most of them had been
taught by their parents that it was rude to alternate between telepathic
conversation and verbal conversation. Not everyone, though.

        [My name is Marmaduke! And my last name is Damon. I'm just like
Megabyte the Great Damon! I'm more specialest than all of you.]
Marmaduke Damon, a snobby blonde kid with brown eyes said,
telepathically. Under normal circumstances it would have been okay to
speak telepathically to the class, especially if one couldn't be heard.

        "Ms. Jade? How come he's not sayin' his name?" Mercy asked,
raising her hand like Mrs. Vicki and Mr. Mike had taught her.

        And the class burst out in to laughing. Mercy tried to get the
joke. She tried to understand what they were laughing at, but she just
didn't understand. Instead, she started laughing to, slapping her knees
as she had seen Mr. Mike do, and saying how funny it was.
     "Oh yeah, that's so funny! Isn't that funny?" She laughed with
them, and Ms. Jade shook her head sadly.

        [Say your name verbally, Marmaduke. Everyone is to say their
name verbally.] Ms. Jade 'pathed to the children, and they silenced.

        "I'm Marmaduke Damon, and I'm still more better!" The boy
repeated, gleefully proclaiming his self-worth. The child, however
special, had grammar problems in the extreme and Ms. Jade could only
hope that whatever unfortunate English teachers he had would not go
absolutely insane.

        The shortened day flew by until final recess came. Ms. Jade had
dreaded this since she first saw Mercy. Inside of the classroom she
could control what happened, but outside of the classroom, Mercy was on
her own.

        Marmaduke came running towards Mercy, with a very sly look on
his face. Ms. Jade watched, with growing horror as he approached her.

        "Hey, Meeerrrrcccyyy!" He extended her last name, bellowing it
out with most forceful of beacon calls. Mercy turned around, looking at
him.

        "Whaaat?" She called back, not walking up to him. He walked up
to her, his voice not accustomed to screaming.
     "I'm real sorry you don't got no powers, yet. But you don't hafta
act like a Sap."

        He'd said the dirty word. The one awful word that had been
branded on her since birth. She didn't understand that word. Sap? Sap
was bad, or at least that was how Marmaduke made it sound.

    "Huh?" Mercy replied, flabergasted.
    "Never mind. I'm just real sorry that you don't got no powers."
Marmaduke repeated, and for someone so snobby it was charitable action.
If only it could be that way. If only she could just be delayed, not
totally malformed.
    "It's oooookie. I'm just fine, anyway." Mercy replied, putting her
hands on her hips, ever so saucy. "You're sooooo sweet!" And with that
she planted a sloppy kiss on Marmaduke. For a moment the boy stood
there, shocked, disoriented. Then it came to him. He had been kissed. He
had been kissed by a girl.
    "EWWWWW!" He cried, bursting into tears, "You kissed me! I got
kissed by a womens!" With that he ran off towards the safety of his male
compatriots, hoping that with enough rolling in the dirt he could erase
the smooch that had been so wrongly placed on his cheek. "Tommy! Tommy!
That womens kissed me! Can you believe a womens kissed me?!" Ms. Jade
could hear the boys all reply in unison, 'a womens?!' with a disgust so
vivid that only the male mind could comprehend it.

        That was one enemy that had been neutralised. So, she'd been
laughed at, but she made the boys cry, so all in all, Ms. Jade though,
it had been a pretty good day. For Mercy, pretty good days were going to
be hard to find.


        Mercy exploded in the door, curly auburn hair let down, her tiny
backpack thrown onto the couch, and raced to the kitchen.

        "Mrs. Vicki! I'm hoooooome!" Mercy screeched, reaching the
kitchen with a smile.

        "We don't scream like that in the house, Mercy!" Mrs. Vicki
admonished. She wasn't happy to see Mercy. In fact, in her own way, Mrs.
Vicki resented Mercy. She was hate born into human form. She was a
curse, a taunting reminder that at one time the Novae had been hunted
and despised. Her husband had come home six years ago, saying that there
was a little girl with no home, and because Vicki was infertile, she was
eager to adopt. When she first saw the little bundle of auburn hair and
creamy skin, she melted. She tried to touch her tiny mind and Vicki's
adoration turned to ugly disgust. She was a 'Non-Telepath', a Sap, and a
freak. However, Mike's pleading won over.

        "What happened at your first day of school, luv?" Mr. Mike
asked, coming into the kitchen to prevent a conflict between Vicki and
Mercy.

        "The whole class laughed and then I made a boy cry!" Mercy said,
with a wide smile that indicated she hadn't found out any ugly truths
about herself.
    "You might just be okay, kiddo." Mike laughed a bit and sat down at
the table to read his evening news vid.


        Okay was a relatively unstable term. Okay could turn from great
as quickly as it could turn horrible. Okay turned horrible very quickly.
With in a few short years, the children had begun to understand that
Mercy wasn't different. Inch by inch the blithe ignorance of her early
childhood was being stripped away. The other children couldn't be kept
from the truth forever, and they wouldn't allow Mercy to remain in the
safe darkness of unknowingness. With their taunts, with their cruel
uncaring shouts, they made Mercy understand what Sap meant. They began
to accustom her to that ugly, ugly word. They let her know that she was
less than human, a freak.

        From that moment on, there was nowhere in the world for Mercy to
go. She would have to stay in the safe confines of her house, where she
could let herself pretend that the people on the vids were her friends.
She was an outcast, and this was the land to which she had been exiled.

        A crying child threw herself on the couch, sobbing furiously.
Her body seemed to convulse with each teary intake of air. Vicki left
her to cry, going into the kitchen, ignoring her. If she was upset, she
didn't need Vicki to help her.

        Mike, unlike his wife, couldn't just watch her sob like that,
miserably and not try to comfort her.

        "What happened, Mercy, what's wrong?" Mike said, pulling her
into a hug. Mercy sobbed and sobbed, trying to find words, but unable to
do it.

        "They said..." she was cut off by a ragged cry that broke Mike's
heart in two, "I was a Sap..." and she resumed her crying.
    "It's alright, luv. Listen to me, a Sap isn't a bad thing at all.
You're a Sap, but that's okay. It means you're a special little girl,
and that you'll always be special." Mike said, smiling, although he knew
deep down she was going find out he had lied. Some day she was going to
know the truth. There was no way he could shelter her forever. But why?
Why did this poor innocent girl, already beaten by the storms of life
have to scrape the bottom of the barrel of Fate?

        Mike was too correct for his liking. She was going to find out,
and much too soon. She came home crying several days, and she didn't
always have him to run to. She also had to find out that Mrs. Vicki, the
only mother-figure in her life, hated her because of something she had
no control over.

        Years were spent in torment, with summer being the only release
she had. In the summers Mercy was safe to hide in her own yard, inside
the wooden fence, alone and protected from the other cruel children.
Mike would watch her, making dolls and talking to them as if they were
friends. She'd even hug them, and invite them to sleepovers. Those dolls
were her only solace in the world. He tried to get the children to come
over and play with her, but they avoided her like the plague. They were
afraid they'd lose their powers when they got near her. The parents of
these children were equally as prejudiced, some calling the school and
demanding that such a menace to society be put in a cage. They demanded
that the 'monster', and the 'devil-child' be made to suffer.

        That menace to society was in a cage. It was a cage made of
wood, with grass inside, and a fake tree that didn't even offer shade.
That monster was suffering, and horribly. All of the wishes of the
people had come true. An innocent child's heart was bleeding.

        Then, in the summer of her sixth grade year, there was a big
story. A woman named Jana Smithy had died. Jana Smithy and Mercy Hunter
were the only 'Non-Telepaths' left on Earth. When Mercy died, so would
an entire species. Everyone wanted a piece of Mercy. Some wanted to have
her on display at a zoo, others wanted to send her off world, and some
even thought she should be executed for her own sake.

        From then on Mercy had to stay in her house, like a hermit.
Whatever childish longings she had to be free and play and romp had to
be stunted. Her growth had to be stunted to save her from those that
lurked outside of the door. The monster that lay within would forever be
hunted by the daemons that stalked outside.

        It was then that Mike made a decision. Mercy needed a pet. A dog
or a cat or something to ease the lonliness. So he brought home a small,
furry cat named Cathy. Cathy was well received by Vicki, and brought
harmony into the home. She became Mercy's friend. When Mercy got sick,
Cathy would lay beside her in bed, and if she was crying Cathy would
purr her back into happiness. Cathy was a playful cat, having green eyes
and black fur with a tiny white star on her forehead. Cathy loved to
explore the house, loved to try to catch the laces of shoes, and mostly
loved to get into all sorts of nooks and crannies.

        Cathy explored too far one day.

        Mercy came home, to see a very solemn, sick looking Mrs. Vicki.
Mercy knew, without any empathy, that something was seriously wrong. It
was then that Mike, in the gentlest manner possible, told her that Cathy
was gone. A neighbour's dog had been too playful, and Cathy had been too
weak.

        In an instant, all of the hard-learned emotional control that
Mercy learned was gone. She called Mike a liar, and then she headed to
her room. She didn't cry, though, she rocked, holding her doll to her
chest, praying that a large, fuzzy, purring mass would come to ease the
trauma.

        Cathy never came back. Mercy learned to survive, but not without
scars. The peace that Cathy had brought to Mercy would never be
restored. What promises, whatever hope she had for the future were dead
a buried with Cathy. They laid shattered on the floor, like a broken
mirror, reflecting back bits and pieces of an image; the image of what
she could have been.

        The future was dark, but there was history to be considered.
History which did not speak well of Mercy's kind. History which stayed
behind Mercy, ominous, dark like death. Yet, somehow there was good in
history, but they refused to let any of good side show through. From the
time Mercy took her first history class until she got out of school, she
heard about nothing but the evils of Saps. She heard the endless lists
of atrocities listed one by one. No speaking of Eden Act or the March to
the Stars, no, only of the wrongs of Saps. For hours on end, in a water
torture like fashion, Mercy listened as they counted the sins of the
past.

        Her teacher, Don Rowe considered himself a historian, and a
fair, unbiased historian. However, there was no way he could teach
history to a class of sophomores without talking about how cruel the
SOTHR had been to the Novae so many years ago. It was an ugly time, and
one that was to be remembered to respect those that suffered. Yet, they
had won over. It was easy to teach it as the wonderful, innocent Novae
overcoming the harsh, brutish SOTHR and never think what happened to the
Saps after the Novae won. It was easy to justify the Eden Act. It was
easy to make it seem as though the dwindling numbers of 'Non-Telepaths'
was the fault of the 'Non-Telepaths' themselves.

        It wasn't the truth. The truth was ugly. And in the end, both
sides had committed atrocities. Only, this time, there was no one to
apologise to. In one lifetime, the enemy of his father, his father's
father, and his father's father's father would be forever erased.
Extinct. The original human race would be extinct.

        He had the duty of teaching the last member of this dying
species about history; history in which she was given the shortest end
of the stick. There were times when he wondered why they even bothered
to put her in school. The entire point of Mercy's life was her death.
She was not born to make a difference, or help anyone. Mercy's death
would be what all of her years of torture culminated to. Mercy was born
only to die, and die with people dancing on her grave.


        "So, the SOTHR began what we call the period of the 'Involuntary
Exodus'. Most of the Novae sent off world never came back." Mr. Rowe
told his class, putting the book down. For the day he had finished his
tale of Sap cruelty, but tomorrow, there would be more reaming to do.

        "That was really mean. I don't see how anyone could be evil
enough to do that. Then again the Saps were pretty wicked." Said
Marmaduke, the boy that Mercy had kissed in kindergarten.

        "Not all the 'Non-Telepaths' were bad, right, Mr. Rowe?" Mercy
asked, pleading for some sort of reprieve from the angry, hateful faces
and the snide telepathic comments that she knew were going around.

        "There were a few who tried to help, but most were with the
SOTHR. In the end, Mr. Rowe had done her no service.
    "But they weren't evil, just misled." Mercy seemed to be pleading
for help, help that Mr. Rowe wouldn't give her.
    "They were evil." Mr. Rowe stated and Mercy made a decision. She
couldn't stand by and let Mr. Rowe denigrate her ancestors like that.
All of the years of torture came surging back. Every ounce of the lies,
the hatred, and the anger began to boil in her blood. The voice of every
teacher, every student, every hateful enemy came screaming into her
head.
     "That's not a fact! History is facts! You're *not* teaching
history, sir!" She argued. "How can you call them evil! If the Saps are
evil, then the Novae are evil, because we all came from the same
origins!"

        "Oh shut up!" Marmaduke whined, angrily, throwing a spitball at
her. Soon enough she was being assailed by an onslaught of spitballs.
The students picked up her back pack, and began to toss her things
around. Mercy could only stand there helplessly. They stole her lunch
credits out of her purse, and made fun of her doll which she carried in
her purse for comfort. She stood before the class, with a calm face. Her
blue/gold eyes were hurt, but she did not say anything. In that one
second, in the drop of her head as she resigned they all felt a pang of
conscience. With the defeated sigh they knew they had won. There was no
satisfaction to be found. They knew what they had done. They had become
what they hated.

        "Young lady, go to the office." Mr. Rowe said, and in a final
act of pity, handed her a matter transporter.

        She brought the note from the principal home to Vicki. It was
probably the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life. She sat on the
stool, while Vicki paced as she read the note. The more she read, the
angrier she got. Mercy's chest got tight, her stomach was wild with
anxiety and fear. She even began to get light headed and dizzy with
dread.

        "How could you?" Vicki asked, furiously, "How could you be so
disrespectful? Did I teach you no better than that? You are grounded! No
vids, no trips to the library, nothing! I am taking that matter
transporter. And you are going to apologise to Mr. Rowe!"

        Dutifully, Mercy handed over her matter transporter. She felt
like crying, but she wouldn't. She kept her face at a well schooled
neutral, though the drooping corners of her mouth betrayed her.

         "I'm sorry, mum!" She called out before she could stop herself,
and then she cupped her hands over her mouth in shock. She couldn't
believe what she had just called Mrs. Vicki. Something in her had cried
out for Mrs. Vicki to admit that she was Mercy's mother figure. A
desperate want had fulfilled itself in that word, a word she had never
known in it's fullness.
     "What did you just call me?" Vicki asked, with angry confusion
boiling in her eyes.
     "Mum. I didn't mean it, Mrs. Vicki, honestly," Mercy pleaded, but
Vicki was too outraged.
     "I am not your mother and I never will be! Your mother was a Sap
whore who died because she saw what a freak she gave birth to! You are a
Sap, and you can never be my child! You are a stupid, evil, worthless
Sap and you always will be! You disgust me!"

        Vicki kept screaming at her, and Mercy started to cry. All of
her hopes that one day Mrs. Vicki would like her, all of her aspirations
of making Mrs. Vicki proud were permanently shattered. Like Cathy,
anything she had left to dream for was dead. Each time Vicki screeched
the word 'Sap' it seemed to take another slice of not only Mercy's
heart, but her soul. They stung like fire, and burned twice as much. Now
even the fortress she had built, the safe home she thought she had was
gone.

        Mr. Mike got home, and could say nothing. He knew what sort of
trauma Mercy had just endured. He heard his wife calling her horrid
names that he dared never repeat. He just watched, avoiding Mercy's
pleading eyes. He could not bear to look into those glassy blue eyes
that were flecked with most extraordinary gold. He listened as Vicki
told Mercy how horrible she was. Never once did he interrupt Vicki,
never once did he try to help Mercy.

        And the second knife went through Mercy's heart and soul. Vicki
hated her and Mike would not help her. It was that one second in time
when Mercy felt her entire being shatter with despair. That one second
when nothing in the world could comfort her. There was no where to turn
to.

        "She's my wife, luv, I'm sorry." Mr. Mike said, leaving Mercy to
weep, unconsolably in the kitchen. She hurt more than she ever had in
her life.

        Mercy went on with life, marching like a soldier, though she
didn't know why. Maybe it was the pain driving her on, hoping to find
solace. Perhaps it was the desperation to make Vicki love her. Or
perhaps she wanted to live, even with her despair.

        She came into Mr. Rowe's history class, with her head down. She
was trembling, shaking with both fear and despair. She was cold, yet her
skin burned like fire. Her eyes lost their lustre. She was pale and
sickly looking. She was like a fighter defeated and broken and tamed.
She was an unhappy but obdient dog on a leash. Mostly, she was a sorry
sight to see.

        "You okay?" He asked her, as she left class. She looked up from
the floor, and met his eyes. She felt nothing now, she was too numb to
even care.

        "The world was wrong long before I was born, and will be wrong
long after I die. Why does it matter?" She asked, cryptically and left.
Something about that would forever haunt Don Rowe. There was some part
of it that could never be erased from his mind. Maybe it was the despair
and brokeness in her voice. Maybe it was the honest, simple statement.
Maybe it was a combination of the two. Either way, he could never forget
what she said.

        Mercy had been told by Mr. Mike and Mrs. Vicki many times that
time and tide would wait for no one. They were only partially correct.
Time and tide and _death_ would wait for no one. Death would not wait
for her to make amends with Mr. Mike after a permanent rift had grown
between them. Death did not wait for her to be ready. Death came and
took Mr. Mike.

        Around the corner, Death would lie in wait for Mrs. Vicki. Yet
Death would creep visibly closer with each day. First, Vicki began to
forget simple things, like where her jaunting belts were. Then she began
to experience health problems, degenerative ones. Her bones could be
healed when she fell, and her spine could be given corrective treatment
for any beginnings of ostoperosis. Yet it did not stop her body from
decaying. With every year that she got older, she grew more and more
feeble. Until at last she was in Mercy's good hands, because no one else
would care for her.

        Vicki resented Mercy, and with her senility, she forgot that
she'd made a solemn vow to be tolerant of Mercy. She no longer would let
Mercy go one day without reminding her that she was a Sap and a brute.
Yet Mercy smiled at Mrs. Vicki. Though they never did see eye to eye,
Mrs. Vicki had taken care of her. So Mercy felt it was her duty to care
for Mrs. Vicki.

        "You are a Sap..." Vicki hissed through the oxygen mask. Mrs.
Vicki's lungs were weak, and she needed the mask constantly. She could
no longer live without it. It took great strength for her to say words.
"Yet you have cared for me..." she breathed in with a wheeze that
sounded painful, "How stupid of you, but how kind..."

        The hatred, the resentment that burned in Vicki's eyes died with
that one statement. Vicki saw the end coming. She could just see the
long pale arm of death beginning to wrap around her. She looked and her
friends were not there, her husband was not there, not even her brothers
and sisters who were still alive were not there. Everyone else had left
her or they had died. Yet the person she despised most, the monster she
had never learned to love was there, taking care of her.

        "Mrs. Vicki, rest now. You want to look good tomorrow. You need
beauty sleep." Mercy said gently, tucking Vicki in, and leaving the old
woman to rest. And in the night she died, and the peace that had been
taken away from her when she was a child was finally restored.

        The shattered spirit had been glued together again, and Mercy
felt strangely whole.

        Nature was cruel, and soon the same slow process of dying began
to take it's toll on Mercy, her hair was grey and the auburn dulled.
Yet, the blue and gold never faded, not even in her age. So many dreams
had been broken. She did not ever live a comfortable life, and almost no
one would hire her. When she signed job applications, she had to tell
them that she was a 'Non-Telepath'. So, the job she finally got, and
stayed with for twenty five years was one with the city. She worked at
the Waste Removal and Renewal Centre. She no lover, no children, only a
stray cat that she fed and named Wendie.

        Retirement brought Mercy no peace. She lived in a slum area,
with other poor, unfortunate souls. Still, somehow, she managed to find
her little joys in life. One of these joys happened to be her daily walk
around to the park near her home. She'd smell the flowers, and enjoy the
air.

        Mercy went on her usual morning walk, tying her greyed auburn
hair into a neat bun. She kept herself at brisk pace, hoping to keep in
shape. She had a dress to fit into for Easter Sunday.

        The park was filled with children and parents, even at this
early hour. Yet, something didn't seem right to Mercy. She scanned the
park, and there, stood a man with a gun. He was a Nova, because of the
mark on his skull where a Depressor Helmet had been. Only those with
'Empathic-Claustro Disorder' wore them, and usually only in severe
cases. His disintegrater gun was pointed at a small child, trying to get
another part of the playground. He was crazy, and there was no reasoning
with him. Somehow the loss of the 'pacifism instinct' had driven him
insane. He was insane enough to take a child's life, just to see if he
could. If only to see if he could or could not kill, that man would.

        He raised the disintegrater gun, and Mercy raced towards the
small child, and knocked the child down, but not before the shot tore
through her. She felt it sear through her flesh as she hit ground. Yet
she saw the boy, unharmed and the pain meant nothing. Horrified people
looked on as they saw Mercy lying there, shot, and the little boy beside
her, crying.

        A man raced to the little boy first, kissing him, rejoicing that
he was okay. Then he looked down to the woman. Something was familiar
about those blue and gold eyes.

    "Who are you?" He asked, reaching his mind out to comfort hers, in
her pain. "Mercy?"
    "Marmaduke Damon." She said, hoarsely. She started coughing,
painfully.
    "You saved my grandson, Mercy, thank you." He thanked her, kneeling
next to her, while he heard someone call for help in the background.
"I'm sorry that they were, so mean to you. You were a good person, even
if the Saps weren't."
    "I forgive them, Marmaduke. They were good at heart."
    "Mercy, is there anything I can do?"
    "No. I  proved that I was not just born to die. I saved your
grandson's life. I did something good while I was still alive. I'll get
no more. "
    "Bless you, Mercy."

        Under the cool April sky, six large men who were hired bore
Mercy to her grave. Aside from John, Adam, Megabyte (who was
coincidentally the son of Justina Redmond), Kevin, Kenny, and the last
paulbearer, Stephen, only three people followed: Marmaduke, his
grandson, and a priest.

        "Would anyone like to say a few words about the deceased?" The
priest asked, looking at the three black-clad mourners. Marmaduke raised
his hand.

        "Mercy Dawn Archer was born innocent, and despite everything,
she died innocent. She is not evil or bad. She was brave, honest, and
compassionate. Mostly, she was Mercy." Marmaduke said, and after a long
silence..
        "Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison." The priest finished, with a
blessing that meant 'God have mercy, Christ have mercy.' And then he
realised that the entire species of homo sapiens had died. With one
death an entire species was officially replaced. She had suffered for
her ancestors, and had born the weight of their crimes. Yet she proved
that despite what those people did, there was still goodness in the
heart of humanity, in whatever form it took.

        What started with Adam and Eve, had ended with Mercy.


THE END

Will write for feedback.




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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 1/1
Date: 18 Apr 1999 21:34:10 EDT

Greetings

    I just wanted to say that, that was an incredibly good story. KUDOS
to you! Very well written and such a moving concept! It was very emotional!
Keep writing more like this! it reminds me of the short stories of Orson
Scott Card!

Jonathan Brown.



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

From: Jonathan C Day  <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: The Creature [1/1]
Date: 19 Apr 1999 10:54:09 -0400 (EDT)

The Creature

Set in the Tommorow People/Sapphire & Steel universe.

Disclaimer:

The Tomorrow People and all characters thereof are the creation of Roger
Price and copyright Thames TV.

Sapphire & Steel and all characters thereof are the creation of P. J.
Hammond and copyright ITC.

The copyright for time is still in dispute.

This is the prequel to "Moving". One day, I'll learn to write chapters in
order. :) More importantly, not to write chapters at 11pm at night, when
I am tired out of my skull and all higher thought functions have gone to
sleep.

The creature drifted through the time corridor, hunting, searching for a
way in. A way into reality, to take what it wanted, to feed off the
break-down of the structure of the Universe. Neither it, nor the other
denizens of the corridor "needed" to feed. It was done out of a hunger, an
insatiable desire, rather than a physical requirement. They existed, and
lived, in a manner of speaking, and would do so whether they ever fed or
not.

It had a particular place in the Universe that it liked to feed from. It
cared nothing for names, but if it had, it might have known that the
inhabitants called it the Milky Way. What it did know, and was now trying
to do something about, was that it was populated with telepaths. Because
of this, feeding grounds were becoming more and more scarce. In time,
there would be none at all.

Simply eating in the earlier timezones only was not an option. Too much
activity would draw the attention of the Time Guardians or, worse, Time
Agents. Feeding had be selective, and not too much, too quickly, in any
one place and time. Even so, they were often repelled. Even switching to
other galaxies was not much of an option. The telepaths would eventually
unite together against their common enemies and seal off the time corridor
forever. At least, into their future.

The creature stopped. It had found what it was looking for. A mix of the
old and the new. In this case, an old structure and a new sub-species of
humanoid. It wasn't much, but it was just enough, largely because these
humanoids were telepaths. Not just any sub-species of telepath, either.
This specific sub-species which would be instrumental to the closing of
this galaxy to feeding and a part of events leading up to the sealing
off of the corridor.

Right here, and right now, though, the sub-species was new. Too young to
have evolved any defences against something as powerful as itself. A
change now would not only prevent the events that were to follow, but
would also cause a galactic war, leaving even more worlds utterly
vulnerable to the occupants of the time corridor.

Already, it could see the walls keeping the two existances seperate begin
to thin and crumble. Soon, it would cross the bridge into reality and
devour the telepaths that were to have been it's bane.

The moment arrived. The creature moved quickly, between the planes of
existance, unaware that it's crossing had been observed by others. As this
was a powerful entity, two agents were assigned to deal with it.

The creature burst into the Lab. The life-forms tried to teleport out, but
it blocked any such transfer. They began to run, and it suspended time
around them, playing with them. Their forms becoming mere shadows, as they
were taken out of existance. The machine tried to do something, so the
creature disabled it's higher functions and devoured it's power source,
sensing the food value of this enormously complex device. Still hungry, it
consumed all the power in the room, until the circuit breakers, at last,
exploded.

It rippled, slightly, still disoriented from traversing the bridge. It
moved through the Lab, sensing no attack, but remaining wary. It drifted
into the disused underground tunnel, sensing prey - much more prey -
nearby. It had severely weakened itself, by supressing the telepaths -
much more than it had anticipated. It  was vulnerable, and it knew it. It
needed to restore itself, before any Agents got here. It knew it always
took them time. It always did. Sometimes hours, sometimes months. It
needed to be ready.

Two figures materialised in the Lab. One a woman, the other a man. Both
dressed in business suits. They looked at the scene around them and sent
out a telepathic request. Moments later, a third man, also in a suit,
appeared. They stayed back, sensing the creature but aware that it had not
yet sensed them. It's essence was leaking so badly, it practically glowed
in their minds.

Another being - this one human - entered the room. The three moved deeper
into the shadows, to see who this new person was, very much aware of the
danger any human was in, here. The person moved towards the sillouetted
figures, then stopped and turned towards them, presumably having heard
them. Silver grinned and snapped his fingers. The lights went on
throughout the Lab, momentarily blinding them.





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

From: Jonathan C Day  <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Silver's Stand [1/1]
Date: 19 Apr 1999 11:15:00 -0400 (EDT)

Silver's Stand [1/1]

A Tommorow People/Sapphire & Steel crossover, set in the "Elements of
Tomorrow" universe (terrible, I know, but... :)

These events are set at the end of Adventure 6, in the Sapphire & Steel
universe, and are set shortly after the events in my story "Moving". Time
travel is fun, isn't it! :)

I'm writing this serial as a series of patwork shorts, as I'm discovering
this works better for me and usually gives the reader enough of a story to
be readable. I've tried multi-parts - they won't let me finish them, even
after I'm running short on ideas. Multi-parts are like that - arrogant and
demanding on their writer. Writing by patchwork is much easier. I might
someday merge the patches together into a full-length story, but that is
for the future.

Health Warning: Never write fanfic when your brain is asleep.

Silver stood in the woods where, moments before, Steel and Sapphire had
been beside him. The transient being smiled, cruelly. "You could have been
spared. Now you will just have to die, too." The being opened the time
box once more, and Silver was sucked into it... and through... out into a
wet, almost swampy field. There was nothing around, and the atmosphere
contained rather more sulpher than he liked.

"Well, no use standing here. Those two I sent back in time will be around
here, somewhere."

He grinned. Talking to oneself was considered by some the first sign of
madness. He disagreed. Being -here- was the first, tackling a group of
transient beings, who'd been trained as assassins, head-on, armed only
with a box from a chess set, was the second. Talking to oneself was nearer
fifth or sixth on the list.

He walked around, checking for any sign of a barrier. He didn't have much
time - soon, all the boxes would be deactivated and he'd be trapped here.
But he didn't want them to know he'd escaped, either. At least, for
as long as possible.

On being satisfied there were no other barriers, he reached up his sleeve
and took out the duplicate time box that he'd made when Steel had
foolishly taken the one they'd had to fight the transient being. Steel
could never have won the quick-draw, no matter who was faster. The
transient being had control over time, in the bubble he'd created.

He programmed the box, quickly. He needed a refuge. A safe place, where
nobody would question his abilities or his sudden appearance, whilst he
worken on a plan to rescue Sapphire and Steel. He smiled. He knew just
the people who might help. He programmed the time box to travel to London,
in the late 70's.

A figure shimmered on the jaunt pad, formed, and stepped down.

"John! You were supposed to be on vacation!"

"I was, but an emergency came up."

"What sort of emergency?"

"I got a crossed line, when I was at the hotel, and heard about a raid by
an anti-terrorist group, over the disused section of the Underground that
we're in. They have old maps, showing where this place is. If they can't
get in, or if they find anything that shouldn't be here, it won't just be
mad scientists after us. I don't like the idea of us being fugitives."

John was doing his best to lie, though it wasn't his natural inclination,
but he could hardly blurt out "because three Tommorow People, who claim to
outrank the entire Trig, have said that if we don't, we'll be eaten by a
monster from another plane of reality, and Earth will make a nice desert
for it." Less because of any disbelief - they'd faced some strange dangers
- and much more because of arguments. Those could last for days, and they
had less than 55 minutes left.

The others looked at him, his lie so patently obious as to be pathetic.
But the nervousness in his voice was genuine. John was supposed to be the
strong leader, fearless and bold. In their minds, they could see he was,
right now, scared of something of incredible power and equally scared
they'd be arguing over it until disaster struck.

"How long have we got before the, ummm, raid?" asked Mike.

"We have just under fifty-five minutes to remove every single object. What
we can't move, we must destroy. I have been working on a secondary base,
for a while, in case it was needed. TIM has the location. Don't bother
sorting - just pick up stuff here and dump there. We can worry about being
tidy later."

They worked with a passion and had cleared every last speck of debris with
just a couple of minutes to spare. One of the walls softened slightly, but
visibly. Light began to pour through it. "Everyone jaunt out, NOW!"

Nobody needed to be told twice. The place became dark, except for the
light from the wall. That, too, was fading, as the altered structure of
the lab no longer had the conflict of old and new. The creature let out a
telepathic scream of hate and anger, as it's bridge collapsed from under
it. It could feel the walls between the planes regrow; strengthen. But it
also felt them entangle it, entwining it permanently between the
two planes.

It was paralysed. Unless some event, in that specific room, took place
with almost religious devotion, repetitively, the wall would never thin at
this point again, and it would be trapped in this prison for all eternity.
And it had no intention of that. It's mind reached out, as far as it
could, barely into the reality beyond, it's power too weak to control
anything there, but enough to plant suggestions and ideas in the minds of
any creature within it's limited reach, which barely went past the
physical wall of the Lab.

They had finished setting up the new base, arranging things. It had taken
them weeks, but they'd done it. They were still none-the-wiser as to what
had shook John so bad, or why he'd ordered the evacuation. Eventually,
Mike had had enough of the vagueness from the person who was supposed to
be leading them. "We've done what you wanted, now can you tell us the real
reason why we've done it?"

Before John could reply, a black spot appeared in the air. It got rapidly
larger, until it formed a full outline of a person, carrying something.
The outline snapped into a fully-formed adult figure, suddenly. The person
went sprawling, loosing his grip on the box, which scattered chess pieces
everywhere.

"I -do- wish these devices wouldn't keep doing that." Silver groused. He
shook his head, and looked around to see where he was. "Ah! You must be
the people we rescued, the other time. Not that you'd remember it, of
course - it never happened, because you moved in time."

"John? Who is he?"

"He calls himself Silver, and he's two friends - Sapphire and Steel. And,
yes, he's right. The first time round, you were defeated whilst I was on
holiday. Sapphire rewound time, just far enough for me to change
things."

Just as everybody was digesting this news, another figure materialised on
the jaunting pad. Peter, a Time Guardian, stepped down. He started to
speak, then stopped, as soon as he saw Silver, his questions answered. He
raised an eyebrow.

Silver's reaction surprised everyone there, Silver included. "Stop raising
that eyebrw at me! If you want to go and make yourself useful, find out
who gave the transient beings some of your advanced morphic time
disks!"

Peter blanced. "How did you know those were stolen?"

"Because I replicated some, so I could get out of the trap!"

"You'd only have needed one, and I see that, scattered over the floor."

"Steel grabbed the other, trying to fight off the transient beings sent to
assassinate him!"

"What happened?"

"Steel lost. I don't know where the transient being sent him."

"Why did you come here?"

"Because the Triassic Period wasn't to my taste, even if I was to the
taste of it's inhabitants. Also, I'll need help if I'm to rescue my
friends. Neutral help. Help unlikely to send further assassins after
myself and them, afterwards."

John spoke up. "How can telepaths assassinate? We can't kill."

"That's because they're not telepaths. Their powers are limited to more of
the physical than the psychic, much of it technically enhanced. Even the
psychic powers they do have are technologically based. They are also
geniuses, powerful beyond even my abilities, and verydeadly."

"Why have we never encountered any?"

"They've always been locked in the distant past, where they belong. We've
made sure of it. But now two are very much running around in the current
day or future, maybe with smuggled time disks or other advanced
technology."

"How can they use the time disks? They're not homo superior?"

"Technology, again. They won't have the depth or finesse of a Time
Guardian or a Time Agent, but they have enough control to deceive such
devices and contol them to a degree."

John sighed. He knew what he was being asked to do - to pit the wits and
youth of the Tomorrow Peope against a race of pseudo-telepaths who's
technology was so great, some of the largest organisations in the galaxy
were terrified witless of them. This felt an uneven battle. At least, when
battling saps, you know you've some advantages.

He turned to Silver. "Would you be coming with us?"

"Certainly. I would need to. You'd never get through the defences and
alarms, otherwise."

"And then?"

"And then we rescue Sapphire and Steel, get out of there, and maybe fight
the transients with our combined strengths."

John pondered for a moment.

"We'll do it."




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

From: Wendy Kelley <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 1/1
Date: 19 Apr 1999 13:59:58 -0500

I have no idea what to say in response to this.  I'm still sniffling, and
I'm utterly completely in awe.  With one work, you have firmly fixed
yourself among the elite of TP fan writers.  The world you built with a
very small details is so believable that I could only wish this story were
part of a serial or universe.  Please, *please* keep writing.  If your
future stories is only half this good, you'll raise the quality of the
archives immensely.


>Mercy Dawn Archer

nitpick, I thought her name was Mercy Dawn Hunter?



...
Wendy

[e-mail] * http://www.xmission.com/~ladyslvr/
Listowner: Tomorrow People fiction and discussion lists
Listowner: Sliders creative list



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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 1/1
Date: 19 Apr 1999 17:30:21 -0400

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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The story was absolutely amazing!!  It shows just how little it takes to
turn into what you hate.  This story really made me think; and it was very
moving, especially the ending.

Keep writing,
Jen
[e-mail]
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/
"May you walk with the awareness of life.
 May you walk in beauty."
                                          Teresa Pijoan


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<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2014.210" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The story was absolutely =
amazing!!  It=20
shows just how little it takes to turn into what you hate.  This =
story=20
really made me think; and it was very moving, especially the=20
ending.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Keep writing,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Jen<BR></FONT><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A></FONT><FONT =
size=3D2><BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/"=20
target=3D_blank>http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/</A><BR>"May you =
walk with=20
the awareness of life.<BR> May you walk in=20
beauty."<BR>          &=
nbsp;           &n=
bsp;           &nb=
sp;      =20
Teresa Pijoan<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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

From: Adams <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: re: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
Date: 19 Apr 1999 17:31:03

Greetings;
    All I can say about 'Ashes to Ashes...' is BRAVO!  BRAVO!!
Must dash!
Dianne




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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: TPFICT: Sunless Lands (0/2)
Date: 21 Apr 1999 19:13:55 EDT

Sunless Lands
by Nicole Gray
Part 0/2

I've been sitting on this thing for ages.  This is the fifth story (yes, I
know I haven't finished the fourth, and it's going to be a while yet) in my
universe A Realignment of Life Forces.  The story is NSTP/Millennium.  The
home page (and all the stories) for this uni can be found at
http://members.aol.com/ngwjaguar/writing/Life_Forces/ Check it out there if
you'd rather not read it on e-mail.  This specific story doesn't need any
background in my universe.  You also don't need to know anything about
Millennium (there are a few details you might not get, but they don't really
matter), as it's the first story in the uni with TP and MM.  Thanks to my
Beta readers: Fleur and Jeffl1965 for putting up with about fifty revisions.

Disclaimer: The TP (namely Adam in this story) and everything related belong
to Roger Damon Price and Tetra Films/Thames Television/Nickelodeon [US]/ITV
[UK].  Wow, disclaimers for TP is a pain in the butt.  Millennium (Frank
Black, Jordan Black, and the events of "Borrowed Time" are the property of
Chris Carter and 1013 Productions.  Cassia and Dr. Linsai (who may or may not
appear in later stories) are both mine.

Apologies: I have absolutely no knowledge of how medical school works.  I
don't know what it's called when students begin working in hospitals.
However, the point here is that Adam, being Adam, is *volunteering* during
his free time.  Yes, I know med students aren't supposed to *have* any free
time, but this is Adam.  Also, I'm aware that some of this writing is, as my
friend Fleur put it, 'tacked on.'  I wrote the first draft at one in the
morning, what do you want?! *g* No matter how much I reworked the stupid
thing, it wouldn't stop being so melodramatic!



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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: TPFICT: Sunless Lands (1/2)
Date: 21 Apr 1999 19:14:11 EDT

Sunless Lands
by Nicole Gray
Part 1/2

*****
"I find myself wondering about humanity.  Their attitude to my sister's gift
is so strange.
Why do they fear the sunless lands?
It is as natural to die as it is to be born.
But they fear her.  Dread her.  Feebly they attempt to placate her."
-The Sandman: Prelude Nocturnes (The Sound of Her Wings) by Neil Gaiman

*****
"Adam, go and get the blood results for me?"

"I'll be back with them in a moment, Dr. Linsai."

"Will you call me Sarah, already?"

Adam paused at the door and grinned.  "Sure thing, Dr. Linsai."  He
disappeared into the hallway before Sarah could respond, leaving her watching
his back  with mild annoyance.

He was an incredible help in the hospital, very good for a second year med
student, but he could drive people nuts at times.  And then there was that
infectious smile of his, which tended to have the rest of the medical staff
grinning like fools at the most inopportune moments.  When he got a job, he'd
have a wonderful bedside manner, but Sarah always wondered if he was cut out
for the medical profession.  She wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle being
around those who were suffering.  He'd expressly requested not to be put into
the emergency ward, but rather one that didn't handle injuries as often, she
remembered.  On the other hand, she couldn't ask for better help in her job.
He had a way of always knowing exactly what was needed for a patient before
she asked for it.

Sarah meandered around the lab, gathering together the information that she
would need for her rounds for the next hour.  She just had to get the blood
results for her various patients, and she'd be ready to start.  Glancing at
her watch, she realized that she had to get going in about a minute and
wondered where Adam was.  He was usually beyond punctual.  Even when there
was heavy traffic, and she expected almost everyone to get in late, he tended
to suddenly come up behind her and tap her shoulder.  Now, though, he'd been
gone for about five minutes on a short trip down the hall, which should have
taken about one.

Pulling her doctor's coat over her clothes, deciding to start without him,
Sarah pushed open the door and stepped into the activity of the hall.  As she
pulled the door closed behind herself, she almost walked into Adam, who was
standing with his back to her.

"Adam?"

He didn't respond immediately, shifting his weight slightly.  "What's going
on?"

Sarah followed his gaze across the hall to a room where a young girl was
lying on a bed, asleep, with a number of doctors, nurses, and an older man
hovering around her.  Sarah sighed.  "She was brought in here a while ago
with a very high fever, almost unconscious.  Her father had just picked her
up from school because she was feeling sick.  The school nurse said that she
didn't have a fever when she left, though.  Right now, she's displaying
symptoms of Meningitis, but as far as anyone can tell, she's not sick.  We're
all stumped."

"Is she getting better?"  Adam's eyes were still riveted on the tiny form on
the bed.

"We've managed to get her fever down."

"But you don't know what's wrong, so you can only fight the symptoms."

Sarah shook her head.  Adam could be too damned observant for his own good
sometimes.  "No, it's not looking good."  She paused, letting the information
sink in.  "Her father's not taking it well.  His wife, the girl's mother,
died recently, I think.  In the viral outbreak."  Sarah knew that since Adam
wasn't yet a licenced doctor, she was probably overstepping patient-doctor
confidentiality to a certain degree, but he tended to crave details about the
people he helped.  It could be helpful at times, putting patients at ease
when they realized that someone really cared for them.  But that was also the
problem. Adam cared deeply for everyone that came into the hospital.  Sarah
had been waiting for the case when this would backfire on him, and this young
girl looked like she was going to do it.

She walked around, positioning herself in front of Adam, as he continued to
stare over her head, and clapped him reassuringly on his upper arm.  He
finally shifted his gaze to look at her hand detachedly.  "Adam, it happens
sometimes.  This is a hospital, and everyone does their best, but it's always
going to happen.  It's not something you'll get used to, but you will need to
learn how to deal with it."  She pulled her hand back.  "I need to start my
rounds.  Why don't you stay and see if they need any help."

Leaving Adam standing in the same place, Sarah had to wonder if he'd heard a
singly word she'd said.  However, after a moment, he started towards the
room, repositioning his doctor's coat around his shoulders, composing his
face, and looking for all the world like he belonged there.  Maybe he did.
*****
"Doctor?" Adam said from the entrance to the room.

The blond woman looked up for a moment.  "I'll be right with you, Adam."

Adam nodded and turned his attention to the girl's father, only to find
himself already under scrutiny.  Their eyes locked, and Adam had to throw up
mental walls around his mind as protection against the powerful barrage of
emotions he got from the man.  He could still feel the strength of the grief
and helplessness battering against his defenses, but didn't turn his gaze.
It wasn't the right time to take notice, but the man was, on some level, a
psychic, and stronger than most that Adam had met.  The Tomorrow People
aside, of course.  Eventually, he was able to fully gain control over
his powers again and took a step forward.

"I'm Adam Newman," he introduced himself.  "Second year med.  I do what I can
here when I don't have classes."

The man nodded and turned to gaze at his daughter, still asleep in the bed.
"Frank Black.  This is Jordan."
*****
Frank had been startled out of whatever reverie he'd been having when the
door swung open, revealing a young man in a doctor's coat.  The words
exchanged between the long-haired youth and the doctor had escaped him as he
stared.  Somewhere, in the back of his mind, it registered that the man had
an Australian accent.  What held his attention, though, was the feeling he'd
picked up when the door first opened.

Frank wasn't sure how to describe the feeling.  Aura was the closest word,
but it didn't really encompass what he was picking up.  There was nothing
threatening about it, quite the opposite, actually.  The man who he kept
seeing outside the window had a darkness about him that always alerted Frank
to his proximity.  And to the fact that he was responsible for Jordan's
condition.  This young man, though, was almost comforting.  Strange, and very
foreign, but comforting.

Eventually, the Australian turned to look at him, and their eyes met.  The
feeling intensified, and Frank could see the change in his eyes and posture
as he picked up on it.  A brief look of panic flashed across the youth's
angular face and Frank knew that if the man was picking up on his own "aura",
just as Frank was picking up his, he wasn't a very happy camper.  After a
moment, though, the expression settled into it's previous mold and the man
took a step forward.

"I'm Adam Newman.  Second year med.  I do what I can here when I don't have
classes."

Frank broke eye contact.  For whatever reason, he'd been hoping that this
total stranger was going to be a doctor who would treat his daughter.  He
sighed.  The influx of feelings he'd felt a few moments earlier was rapidly
diminishing, and he wondered if he was simply adjusting, or if Adam had been
able to control it somehow.

"Frank Black."  He rested his gaze on his daughter's still form.  "This is
Jordan."
*****
Having finished whatever she'd been doing, the doctor strode across the room
to stand in front of Adam.  "Yes?"

"I was wondering if I could help at all.  Dr. Linsai suggested it."

The blond woman considered his offer for a moment.  "Well, I have to go make
the rest of my rounds, and the nurses have other things to do, so I guess you
could just stay and keep an eye on things.  It probably wouldn't be very
interesting though."

Adam shook his head.  "It's fine," he assured her.

The doctor was going to object, but saw the look on his face and decided
against it.  "I'll be back later to check in on things."  She picked up a
clipboard and strode out of the room.

Still standing, Adam again looked at the girl on the bed.  She was pale, with
curls slicked back on her forehead and darkened by sweat.  After a moment, he
remembered himself, and turned towards Frank.  "Is that alright with you?"

The older man nodded tiredly and Adam reached for Jordan's charts before
seating himself in a chair next to the bed to read them.

"Thank you."

Adam looked up sharply, surprised at the words.

"Thank you for staying."

Nodding, at a loss for words, Adam returned his attention to the charts.

*****



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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: TPFICT: Sunless Lands (2/2)
Date: 21 Apr 1999 19:14:20 EDT

Sunless Lands
by Nicole Gray
Part 2/2

"Adam!"

Cracking his eyes opened, and trying to focus on the blurry image in front of
him, Adam drew a hand across his face.  "Huh?

"Adam, it's getting late.  You've been asleep for hours.  You should get
home."

"Dr. Linsai?  I'm still at the hospital?"

"Yeah.  I just finished my rounds, so I'm going to take off.  You OK?"

Grinning sheepishly, Adam nodded at her.  "Sure, I'll be fine."

"Alright.  Jordan's doctor should be back in about ten minutes.  We managed
to talk the kid's father into going to get something to eat."  Sarah smiled.
"I think he was glad you were here.  Go figure, all the doctors in this
hospital couldn't make him happy, but Adam Newman, mild- mannered second year
med student did the trick."

She shrugged and laughed lightly.  "See you tomorrow, Adam.  Just make sure
you don't wear yourself out."

Adam saluted smartly and she shook her head before shutting the door after
herself.  Finding himself alone with the unconscious girl, Adam went to stand
next to the bed.  He could practically feel the heat radiating off her tiny
body from the fever.  'It's not right!' he growled mentally, barely catching
himself before he sent it off as a telepathic message.  The last thing he
wanted at the moment was to be mother-henned by four concerned Tomorrow
People.  Even Cassia tended to check in on him occasionally, as difficult as
it was to imagine.

Taking Jordan's clammy hand in his own, Adam settled to his knees so that he
was closer to her level.  Studying her closed eyes, he could see the telltale
movements indicating that she was dreaming.  She wasn't about to wake up,
though.

Adam's mind drifted back to his experience earlier that day, when he'd first
met Frank Black. He picked up more than just emotions from the man.  It was
as though he'd been transmitting everything that was going on in his mind.
Adam made a habit of not taking notice of what people were thinking, but he
hadn't been able to avoid it this time.

He'd caught glimpses of images of a yellow house and a woman who bore an
unmistakable similarity to Jordan.  Her mother.  There had also been wisps of
thought which meant nothing to Adam, even as he analyzed them.  Above the
collage of pictures, sounds, helplessness, and desolation, though, there was
one thing which stood out.  Loneliness.  The man had absolutely nothing left
except for his daughter, and when she was gone...  Adam shuddered.

It wasn't right that someone should be left like that.  Adam knew that all
the Tomorrow People had been lonely before they met each other, but it was
nowhere near what Frank was feeling.

For the past several minutes, something had been nagging at the back of
Adam's mind, and as much as he tried to ignore it, it wouldn't go away.  This
was one of the biggest problems with working around the sick and injured.  He
always wanted to help, and he knew that he often could.  Weeks had been spent
trying to accustom himself to the idea that he couldn't allow himself to do
it.

Healing exhausted him when used for anything besides the most minor of
bruises and scratches.  He didn't doubt that he could easily kill himself if
he went overboard.  Perhaps two of three people could be helped before he
would simply keel over.  He couldn't help disease anyway.  Only heal damaged
cells if he caught them in time. But even if he wasn't in the emergency ward,
which handled most of the injuries, the urge to heal was often difficult to
fight.  Ami especially, though, had convinced him that he was more important
alive and helping as a normal doctor and as a Tomorrow Person than he would
be if he selected just a very few people to heal.

In this case, though, he felt that it was an exception.  Without Frank
Black's incredible mental presence, Adam could pick up the same type of thing
in Jordan.  It was different somehow- lighter- but obviously in the same
class.  It drew him to her.  Besides that, if she died, he knew her father
might as well be dead also, and somehow the two of them were too important to
lose.

Adam knew that he was justifying his actions to himself, but he didn't care.
Rolling up the sleeves of his doctor's coat, he positioned his hands over
Jordan's body.  Closing his eyes, he allowed the red warmth to suffuse his
hands.  Slowly, the light spread over Jordan's body, pulsating.

He could feel that he wasn't helping, merely exerting energy.  Jordan was
very sick, but there were no real injuries for Adam to heal.  A tiny paper
cut on her finger quickly faded into nonexistence.  As Adam began to pull
back, though, he felt something pushing him away.  The feeling intensified as
he tried to concentrate on it, and Adam ended his attempts to heal, instead
trying to find whatever force there was.  It was very strong, but Adam was
able to slowly push it back as he focused his mind on it.  It didn't seem
malicious, but it certainly wasn't there to help Jordan.
He couldn't understand what it was.

Suddenly, there wasn't anything to push against.  He could still feel it,
though.  It was hiding, and as soon as Adam stopped his assault, he knew that
it would be back.  He couldn't reach it where it was.  Adam's brows furrowed
in consternation as he realized that there was nothing he could do.

Sighing in a combination of helplessness and exhaustion, he pulled his hands
back and slowly opened his eyes.  His gaze was immediately met by Frank's, as
he realized that the older man must have been watching.  Adam nervously ran a
hand through his hair.  He wanted to break the eye contact, taking notice of
the tiny bit of hope that he saw disguised there.  "I'm sorry."  He'd said it
so quietly, he wasn't sure at first if Frank had heard him, but there was a
short, acknowledging nod.

Adam stood, gracelessly, hearing the vertebrae in his back popping in
protest.  Somehow, he felt he'd just failed horribly, though he wasn't
certain why.  Eyes cast towards the floor, he slowly circumnavigated Jordan's
bed and then crossed the room to the doorway, pausing beside her father.

"There's no way..."  Frank trailed off and then started again, rephrasing his
statement,  "You can't understand."  There wasn't any irritation or anger
lurking behind sentence.  Just an incredible sadness.

Adam shifted his weight to one foot and looked forward, focusing his gaze on
the opposite  side of the hall.  He knew that he couldn't fully comprehend
what the older man had to be feeling, but he knew what was at the root of his
own emotions.

"Whose right is it," he began slowly, "to decide when it's your time?"

*****

Frank ignored a nurse's muttered curse as he darted down the hallway.  He'd
managed to eat half a sandwich and down a cup of coffee.  He knew that the
doctors were right, he wasn't any help to Jordan if he starved himself to
death, but he didn't want to be away from her.  There was no way that he
would have left if Adam hadn't been with her.  Asleep or not, the youth's
presence was a comforting one.

Rounding the corner, Frank sprinted the last hundred or so yards to the door
of his daughter's room.  What he saw brought him up short.  Adam was kneeling
next to Jordan's bed, his hands splayed out over her body, pulsing with a
soft red light.  He began to reach for the gun that he kept in his waste
band, but something stopped him.  Everything about the scene in front of him
looked wrong, but it felt right.  Instinctively, he knew that Adam wouldn't
do anything to hurt his daughter.

Pulling the door closed behind himself with as little noise as possible,
Frank turned to watch.  The light had spread to cover Jordan's entire body,
and small beads of perspiration were forming on Adam's forehead, his eyes
squeezed shut in concentration.  Frank stood, mesmerized by the display of
power.  He somehow knew that while Adam was by no means divine, he was
probably Jordan's best hope for survival.

A few moments later, Frank watched as the younger man's brow furrowed and the
glow slowly began to diminish.  However, the hands didn't move, and it was
obvious that something was still going on.  Eventually, Adam's face contorted
into a grimace and he leaned back, slowly pulling his hands away.

Frank waited, hoping that something had happened, but feeling that Jordan was
no better than she'd been a few minutes ago.  As Adam sighed and opened his
eyes, Frank stared at him.  Eye contact was made immediately, and Frank knew
that nothing had changed.  He also knew that his scrutiny was making the
younger man nervous, but needed to hear it.

Adam's gaze flickered slightly, but didn't leave his own.  He took a deep
breath and ran a hand through his now sweaty hair.  "I'm sorry," he said
quietly.  Frank felt his heart sink, but nodded curtly, determined not to
make the youth feel any worse than he already did.

Frank stood, glued to the floor, as Adam broke the eye contact, stood, and
rounded the bed to cross the room.  He thought that Adam was going to leave,
but instead he stopped next to Frank, still not looking at him.

Feeling the burden to say something- anything- to the man who'd obviously
just given so much to try to help his daughter, Frank opened his mouth to
speak.  The words that came out, though, hadn't been what he'd expected.
"There's no way..."  No, that sounded accusatory, but he needed to continue
with the same line of thought, now.

"You can't understand," he amended.  It wasn't much better, but he hoped it
was enough.

He waited, silent, as he felt, rather than saw, Adam shifting his weight.
Finally, slowly: "Whose right is it to decide when it's your time?"  Frank
looked up at him sharply, feeling as though his mind had been read.  He
wouldn't put it past the young man's abilities, but it didn't seem like
something that he would do.  Somehow, he'd just been able to understand.
*****
The Next Day

Dr. Sarah Linsai shrugged into her long, white doctor's coat.  Grabbing her
clipboard from her locker, she left the room and started down the hall,
mentally going over the patients she had to see that day.  She was pulled up
short by the sight of Adam standing in the middle of the hall, staring at the
room that Jordan Black had been in the previous night.

"Adam?"

There was no response, and she realized, with a certain amount of irritation
at the rest of the staff, that no one had told him.

"Adam, she's alright.  The fever died down earlier today, and her father took
her home."

At that, Adam turned to look at her incredulously.

Sarah snorted.  "What, do you think I'd lie about that?"  She rolled her
eyes.  "It's a good thing, too, the ER got in four near-drownings a little
while before she left, and we needed the extra staff.  We almost lost the
poor kid for a little while.  We must have had a fifth of the ER people up
here with her.  She just started spitting up gallons of water."  The doctor
shook her head.  "I've never seen anything like it."

She looked up at Adam, who was grinning like the cat who got the canary.
"Adam," she began with a serious tone.  "Adam, it's going to happen sooner or
later.  It didn't this time, thank God, but it will.  You'll need to accept
that."

Adam turned and met her eyes.  "I know, but as you said, it didn't happen
this time."

He turned away again.  "I need to go get my stuff ready.  I'll meet you in
the lab in a few minutes, Sarah."  With all the maturity of his twenty-four
years, knowing that he'd caught her off guard by using her first name, he
winked at her before starting off down the hall.
*****

"How are you feeling, Jordan?"  Frank placed a palm against his daughter's
forehead.

No fever.

"OK, Daddy."  She yawned hugely, eliciting a smile from her father.

"A little too early, honey?"

Jordan nodded, uncaring of the fact that it was already one in the afternoon
and she'd just woken up.

"I'll let you go back to sleep then."  Frank kissed her on the cheek and
pulled the covers up around her shoulders.  "Goodnight, Jordan," he said as
he turned off the lights and opened the door to leave her room.

"Daddy?"

He paused.  "Yes, Jordan?"

"Do you think we'll see that man again?"

Frank grimaced, thinking about the man with the watch, the one responsible
for Jordan's near death.  Fortunately, he'd died drowning, his own time for
living being given to the other people on the train.  "Which man, honey?"

She sighed softly, as though it were obvious.  "Adam."

At this point, Frank knew better than to be surprised when she did such
things.  The fact that she'd been unconscious the whole time aside, it was
normal for Jordan.  "I don't know."

"I think we will."  She snuggled farther into her covers.  "Goodnight, Daddy."

                                           -end-

Could this be foreshadowing?  Huh.  I wonder...  As do all fan-fic writers, I
live off FEEDBACK.  And sesame noodles...  But that's beside the point.



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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Sunless Lands (0/2)
Date: 21 Apr 1999 21:25:19 PDT


>Apologies: I have absolutely no knowledge of how medical school
>works.

Neither do most med schools, methinks. <grin>

>I
>don't know what it's called when students begin working in
>hospitals.

I don't know what they call it in other countries, but Stateside
that's referred to as interning.  Generally happens after about the
second or third year of med school.  Not to be confused with
residency which is the period directly following the conferring of
the MD degree in which a new doctor has to spend a certain period of
time under the supervision of a "mentor".

mike, who is *NOT* and never will be a med student, but who gets to
crush pre-meds dreams as an Animal Phys. TA.

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com



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

From: "Shaun Hately" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 1/1
Date: 22 Apr 1999 23:10:22 +1000

I haven't had time to read and comment until now - but Megan, all I can say
is - Wow.

That is one of the most powerful stories I've read - it's hard to say how
moved (and disturbed) I am at the moment. Moved because I really feel for
mercy - disturbed because you've taken something I thought was not possible
(that the Tomorrow People could become so prejudiced) and written it so it
is so feasible to me.

This story is brilliant - and that's all I can really say.

Yours Without Wax,            |'Don't knock mutant freaks. That's how
                  Dreadnought |evolution works. Something new appears
    /                         |that might turn out to be just what the
o=== ======================-  |species needs.'
    \                         |- Stephanie Tolan 'Welcome to the Ark'
[e-mail]     |
          http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
                              ICQ: 6898200





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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Surprises 1/3
Date: 23 Apr 1999 20:39:28 -0400

Surprises
A Tomorrow People Fanfic
by Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])
Part 1/3

Chapter One
Taphini Island, Somewhere in the South Pacific

"Ugh!" The young redheaded girl exclaimed, spitting sand out of her mouth=
 as
she sat up.  "Where am I?"  She murmured to herself as she looked around
her.  She was on a deserted island; nowhere she'd ever been before.  Ther=
e
were a few palm trees around, and some other vegetation, but for the most
part, it was all sand.  The girl rose to her feet, only to promptly fall
back to the sand.

"Ow!"  She cried, biting back tears.  She rubbed her left ankle gingerly.
'Must've twisted it when I fell.'  She thought grimly.  That reminded her=
,
how had she gotten here?  'The last thing I remember is running from Jack
and his gang when I wouldn't work for them.'  Her reminiscences were cut
short as the blazing sun emerged from behind a cloud.  'I guess I'd bette=
r
find some shelter,'  she concluded, squinting into the hot sun.

She rose gingerly, not wanting to jar her ankle any more than she absolut=
ely
had to.  She began heading for a clump of palm trees off to her left.  It
was slow going, but eventually she made it.  She gripped the trunk of one=
 of
the trees for support as she paused for a moment.  She looked around, and
spotted something that took her breath away.

It was an alien structure--of that she was sure.  It definitely did not
belong on the island.  But she was drawn to it all the same.  Somehow, th=
e
girl knew the partially submerged structure held the answer to why she wa=
s
here.  She moved towards it carefully, and awkwardly knelt in front of it.
There was a circle on the front, just above the sand.  It was surrounded =
by
some strange-looking, sand-covered characters.  She gently brushed the sa=
nd
off to take a closer look, but suddenly the circle opened into a hole, an=
d
she was pulled inside.

She hurtled down a tube of some kind, not unlike the enclosed slides at a
waterpark she had been to once.  At the end of the it, she was thrown out
onto a pile of sand, and landed in an  unceremonious heap.  Once she had
untangled herself, the girl looked around at her new surroundings.  She h=
ad
to squint in the dim light, but she could just make out that the inner wa=
lls
of the structure were made of seemingly the same material as the outer
shell.  A light coming from a nearby chamber grabbed her attention.  She
rose and limped cautiously towards it.

The next room was much larger than the one she had fallen into.  The girl=
's
eyes were wide with awe as she drunk in the sights of the chamber.  A sud=
den
"ahhhhh" sound from behind her made her jump.  She whirled, and came face=
 to
face with--a glowing column in the center of the room.  Not only was the
column glowing, but it was also continually producing the same "ahhhhh"
sound that had made her jump.  Oddly, there was something comforting abou=
t
that sound.  The girl was just reaching a hesitant hand out to touch the
column when she was startled by a sudden flash of light.

Her surprise increased as the light faded to reveal a dark-haired young m=
an,
who appeared to be about her age.  He walked over to her, a friendly smil=
e
on his face.

"Hello, Carrie.  I'm glad you made it."  He said, extending a hand.  The
girl shook it hesitantly.

"Thanks, Adam, but how did you know my name?"  Her jaw dropped as she
realized what she had just said.  Adam laughed.

"Don't worry, you're not going crazy or anything.  We all know each other
from the moment we see each other.  It's kind of instinctive.  Let me tak=
e a
look at that ankle."  He replied, bending over her leg.

"We?"  Carrie asked feeling a sudden warmth in her ankle.  She looked dow=
n,
and saw Adam's hand glowing red over her ankle.  He stepped away from her=
,
and motioned for her to put some weight on it.  She did so, and her jaw
dropped as she realized her ankle was completely healed.  Adam chuckled a=
t
her surprise, and answered her question.

"We call ourselves The Tomorrow People.  Counting you, there are five--no=
,
four of us now."  A slight sadness filled his eyes before he continued.  =
"We
all have the ability to teleport, that's how you got here, as well as to
communicate telepathically."  He replied, and smiled at her skeptical
expression.  :I know it's hard to believe, but I swear what I just told y=
ou
is the truth.:  He assured her telepathically.

"How did you--"  Carrie began, but Adam quickly hushed her.

:Use your mind.:  He instructed her, taking her hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"  Carrie exclaimed, jerking away
from him.  "And I don't want to know!  This is only some kind of weird
dream.  I've just got to wake up, and then it will all be over!"  Suddenl=
y,
she disappeared in a flash of light, and Adam shook his head.  She wouldn=
't
get far.

He teleported to the surface of the island, and watched as she emerged fr=
om
the water.  Carrie glared at him as she pulled at the seaweed that had
gotten tangled in her hair.

"I don't know about you, but I think a swim in the ocean would wake even =
the
deepest sleeper."  Adam commented with a chuckle.  Carrie wasn't amused.

"I don't know what you did, but it wasn't funny!"  She exclaimed, near
tears.  Adam reached out a comforting hand, but she shrugged it off.  She
stalked away, but stopped near the ship.  Adam came up behind her.

"I didn't do anything.  Your teleporting abilities just aren't strong eno=
ugh
yet to overcome the beacon's strength.  But don't worry, a little practic=
e,
and you'll be able to go home again in no time."  He assured her.

"Yeah, whatever."  Carrie mumbled.  Adam gently reached into her thoughts=
,
and began looking for the reason for her agitation.  As soon as she sense=
d
him, she slammed walls up around her mind.  Adam took a slight step
backwards as the force of her shields washed over him.

"Hold on there.  Those are quite some shields you've got."  He commented.
The girl turned to look at him.

"It's a good way to keep out "peepers" like you."  She replied.  Adam
glanced at her with surprise.

"'Peepers'?  What does that mean?"  He asked.  Carrie shrugged.

"You know, people who poke around in your head.  People like--you."  She
turned to face him, glaring angrily.

"Now wait a minute!  I'd never look in someone's mind unless I had
permission, or it was necessary!  Besides, none of us can see into normal
people's minds."  Adam told her.  "Well, except for Kevin."  He added as =
an
afterthought.  Carrie remained silent, still hiding behind her shields.  =
A
flash of light off to their right made them both jump.

"Hey, Adam.  How's the new recruit?"  A lanky, redheaded boy asked.

"I'm fine, Megabyte."  Carrie replied before Adam could respond.  Megabyt=
e
glanced at the older boy with a raised eyebrow.

:Well, we've finally got someone with some spunk!:  He 'pathed gleefully.
He was rewarded with glares from both of the other Tomorrow People.  "Tou=
gh
room."  He muttered under his breath.  "Anyway, I dropped in because Dad
wants you and the newbie to come over for dinner tonight.  Interested?"

"Sounds good to me.  I could use some of your mum's cooking."  Adam repli=
ed
with a smile.

"You're out of luck.  Mom and Millie are 'visiting friends in Birmingham.=
'"
Megabyte replied, saying the last part with a horrible imitation of a
British accent.

"Do you have to mimic Millie's accent every time you talk about her?"  Ad=
am
asked with a groan.

"You bet.  Can't have her forgetting she's American, not British.  It'll
just be the three of us; Kevin can't come until later."  The redhead repl=
ied
with a smirk.  "So how 'bout it, Carrie?"  He asked.

"I don't know=85"  She replied, shaking her head.  Adam quickly intervene=
d.

"Don't worry, Carrie.  You'll know everyone as soon as you see them."  He
assured her.

"Yeah.  Everyone wants to meet you."  Megabyte added, this time with a
genuinely warm smile.

"Well, okay."  Carrie finally agreed after a few minutes of thought.  Bot=
h

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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Surprises 2/3
Date: 23 Apr 1999 20:39:32 -0400

Surprises
A Tomorrow People Fanfic
by Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])
Part 2/3

Chapter Two

The four teleporters gathered close around the General, listening careful=
ly
to what he had to tell them.

"There's been a rash of attacks lately, strange attacks.  The victims hav=
e
been physically unharmed, but mentally, they've been turned into vegetabl=
es.
No one knows who or what's behind them; but the attacks just escalated." =
 He
paused for a moment, looking at each of their faces in turn.  "Tonight, a
visiting diplomat from Turkey was attacked inside his hotel room.  We're =
at
our wits end trying to figure out what's going on here.  I know I have no
right to ask you to get involved, but=85."  His voice trailed off as the =
four
teenagers glanced at each other uneasily.

"General, there's something you should know."  Carrie began, quickly tell=
ing
him about Jack and his friends.  The General's expression hardened as she
told her story.

"From what you've told me, Jack really could be behind the attacks.  I'll
have my men check him out."

"Wouldn't it just be easier if we paid him a visit?"  Megabyte asked.

"No!"  His father quickly responded.  This guy is extremely dangerous--if=
 he
could sense Carrie, who knows what he's capable of.  I don't want you kid=
s
anywhere near him, do you understand?"  A chorus of "Okays" was his answe=
r.
"Good.  Now, I'm going to call Frank and have him run a check on this Jac=
k
Staller."  He quickly walked back into the kitchen.

Once his father was out of the room, Megabyte turned to Adam.

"So what are we gonna do?  Do we just sit and wait, or do we try to actua=
lly
stop this guy?"  He asked.

"For right now, we're going to wait and see what your dad comes up with."
Adam replied.

"Speaking of now, If I don't get home right now, my dad'll kill me!"  Kev=
in
exclaimed after a glance at the clock on the mantle.  He quickly vanished=
 in
a flash of light.

"It is getting late."  Adam commented.  "Where are you staying, Carrie?" =
 He
asked.

"Uh, well, I'm kind of between foster homes right now."  Carrie stammered=
,
but Adam was not easily fooled.

"You're a runaway."  He concluded.

"You would've taken off, too, if you had to live with people who were onl=
y
taking care of you because of a monthly check.  No one keeps older kids f=
or
very long, anyway.  I'm better off on my own."  Carrie replied angrily.

"I suppose you could stay at the Ship, at least for a little while."  Ada=
m
told her.

"Why doesn't she just stay here?  There're plenty of guest rooms, and she=
's
about Millie's size."  Megabyte suggested.

"Megabyte, she's at least six inches taller than Millie!"  Adam exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, sweats fit anyone."  The redhead replied.  Adam shook his he=
ad
in exasperation.

******
A guest room in The Ridge, later that night

Carrie had a difficult time falling asleep after all that had happened to
her.  She still felt like it could just be a dream, and half-expected to
wake up at any moment.  After a bit of tossing and turning, she descended
into a fitful sleep.

She was instantly transported back to the alley in her dream, only this
time, Jack and his boys were right behind her.

"Come on, Carrie.  You're the strongest Talent we've found so far.  You
could have anything you want; all you have to do is let us teach you how =
to
use what you've got."  Jack leered at her, stepping closer and closer to
her, as Carrie backed up.  Too soon, she found the wall of a building at =
her
back.  She frantically glanced around, searching for an escape.

Jack got so close to her she could actually feel his breath on her face.
Her heart was going about 500 miles an hour, and she was sure it was goin=
g
to explode.

"Come on, Car, what do you say?  It sure is a sweet deal."  Jack remarked.
Carrie suddenly found her voice.

"You want me to kill people!"  She spat.  Jack's taunting expression turn=
ed
to one of mocking injury.

"We don't want you to kill them, Carrie.  All you have to do is see what
they know.  Where's the harm in that, honey?"  He asked, reaching a hand =
to
touch her cheek.  She slapped his hand away, and his face twisted in ange=
r.
"I've had enough of chasing you.  If you won't come willingly, we'll just
have to drag you."  He stepped away from her, and two of his boys came
forward and grabbed her by the arms.  Carrie frantically tried to remembe=
r
how to teleport, but she couldn't get it to work.  Suddenly, she heard a
voice calling her name.

It was Adam's voice, urging her to focus and pull herself out.  She
concentrated until his accented voice was all she could hear, and
suddenly,---

She was back in her room, and Adam was shaking her, calling her name.  Sh=
e
groggily opened her eyes, and found Adam, Megabyte, and Kevin, as well as
the General, were standing around her bed, concern written on all their
faces.

"I'm okay."  She told them, sitting up carefully.  The three teleporters
clustered around her, while the General stood a little ways back.

"What happened?  You were broadcasting your fear to all of us.  When we g=
ot
here, we couldn't wake you up."  Adam asked.

"Yeah.  Must've been some dream."  Megabyte commented.  Carrie shivered a=
t
the memory.

"You know, sometimes it help to talk about it."  Adam gently remarked.

"It was--awful."  She began hesitantly, and sketched a brief picture of h=
er
dream.  "The weirdest thing was that it seemed so real!"  She exclaimed.

"Are you sure it was a dream?"  The General asked.

"What else could it be?"  Kevin asked.

"Well, if this Jack is behind the attacks, he's obviously a strong telepa=
th.
Maybe he got into Carrie's mind somehow."  Megabyte's father replied.  Ad=
am
shook his head.

"She's got really strong shields."  He began, but the General interrupted.

"I was reading about a study recently that found that a psychic's shields
are significantly weakened when he or she sleeps.  That could explain how=
 he
was able to get in to her mind."  He said.  The four Tomorrow People glan=
ced
at each other with frightened expressions.  If they weren't safe in their
sleep, what else was left?

"We're just going to have to work on strengthening our shields."  Adam
declared with firm resolve.
******

Taphini Island, The next day

The guys had been teaching Carrie how to use her powers, with moderate
success.  While Adam was conferring with the Ship on strengthening their
shields during sleep, Megabyte tried to explain teleporting to Carrie.
Unfortunately, she still ended up in the ocean three times out of five.
Finally, he left, saying he had to check for any new information with his
dad.  Kevin, on the other hand, was living it up as Carrie's 'telepathy
instructor'.  However, an  unexpected development, Carrie's telekinetic
talent, kept tripping him up.  Literally.

The two of them were on the beach, practicing telepathy on a line-of-sigh=
t
basis, and a cocky Kevin had just taken yet another header into the sand.
Adam suddenly teleported in, and his expression was one of triumph.

"Carrie, where's your necklace?"  Adam asked breathlessly.

"What?"  Carrie asked, confused.

"Your necklace.  We each have one--here I'll show you."  He replied, pull=
ing
a silver pendant from beneath his shirt.  "It's another way of knowing ea=
ch
other.  You must have one."

"Well, all I have is a necklace of my mom's."  She said, pulling it out o=
f
her pocket.  "I hardly ever wear it because it'd probably get stolen if I
did."  Adam grinned when he saw the three ovals in their y-shaped design.

"Put it on.  It'll protect you while you're sleeping; at least, that's wh=
at
the Ship told me."  He said as she fastened the silver chain around her
neck.  She glanced down at the pendant dubiously.

"This little thing will protect me from Jack?"  She asked skeptically.  A=
dam
nodded.

"The Ship told me it strengthens our shields in childhood, when we're too
young to protect ourselves, and when we're sleeping.  You weren't wearing
it, so Jack could get into your head."  Carrie shivered at the memory of
that too-real dream.  Adam reached out and squeezed her shoulder, and for
once she didn't shrug him off.  The moment was ruined, however, by Megaby=
te
appearing in a flash of light.

"Hey, guys, we found him!"  The redheaded boy crowed in triumph.  "Frank
finally found that Jack Staller's been in London lately; it turns out he =
was
spotted near the diplomat's hotel the night of the attack!  He also manag=
ed
to get Staller's address, but there's no record of him entering the
country."

"What's going to happen now, Megabyte?"  Kevin asked.

"Dad says they're gonna follow him and grab him next time he attacks
someone."  He replied.

"I just hope they catch him before he turns anyone else into a vegetable.=
"
Carrie said quietly.  The others quickly nodded their agreement.

<End Chapter Two>




boys grinned in triumph, and the threesome teleported out.

******
The Ridge, Outside of London

"So, Carrie where exactly are you from?"  General Damon asked as everyone
munched on pizza.  The General joked that he was 'under direct orders not=
 to
cook anything or get within 10 feet of the stove.'  Luckily, there was a
pizza delivery place nearby, or the Damon men would have died of starvati=
on.

"I live in Los Angeles, but I'm not from there."  She replied between bit=
es.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."  The General remarked.

'There's been a lot of that going around lately.'  Carrie thought to
herself, then blushed when she saw Adam grin at her; she realized she had
unconsciously taken her shields down because she felt safe.  Her
embarrassment deepened as she noticed Megabyte was smirking as well.  Her
shields were back up in a second.  Fortunately, General Damon did not see=
m
to notice.

"My mom and I were in LA to meet someone when she was killed."  Carrie
replied, making everyone lose their appetite.  "I don't have any family, =
so
they made me a ward of the state."  She finished quietly, suddenly becomi=
ng
very interested in her lap.  Adam reached out across the table to take he=
r
hand.

"Well, now you have us."  He promised her.  She managed a weak smile.  Ju=
st
then, the General's cell phone rang.  He pulled it out of his pocket, spo=
ke
into it for a moment, and frowned.

"This is kind of important, guys=85.."  He said.  Megabyte and Adam quick=
ly
stood, with Carrie following suit a moment later.

"Say no more, Dad.  We know when to clear out."  Megabyte told him as the=
y
filed out into the living room.

Just as they had settled onto the couch, a flash of light appeared.  It
quickly faded to reveal a young, dark-haired boy who was a little on the
shortish side.

"Hi, guys."  He replied to Megabyte and Adam's greetings.  He nodded at
Carrie.  "Nice to meet you, Carrie."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Kevin.  These two have been telling me a lot
about you."  She replied, pointing to Megabyte and Adam.

"Don't believe any of what Megabyte says."  Kevin told her with a smile a=
s
he settled into a chair.

"Carrie, I never understood--what did you mean about 'peepers' before?"
Adam asked her.  Megabyte and Kevin leaned forward with interest.

"Where I'm from, there are some people who can see into other people's
minds.  On the street, they're called 'peepers'."  Carrie replied.

"You mean there are telepaths out there wandering in other people's minds=
?"
Megabyte asked in surprise.

"If 'telepath' means what I think it does, then yes."  Carrie said.  "The=
y
don't bother ordinary people though, they only go after people who have
something they want."

"So how do you know about them?"  Adam asked.

"I've heard things."  Carrie replied quickly.  Too quickly, in Adam's
opinion.

"What kind of things?"  He pressed.  Carrie shook her head.

"Just rumors.  You know how things spread."  She replied, her mind
involuntarily jumping back to those moments in the alley, when she had be=
en
running from Jack and his gang.

"Who were those guys?"  Kevin asked.  Carrie gasped with surprise.

"You saw that?!"  She demanded; she was certain her shields had been up t=
his
time.  Everyone nodded.

"You think really loud."  Megabyte commented.  Carrie blushed the color o=
f
her hair.

"Were those guys 'peepers'?"  Adam asked with concern.  Carrie hesitated.
:Don't worry,:  Adam assured her telepathically.  :They can't hurt you
here.:  After a moment, Carrie answered.

"Yeah, some of them were.  They wanted me to work for them.  They said I =
was
'really strong'."

"What did you say?"  Megabyte asked, ignoring Adam's glare.

"I told them to forget it, and then I ran."  Carrie replied angrily.  "Wh=
at
do you think I am, stupid?"  Adam quickly changed the subject, and they m=
ade
small talk for about half an hour before General Damon entered the room, =
his
face ashen.

"Good you're all here.  I need to talk to you."  He said.

<End Chapter One>




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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Surprises 0/3
Date: 23 Apr 1999 20:39:24 -0400

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Surprises
by Jen Sulzer
Part 0/3

Disclaimer: The characters Adam Newman, Megabyte Damon, Kevin Wilson, and
General Damon and the concept of the Tomorrow People are owned by Roger
Damon Price, Thames/ITV, and Nickelodeon. Carrie Morgan, Jack Staller, and
Ricky are my own creation. This story gets a PG for slight violence.
Author's Notes: Quotes indicate verbal speech, single quotes indicate
thought, and colons indicate telepathy.

This story is the first in my "Surprises from the Past" Trilogy.  Stories
two and three will be posted in the next few weeks.

I would like to thank my beta readers, Kristin and Ellenore, who provided me
with no end of encouragement and insightful comments. Thanks, you guys!

Enjoy!
Jen Sulzer
[e-mail]

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>Surprises</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999>by Jen =

Sulzer</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999>Part=20
0/3</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>Disclaimer: The=20
characters Adam Newman, Megabyte Damon, Kevin Wilson, and General Damon =
and the=20
concept of the Tomorrow People are owned by Roger Damon Price, =
Thames/ITV, and=20
Nickelodeon. Carrie Morgan, Jack Staller, and Ricky are my own creation. =
This=20
story gets a PG for slight violence.</FONT>
<P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Author's Notes: Quotes indicate verbal =
speech, single=20
quotes indicate thought, and colons indicate telepathy.</FONT></P>
<P><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999></SPAN><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2>T<SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>his story is the first in</SPAN><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999> my "Surprises from t</SPAN><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>he P</SPAN><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>ast</SPAN><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999>"=20
Trilogy.  Stories two and t</SPAN><SPAN =
class=3D650241900-24041999>hree will=20
b</SPAN><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999>e posted in the next few=20
weeks.</SPAN> </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I would like to thank my beta readers, =
Kristin and=20
Ellenore, who provided me with no end of encouragement and insightful =
comments.=20
Thanks, you guys!</FONT></P></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>Enjoy!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3D650241900-24041999>Jen=20
Sulzer</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D650241900-24041999>[e-mail]</SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></H=
TML>

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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Surprises 3/3
Date: 23 Apr 1999 20:39:35 -0400

Surprises
A Tomorrow People Fanfic
by Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])
Part 3/3

Chapter Three
The Ridge, a few days later

Carrie and Megabyte were in the middle of a computer game when the phone
rang.  Megabyte, intent on winning, completely ignored the shrill noise.
Carrie, on the other hand, was losing anyway, so she simply leaned back i=
n
her chair, reached towards the phone on the other side of the room, and
willed the receiver to float to her.  Unfortunately, the cord was a few f=
eet
too short, so she had to get up and walk over to where the phone was hang=
ing
in mid-air.

"You need a longer cord."  Carrie remarked.

"Gee, how horrible.  You actually had to get up and walk over to the phon=
e!"
Megabyte said, turning around in his chair with a smile.  Carrie made a f=
ace
at him.

"I didn't see you getting up to answer it."  She commented.

"It was easier to let you do it."  He replied.  Carrie couldn't think of =
a
suitable retort, so she put the receiver to her ear and spun around so he=
r
back was facing Megabyte.

"Hello?"

"Carrie?  This is Bill.  Is Megabyte there?  And you need to hear this,
too."  The General said quickly.  Carrie motioned for Megabyte to pick up
the extension in the next room.

"What's going on, Dad?"  Megabyte asked.

"I'm afraid we've lost Staller."  Carrie gasped.  "Yes, I know.  That's w=
hy
I'm calling; we need your help."

"How so?"  Carrie asked cautiously.

"Well,"  General Damon began sheepishly.  "We lost him in a mall, of all
places.  With all the people here, we haven't got a prayer of finding him
unless=85."

"You need us to track him."  Carrie finished.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but it's our only chance.  We have to move
quickly; he may have already left."  The General said.

:You up for this?:  Megabyte 'pathed.

:I guess so.  Jack has to be stopped.:  Carrie responded.  She could feel
his mental nod.

:I'll spread the word.:  He said as he replied to his father and hung up =
the
phone.  Carrie could feel him reaching for the others' minds; it was an
amazing feeling.  Suddenly, she was connected to three other minds, all o=
f
whom were more than ready to help.  They agreed to meet behind the mall
where Staller had last been sighted.

******
City Mall in London

:How the heck are we supposed to find one guy in here?:  Megabyte wondere=
d
upon seeing the huge crowd that had gathered in the mall to shop on a
Saturday.

:We have to focus on his mind.  Everyone's mind is unique, so we should b=
e
able to home in on him.:  Adam replied.

:But which one of us knows his mind well enough for that?:  Kevin asked.

:That's where I come in.:  Carrie 'pathed.  :I'll never forget what his m=
ind
felt like after that dream.  General Damon gave us a pretty detailed
physical description; you guys look for that, and I'll check for his mind=
.:
The others nodded in agreement.

:Just be careful.:  Adam cautioned.  :We don't want him recognizing you.:
Carrie quickly pulled a baseball hat out of her pocket.

:Don't worry, I've got it covered.: She replied, pulling the hat down so =
it
shaded her eyes.

:It'll have to do.:  Adam replied.

They split up the area, with Megabyte remaining near his dad to relay any
information on Staller's whereabouts.  Adam, Carrie, and Kevin quickly lo=
st
themselves in the crowd.  They wandered aimlessly at first, just keeping
their minds and eyes open.  After a while, they began looking in all of t=
he
less obvious places; stores where you wouldn't expect to find Staller.
Neither strategy was having any luck, however, at least not until Carrie
came face to face with her worst nightmare.

She was peering down one aisle after another of a children's clothing sto=
re
when she felt something sharp jab into her arm.  She froze.

"I'm sorry."  A voice whispered in her ear--it wasn't Jack, though.  It t=
ook
Carrie a moment to place it, and then she knew.

"Ricky."  She managed to identify him just before she blacked out.

******

Elsewhere in the mall, three teleporters clamped hands to their arms.

:Carrie!:  Adam and Kevin frantically tried to rouse her, while Megabyte
alerted his father.  Then they rushed to her last location.  They burst i=
nto
the store, and Megabyte grabbed the nearest clerk.

"Did you see a girl wearing a baseball hat in here?  One that fainted?"  =
His
words rushed together out of fear.

"T-there was a young lady in here, but her uncle took her outside to get
some air.  He s-said she was j-just getting over the flu."  The clerk
stammered.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I'm going to have to ask you boys=
 to
leave."  A voice behind the group remarked.  The three teleporters turned=
 to
see an older woman frowning at them.

"Just one more thing--which  way did they go?"  Adam asked quickly.  The
clerk pointed to the outside doors, and the three boys were hot on the
trail, General Damon and his men keeping a discreet distance behind them.

Unfortunately, they burst out of the doors just in time to see a nondescr=
ipt
sedan squeal out of the parking lot.  They teleported after it, but could=
n't
keep up.

******
A warehouse, about an hour later.

The first thing Carrie noticed as she regained consciousness was that her
hands and feet were tied together.  She tried to teleport, but nothing
happened.  It was the same with her telepathy.  Suddenly, a harsh voice c=
ut
through her efforts.

"I wouldn't try your little disappearing trick, it won't work.  You're
friends won't be able to locate you mentally, either."  Carrie opened her
eyes slowly, squinting in the dim light.  She could just make out a figur=
e
in the shadows on the far side of the room.

"What's going on here?  What do you want?"  She asked.  The figure laughe=
d
in response.

"Haven't you guessed?  You seemed to know all about our plans in your
dream."  The figure stepped forward, revealing himself to be none other t=
han
Jack Staller.

"I won't help you, Jack!"  She spat.  Staller only smiled.

"I have something else in mind for you.  With you here, I think I can
persuade your friends to lay off on the surveillance, don't you?  Just le=
t
me get a phone, and we'll get down to business."  Carrie turned pale, whi=
ch
made Staller's smile widen.  He left the room, and Ricky entered.  He shu=
t
the door behind him, and stood in front of it, arms crossed on his chest.

Carrie's mind frantically searched for a way out of this mess, but she wa=
s
stumped.

******
General Damon's Office, WorldEx Securities, Inc., immediately following

The General sat at his desk, doing everything he could not to meet the ey=
es
of the three boys seated across from him.  When all attempts to track Car=
rie
had proved hopeless, Damon had thought it best to get the remaining
teleporters out of danger.  He had left some of his men behind, though, t=
o
see if they could pick up anything.  The shrill ringing of the phone
suddenly cut through the silence.

"Jones?"  Damon said upon picking up the receiver.  His face quickly pale=
d
as he listened to the person on the other end.

"Not quite, General.  But I do believe you know who I am, after all, you
seem to be pulling out all the stops to find me."

"Staller.  How did you get this number?"  General Damon said coldly.  Ada=
m,
Megabyte, and Kevin leaned forward in their seats.

"I can be very persuasive.  But I'm getting ahead of myself--I have a dea=
l
for you."

"WorldEx doesn't make deals with anyone."  The General responded, ignorin=
g
the objections of his son and his friends.

"Oh, I believe you will.  By the way, there's someone here who wants to s=
ay
hello."  Suddenly a new voice was on the line.

"Don't listen to him, General.  He'll go ahead with the attack---"  A sud=
den
slapping sound cut Carrie off in mid-sentence.  The General closed his ey=
es
and deep breath to keep his temper under control.

"What do you want, Staller?"  He asked coldly.

"Only for you and your boys to leave me alone.  I have business here, and
then I promise I'll be out of your hair."  The man replied laughingly.
"What do you say?"

"You know I have no choice."  General Damon responded.

"Yes, well, I'm glad we could come to an agreement.  Be seeing you."
Staller abruptly cut off.

"Wait!  What about Carrie?"  Damon demanded, but it was too late.  He was
speaking to a dial tone.  He slapped a button on his phone, and nearly to=
ok
the head off of the person on the other end.

"What do you mean you couldn't trace it!"  The technician replied that,
unfortunately, the signal had been scrambled.  "Unfortunately for the you=
ng
girl he's holding hostage, you mean!"  The General shouted into the
receiver, and slammed it down.  He glanced over at the three boys.

"I have to call off the surveillance.  I just wish we knew more about who
Staller's new target is."  He said sadly.

******
The Warehouse

Staller glared angrily down at the girl tied in the chair, and then turne=
d
abruptly and left the room.  Ricky was left behind to guard the prisoner.

"Why are you in this, Ricky?"  Carrie asked.  "You were an nice guy befor=
e
you hooked up with Staller."  The young man shook his head.

"You shouldn't've gotten him upset, Carrie.  Now he'll really want to hur=
t
you."  Ricky replied.

"What did you think he was going to do before, let me go?"  She asked
sharply.  "He kills people, Ricky!"

"N-no."  The boy shook his head repeatedly.  Carrie groaned mentally; she
knew Ricky was a little slow, but she had to get through to him!

"Okay, he turns them into vegetables, but it's practically the same thing=
!"
She exclaimed.

"He just asks them questions.  When he gets the information, he's done wi=
th
them."  Ricky replied stubbornly.

"Don't you think that, if he'd left them alone, they'd have gone to the
police or something?"  Carrie asked.  Ricky hesitated.  "Come on, Ricky,
think about it!"  Suddenly Ricky's head snapped up, and he walked towards
her.

******
Outside The Ridge, late evening

Jack Staller stared in the window of the Damon residence.  He had waited
until everyone in the house was asleep, and then crept closer and closer,
keeping to the shadows.  He smiled as he peered in the window; now was hi=
s
chance.  It would be a simple job--get in, get his target, and get out.

He tried each of the windows, and found the open one.  He'd learned from
experience that there was almost always one everyone forgot about.  He
climbed inside, and stole up the stairs.  As he reached the top of the
stairs, he stepped on a creaking floorboard.

Staller froze.  After a moment, he flattened himself against the wall,
hoping no one had heard.  He was wrong.

Down the hall, a door opened, and General Damon stepped out, gun in hand.
His military instinct told him someone was in his house, and he was
determined to stop the intruder.  The General cautiously walked down the
hall, letting his gun lead the way.  Staller remained against the wall,
shielding himself from any mental detection.

Just as Damon was about to pass Staller, the door across the hall opened.

"Dad?  What's going on?"  a sleepy Megabyte asked.  The General turned to
his son, and Staller seized his chance.

******
Back at the Warehouse

Carrie winced as Ricky pulled at the ropes binding her wrists.  It was no
use, the knot was too secure.  Ricky paused for a moment, trying to think=
 of
a way to loosen the ropes.

"You haven't got a knife or anything, have you?"  Carrie asked, peering o=
ver
her shoulder.  Ricky's face lit up like a light bulb.

"Jack gave me this when I joined up."  He said, pulling a Swiss Army Knif=
e
from his pocket.

'I never thought I'd be thankful to Jack for anything!'  Carrie thought t=
o
herself as she felt the ropes fall off her wrists.

"Thanks, Ricky.  You did the right thing."  She told him as he came aroun=
d
and cut her feet loose.  The young man nodded.

"I can get the keys for Jack's car and get you out of here before he come=
s
back."  He said with a shy smile.

"I'd really appreciate that."  Carrie replied, and Ricky left the room
quickly.  Carrie stood quickly, eager to get out of this place.  A sudden
wave of dizziness hit her, and she had to grab the back of the chair for
support.  'Whoa.  Whatever Jack gave me must've been a double dose.'  She
thought to herself.  Suddenly, a vague feeling of danger overwhelmed her.

The feeling solidified into a definite knowledge that Jack had already be=
gun
his next attack.

******
The Ridge

Staller grabbed the General from behind, knocking the gun from his hand.
Megabyte yelled, both verbally and telepathically, for help as he tried t=
o
pull Staller away from his father.  Staller cursed himself for not carryi=
ng
a gun, but it had never been necessary before this; the attacks had alway=
s
been quick and quiet.

Staller struggled to press his hands against the General's temples in ord=
er
to begin his telepathic attack, but by now Adam and Kevin had joined in.
With a combined effort, they managed to pull him off of the General.
Staller did his best to pull away from them, but the boys held on tightly.
As they held him, General Damon recovered his gun, and pointed it directl=
y
at Staller.

"I won't hesitate to shoot you."  He stated coldly.  The boys relaxed as
everything seemed to be falling into place.  Staller saw his chance, and
took it.

He abruptly twisted out of the boys' grasp, and got his arm around Kevin'=
s
neck.

"And I won't hesitate to drain this boy, if I have to!"  He exclaimed,
dragging Kevin back towards the stairs.  The General lowered his gun, but
kept it at the ready.  Even without contact with the boy's temples, Stall=
er
could feel the boy's energy level rising.  'What the heck is he doing?'
Staller wondered.

Suddenly, there were two flashes of light in quick succession.  First, Ke=
vin
disappeared, and then Carrie appeared at the foot of the stairs, unnotice=
d
by Staller.  Staller glanced around in confusion--people just didn't
disappear like that! Then he made a fatal mistake.  He panicked and ran.

He hadn't gotten more than three steps down the staircase when suddenly h=
e
noticed Carrie standing at the bottom.

"How the heck did you escape?!"  Staller demanded, reeling from what had
happened.  'It wasn't supposed to go this way!' he wailed to himself.
Suddenly, he was tumbling, head over heels.  When he hit the floor, Adam =
and
Megabyte peered over the banister, while General Damon rushed down the
stairs and checked Staller's pulse.

Carrie stood next to Staller's unconscious form, completely motionless.  =
Her
face was pale, as if the blood had completely drained from her face.

"Is he--?"  She could barely manage to get the words out.

"He's alive."  Was all the General had time to say before Carrie collapse=
d.
Only Adam's quick teleport kept her from hitting the floor.  "Megabyte, c=
all
Frank and tell him to get the heck over here!"  Damon yelled up the stair=
s.
"How is she, Adam?"

"I'll be okay."  Carrie replied weakly from her position leaning against
Adam.  "Jack gave me some kind of sedative that suppressed my powers; it'=
s
only part way worn off.  But I knew I had to get here and stop him."  Dam=
on
nodded as Carrie shakily rose to her feet.  Adam tried to get her to sit
back down, but she shook her head.

"I'll be okay.  I can handle it."  She told him.  Adam began to dispute h=
er,
and, sensing an argument in the making, General Damon rose to intervene. =
 A
sudden bright flash distracted them all.

"Is it over?"  Kevin asked, as he teleported in.  There were grins and
chuckles all around, any disputes temporarily forgotten.

<End Chapter Three>

Epilogue:
General Damon's Office, WorldEx Securities, Inc., several weeks later

Adam walked into the General's office apprehensively; he had no idea why =
the
General wanted to see him.  Still, the last thing he expected to see was
Carrie and the General deep in conversation.

"I just wanted to tell you that Ricky has agreed to cooperate, and will g=
et
a light sentence."  Damon said.

"I'm glad.  Ricky's really a nice guy, just a little slow.  He was sick o=
f
being ridiculed about it, so, when Jack showed up, he jumped at the chanc=
e
to gain some respect."  Carrie replied.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."  Adam commented, drawing both their
attentions.

"Of course you're not, Adam.  In fact, you're just the person I wanted to
talk to."  Damon motioned for the boy to sit in the chair next to Carrie'=
s.
The two teleporters exchanged mutual smiles as Adam sat down.

:How are you doing?:  He 'pathed.

:I feel better every day now that the drugs are finally out of my system.
I'm just glad Staller won't be hurting anyone else.:  Carrie replied.  Th=
ey
both jumped as the General suddenly cleared his throat.  He grinned at th=
eir
sheepish expressions.

"Now, you two both know I don't appreciate people talking behind my back.=
"
He scolded lightly.  "Let's get down to business, shall we?  I'm afraid I
have some bad news.  There's been another attack, this one in Chicago."

"But that's impossible!"  Adam exclaimed.  "Staller's in a deep coma!"

"I know.  That's why I'm sending someone in undercover.  Obviously, there=
's
someone else calling the shots."  Damon replied.

"Who's going in?"  Adam asked.

"I am."  Carrie replied.  Adam turned to her with an expression of comple=
te
shock.

"You can't be serious!  You've only just recovered from what Staller did =
to
you!  And they probably know all about you!"  He exclaimed.  Carrie shook
her head.

"I told you--I'm fine now.  Besides, Ricky told me Staller never even met
his boss--it was all through phone calls.  Also, Staller was so embarrass=
ed
about not being able to recruit me that he never mentioned it to his 'Bos=
s.'
I guess he didn't want to admit to having any loose ends."

"You can't go.  It's not safe, and--and-"  Adam struggled to come up with=
 a
reason to prevent her from going.  "And I won't let you!"  was the best h=
e
could come up with.

"You won't let me?!"  Carrie exclaimed.  "You may be the leader of the te=
am,
Adam, but you can't lead my life for me!  These people have to be stopped=
!"

"That doesn't mean you have to do it!"  Adam countered.  "Let someone els=
e
handle it!"

"Who?  You need telepathy or some other power to get in!  Are you
volunteering?"  She demanded.

"No.  But you just can't do it!"

"These people have to be stopped, and I'm going to help do it!"  Carrie u=
sed
the one attack she knew would hurt him.  "No matter what you say--you're =
too
soft!"

"Ah, let's take it easy, guys.  Why don't we sit down and talk about this=
?"
The General asked, hands outstretched in a diplomatic gesture.  His only
reward was twin glares from the two Tomorrow People.

"Not only are you soft, Adam, but you're also  a lousy leader!"  Carrie
cried.  Adam paled and took a step backward.  "If you were a real leader,
don't you think you'd've been able to rescue me from Staller?"

"Now that's enough!  Both of you!"  General Damon exclaimed.  His express=
ion
was grim as both teleporters turned to face him.  "I want both of you to =
sit
down, now."  He told them in a tone that brooked no argument.  The two
teleporters complied.  "Good.  First, I want to make something clear--I'm
not happy about having to send Carrie into this situation, but I think sh=
e's
our best bet for stopping these--these--monsters."  The General finished,
for lack of a better word.  "Why don't you two take some deep breaths and
apologize to each other now.  We've all been through a lot, and I know
neither of  you meant what you said."  Carrie rose quickly, anger still
written on her face.

"I've said all I have to say.  I'll be packing my stuff if you need me."
She said as she teleported out.  Damon turned to Adam, hoping the normall=
y
quiet young man would be more mature about this whole mess.

He was disappointed.  Once Carrie had vanished, Adam silently stood, and
disappeared in his own flash of light.

General Damon put his face in his hands; he had an awful feeling this
argument was far from over.

<End Epilogue>

To Be Continued in story 2-"What You Don't Know Can Hurt You."  Please le=
t
me know what you think!




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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Addition to Surprises 0/3
Date: 23 Apr 1999 20:46:28 -0400

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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I forgot to mention--this story takes place right after "The Origin Story"
in the TP timeline, but Lisa has already left.

Jen
[e-mail]
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/
"May you walk with the awareness of life.
 May you walk in beauty."
                                          Teresa Pijoan


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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3D560124500-24041999>I =
forgot to=20
mention--this story takes place right after "The Origin Story" in the TP =

timeline, but Lisa has already left.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D560124500-24041999></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D560124500-24041999>Jen</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D2></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><A=20
href=3D"http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/">http://www.personal.kent.=
edu/~jsulzer/</A></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft>"May you walk with the awareness of life.<BR> May =
you walk=20
in=20
beauty."<BR>          &=
nbsp;           &n=
bsp;           &nb=
sp;      =20
Teresa Pijoan </DIV>
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 0
Date: 24 Apr 1999 01:07:50 PDT


This story is part of my serial "Blood of Tomorrow, Sins of
Yesterday."  It is the sequel to Carnival.  If you haven't read
Carnival, I reccommend that you read it, although it is not necessary
to understand the story.  (but it'll make me feel better, and you'll
get to see some of the foreshadowing for the serial, including some
things revealed in this story)

Synopses for the TPFICT Archives:  Kevin seeks the help of a
fortuneteller to develop his precognitive abilities in order to
prevent a future tragedy.  However, it isn't just the future that
troubles Kevin as a tragedy from his and Megabyte's past comes back
to haunt him.

Disclaimer: The characters and concepts of the Tomorrow People,
specifically Adam Newman, Kevin Wilson, Jade Weston, and Megabyte
Damon are not mine.  They belong to Thames/Tetra Television <I think>
and are the creation of Roger Damon Price.  This story is to be
archived on the TPFICT archives page, but may not be archived
elsewhere without my permission.  Please do not distribute this story
without the disclaimer.  The characters of Merilee Winslow and Josh
Bairnsby are my own.

Please send me feedback.  I really like it when people tell me
they've even just read my stuff.

Thanks to my betas Megan Freeman and Temesha Chatman.  (Especially a
nod to Temesha for info on computer programs.



_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com



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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 1
Date: 24 Apr 1999 01:07:53 PDT

(see Part 0 for disclaimer)

Binding Ties

     The nail polish was pink this time.
     Kevin spotted Merilee from the door of the coffee shop.  He
joined her at the corner table she had
chosen which faced the plate glass window.
     It had been a week since Kevin had met the fortuneteller in a
street fair in Brocksford Corner.  He and
Jade had had an unusual encounter with her.  Merilee Winslow had been
dressed in a garish yellow and
red robe, with scarves of various shades hanging down her shoulders.
The sign there bore her stage name,
Esmerelda.  Her eyes were a dark brown coffee color, appropriate for
where they were, and her hair was a
slightly lighter brown.  She had surprised the Tomorrow People by
hearing their telepathic argument.
Following JadeÆs insistence, Kevin had allowed the fortuneteller to
read their Tarot cards.
     It was then that his doubts had been shaken.
     While Merilee read their fortunes, Kevin had the strangest
feeling that there was some truth behind her
visions.  He saw the ghost of something between the cards and him;
and between the cards and Merilee.
The reading of JadeÆs final card set him over the edge of his
doubts.
     The final card, which represented JadeÆs future had been The
Hanged Man.  When Kevin had seen that
card turned over he had had a vision and now he was here to find out
if Merilee had had the same vision.
And if there was anything that could be done to stop it.
     ôHello,ö Merilee said, ôIÆm glad you decided to get in touch
with me.ö
     ôI was hoping you could give me some more information.ö
     ôAbout what?ö Merilee folded her napkin onto her lap and stirred
her tea.
     A young woman came and took KevinÆs order.  Giving up on black
coffee, he decided to try cafe
mocha.
     ôAbout what you saw when you told my fortune,ö he said, looking
up at her through narrow eyes, ôand
JadeÆs.ö
     Merilee looked down at her spoon, then out the window, then
finally forced herself to look at Kevin.
     She sighed deeply before she spoke, ôI donÆt think that itÆs
your future youÆre worried about.ö
     ôNo,ö Kevin kept his eyes locked on hers.  ôDid you see the same
thing I saw in JadeÆs future?ö
     ôIÆm not sure what I saw,ö Merilee replied. ôItÆs hard to know
for certain what is real and what is
imagined.ö
     ôStop being mysterious,ö Kevin said in a low voice.  ôTell me.
Did you see the same thing that I saw?ö
     ôI saw a flash of light and Jade turning to look at someone.
The only thing I could see clearly was her
turning and looking over her shoulder.  She was older.  A little
taller.  She was wearing a green jacket and
her hair was pulled back by a clip.  That was all I saw.ö
     ôBut it worried you,ö Kevin said.  ôWhy?ö
     ôI donÆt know,ö Merilee responded quietly.  ôI felt something
connected to the image that made me
uneasy.  I canÆt be any more specific.  It doesnÆt work that way.ö
     ôI need you to teach me how to see the future,ö Kevin said
simply.
     ôWhy should I?ö Merilee asked.
     ôBecause it may mean saving JadeÆs life.ö
*********

     The early summer day was threatened by the shadow of a
thunderstorm scraping across the sky.  Kevin
accompanied Merilee back to her flat in Kennington so that they could
talk more privately about
developing KevinÆs divinatory abilities.  MerileeÆs flat was small
but comfortably furnished.  A white cat
skirted out across KevinÆs toes, causing him to jump back a half step.
     ôCassandra, you little twit,ö Merilee called out good-naturedly
to the cat.  ôNever mind her; she
frightens easily.ö
     Kevin let out a small ôHmmphö and said, ôSo do I, apparently.ö
     ôHave a seat,ö Merilee pointed to a cushioned monstrosity that
might have been a chair or a bean-bag
at some point.  Now it was covered in clothes.  ôSorry æbout the
mess.ö
     ôNo problem,ö Kevin said, clearing a bit of the mound away.
     ôSo where should we start?ö Merilee said, perching on a chair
across from Kevin.
     ôHow about you tell me a bit about your background?ö
     ôAll right,ö Merilee replied.  ôI was born just outside of
London.  IÆve lived around the city my entire
life.  My parents have both passed away.  I donÆt have any siblings.
I have a few cousins in Southampton
and an aunt in Salisbury.  My grandmother was Rumanian.  ThatÆs where
I get my gypsy blood.
     Merilee shifted on her seat and continued, ôMy grandmother
sometimes heard voices.  Occasionally
they would tell her things about the future.  Her predictions often
came true.  My grandfather was uneasy
about them, but NanÆ learned to hide it from him.  My mother grew up
believing that there was nothing
strange about these voices, but she herself never heard them.
     ôMy grandmother died when I was ten years old.  At the precise
moment she died I heard the sound of
shattering glass.  I saw my grandmotherÆs reflection in a miror,
except that the reflection was shattered
while the glass was still intact.  I blinked and the vision was gone.ö
     ôSince then, I have had random flashes of visions.  IÆve learned
to anticipate when a vision will take
me over.  With a bit of practice I learned to take control of the
visions.  The more experience IÆve had
with the visions, the greater my other skills have developed.ö
     ôWhat skills do you have exactly?ö Kevin asked.
     ôWell, you *did* ask that before, but I suppose I could go into
a bit more detail,ö Merilee said.  ôI can
see ghosts, the echoes of those whoÆve lived before.  Sometimes I
canÆt quite see them, but I always feel
them when theyÆre near.  On very rare occasions, IÆve actually spoken
to one.ö
     ôYouÆve spoken to a ghost?ö Kevin said, almost scornfully.
     ôYes,ö Merilee replied a bit tersely.  ôIt wasnÆt much different
than hearing someone elseÆs thoughts.ö
     ôSo, it didnÆt actually speak?ö
     ôNo, I suppose it didnÆt,ö Merilee relaxed a bit.  ôMore as if
it thought at me.ö
     ôSo, what else?  You mentioned reading minds.  Can you read
mine?ö
     [Not if youÆre blocking me that effectively,] Merilee projected
at Kevin.  [Am I doing this right?  Can
you hear me?]
     The shock on KevinÆs face was answer enough for Merilee.  She
laughed.
     ôWell, it looks like I broke up that stuffy expression on your
face,ö she said.
     [How come we couldnÆt hear your thoughts before?] Kevin asked.
     [My mind reading isnÆt that strong.  ItÆs taking a lot of effort
for me to maintain this..,]
 Merilee æpathed, ôin fact, I donÆt think I can maintain it any
longer.ö
     ôThatÆs strange,ö Kevin said.  ôItÆs pretty effortless for us.ö
     ôPerhaps with time and practice my skill with telepathy will get
better,ö Merilee sat back a bit deeper
into the chair, catching her breath.  ôBut you wanted me to help you
get better with fortunetelling, not for
me to do parlor tricks.ö
     ôIt was strange,ö Kevin said, ôbut I could almost see something
when you were handling the cards.ö
     ôAn aura?ö Merilee shifted a bit in her chair.
     Kevin nodded.
     ôOkay, thatÆs a start,ö she said.  ôThe way I like to think of
it is that psychic abilities utilize a specific
type of energy.  The Chinese have something like it called Chi, and
the Egyptians called it Ka.  Friends of
mine who are into witchcraft describe something similar when they
draw power.ö
     ôI suppose it makes sense.  When we..ö Kevin was about to
mention teleportation but stopped.
     ôWhat?ö Merilee asked curiously.
     ôNothing.  Something I can do, but I shouldnÆt mention it.ö
     ôKevin,ö Merilee stared him directly in the face, ôif IÆm going
to teach you, I have one rule.  Honesty.
DonÆt hold anything back with me about what you can do.  I have been,
and will be, completely honest
with you.  I canÆt teach you unless I know what youÆre already
capable of.  And not knowing what you can
do may be more dangerous than my knowing any æsecretsÆ you might
have.ö
     Kevin weighed it over in his mind.  The danger to him wasnÆt
important, but he needed MerileeÆs help
if he was to save Jade.  It wasnÆt as if she was going to find a way
to exploit him and the other Tomorrow
People, was it?
     ôAll right,ö Kevin said, ôbut IÆm not going to say anything
about what my friends may be able to do.
Just what I can do.ö
     ôFine.ö
     ôWell, I was about to mention that the idea that there is a
specific sort of energy makes sense because
when I teleport from place to place there is this field of energy
that surrounds me.ö
     ôTeleport?ö Merilee looked surprised, ôLike in æStar TrekÆ?ö
     ôYeah, but I have to yell æBeam me upÆ first,ö Kevin said
sarcastically.
     ôCan you show me?ö
     ôSure,ö Kevin said, ôNow you see meàö
     A flash of white-blue light blinded Merilee.  When it faded,
Kevin was gone.  A few seconds later a
second flash came from across the room.
     Kevin stood across from Merilee holding a backpack in his hand.
     ôSorry,ö he said, ôI went home first to pick up my bag.  IÆm
heading somewhere after weÆre done.ö
     ôThatÆs amazing!ö Merilee said.  ôHow does it work?ö
     ôIÆm not really sure,ö Kevin said.  ôYou sort of imagine
yourself being somewhere else.  Then you
think about where you are.  And you sort of imagine yourself being in
both places at the same time.  Then
you think really hard about being where you want to go and not being
where you are.  After a bit of
practice, you donÆt really think about it anymore.  You just sort of
do it.ö
     Merilee sat quietly for a few moments, humming to herself, then
looked at Kevin with inspiration on
her face.
      ôHmm.  Perhaps you could try something similar to see into the
future.  Imagine yourself in the future,
then draw on that energy you use to teleport and focus on seeing
images from the future.ö
      ôI suppose I could give it a shot,ö Kevin said. ôBut if I
accidentally teleport out, you might want to
have a towel handy for when I get back.ö
     ôTowel?ö
     ôLong story.  Never mind.ö
     Kevin closed his eyes and concentrated.  He thought about the
aura heÆd seen surrounding the Tarot
cards and how it might be similar to the aura that surrounded him
when he teleported.  He focused on
bringing those two auras together.  He felt something moving at the
edges of his awareness.  He reached
for whatever it was and felt a connection being made.
     He opened his eyes, and had no idea where he was.
*********

      It appeared to be a beach with sand dunes and some sort of reed
plant growing among the dunes.  It
obviously wasnÆt the island.  It wasnÆt warm enough and the water was
a grey-blue.  The sun was either
just setting or rising.  Kevin wasnÆt sure which direction it was
going.  It felt like sunset to him, though.
     He turned and was surprised to see a woman a few feet away from
him.  She was wearing brown
khakis and a green pull-over.  The hood was down and her dirty blond
hair was pulled back by a clip.
Pale hazel eyes stared over at him.
     ôJade?ö he questioned.
     She didnÆt seem to notice him.  She was looking off at KevinÆs
side.  Kevin looked down and saw a
piece of metal buried in the sand.  Jade was coming near him.
     ôJade, wait!ö Kevin shouted, then tried switching to telepathy,
[Stop!]
     Jade continued moving towards him, towards the metal object.  As
she moved, Kevin could see behind
her.  There was a figure about ten feet away.  It was a man with long
black hair pulled back into a pony
tail.  He was wearing a red coat and blue jeans.  He turned his face
towards Kevin, towards Jade.  He
seemed to see something wrong.  The face looked familiar to Kevin,
but he wasnÆt sure why.
     ôJade! Stop!ö the man screamed as Jade reached the spot beside
Kevin.
     As she was bending down she looked back at the man who was
shouting at her.
     ôWhat is it, K ûô her reply to him was cut off by a sharp blast
and a flash of blinding light.
     KevinÆs sight was blinded and the world went silent.  All he
could see was white.  Then slowly, the
vision faded and he found himself back in MerileeÆs apartment.
     ôHow long was I gone?ö he asked frantically.
     ôGone?ö Merilee asked confused.  ôYou never vanished.  You were
here the whole time.ö
     ôI saw something,ö Kevin started shaking.
     ôWhat was it?ö
     ôJade, older, like before,ö he said, ôbut this time I saw
myself.  I tried to warn her.ö
     Kevin paused and took a deep breath.
     ôBut I was too late.ö
*********
End Part One


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com



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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: TPFICT: Sunless Lands (0/2 additions)
Date: 24 Apr 1999 12:34:39 EDT

I just realized that I forgot to include a summary when I submitted the
aforemention story a few days ago.  Sorry about that.

Summary: Adam Newman is starting down the road to becoming a doctor, when an
unusual patient and her father put his empathetic personality at odds with
his work.

Again, sorry for my chronic forgetfulness!

-Nicole



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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Surprises 00/3 Additions
Date: 24 Apr 1999 20:07:32 -0400

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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    charset="iso-8859-1"
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Nicole's message reminded me that I also forgot to include a synopsis for my
story.

Surprises Summary:  A new teleporter enters the fold, but danger soon
follows.

I promise to get the hang of this!
Jen
[e-mail]
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/
"May you walk with the awareness of life.
 May you walk in beauty."
                                          Teresa Pijoan


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<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2014.210" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D890160200-25041999>Nicole's message=20
reminded me that I also forgot to include a synopsis for my=20
story.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D890160200-25041999></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D890160200-25041999>Surprises=20
Summary:  A new teleporter enters the fold, but danger soon=20
follows.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D890160200-25041999></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN class=3D890160200-25041999>I =
promise to get the=20
hang of this!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D890160200-25041999>Jen</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><FONT size=3D2></FONT><FONT color=3D#000000><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft><A=20
href=3D"http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/">http://www.personal.kent.=
edu/~jsulzer/</A></DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft>"May you walk with the awareness of life.<BR> May =
you walk=20
in=20
beauty."<BR>          &=
nbsp;           &n=
bsp;           &nb=
sp;      =20
Teresa Pijoan </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0001_01BE8E8E.1660DEA0--




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

From: Mandi Ohlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Beta reader needed...
Date: 24 Apr 1999 20:53:13 -0400

Hi,

This isn't an immediate need, but recently a TP story idea wormed into
my head and got so insistent I had to start tapping away at it. I'm not
entirely sure how far I should take this idea, so the full story isn't
mapped out in my head.

But in the event I make any headway on this, is there anyone who'd be
willing to beta a new series crossover? (If I say with what, it spoils
it.) I'll probably be sending it as I write, so be warned. :)

--
Amanda Ohlin (aka Mandi)
fanfic fanatic and nitpicker extraordinaire
nemesis of the Hood College foodservice staff

"General Hammond ... request permission to beat the crap
out of this man."
--Col. O'Neill, Stargate: SG-1 "Bane"

http://weirdweb.simplenet.com/



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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Is this getting through?
Date: 24 Apr 1999 23:08:56 PDT


Hi, I hate to do this, since it's not really good nettiquette, but I
sent out the disclaimer and first part to a story in my serial.  I
got a comment from someone on it <thanks Nicole>, but on my email the
story and disclaimer never came through.  Did anyone else on the list
*not* get the story (Title: Binding Ties)?  Anyone know why I might
not have gotten it and others would?  I'm trying to figure out if I
need to repost or not. Might be best to reply to me personally, as I
don't want to waste bandwith with this.  Thanks.

mike


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com



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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: TPFICT: Is this getting through?
Date: 25 Apr 1999 09:53:18 -0400

I got the disclaimer and first segment of your story last night, Mike.  I
did like it, by the way, and am eagerly awaiting more!

Jen
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/
"May you walk with the awareness of life.
=A0May you walk in beauty."
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Teresa Pijoan


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [e-mail]
> [mailto:[e-mail]]On Behalf Of Michael Matott
> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 1999 2:09 AM
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: TPFICT: Is this getting through?
>
>
>
> Hi, I hate to do this, since it's not really good nettiquette, but I
> sent out the disclaimer and first part to a story in my serial.  I
> got a comment from someone on it <thanks Nicole>, but on my email the
> story and disclaimer never came through.  Did anyone else on the list
> *not* get the story (Title: Binding Ties)?  Anyone know why I might
> not have gotten it and others would?  I'm trying to figure out if I
> need to repost or not. Might be best to reply to me personally, as I
> don't want to waste bandwith with this.  Thanks.
>
> mike
>
>
> _______________________________________________________________
> Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
>




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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: TPFICT: Beta reader needed...
Date: 26 Apr 1999 17:45:57 EDT

In a message dated 4/24/99 8:55:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[e-mail] writes:

> But in the event I make any headway on this, is there anyone who'd be
>  willing to beta a new series crossover? (If I say with what, it spoils
>  it.) I'll probably be sending it as I write, so be warned. :)


OK, I'm the first to admit that I'm not the best of Beta readers, but if you
tell me what sort of feedback you want (your basic small errors, plot, just
opinion), I'd love to try!

-Nicole
_____________________________

http://members.aol.com/ngwjaguar/writing.html



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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 3
Date: 26 Apr 1999 21:16:46 PDT

Still in flashback mode, remidner 10 space indentation is flashback,
5 spaces is present.  An additonal note that should have been in the
disclaimer <Wendy if you're paying attention could you slip this in
to the disclaimer? <sheepish plea>> : Thanks to Jonathon Day for
information on the British school system.  Any mistakes are probably
mine in the interpretation.  And now to resume the story:

          ôOut of the way, Daybie!ö an upperclassmen pushed Kevin and
Marmaduke aside.
          ôYa gotta love the way they make that sound like æbaby,Æ ö
the American said with a snicker.
          ôWeÆre at the bottom of the rung here.  Not only are we
first years, but day students.  They donÆt
like day students here,ö Kevin said.
          ôI didnÆt think this was a boarding school,ö Marmaduke
said.  ôMy parents told me this was a
public school.ö
          ôIt is,ö Kevin replied.
          ôThen why do people stay here?  Why is there tuition?ö
          ôWell, thatÆs what a public school is.ö
          ôAt home you donÆt pay for public schools and you live at
home, not the school.ö
          ôOh!ö Kevin said, realization dawning, ôYou mean a comp
school.ö
          ôHuh?ö
          ôComprehensive school,ö Kevin explained.  ôThatÆs the
government funded school system.ö
          ôWell then, why do they call a boarding school æpublic
school?Æ ö
          ôTo confuse Americans?ö Kevin said with a devilish grin.
          Marmaduke gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder and
said, ôCome on, letÆs get to computer
class.ö
*********

          ôAll right, gentlemen,ö the instructor, a Mr. Kovasinzky,
said, ôtake a seat.ö
          Kevin and Marmaduke sat at the same table in front of a
computer.
          ôDonÆt get too comfortable in your current seats, however,ö
Mr. Kovasinzky continued.  ôAs I call
the roll in pairs answer æhereÆ and the first pair will move to the
first station, the second to the second
station, and so on.  This will be the arrangement for the semester,
barring any disciplinary actions
requiring relocation.  Understood?ö
           ôYes, sir,ö the class responded quietly.
           Kovasinzky rattled off the roll.  Marmaduke was paired
with a boy named Joshua Bairnsby.  Kevin
wound up at the station behind them without a partner.
          Kovasinzky assigned them a program type Kevin had never
heard of.  Something called a
Mandebrot set.  The problem took up the entire chalkboard.  Kevin
wasnÆt even sure where to start.  And
of course, he was alone.
           ôSucks being at the end of the alphabet, huh?ö Marmaduke
said after about ten minutes, turning
away from the screen.  ôWell, you can work with us, right?ö
           Joshua was about to say something when a ruler clattered
onto KevinÆs desk.
           ôName?ö Mr. Kovasinzky said to Marmaduke.
           ôMuh..Marmaduke Damon, sir,ö he said, ôbut you can call me
Rusty.ö
           ôYoung Master Damon,ö Kovasinzky glared.  ôI require you
to respect my authority in this class.
This means no talking when I am talking, or in this case, when you
are supposed to be working on a
program.ö
           ôUm, yes, sir,Æ the American said, face turning shade to
match his hair, ôbut weÆre finished.ö
           ôWhat?ö Kovasinzky said startled.  He examined the screen
and checked the lines of code.  ôYes,
well, good job.  However, if you finish early, please respect othersÆ
need for silence.  Just sit quietly until
then.ö
          ôYes, sir.ö
          Kovasinzky stared around at the class, as if just
remembering where he was.  ôWell,ö he said,
ôdonÆt just sit there all of you.  Get to work.ö
          The class resumed typing.  Megabyte shifted in his seat,
not able to keep still.
          ôI think that was supposed to take us the whole period,ö
Josh said.
          ôIt wasnÆt that tough a program.ö
          ôAre you some sort of computer whiz?ö  Josh asked.
          ôI dunno,ö Marmaduke replied.  ôIÆm just kind of good with
machines.ö
          ôI guess IÆve got the right partner, æey Marmaduke?ö
          ôDonÆt call me that!ö Marmaduke said under his breath.
          ôWhy not?  It is your name, right?ö
          ôIÆm not a big fan of it.  IÆm trying to find a better name
to go by.  Maybe Red?ö
          Josh raised his eyebrows a bit, ôNeeds a bit of work.ö
          ôIÆm open to suggestions,ö the American said just as the
bell began to ring.
*********

     ôItÆs because of what happened to Josh that Kevin went away,ö
Megabyte said.
     ôJosh?ö Jade was puzzled.  ôWhoÆs that?  The kid from your
computer class?ö
     ôSorry, IÆm jumping ahead of myself,ö Megabyte said.  ôJosh was
the first person aside from Kevin to
be friendly to me.  I never knew I could feel like such a foreigner
in a country where they speak the same
language as me.ö
     ôYou mean you think you speak the same language I do?ö Jade
asked in mock disbelief.
     ôVery funny,ö Megabyte said.  ôAnyway, Josh made me feel less an
outsider at school.  It started that
first day at lunch.ö

          ôYou know,ö a British voice behind Marmaduke said, ôyou can
eat with the boarders if you want.
ItÆs not like you have to eat in this stairwell.ö
          Josh Bairnsby was standing a few steps above him.
          ôI know,ö Marmaduke said, ôbut IÆve had enough snooty looks
for a day, thank you very much.  Are
all English people like that?ö
          ôI think itÆs reserved for the rich,ö Josh said sitting
down next to Marmaduke.
          Marmaduke laughed, ôSo why arenÆt you turning your nose up
at me and muttering æAmericanÆ
under your breath like the rest of these guys?ö
          ôBecause you seem like a decent bloke,ö Josh said, ôdespite
the æall English are snobsÆ bit.ö
          ôHey, IÆm sorry.  I didnÆt mean you.ö
          ôThatÆs not my point,ö Josh said. ôDo you think the other
kids know what to expect of Americans?
Are they all like the ones on TV or are they all a bunch of smart-
alecks, like you?ö
          ôHey!ö  Marmaduke was starting to get offended.
          ôSee what I mean?ö Josh asked.  ôWhy donÆt you give them a
chance before you call them all
æsnootyÆ?ö
          ôSo why arenÆt *you* in there eating lunch?ö
          ôNot hungry,ö Josh replied.  ôI thought IÆd take a walk.
Want to come along?ö
          ôSure,ö Marmaduke said.  ôMaybe we can cause a little
trouble.ö
          Josh smiled, letting the comment slide, ôYou know, IÆve
been thinking on a nickname for you.
Considering your talent with computers, how about Megabyte?ö
          Marmaduke considered it thoughtfully, ôHmm, Megabyte.  It
has potential.ö
          They headed out of the school and onto the grounds, walking
through a maze of shrubbery.  In a
corner of the garden they came across Kevin sitting upon a stone
bench.
          ôAnother anti-social student,ö Josh said lightly.  ôWe
should pair the two of you together.  You
could be antisocial together.ö
          ôHeh,ö Kevin grunted.
          ôHey, Kev,ö Marmaduke thought Kevin wasnÆt amused by Josh
and decided to change the subject.
ôHow does Megabyte sound for my new nickname?ö
          ôI like..,ö Kevin started, then glared at Josh.  ôYou come
up with it?ö
          ôYes,ö Josh said, startled at the intensity of KevinÆs look.
          Kevin turned to Marmaduke, ôI guess IÆll just have to get
used to it.ö
          In the distance the first class bell rang.
          ôWeÆd better get going,ö Josh looked at Kevin with sad
eyes, then turned and walked towards the
school.
          ôComing, Kev?ö Megabyte asked.
          ôYeah,ö Kevin said reluctantly.
          æWhy doesnÆt he like Josh?Æ Marmaduke wondered.
          ôHe just irks me,ö Kevin said quietly.  Josh was a good ten
feet ahead.
          ôHuh?ö Marmaduke asked puzzled, not sure if heÆd spoken
aloud or not.
          ôYou wanted to know why I donÆt like him,ö Kevin
said, ôThatÆs why.ö
          ôMaybe you should give him a chance,ö Marmaduke said,
echoing JoshÆs words. ôThere might be
more to him than you expect.ö
          Kevin gave a resigned shrug, ôAll right, Megabyte, IÆll
give him a chance.ö
*********
End Part Three

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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 4
Date: 27 Apr 1999 21:08:38 PDT

<one more note from me, now that I know that indents won't show up in
html, I've indicated going into a flashback with - - - -, hopefully I
haven't lost anyone yet>

************
          ôKevin, look out!ö Josh said over KevinÆs shoulder.
          ôThanks,ö Kevin sighed in reply, ôyou saved my life.ö
          ôNo probÆ,ö Josh said, ôIs that the right expression,
Megabyte?ö
          ôYeah,ö Megabyte said without taking his eyes off the TV.
          Megabyte and Kevin were playing the video game version
of ôAttack of the Killer Cucumbersö,
MegabyteÆs favorite movie.  The three of them had been spending a lot
of time together.  Kevin had grown
to like Josh once he realized that the other boy was no threat to his
friendship with Megabyte.  In fact, at
times Josh seemed to like Kevin better.  Josh got annoyed sometimes
with MegabyteÆs irreverent sense of
humor.  Kevin found it harder to be annoyed with the American, or to
stay annoyed with him.  One
exception came the time that Megabyte hacked into the schoolÆs
computer console system and set the class
bell to go off every five minutes.  Kevin and Josh had thought it was
hilarious - until the fifth time the
class bell started ringing and then wouldnÆt stop.  A full day later
Kevin swore his ears were still ringing.
          ôSo,ö Josh said to Megabyte, ôyou going back to the States
for Christmas.ö
          ôYeah,ö Megabyte pounded on one of the joystick buttons in
irritation.  ôWeÆre going to my
grandmotherÆs in Vermont.ö
          ôWhat about you?ö Kevin asked.
          ôWeÆre going to Switzerland,ö Josh said.  ôMy father has
some business there, he says.  And he
wonÆt make it home otherwise, so weÆre going with him.ö
          ôSounds like fun,ö Megabyte said.  ôWhatÆs your dad do?ö
          ôInsurance.ö
          ôSounds unfun,ö Megabyte laughed, then switched to
outrage, ôNo way!  I just got killed.ö
          ôDoes that mean itÆs my turn?ö Josh asked.
          ôYeah, I guess so,ö Megabyte reluctantly handed over the
controller.
          ôHow æbout you, Kev?ö Megabyte perched behind them.  ôWhere
are you going for Christmas?ö
          ôWeÆre staying at home,ö Kevin said.
          ôBummer,ö Megabyte said.
          ôTell me about it.ö
          The Cucumber DefendersÆ theme began playing, indicating
that Kevin and Josh had won.
Megabyte grunted something, then asked who wanted to play again.
********

     Another lurching stop, just two more until he got off for
MegabyteÆs house.  Things had been fine with
him, Megabyte, and Josh for that whole year.  TheyÆd grown really
tight.  It wasnÆt until Kevin started to
break out that there were any real problems.  If Josh had come to
MegabyteÆs that night heÆd first
teleported then none of it wouldÆve happened.  HeÆd still have al his
friends.  Something he still dreamed
of from time to time.
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
          The dreams began just after Christmas.  A black girl
thrashing about in the water, getting tangled
in her dress.  Kevin always woke on the verge of screaming, knowing
it was the girlÆs name he was about
to scream but waking before he could think of it.
          ôWho are you?ö Kevin whispered to the darkness, then
returned to sleep.
          It wasnÆt until February that he brought it up on the bus
with Megabyte.
          ôSo, who is she?ö he asked.
          ôI donÆt know,ö Kevin said.  ôI think she might be
American.ö
          ôWhy?ö
          ôI donÆt know.  I just think she is.ö
          ôSo why are you dreaming about her?ö Megabyte asked, then
smiling mischievously said, ôWere
you having a wet dream?ö
          ôWell, she *was* in water so I suppose ...ö Kevin began,
not understanding what Megabyte meant
at first.  ôBloody hell no!  You think IÆd tell you if it was .. THAT
kind of a dream.ö
          ôLighten up, Kev.  It was just a joke.ö
          ôMegabyte shifted the topic and they spent the rest of the
bus ride conversing about television.
Mostly Megabyte complained about the quality of British shows
compared to American ones.  Kevin
didnÆt watch much television, so he had a hard time arguing with
Megabyte.  He gave it a try, though,
more out of national pride than anything else.
********

(A few months later)

          ôI think we should tell him,ö Kevin said.
          ôI donÆt know.  Adam thinks the less people that know the
better,ö Megabyte said.
          Kevin sat on the floor of MegabyteÆs cluttered room, his
back against the bed.
          ôJosh is our friend,ö Kevin said.  ôWhy shouldnÆt we tell
him?ö
          ôI just donÆt think itÆs a good idea,ö Megabyte said.
          ôMaybe heÆs one of us too,ö Kevin said hopefully.
          ôJosh?  A Tomorrow Person?ö Megabyte said skeptically.
          ôWhy not?ö Kevin said.  ôYou wound up being one even though
I broke out first.ö
          ôYeah, and I nearly got fried for being associated with
you.ö
          ôHey if two kids come to rescue a Tomorrow Person and one
of the two turns out to be a Tomorrow
Person, wouldnÆt you assume the other one was too.ö
          ôYeah, but I didnÆt know I was one at that point.ö
          ôSo,ö Kevin said, ôit could be the same way with Josh.ö
          ôOr he might just be a normal person,ö Megabyte said.
          ôYouÆre right, I guess,ö Kevin said, ôbut if he shows any
signs, I say we should tell him.ö
          ôAll right,ö Megabyte said.  ôWeÆll give it some time.
Hell, IÆd think itÆd be cool if he was.ö
*********

     ôKevin really wanted to tell Josh,ö Megabyte said, ôbut Adam
didnÆt think it was a good idea.  After
our experience with Colonel Masters and nearly losing Lisa and me to
that Lady Mulvaney he thought we
should keep a low profile.  Kevin was hoping though that Josh was a
TP too.  He thought that since IÆd
wanted to be one so much, maybe that was all that was necessary.ö
     ôWell,ö Jade said, ôif you think about it, thatÆs how it
happened with me.  Maybe people can become
Tomorrow People if they just want to hard enough.ö
     ôI donÆt think so, Jade,ö Adam said.  ôWe all have a specific
anomaly in our brainwaves.  Dr. Connor
thought there was likely a genetic trigger or pre-disposition towards
being a TP.ö
     ôBut that hasnÆt been proven,ö Jade said.  ôAnd does anyone have
an EEG of a Tomorrow Person
*before* they broke out.  Maybe the anomaly doesnÆt appear unil after
we break out.  And whoÆs to say
Josh didnÆt have the anomaly?ö
     ôWell, at any rate,ö Megabyte interrupted, ôcovering it up got
harder and harder to do, especially after
Kevin wound up in the hospital after that Culex incident.ö
 - - - - - - - - - -
          ôMegabyte!ö Josh shouted from down the hospital hallway.
          Megabyte turned away from two other teenagers; one a tall
boy with black hair, the other an
attractive black girl.
          ôWhat happened to Kevin?ö Josh asked when he reached the
group.
          ôHeÆs fine now,ö Megabyte said, putting his hand on JoshÆs
shoulder.  ôHe was bitten by a mosquito
and .. um, had a bad allergic reaction.  HeÆs fine, but heÆs resting
now.  I thought you were on vacation
with your family?ö
          ôI just got back from Spain.  My father took us on holiday
for the week.  I was supposed to meet
Kevin today, but when I got to his auntÆs a neighbor told me that he
was here.ö
          ôTheyÆre letting him go tomorrow,ö Megabyte said.
          Josh didnÆt say anything.  His attention shifted to the two
strangers flanking Megabyte.  They made
him feel like the stranger, rather than one of MegabyteÆs best
friends.  The black girlÆs eyes widened while
looking at him, as if she knew what he was thinking.  She glared at
the back of MegabyteÆs head and gave
him a slight shove on the shoulder.
          ôOh .. yeah .. right,ö Megabyte startled, ôUm, Josh, this
is Adam here and thatÆs Ami.ö  Megabyte
pointed to his left and right respectively.
          ôHello,ö Josh said. ôNice to meet you.ö
          Adam shook his hand, echoing the nicety.  Ami settled for a
smile and half-wave, followed by a
quiet giggle.
          [Megabyte,] Ami æpathed, [you never told me you had such a
cute friend.]
          Megabyte swung and glared at Ami, on the verge of speaking.
          ôWell,ö Adam said before Megabyte could speak, ôweÆd better
be going, right Ami?ö
          ôYeah,ö Ami said.  ôI guess so.ö
          ôWeÆll talk to you later, Megabyte,ö Adam said.  Josh
wondered if the tall boy was Australian.  The
accent seemed to fit there or possibly New Zealand.
          ôRight,ö Megabyte said, ôsee-ya.ö
          ôHope to see you later,ö Ami said to Josh with that smile
still on her face.
          When they were alone Josh asked, ôWho are they?ö
          ôSome friends Kevin and I made recently.ö
          ôOh,ö Josh said, feeling very alone at the moment.
          ôWant to see if KevinÆs awake?ö Megabyte asked, his
normally high energy seeping towards Josh.
          ôSure,ö Josh smiled and moved toward Megabyte.  The lanky
American wrapped an arm around
JoshÆs shoulder.
          ôSo, tell me about Spain,ö Megabyte said as they headed
in.  ôSee any gorgeous girls?ö
          ôNot in Spain,ö Josh said, looking over his shoulder at
where the mysterious strangers had just left.
*********************


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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 0/6 (Please Read!!)
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:50:34 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 0/6

A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover

By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])



Disclaimer: The characters of Adam Newman, Megabyte Damon, Ami Jackson,
Kevin Wilson, Jade Weston, and General Damon and the concept of the Tomorrow
People are the property of Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra Television, ITV
Television, Nickelodeon, etc. The characters of Derek Rayne, Alex Moreau,
and Nick Boyle, as well as the concept of the Legacy belong to Trilogy
Entertainment, MGM, and the SciFi Channel, etc. These characters are used
without permission, but not for profit. Carrie Morgan and the "urn demon"
are my own creation.

Note:  For the P:TL fans, the first story in this trilogy is posted on my
website: http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/fanfic.html  This is the
second story in my "Surprises from the Past" Trilogy.

This story takes place where The Tomorrow People left off, and during the
second season of Poltergeist: The Legacy.  Quotes indicate verbal speech,
single quotes indicate thought, and colons indicate telepathy.

I would like to thank my beta readers, Ellenore, Kristin, Ishtar, Jeff, and
Megan for all their comments and suggestions.  Thanks guys!

Story Synopsis:  An old friend returns, and the teleporters face danger on
two fronts.






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 1/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:08 -0400

Note: For the P:TL fans, the first story in this trilogy can be found on my
website, http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/fanfic.html (The Legacy
doesn't appear in that story, so I didn't post it to the P:TL fanfic list.
You might want to read it to understand this story better, though.)

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover

By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])



Prologue

Taphini Island, Somewhere in the South Pacific

Adam glanced up at the central column of the Ship in surprise as it suddenly
came to life. The Ship, a safe haven for all Tomorrow People, a group of
genetically evolved young people who had special talents like teleporting
and communicating telepathically, was usually quiet, especially at this
hour.

That was not the case tonight, however. The column was giving off a series
of bright lights, and the "ahhhh" that was it's only form of verbal
communication sounded especially cheerful and welcoming. Suddenly, a bright
flash filled the Ship's main chamber.

'Who could that be?' He wondered. His surprise increased as he saw who had
teleported in.

"Carrie! What are you doing here?" He asked. The young redheaded woman
laughed.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Adam?" The tall Australian quickly
embraced her.

"That wasn't what I meant, and you know it! How're you doing?" Carrie's
smile faded.

"I don't know. Some really weird things have been happening lately." Carrie
confessed. "You were the best person I could think of to talk to." She added
quietly. Adam put an arm around her shoulders.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I've been having these strange visions--I'll touch someone's hand, and I
see into their past. Or sometimes I just have a vision for no reason at all.
At first, I thought it was just part of being a Tomorrow Person, but then
the visions got more and more intense. Sometimes I actually need to
physically get away from the person or object." Carrie replied.

"That must have made your undercover work for General Damon pretty
difficult." Adam commented. Carrie nodded.

"I think I'm going to quit, at least for a little while. I really need to
take a breather--get my head together." She told him. Adam nodded in
understanding.

"Do you want me to go with you to see General Damon? Just for moral support,
of course." He asked.


"If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it. I don't think the General will be
that upset, but you never know."

"You'd be surprised. He's actually mellowed a bit." Adam said.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Carrie replied. Just then, she was blinded
by the image of an urn, and a feeling of intense danger. The vision
disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Carrie groggily realized Adam was
shaking her and calling her name. She slowly opened her eyes.

"What happened? You just blanked out!" He demanded.

"I Saw an urn of some kind--it felt dangerous." She replied, clearly shaken.
Adam led her over to a nearby ledge and they both sat down.

"Any identifying marks?"

"Only that it looked Egyptian; it was covered in hieroglyphics. I couldn't
see anything about the surroundings, though." Adam was being surprisingly
calm and accepting about all this. Carrie guessed that living in an alien
spaceship and hanging around with other teleporters for all these years made
him take just about everything in stride.

"Have these visions been affecting your telekinesis?" She shook her head.
Each Tomorrow Person had an additional individual talent: Adam's was
healing, and Carrie's was telekinesis.

"Not a bit. See?" She gestured behind Adam, and he turned to see his
portable CD player hovering in mid-air.

"Okay, okay, I believe you. Now please put that thing down. I can't afford a
new one." Both teleporters laughed as the CD player gently descended back to
its original position on the small table by Adam's bed. Adam fell silent for
a moment, lost in thought. Carrie sent a gentle telepathic probe into his
thoughts, and smiled at what she found. He was already dividing up what
research would need to be done about the urn. She put a hand on his arm.

:How about we handle one crisis at a time. Let's go see the General first
and then focus on the urn, okay?: Adam grinned and nodded in agreement.

:Good idea.: He replied, and they both teleported out.

******

General Damon's Office, WorldEx Securities, Inc., London, England

Carrie hesitated for a moment as she and Adam stood in front of General
Damon's office.

:What's wrong?: Adam 'pathed gently.

:I was just remembering the last time we were here.: She replied.

:You had just told me you were going to work for the General, and I--: Adam
searched for the words he wanted.

:Completely lost it.: Carrie finished with a small smile.

:I did not!: Adam responded indignantly. Carrie glanced at him with a raised
eyebrow. :Well, maybe a little.: He admitted. They both smiled.

:I did, too. You know, I don't think I ever apologized about what I said
then.: Carrie remarked. Adam put a hand on her arm.

:Forget about it. I have.: He replied quietly.

:Are you sure?: Carrie asked. :Some of what I said was pretty harsh.: Carrie
put her hand on his, but he pulled away from her almost immediately. For a
moment, tension hung between them like a weight. Suddenly, Adam reached past
Carrie and knocked on the door. After hearing a muffled "Come in," he
abruptly opened the door and entered, leaving a surprised Carrie in the
hallway.

'I've never seen him react like that before.' Carrie thought as she followed
him inside. There was no time to wonder about that, though, for the General
had already risen from his desk to greet them.

"Now to what do I owe this surprise?" He asked warmly, shaking each of their
hands.

"Well, this isn't an emergency or anything--" Carrie began.

"You wouldn't have used the door if it was." General Damon commented dryly.
This statement caused everyone to grin.

"You're right about that, of course. What I came here to tell you was that I
need a break from undercover work. Maybe permanently." She steeled herself
for his reaction, afraid to meet his eyes.

"I understand. Actually, I figured this was coming--undercover work is
difficult in itself, but doubly so for a Tomorrow Person." He smiled at her
expression of surprise.

"That's not the only reason." Carrie quickly filled him in on her visions
and how they had affected her. The General reached out and squeezed her
shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm glad you came to me before it got any worse. It's definitely time for
you to get out." He smiled at her relieved expression. "You see, I can be
reasonable once in a while." They both laughed.

"There's one more thing, though." Carrie described the vision she had had in
the Ship. The General's expression quickly turned serious.

"I'll have my people look into it." He replied.

"We'll look into it, too." Adam promised, giving Carrie a shadowed smile.
She returned the smile, relieved that the tension between them had passed,
at least for now.

<End Prologue>






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 2/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:12 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover

By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])



Chapter One

San Francisco, CA

(One month after Prologue)

"Adam!" Carrie exclaimed as she opened the door of her apartment. "What are
you doing here?" The handsome Australian grinned.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?" He asked teasingly. Carrie glanced
over his shoulder.

"I don't see any old friends around, do you?" She responded. Adam winced.

"You've been hanging out with Megabyte too much!" He exclaimed. Carrie
laughed and let him inside.

"You didn't answer my question--What are you doing here? You didn't even
'path me that you were coming!" Carrie demanded, arms crossed over her
chest, although with a wide grin on her face.

"I was sitting around with nothing to do and thought we could go sightseeing
or something. You haven't been in San Francisco long enough to see very
much." Adam remarked.

"You, sitting around with nothing to do? I don't believe it!" Carrie
declared.

"Well, I was actually doing more research on that urn you saw in your
vision, but no luck. I felt ready to throw the book I was looking at across
the room." Carrie nodded in understanding.

"I know how you feel. I'm beginning to wonder if that urn even exists."
Carrie sighed as she sat down on the couch, Adam sinking down next to her.

"I'm sure it does, but you've got to remember--it may not have even been
discovered yet." Adam remarked.

"That's true." Carrie replied. "You've got a good idea; I think we could
both use a break. In fact, I was about to 'path you and see if you wanted to
do something when you knocked on the door. Why didn't you just teleport in,
anyway?"

"You said you wanted to keep a low profile--look as normal as possible.
Walking out with a guy no one had seen walk in would probably attract some
attention." Adam pointed out. Carrie blushed slightly.

"Probably--I'd forgotten about that. Let me just get a few things, and we
can get going." She disappeared into another room, leaving Adam to look
around her apartment.

It wasn't very large, since she was trying to save money for college, but it
was comfortable enough. Prominently displayed on the wall was a framed
photograph of all the TPs. Adam smiled as he remembered the day that picture
was taken. Kevin's Aunt Ruth had gotten him a camera for his birthday, and
he had insisted that they needed a current "team photo." It had taken a lot
of shuffling and wisecracks, but they eventually ended up with a decent
looking picture. They were arranged in two rows, with himself, Carrie,
Megabyte, and Ami in a semi-circle behind Kevin and Jade. Even though they
were slightly crowded, you could see that they were a closely united team.
Adam smiled to himself; they weren't just a team, they were a family. For
some of them, the only family they had.

"It took some digging, but I finally found my guide book." Carrie said as
she emerged from the other room, brandishing the book in victory.

"I thought you were the neat and organized one!" Adam said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I haven't gotten completely settled in yet. Is anyone else
coming?" She asked, smiling.

"Megabyte is on vacation with his dad, Ami has to work at her Mum's shop,
Kevin is on a camping trip with his school, and Jade is grounded." Adam
counted each person on his fingers as he worked through the list. Carrie
groaned as she heard the last part.

"Jade got grounded again? What was it this time?"

"What it always is--she went shopping again without permission. This time,
though, she went all the way to Los Angeles." Adam replied. Carrie made a
face and shook her head.

"When will she learn? I swear that girl is a shop-a-holic, and her being a
teleporter only makes it worse!" Adam nodded in agreement.

"I promised to talk to her later--want to help?"

"Planning a good-cop/bad-cop routine?"

"No, just a good-teleporter/bad teleporter routine." Adam replied with a
grin.


"Now who's been hanging out with Megabyte too much?" Carrie groaned. "Come
on, let's go check out Fisherman's Wharf. I heard they've got some really
cool shops." She made a face as Adam rolled his eyes. Laughing, they left
her apartment and headed for the streetcar stop on the corner.

******

Downtown San Francisco, later that afternoon

Carrie squinted at the sun--it had become surprisingly warm as the afternoon
had worn on. She glanced over at her companion; Adam didn't seem to be
bothered by the heat.

:It's not nearly as bad as the island can get.: He turned to her and smiled.
Carrie blushed slightly.

:Sorry, I didn't realize my shields were down.: Adam's smile grew into a
full-fledged grin.

:Don't worry about it. Why don't we find a nice, air-conditioned building
and get out of this heat?:

:Sounds good. Any ideas?: Carrie asked as they paused in the shade of a
tree. Adam nodded.

"I heard some people we passed talking about "The Winston Rayne Hall of
Antiquities". A place like that would have to be air-conditioned, right?"

"I sure hope so!" Carrie brushed a lock of her red hair off her face as she
consulted the map in her guidebook. Adam leaned over her shoulder.

"There it is," He pointed to a tiny circle on the map. "It doesn't look too
far from here." Carrie glanced up at the sun through the trees.

"Let's hurry up before it gets any hotter." The two of them started up the
street.

******

The Winston Rayne Hall of Antiquities

Derek Rayne and Nick Boyle both walked through the exhibit slowly, albeit
for different reasons. While Derek was busy admiring the ancient artifacts,
Nick was occupied with noticing security cameras and alarms on the cases.
Both men were part of a centuries-old secret organization known as the
Legacy. This organization, which battled evil in all its forms, worked under
the cover of the Luna Foundation, a well-respected and widely known
philanthropic institution.

"Well, that about covers it, boss. This place is as tight as a drum." Nick
remarked as they reached the end of the exhibit.

"Yes. Thank you for checking, Nick. I was a little concerned about the new
security consultant we hired, but he seems to have done his job
exceptionally well." Derek observed.

"How did you get a new one on such short notice?" Nick asked.

"Let's just say I was very persuasive. Considering the exceptional value and
reputation of these artifacts, I thought it best to be extra cautious.
Especially since there has already been an attempt made to steal them."
Derek replied. Nick nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. The Legacy was pretty excited about these artifacts when they were
excavated in Egypt. They're supposed to be haunted somehow, right?"

"Yes." Derek replied. "It was a completely unexpected find. No one can find
any information on why someone buried these artifacts in the first place.
Since no ghost could be coaxed out of any of them, however, despite all
their tests, the Legacy gave me permission to display them here." Just then,
the curator approached them.

"Do the new security measures meet with your approval, gentlemen?"

"Very much so, Ms. Lanning. I think the exhibit should be reopened to the
public immediately. I don't think the thieves who tried to rob the Museum
the other night will be able to get through this new system." Derek replied
with a wide smile. The curator unclasped the velvet rope that had sectioned
off the exhibit, and a few tourists walked into the room. Among them were
Adam and Carrie.

Carrie was immediately drawn to a display near the front of the exhibit. She
walked over to it quickly, all the while feeling like some outside force was
drawing her towards it. Once she reached the display, she was astonished by
what it contained.

:Carrie? Are you ok?: Adam 'pathed as he came up behind her. Carrie drew a
shaky breath.

:It's the urn, Adam! The one from my vision!: She replied anxiously. They
stood for a moment in stunned silence, staring at the seemingly harmless urn
behind the glass.

It was fairly small, made out of clay with a complex seal on the top. The
urn itself was covered with hieroglyphics, tantalizing the two teleporters
with their seemingly simple picture-images.

:If only we could get a closer look at it. Maybe Jade could pick up
something through her psychometry.: Carrie mused.

:What do you want to do, steal it?: Adam asked teasingly.

:I'm not the one who's been involved in criminal activities before. I seem
to remember a certain "Cornucopia Machine" vanishing without a trace from a
guarded room, or am I mistaken?: Carrie 'pathed with a sly grin.

:Hey, it was for a good cause; Dr. Connor needed it to ransom her son,
remember?.: Adam replied. Suddenly, a strange hissing sound caught their
attention.

<End Chapter One>






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 3/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:17 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover
By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])

Chapter Two

:What's that?: Carrie asked worriedly. Adam glanced around the room, and
suddenly spotted a white smoke coming from the vents on the other side of
the room.

:We're in big trouble!: was all he had time to reply before they were both
overcome by the gas.

A few minutes later, Carrie opened her eyes groggily and found herself
staring at two pairs of army-booted feet. She slowly looked upwards, and
realized that the feet were attached to two men, all dressed in black, who
were busy with the urn's display case. Trying not to attract their
attention, she looked to see if anyone else was awake, but apparently they
were all still unconscious. She was suddenly aware of a slight stirring at
her elbow. She turned her head slowly, and found Adam had regained
consciousness as well.

:How come we're the only ones awake?: She 'pathed.

:Probably one of the perks of being Tomorrow People.: He responded weakly.

:We've got to stop them somehow! They're trying to steal the urn!:

:What do you suggest?: Adam asked.

:I don't know. Maybe we could separate them--: Adam suddenly cut her off.

:Close your eyes, quick!: Carrie did as she was told. The two men had
evidently gotten what they came for, because they stepped over the two
teleporters and headed for the doorway.

:Now's our chance!: Carrie 'pathed as soon as the men were out of sight. She
stood and took off after them.

:Carrie!: Adam called after her. But he ended up rising and following her.
He caught up with her a short distance outside the exhibit room, at the
intersection of two hallways.

:Which should we take?: Carrie asked him. Always the leader, Adam quickly
took charge of the situation.

:You go left. I'll go right.: Carrie nodded in agreement, and the two split
up.

******

Back in the Exhibit Room, a few minutes after

Nick Boyle groaned as he rose, still slightly groggy from the gas. He heard
a groan off to his left, and discovered his precept had also regained
consciousness. Nick helped Derek rise, and quickly took stock of the
situation.

"All they took was the urn--but two tourists are missing as well." Nick
commented.

"Why only take one artifact? And what happened to the tourists? Are they
hostages?" Derek wondered.

"Only one way to find out." Nick replied, pulling out his gun. The two men
quickly exited the room.

******

Somewhere off the right-hand hallway in the Rayne Museum

Adam crouched behind a display of antique armor and watched the thieves
carefully. Apparently, they had gassed the entire museum; he had seen
several more unconscious people on the floor as he pursued the thieves.

:Carrie--I've found them. Can you get over here somehow? I don't see any
place that would hide the teleport flash.: Adam asked anxiously--they didn't
have much time.

:I'll find a way.: Carrie replied. Sudden movement caught Adam's eye. The
thieves were getting away! He suddenly realized that he would have to handle
this himself. He leaned closer, trying to get a better view of what the
thieves were up to. Unfortunately, he leaned a little too close, and knocked
an antique lance from the display. The clanging noise quickly caught the
attention of the men he had been watching. They both noticed him
immediately, and the one not holding the urn pulled a gun and fired at Adam,
who collapsed behind the display.

When the thief came to check, Adam rolled over and hit him with the lance he
had managed to grab as he "fell". When the second thief came to check on his
partner, Adam was waiting. He tried to hit him with the lance, but only
succeeded in making the thief drop the urn, while he ended up dropping the
lance. Adam winced at the sound of ancient clay shattering as it hit the
floor. His momentary distraction was all the thief needed. He lunged at
Adam, and they both tumbled to the floor. Suddenly, he saw a bright light
out of the corner of his eye, and then something slammed into the thief's
head. Adam gasped as the thief collapsed on top of him.

He looked upward to see Carrie brandishing the lance angrily. She dropped it
and pulled the thief off of Adam.

"I can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" Carrie teased as she extended
a hand to help him up.

"Thanks for the rescue." Adam responded with a rueful smile as he rose.
Suddenly, they were both aware of a strange chill in the room.

"What now?" Carrie asked exasperatedly to no one in particular. Then she
noticed the urn, or what was left of it. A black smoke was rising from the
pieces, and it was heading straight for them. There wasn't enough time to
even teleport.

"Carrie, look out!" Adam suddenly exclaimed, pushing her out of the way. She
lost her balance, and fell. She quickly scrambled up, but it was too late.
The smoke had surrounded Adam, and, although he was fighting it, it appeared
to be stronger.

There was a sudden bright flash, not unlike what they produced when they
teleported. Carrie was momentarily blinded by the light, and was horrified
by what she saw when her vision cleared.

Adam was lying in a heap on the floor, completely motionless.

"Adam!" She cried, running to his side. :Adam!: She 'pathed to him when he
didn't respond. It was no use; the place where his mind should be was
empty--a black hole.

:Carrie! What happened?: came the call from four different voices. Carrie
closed her eyes to concentrate on her reply and to keep from panicking.

:I don't know,: She responded. :Something's happened to Adam. He--: She was
abruptly shoved aside. Carrie's eyes snapped open, breaking the contact with
the others.

In front of her, a man she vaguely remembered from the exhibit was kneeling
over Adam, checking for a pulse. Another man was checking the two thieves,
who were sprawled nearby.

"He's alive, Nick, but he's in bad shape." The man who was checking Adam's
pulse called to his companion.

"These two are out cold." The younger man responded as the older one pulled
out a cell phone and dialed 911.

******
Community General Hospital, A few hours later

After the ambulance, being examined by doctors, filling the others in on
what had happened (she convinced them to stay put until she had more
information on Adam's condition--it would be difficult to explain who they
were), and worrying about Adam throughout it all, Carrie was exhausted. The
last time she had seen Adam was when he was being wheeled into the emergency
room, and no one could or would tell her anything more.

Once the doctor had given her a clean bill of health, Carrie made her way to
the front of the hospital, where she intended to find out what had happened
to Adam.

"Excuse me," she said to the receptionist. "I was wondering if you could
tell me how Adam Newman is doing? He was brought it by the ambulance a
little while ago." The woman behind the desk smiled.

"Are you family?" She asked, the "friendly smile" never wavering.

"I'm a friend--he doesn't have any family." Carrie responded. The
receptionist's face fell.

"I'm sorry, but I can't release information on a patient's progress to
non-family members. You'll have to come back once the police have contacted
his family."

"You don't understand--Adam doesn't have any family. I just told you that."
The receptionist merely shook her head and gave the same answer.

"But--" Suddenly, a voice behind Carrie cleared its throat. She turned and
saw the man who had checked Adam's pulse at the museum. He moved to stand
beside her.

"Excuse me, Ms.-" He leaned forward to read the receptionist's tag.
"-Greenwood. I'm Derek Rayne, head of the museum where this young lady's
friend was hurt. Is there any way you could give us even a slight idea of
how he's doing?" He gave the receptionist a dazzling smile. She hesitated
for a moment, but then relented.

"Well, I suppose I can tell you something, Dr. Rayne," The receptionist
decided, and turned to her computer. Unfortunately, the only information on
Adam's condition was that he was in a deep coma. Dr. Rayne nodded at this
news, took Carrie by the arm, and led her to the nearest chair.

"You should be resting, Ms. Morgan. You won't be any help to your friend if
you don't take care of yourself." He commented, settling himself in the next
chair over.

"Thank you, for back there." Carrie gestured in the direction of the
receptionist. "I couldn't seem to make her understand Adam doesn't have any
family." Dr. Rayne nodded. Something suddenly occurred to Carrie. "Wait a
minute--how did you know my name?" The man smiled.

"I did some checking while the doctors were seeing you. Now, can you tell me
anything about what happened?" Carrie mentally reviewed the events leading
up to Adam's hospitalization. 'No way of telling him without me looking
crazy.' She concluded.

"Don't worry, Dr. Rayne--none of this was your museum's fault. We went after
those thieves of our own free will. There won't be a lawsuit or anything."
She replied. Much to her surprise, the man burst out laughing.

"I'm not worried about that, Ms. Morgan. I only want to know exactly what
happened to put your friend in the hospital. And please, call me Derek."

"Only if you call me Carrie." Carrie responded with a sheepish smile. Dr.
R--Derek nodded in agreement.

******

Locked Inside Adam's Mind

Adam stood in total darkness. He strained, but could not detect even the
faintest light anywhere around him. He also could not teleport or
communicate telepathically with any of the others. A loud laugh suddenly
boomed out behind him. He whirled, and came face to face with-- a demon.

That was the best he could do to describe it. It looked like a combination
of every child's worst nightmare. It walked around Adam appraisingly,
clearly not liking what it saw.

"You mortals are so pathetic! Do you have any idea what it was like being
trapped in that urn all those centuries, having to watch you all those
years? Of course you don't--it's beyond your comprehension!" The demon
declared pompously.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Adam asked.

"That's for me to know, boy, and you to wonder about!" The demon replied
with a sneer. Without warning, the demon vanished, leaving Adam alone in the
darkness.

******

In the Hospital waiting room

"And that's all I can remember." Carrie concluded her story. Most of it had
been true, but she had left out a few things, like their telepathic
communication, of course. They had enough trouble already, no use borrowing
more.

"Are you sure that's all you can remember?" Derek asked gently. His
expression clearly showed he thought she had left something out.

"I'm positive." Carrie responded. Suddenly, she yawned, and glanced at her
watch. "Sorry. I didn't realize how late it was." She rose to leave, but
Derek stopped her.

"I don't think you should be alone right now." He was going to say more, but
Carrie interrupted him.

"Oh, I'm not going home or anything. I'm going to stay with Adam, at least
until he's out of danger." Carrie said, barely finishing before she yawned
again. Derek smiled slightly.

"From what I can see, you need to get away from here and rest. Since this
ordeal happened in my museum, I insist you come back to Angel Island with
me. Unfortunately, I will have to return to the museum early tomorrow
morning to help with the investigation. There are other people at the House,
however, my colleagues from the Luna Foundation, so you won't be alone.
You'll be safe there, and I can have the hospital call the House at the
first change in your friend's condition."

"I don't know." Carrie hesitated. She was exhausted, but she didn't want to
leave Adam.

:You should go, Carrie.: Megabyte recommended telepathically. :One of us can
sit with Adam.: All the other teleporters 'pathed their agreement.

:This isn't fair--I'm out numbered four to one!: She sent, with a slight
mental chuckle.

:This is a democracy, and majority rules. Get some rest, that's an order!:
Megabyte replied, sounding an awful lot like his dad, General Damon. Carrie
turned to Derek and smiled.

"All right, Derek. You've got a deal."

<End Chapter Two>






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 4/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:34 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 4/6
A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover
By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])

Chapter Three

Angel Island, San Francisco Bay, a guest room in the Luna Foundation mans=
ion

Carrie awoke slowly, squinting at the sunlight that streamed in from the
window. She looked around groggily, uncertain of her surroundings. She wa=
s
in a bedroom she didn't recognize, a very nice bedroom in fact. Carrie
slowly remembered. Derek had invited her to stay at his home, and the oth=
ers
had all thought it was a great idea. Glancing about the room, Carrie wasn=
't
so sure. There was something about this place that just didn't feel right=
;
something she couldn't put her finger on, but it was there.

She looked down, and found she was still in the clothes she had been wear=
ing
the day before. She thought back, and found the last thing she could
remember was leaving the hospital with Derek.

'I must've fallen asleep on the way over here.' She realized ruefully. 'I=
t
hope it wasn't too much trouble for Derek to get me in here.' She looked
over at the clock on the bedside table. It was nearly eleven o'clock! 'I
must've been really exhausted; I've never slept so late in my life, even
with the time zone changes!' She cleaned herself up, and quickly made her
way downstairs.

Fortunately, her room was at the head of the stairs, so she had no troubl=
e
finding the kitchen. When she entered, the only other person in the room =
was
a striking African-American woman. The woman smiled as Carrie walked in a=
nd
rose to shake her hand.

"Hello, Carrie. It's good to see you up and around. I'm Alex Moreau." She
said as she extended her hand to Carrie, who shook it.

"Thank you, Ms. Moreau. I really appreciate all the Luna Foundation has d=
one
for Adam and me." Ms. Moreau motioned for her to sit down.

"You're welcome. Please, call me Alex. Now, I'm sure you're starved, so w=
e'd
better grab what we can before Nick comes in." Carrie laughed, and they b=
oth
began brunch.

******

Angel Island, The front entryway of the Luna Foundation mansion, several
hours later

Carrie came out of the Library, two books in her hands. Alex had told her=
 to
feel free to look around the mansion, and Carrie had found some very
interesting volumes about demons in the Library. One thing she couldn't
figure out though, why would a philanthropic institution need books on
demons?

'Just one more piece of evidence that the Luna Foundation is not exactly
what it seems.' Carrie thought to herself. Suddenly, she saw something th=
at
stopped her dead in her tracks.

There was some kind of black cloud at the top of the stairs. As she watch=
ed,
the cloud condensed, sinking into the most frightening thing Carrie had e=
ver
seen. It looked like a combination of every monster from every horror mov=
ie
ever made, but with a chilling menace all its own. The scariest thing abo=
ut
it, however, was that it had an air of strange familiarity about it. For
some reason, the demon made her think of Adam.

The thing began to make its way down the stairs. Carrie tried to contact =
one
of the others, but she was somehow being blocked. She couldn't teleport
either. She searched frantically for some way to defend herself, but what
could possibly get rid of something like that? She pulled telekinetically=
 at
the lance from the suit of armor in the hall, but it was immovable. Her e=
yes
then lit on a full umbrella stand by the front door. Desperate, she lifte=
d
several of the umbrellas telekinetically, and flung them at the demon. Th=
ey
went right through it, and landed on the steps behind it. She tried yelli=
ng
for help, but no one came. Running out of time, Carrie tried a more direc=
t
approach. She reached deep into her mind, and flung a blast of pure
telekinetic energy at the demon. It staggered, but recovered quickly.
Realizing she was out of options, and almost out of energy, Carrie ran.
Hoping to lead the demon away from Alex, she ran in the opposite directio=
n,
and ended up alone in the library.

She was just glancing over her shoulder to see if she had been followed,
when she heard a weird sound and then something smacked into her. 'Someon=
e',
she corrected herself as she looked up. She had run headlong into a
dark-haired young man she recognized from the museum, the one Derek had
referred to as Nick. Had he been in the room a moment before? She couldn'=
t
be sure.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." He began, but became concerned when he s=
aw
her face. "What's wrong? You're white as a sheet!" Carrie had trouble
finding her voice.

"I was-- there was something on the stairs! Some kind of monster or
something!" She finally forced out. Nick's expression hardened, and he
pulled his gun and left the room. Carrie followed a few feet behind.

When they reached the front hall, Nick motioned for her to stay behind as=
 he
entered. Carrie followed anyway, this was her fight too. Her jaw dropped =
as
soon as she looked around.

"There's nothing here." Nick commented, keeping his gun drawn as he scann=
ed
the room.

"I know I'm not crazy--there was something here! I threw those umbrellas =
at
it!" Carrie exclaimed, pointing to where they still laid on the stairs.

"I believe you. You don't strike me as the type to throw umbrellas at
hallucinations." Nick replied, with a wry grin.

"Thanks. I think." Carrie commented. Just then, Derek emerged from upstai=
rs,
and Alex walked out of the kitchen.

"Do we have a mouse problem again, Nick?" Derek asked with a raised eyebr=
ow.
Alex looked away to hide her smirk as Nick rolled his eyes.

"Not that I know of, but we do seem to have some kind of apparition poppi=
ng
up around here." He replied.

"Oh?" Derek asked. "Please elaborate."

"Ask her." Nick replied, jerking his thumb in Carrie's direction. "She's =
the
one who saw and tried to shishkebob it." Derek and Alex turned to her wit=
h
obvious interest.

"Well, it all started when I came out here after brunch=85" Carrie began.

******

Taphini Island, Somewhere in the South Pacific

"We've got to do something." Megabyte Damon announced to the others gathe=
red
in the spaceship. "I'm sick of just sitting around here, doing nothing!"
Kevin, who was sitting next to him, kept silent, though he did glance
anxiously at the redheaded computer hacker.

"We are doing something, Megabyte," Ami replied gently. The pretty black
girl sighed; Megabyte could be so difficult when he got in one of his moo=
ds.
"We're trying to figure out a strategy we can use to help Adam. Even Jade=
 is
trying to help, even though she's still grounded." The redheaded boy
snorted.

:Come on, Megabyte! We're all trying here!: Jade chimed in, right on cue.
Unfortunately, her perky attitude had no effect on Megabyte.

"Lot of good that's doing us! No one has come up with a single idea!" He
rose to his feet. "I'm going to see exactly what's up with Adam!" He
disappeared in a flash of light too quickly for Ami to stop him.

:Look out, Carrie. You've got a very angry Megabyte coming your way.: she
warned.

:Thanks for the heads-up.: came the terse reply. The worry line between
Ami's eyes increased. Her friend's voice had sounded strained and upset. =
She
realized Kevin was watching her carefully underneath his shaggy dark hair.
She smiled to lessen the feeling of hopelessness she felt building up all
around her.

"Well, let's get back to work, shall we?" She asked brightly.

*****

Angel Island, In the guest room

Thanks to Ami's warning, Carrie was prepared when Megabyte appeared in he=
r
room a split-second later. Derek had told her to get some rest after her
"scare," but Carrie was sure they just wanted to get rid of her for a whi=
le.
She was more certain than ever that there was something strange going on =
in
this house.

:You're lucky no one saw you!: She admonished. Megabyte only rolled his
eyes.

:Don't you go scolding me! You're the one who won't let us near Adam! How
can we help if we don't know the whole story!: He demanded. Carrie sighed
angrily.

:I've told you everything! As for being near Adam, did you ever think wha=
t
possessed him could jump to one of us?: 'So there!' she added in the deep=
est
part of her mind. Megabyte could be so dense sometimes!

:What about when Ami sat with him at the hospital?: He asked, still angry=
,
but no longer volatile.

:Ami wasn't allowed near him that night; she wasn't family. They made her
stay in the waiting room, remember?: She told him. :There's something els=
e.:
She quickly filled him in on the weird apparition on the stairs and on th=
e
weird feelings she had been getting.

:Great. Not only is Adam out of commission, but now we're being haunted b=
y
some evil spirit. Things can't get any worse!: He declared.

:You never know.: Carrie replied grimly. They'd been so involved in their
conversation that they never heard the footsteps approaching until it alm=
ost
was too late. Working with the ease of longtime teammates, they moved int=
o
action without a word. Megabyte got on the floor and rolled under the bed=
,
while Carrie laid down and pretended to be asleep. They both held their
breath as the door swung open. Belatedly, Carrie realized the bedside lam=
p
was still on. There was nothing she could do without whoever it was
noticing. Megabyte watched from beneath the edge of the bedspread as Dere=
k
entered the room.

He moved quietly, evidently not wanting to disturb Carrie. He pulled a
blanket up from the foot of the bed and drew it over her. He paused for a
moment, just watching her "sleep." Underneath the bed, Megabyte frowned.
Something weird was definitely going on here. After a moment, Derek reach=
ed
up and turned off the lamp. He left the room just as quietly as he had co=
me.
Carrie counted to twenty, and then sat up.

:That was a close one!: She remarked, unsure if they were out of the wood=
s
yet. Megabyte rolled out from under the bed, a puzzled look on his face.

:You're not related to that guy, are you?: He 'pathed. Carrie shook her
head.

:No, why?:

:He was acting strange, kind of like my dad.: Was the answer.



<End Chapter Three>






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 5/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:38 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover
By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])

Chapter Four

Locked inside Adam's Mind

The last time Adam had felt this weak was right after Ami and Megabyte had
freed him from one of Dr. Culex's pods. He had no idea what was happening to
him, only vague visions of a dark cloud transforming into a monster.
Suddenly, he was yanked into the air.

"How did she do it, boy? How?" The monster demanded grasping him by the
throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Adam managed to get out. The
monster tightened its grip on his throat, making it increasingly difficult
to breathe.

"Your friend was able to throw some kind of energy at me that I couldn't
block. How did she do it?" The monster was dangerously close to losing its
temper. Abruptly, everything fell into place.

"It wasn't a dream. You used our link to attack her, and she hurt you!
You're not invulnerable!" Adam gasped excitedly. The monster's eyes
narrowed.

"She has a power different from yours. That is the key." Adam struggled to
keep his face and thoughts blank as he felt the demon probe his mind. He was
quickly thrown to the floor in disgust.

"You are strong, but I will control you all! That is a promise!" The monster
declared, and then he was gone, leaving Adam alone in the darkness once
again.



******

Taphini Island

"I've got it!" Kevin exclaimed excitedly.

"Got what, Kev?" Ami asked tiredly. They'd been trying to brainstorm ideas
for hours, with no success.

"A way to fix all of this!" He leapt up, too excited to sit. :Carrie,
Megabyte, I've got something!: He sent.

:What've you got, Kev?: Came the response.

:The urn was Egyptian, right?: He asked. Everyone agreed. :Maybe we could
use those drawings you and Adam did, Carrie, as a focus to get information
on how to stop whatever was in there! Someone had to put it in the urn in
the first place; maybe we can contact them!:

:I like your idea, Kev, but we have to be careful. We don't know anything
about contacting people, even other Tomorrow People, from the past.: Carrie
replied.


:I'm sure the Ship can help us! Besides, Tutankhamen contacted us!: Kevin
cried. As if in response, the Ship, which had been strangely silent began to
whine. It reached into their minds and showed them how it could help them
search the Astral, or Psychic, Plane of the Earth.

:We still need to know who we're looking for. We know next to nothing about
what's out there, and, if we're not careful, who knows what could attack
us.: Carrie responded. Once again, the Ship came to the rescue.

This time it showed them a picture of the one person who could help them.

:Of course!: They all exclaimed in the same mental breath.

******

Taphini Island, about fifteen minutes after

"Well, we've got the drawings, but what exactly do we do now?" Megabyte
asked. Ami and Kevin stood next to him, thinking the same question. Megabyte
had stopped at Carrie's apartment and picked up the drawings on his way back
to the Ship. Carrie had remained at the Luna Foundation to keep up
appearances.

Suddenly, the whine of the Ship broke the silence, reaching into their minds
yet once again and showing them what to do. Glancing at each other
skeptically, Ami and Megabyte settled themselves into the seats that hung at
the top of the Ship's central column.

As Kevin watched from the floor of the Ship, the two of them closed their
eyes and began to concentrate intensely. They pictured each drawing of the
urn in their minds, along with the person they were trying to contact. The
Ship gently merged with their minds, and propelled them where they needed to
go.

They found themselves hurtling through hyperspace, too confused to do
anything but try to stay together. They were moving too quickly to
distinguish anything, but then everything just stopped. Ami and Megabyte
suddenly found themselves in the middle of a thick, gray fog. No matter
which way they turned, they were surrounded.

"Great! Now what?" Megabyte exclaimed to no one in particular. Ami abruptly
grabbed his shoulder and pointed. A figure was emerging from the fog in
front of them.

They looked at each other excitedly. Contact!

******

Angel Island, a Luna Foundation guest room

After Megabyte had returned to the Ship, Carrie had pulled out the books she
had gotten from the Library downstairs. She settled on the floor next to her
bed, a book open in her lap, and the other books stacked on the bed.

She had been poring over the same hopelessly complicated page for about ten
minutes when she was reminded of something she had read in another book. She
reached for it without looking, and ended up knocking the stack over.

'I've got to learn to be more careful!' She thought ruefully to herself.
Unfortunately, the book she wanted had fallen off the other side of the bed.
After a quick glance around, Carrie extended a hand and willed the book to
telekinetically float to her. She smiled as it settled in her outstretched
hand, and went back to reading.

She never noticed Derek, who had seen the entire event from behind Carrie's
door, which had been slightly ajar.

******

Angel Island, In the Library

Derek entered the Library a few minutes later with a purposeful stride, but
the information he needed could not be found in any of the ancient volumes
that lined the walls of this room. Instead, he walked over to the antique
map that hung on one wall. A red laser beam emerged from the top of it, and
scanned his eye carefully. Once a retina match was established, he was able
to walk through the map like it wasn't even there.

The room on the other side of the impressive hologram was full of enough
electronic equipment to equip all three seasons of the original "Star Trek."
Derek walked over to a central computer terminal, and began a search through
all of the major world newspapers, as well as through the Legacy's own
database.

He was determined to find out everything he could about Carrie and her
friend before confronting Carrie about what she was hiding. Just then, Nick
walked through the hologram.

"What're you looking for?" He asked, swinging his legs over the seat of a
nearby chair and resting his arms on the seat back.

"I'm hoping to find some information on our houseguest and her friend."
Derek stated. Nick nodded.

"Something's definitely weird about those two." He agreed.

"You have no idea." Derek commented.

******

Angel Island, The front entryway

Carrie came down the stairs slowly, trying to keep in contact with what was
going on at the Ship and pay attention to what was going on in the House at
the same time. She must have been unsuccessful, however, because Alex
startled her on the stairs.

"Sorry, Alex. I guess my mind was somewhere else." She said. 'And it wasn't
exactly a lie, either.' She reminded herself.

"Oh, don't worry about it. That happens to me all the time, and you've got a
lot on your mind right now." Alex replied. Carrie nodded and smiled
ruefully. Alex reached out and put an arm around her shoulders. Suddenly,
Carrie staggered as another vision hit her.

She saw a jumble of images, some clearer than others. In one image, a man
was standing over Alex and draining the life force out of her. But the
images were gone as suddenly as they had come, and Carrie abruptly found
herself back on the stairs, with Alex staring at her intently.

"You have the Sight, don't you." It was not a question.

******

Somewhere on the Astral Plane

Ami and Megabyte watched anxiously as the figure emerged from the fog. They
were both relieved when they recognized him, but the relief was quickly
replaced by euphoria when they realized what they had done. They had
actually contacted Tutankhamen!

The boy king greeted his fellow Tomorrow People warmly, and smiled at their
surprise when he spoke to them in English.

"When I contacted you before, it was only through luck I was able to get
through. I was so inexperienced with my abilities that I could barely get
through to you, much less understand your language. However, I have now
developed my telepathy enough to "borrow" what English I need from your
minds." He explained. It took Ami and Megabyte a moment to find their
voices.

"I wish this meeting could be under better circumstances, but we really need
your help." Ami told him, quickly outlining the situation. Tutankhamen's
expression hardened.

"All of you, especially Adam, are in grave danger. That demon is known as
the Spirit-Stealer. It possesses the ability to control the powers of a
Tomorrow Person." Ami and Megabyte exchanged worried glances. "Fortunately,
there are limits to the Spirit-Stealer's influence. It can only control
those powers that its host possesses."

"That would explain how Carrie couldn't teleport or use telepathy when she
fought it, but she was able to use telekinesis to hurt it." Megabyte
concluded.

"You have already been confronted by it?" Tutankhamen asked worriedly. Ami
nodded and described her friend's encounter with the demon. "The demon was
probably able to influence the psychic bond you all share in order to make
Carrie think she was seeing the demon. It could not have disappeared that
quickly otherwise. We must hurry though, Adam's strength must be weakening
with every attack."

"We?" Megabyte asked. Tutankhamen nodded.

"I was one of the ones who originally imprisoned the Spirit-Stealer. I am
sure performing the imprisonment ritual anew will banish the demon once
again. Here is what you must do."

******

Angel Island, The Living Room of the Luna Foundation mansion

"I don't know what you're talking about." Carrie said from her position on
the couch as Alex paced in front of her. Alex had pulled her in here after
the incident on the stairs.

"Carrie, the Sight is nothing to be afraid of. It's simply an extra talent,
like being able to play piano or being able to draw." Alex told her, sitting
down next to her. "Whatever you Saw, you can trust me." Derek chose that
moment to enter the room with a file folder in one hand.

"What's going on here?" He asked as he took in the scene before him.

"Carrie had a vision on the stairs, but she won't admit it." Alex told him
as she rose from her seat. Derek nodded.

"Could give us a few minutes, Alex?" He asked. She nodded, and left the
room, closing the door behind her.

"Now, why don't you tell me exactly what you are and what you're doing
here." Derek said as he walked over to Carrie and sat in a nearby chair.
When she didn't speak, he went on. "We both know you didn't tell me the
entire truth about what happened at the museum, and you weren't telling the
truth to Alex just now. So why don't you tell me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Carrie replied stubbornly.

"I saw you telekinetically lift that book you knocked over." Derek stated.
Carrie paled, but said nothing. Derek pulled a few newspaper articles from
his folder and read the headlines aloud.

"'Mysterious Boy Disappears From Bus.' I believe he disappeared in a flash
of light, and returned a few minutes later with a load of seaweed." He read
from a second article. "'Mad Mosquitoes Destroyed.' Several witnesses
claimed seeing teenagers appear in flashes of light.'' He threw the articles
onto the table. "I have noticed you repeatedly closing your eyes and then
muttering under your breath as if you were talking to someone. I even heard
you mention the names Ami and Megabyte once. Those names, along with your
friend Adam's are mentioned in the article on Dr. Culex's mosquitoes as
helping to "avert tragedy." Do you care to explain your connection to these
articles? I can go on if you like; there are plenty more where these came
from. I have all the time in the world."

Carrie sighed and hung her head. Things were not going well.

******

The Astral Plane

The three Tomorrow People crowded close together as Tutankhamen drew a
diagram in the dirt for the ritual they needed to perform. He pointed to the
middle of the diagram with his finger.

"Now this is the most important position in the ritual. You need a very
special Tomorrow Person to focus all the power. The ancients spoke of this
person as 'The one with the power to foresee the danger and the power to
close the gate.' You need a dual Talent for this position."

"We have someone who'd be perfect for the job." Ami commented. Tutankhamen
smiled.

"Well, then, that's everything." He bowed to each of them in turn. "I wish
you the best of luck in your endeavor." With a parting wave, the Egyptian
boy king turned and disappeared into the fog. Just as Ami turned to Megabyte
to ask about a way out, they both were enveloped by a thick black cloud.

******

Angel Island, The Living Room

Carrie was feeling the heat under Derek's intense gaze. He was reading more
headlines about their adventures, waiting for her to explain them. She
desperately tried to think of something to say that would satisfy him as
well as protect herself and her fellow Tomorrow People.

:Carrie, come quick! Something's wrong with Ami and Megabyte!: Kevin's
telepathic voice was terrified. Carrie leapt up without a second thought.

"I'm sorry, Derek, but I have to leave." He rose to stop her.

"I can't let you go anywhere until you answer my questions." He said, moving
towards her.

"I really hate to do this, but there's nothing you can do to stop me."
Carrie told him, and then disappeared in a flash of light.

******

Taphini Island, immediately following

Kevin was kneeling over Ami and Megabyte's motionless bodies when Carrie
'ported in.

"What happened?" She asked as she bent over them.

"I don't know. They were fine until the ship began to go nuts and then they
both stiffened and slid out of the chairs!" Kevin was near panic, and the
ship was flashing its lights rapidly and whistling agitatedly. Carrie was
relieved when she found a strong pulse on both Ami and Megabyte.

"I think they're going to be okay." She said, just as both of them began to
stir. Ami was the first to open her eyes and sit up. "What happened to you
guys?" Carrie asked.

"I don't know exactly." Ami said, rubbing the back of her neck. "We had just
said goodbye to Tutankhamen when there was this dark cloud coming towards
us. It only grabbed us for a second, though, and then we were back here."
She gestured at their surroundings. Carrie frowned thoughtfully.

"So you did contact Tutankhamen?" She asked. Ami nodded. "Was he able to
help?"

"Oh, yes. He had helped imprison the demon originally, and he told us
exactly what to do."

"The first thing we need is what's left of the urn." Megabyte stood, and
Carrie instantly realized what he was planning. She grabbed his arm.

"You're in no shape to get the urn; not after what you've just been
through." She told him.

"So who do you think should go?" Megabyte snapped.

"I will. You guys stay here and go over the ritual; we haven't got much
time." She replied, and disappeared in a flash of light. Ami crept over to
Megabyte and put an understanding hand on his shoulder.

<End Chapter Four>






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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 6/6
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:51:43 -0400

What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
A Tomorrow People/Poltergeist: The Legacy Crossover
By Jen Sulzer ([e-mail])

Chapter Five

Police Evidence Locker

Carrie crept quietly down the dimly lit aisles, not making a sound. She was
immensely relieved when she finally spotted a box marked "Rayne Museum
Robbery." Keeping an eye on the door, she picked up the box, and teleported
out. Just then, the door opened, and a tall, gray-haired policeman walked
into the evidence locker, accompanied by another officer.

"The box from the Rayne Museum is right here, Detective Karmack." The second
officer declared, smiling at his companion and pointing to the now-empty
spot on the shelf without even looking. Detective Karmack was not amused.

"No, it's not, Detective Wilson. Do you have any idea where it went?" He
asked tiredly. He should have figured something like this would happen in a
case connected to Derek Rayne.

When Detective Wilson saw the box of evidence missing, he turned as red as a
tomato, and began sputtering uncontrollably. Detective Karmack rolled his
eyes, and returned to his desk to call his old friend, Derek Rayne.

******

Angel Island, The Living Room

Derek had called Alex into the living room shortly after Carrie disappeared,
in the hopes that her Sight, or psychic talent, would pick up something his
had not. Unfortunately, all she could tell him was that a large amount of
energy had been expended, which was something he had already sensed with his
own talent.

They moved to the Library, and, after the retina scan, walked through the
antique map that hung on the wall. Nick, the only non-psychic of the team
currently on duty, sat at the central computer station, peering at the
screen. He glanced up as his colleagues entered the secret room.

"Were you able to pick up anything?" He asked. Both Derek and Alex shook
their heads. At that moment, the phone rang. Derek strode over to the phone
on the desk, and picked up the receiver. He spoke for a moment, and then put
the caller on speaker.

"It's Frank Karmack. He says there's been a new development in the robbery
case. Go ahead, Frank." The voice on the other end of the line was tired and
understandably concerned. Frank Karmack had been an ally of the Legacy ever
since Derek saved him from something with teeth and claws that there isn't a
police code for.

"The box that held what was left of the urn has disappeared. The strangest
part is, though, that no one knows where it went or how it disappeared. None
of the guards saw anyone go in, they're backed up by the security cameras,
and none of the alarms were tripped. It's like the box just vanished."
Karmack concluded. He and Derek conferred privately for a few moments, and
then hung up.

"Well, what do you think happened?" He asked his team.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nick commented. "I mean, here's this kid that can appear
and disappear at will, and as soon as she disappears from here, the primary
evidence from the robbery case disappears from lockup. It doesn't take a
genius to figure that one out. She might even have been part the original
attempt to steal the urn."

"I agree that Carrie probably took the evidence, but I don't think she was
part of the original robbery attempt at the museum, though. It just doesn't
seem like her." Alex said.

"How can you tell?" Nick asked. "She gained our trust by going after the
robbers, and having her friend get hurt, and we brought her into the House.
Who knows what she's really after?"

"Good question." Derek replied.

******

Inside Adam's Mind

The monster's footsteps were approaching quickly; Adam had no time to hide.
Suddenly, the monster was there, but for once it didn't grab him.

"Well, boy, it's just about over. I almost had your friends, but that
blasted ship of yours pulled them back. It doesn't matter, though. Your
friends think they've found a way to get rid of me, but it won't work.
They'll never be able to complete the ritual in time. You're getting weaker
by the minute!" The monster gloated.

"What ritual?" Adam asked weakly. When the demon only smiled maniacally,
Adam finally lost his temper. "Are you going to do something, or did you
just come here to gloat?" He snapped. He was extremely weak, and really
didn't want to listen to this. The demon glared down at him.

"I thought you might like to know what your little friends are up to. Silly
me. I've been practicing with your powers. Do you want to see what I can
do?" It sneered.

"Not really." Adam replied. The demon raised its hand over him, and it
glowed red. Adam steeled himself against the pain, but it was almost too
much. The demon laughed and gave him and short reprieve.

"You pitiful mortals are so narrow minded--you never realized your powers
can also be used to hurt people, as well as heal injuries. Well, heal this!"
It raised a red-glowing hand again, and Adam could barely keep from
screaming with the pain.

:Hurry, guys: He struggled to send the plea between waves of pain.

******

Taphini Island

Ami had drawn Tutankhamen's diagram in her notebook, along with all the
directions he had given them. She was reading them aloud to Kevin when he
noticed a problem.

"You just said we need five people total. We're a teleporter short." He
pointed out as both of his teammates groaned. Just then, Carrie appeared in
a flash of light, a box in her arms. She dropped the box onto the floor, and
came over to where Ami, Kevin, and Megabyte were sitting.

"We've got a problem." Ami told her. Carrie sighed.

"What's wrong? I thought Tutankhamen told you everything."

"He did. That's not the problem. We're a teleporter short for the ritual."
Ami replied.

"Someone's going to have to explain all this to Mrs. Weston. She should let
Jade off the hook, at least until we can get rid of this thing." Megabyte
commented.

"I'll go. I think I can get Jade early parole." Ami remarked with a smile.
"There's one more thing--we'll need Adam, too." Megabyte jumped in before
anyone else could speak.

"I'll go get our 'fearless leader'." He said sarcastically as he and Ami
disappeared on their respective assignments in twin flashes of light.

******

Angel Island, The Control Room

Nick and Alex were sitting at the computer console, trying to come up with
any information concerning the urn itself or any rituals associated with it.
Surprisingly, there was only a little bit of sketchy information available.
Suddenly, Derek strode through the holographic wall with a very angry
expression on his face.

"I just got a call from the hospital. It would seem Mr. Newman has been
abducted from his room. Again, no one was seen entering, and all the
security cameras in that area suddenly went on the fritz." He told his
colleagues.

"Gee, now who could have done that?" Nick asked sarcastically. Derek nodded.

"It must have been her, or at least someone like her. We don't know how many
'teleporters' are out there."

"I think I know where to find them." Alex suddenly spoke up. Derek and Nick
turned to her eagerly. "It only makes sense that they took the remains of
the urn and Adam to perform a banishing ritual of some kind. The best place
to do that would be wherever the demon first appeared."

"The museum!" Nick concluded with a pleased smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Derek asked them. They all rose and left
the Control Room quickly.

******

The Winston Rayne Hall of Antiquities, somewhere off the right-hand hallway

Carrie drew a large diamond in white chalk on the marble floor, as specified
by Tutankhamen's instructions. When that was finished, she connected the
opposite corners by drawing a cross in the middle of the diamond. She smiled
as she finished, slowly backing up to compare her work to the drawing Ami
had put in her notebook.

:I'm finished, Kev. Any sign of Ami or--: She broke off as she backed into
something. She whirled around, and was immediately gripped by strong hands
on her shoulders. Her face paled as she recognized Nick Boyle. "Oh, no." She
muttered under her breath.

"Surprise, surprise. Imagine running into you here!" Nick said.


:What's going on, Carrie?: Kevin 'pathed anxiously from just inside the
shadows across the room.

:Stay there, Kev.: Nick shook her by her shoulders to get her attention.
This brought her back to reality before she could give Kevin any details.

"I can see movement over there, so you tell your friend to come out slowly.
No fast moves." Derek and Alex had by now come up behind him.

:Do as he says, Kevin. We'll deal with this somehow.: Carrie told the
younger boy. He moved out of the shadows slowly, not wanting to incur Nick's
wrath. A quiet word from Derek in Nick's ear made him release Carrie, and
she rubbed her shoulders angrily.

"Why are you here?" She asked, struggling to keep calm.

"We could ask you the same question-" Nick began, but Derek stopped him.

"We need to know what you're planning. Who are you people? What do you
want?" Derek asked.

"It's a long story, one we really don't have time for right now." Carrie
replied. Nick suddenly jumped back into the conversation.

"We know you were behind the original robbery attempt of the urn, so why
don't you tell us what you're really after." He said threateningly. Carrie
looked at him in total surprise.

"There was a previous attempt to steal the urn?" She would have said more,
but four flashes of light caught everyone's attention. They faded to reveal
Ami, standing next to Jade, a short girl with light brown hair, and
Megabyte, who was supporting an unconscious Adam. All three Legacy members
showed various degrees of surprise, but Alex recovered first.

"We don't really think you're evil, or anything." She said, with a glance at
Nick. "We just need to know where you got the plan for this banishment
ritual." She gestured to the diagram on the floor.

"We got it from--a friend." Carrie replied, crossing her arms over her
chest. Suddenly, she and the rest of the team were struck by a mental wave
of pain and desperation.

"What the heck was that?!" Megabyte exclaimed.

"I think it came from Adam." Carrie replied. "We have to hurry; Adam can't
hold out against whatever that thing is much longer." She turned and began
to go over to where her friends were gathered, but Derek reached out and
caught her hand. Both psychics froze at the images that assaulted their
respective minds.

Derek Saw the ship, and quick flashes of Carrie's memories of the team's
previous adventures, including their plans to help Adam. Carrie Saw Derek's
memories of past Legacy cases, including his father's death at the hands of
a demon in Peru. They broke physical contact, and both psychics staggered
backwards. Kevin sprang forward to steady Carrie, while Alex did the same
for Derek.

"You were telling the truth." Derek said weakly. Carrie nodded.

"But what are you?" She asked.

"It's a long story, one you really don't have time for right now." Derek
replied with a weak smile. Carrie returned the smile, and quickly walked
over to her friends.

:What was that all about?: Megabyte 'pathed.

:I'm not sure. I saw a bunch of things from his past, and he saw my memories
about us. I can't explain it.: She sent with a shake of her head.

:We can figure it out later. Now, let's get this thing out of Adam.:
Megabyte replied with a brief smile, and the two of them walked over to
where Ami was filling Jade in on the ritual.

Ami, Megabyte, Kevin, and Jade took their places at the four points of the
diamond, while Carrie stood over Adam in the middle of the cross, the box
from the evidence room at her feet. They all took a collective deep breath,
and began the ritual.

Carrie had Ami's notebook open in front of her, and began reading the
Ancient Egyptian haltingly, the others repeating the words a second later.
After a few minutes, though, a strange thing happened. The chalk lines on
the floor began to glow, softly at first, and then more and more brightly,
soon obscuring the notebook and everything else from view. The notes were no
longer needed to tell them what to say, however, for the words were now
coming to them as naturally as if they were truly their own. Suddenly, there
was a horrible scream that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at
once. Carrie looked down at Adam's prone form, and was shocked to see a
black smoke rising from his body.

Abruptly realizing what her position called for, Carrie telekinetically
lifted the broken shards of pottery from the box. The pieces began to come
together seemingly of their own accord in mid-air, each piece knowing
exactly where it fit. Carrie could feel sweat breaking out on her forehead;
reassembling the urn was harder than she had thought it would be. One piece
of the urn wobbled as it floated out of the box--then it dropped to the
floor. Carrie reached out and caught it in her hands just before the shard
his the ground.

'I can't do this alone.' She thought to herself. A sudden hissing sound from
behind her caught her attention. She whirled around to see the black smoke
had nearly surrounded her while she was distracted by the urn. She reached
out to the others, but the smoke was like a brick wall--she was cut off.
Carrie pushed at it telekinetically, but it was useless. The smoke was
closing in when the strangest thing happened.

A new power, visible to Carrie only as a wall of light, suddenly appeared
beside her. The new power was the only thing standing between her and the
demon that had possessed Adam. The light slowly pushed outward, scattering
the smoke in all directions.

'How--?' Carrie wondered to herself. She was shocked to hear a slight
chuckle in her head.

:You don't have to do this alone, you know!: The voice sounded like all of
her friends at once. Carrie smiled as she realized her friends had come to
her aid once again. She combined their power with her own, and completed the
task at hand.

By this time, the smoke had reformed, and was trying to get away. The newly
combined power of the Tomorrow People quickly dragged it back, though. As
the shards finished fusing themselves together, the black smoke was forced
into the newly reconstructed urn, screaming all the while. The last bit of
smoke was forced into the urn just as the last piece of pottery was fitted
into place.

And then it was over. The light was gone, as were the chalk lines and the
instructions in Ami's notebook. The urn had also disappeared, but no one
noticed that during the happy reunion that followed. Once the demon had been
imprisoned in the urn, Adam had quickly opened his eyes, and was struggling
to sit up. The three Legacy members watched with broad smiles as the five
teleporters welcomed their leader back to the land of the living.

"Hey, Adam." Carrie said, struggling to keep her voice steady as she knelt
down to help him up. "How do you feel?" Her friend managed a weak smile as
he leaned against her, one arm around her shoulders.

"I've felt better, but I'll live." He replied, managing to give each of his
friends a weak, one-armed hug as they gathered around him. "Let's get out of
here, okay guys?" Everyone nodded and laughed in agreement. At that moment,
Derek stepped forward.

"Adam needs to be examined by a doctor, allow us to provide all of you with
a ride to the hospital." He offered. The six teenagers glanced at each other
for a moment, and Derek was sure an unspoken conversation was taking place.

"We accept your offer, Dr. Rayne." Adam replied. Derek and Nick came over
and helped Adam out of the museum, with Alex and the other teleporters
following behind.

<End Chapter Five>



Epilogue:

Angel Island, a few days later

As Carrie came into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Adam already
sitting at the breakfast table.

"What are you doing up already?" She asked.

"I've been feeling better and better each day since you guys exorcised that
thing. And besides, I really appreciate all the Legacy has done for us, but
I was getting sick of my room!" The dark-haired Australian replied with a
broad smile. Carrie grinned as she sat down with a bowl of cereal.

"So, when are you going back to the island? Jade says the ship misses you."

"Tomorrow, I think. When are you going back to your apartment?" He asked
between mouthfuls of food.

"Tomorrow." Carrie said without thinking. Both teleporters laughed. "We've
got to quit thinking like this!" Carrie exclaimed. After a moment, Adam
sobered.

"So, what do you think we should do about the Legacy?" He asked.

"I think we should work with them on testing our powers and such. We really
don't know that much about them. How they work, I mean." Carrie replied.

"True. We should be careful, though, or we might end up under a microscope.
Or worse." He commented.

"I don't think so. We could really learn a lot from the Legacy."

"And we could learn a lot from you." A voice finished from the doorway. Both
teleporters looked up to see Derek standing in the doorway. He joined them
at the table.

"I'm glad to see you up and around, Adam. I want to assure both of you that
any information we gather about the Tomorrow People and their powers will
remain in this House. We have had some other Houses that have gone over to
the Dark Side, and I won't ask you to take that risk."

"What's to keep this House from going over?" Adam asked.

"Well, we have an interesting mix of personnel here, and we are all very
close. We're almost like family." The two teleporters smiled at each other
knowingly. "Besides, the Dark Side has tried to turn this House before, and
has always failed."

"You know, we still don't know who commissioned the theft of the urn in the
first place." Carrie commented.

"We're working on that, and when we find out, I promise you we will deal
with him or her as a joint effort." Derek replied. A companionable silence
reigned in the room.

(To be continued in my next story, When the Past Catches Up.  Please let me
know what you think!)

<End>






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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 5
Date: 28 Apr 1999 21:15:52 PDT



*****************
     Momentum brought KevinÆs shoulder roughly into contact with the
side railing of the train car.  This
was the stop he was to get off on.
     æCouldnÆt they find an easier way to stop the train than these
sudden jolts?Æ Kevin wondered.
     When the doors opened, Kevin dropped down from the car, feet
thudding on the metal steps.  He
headed for the exit as quickly as he could.  All the train stations
looked basically the same, and it was at a
train station that it had happened.  Up ahead Kevin saw a blond head
moving away from him.  The set of
the shoulders and the walk looked eerily familiar.
     æJosh?Æ Kevin thought, then broke into a run, darting between
people.
     Kevin was drawing closer when he felt a tingle crawl up the back
of his neck.  His vision blurred and
he saw the blond manÆs head turn towards him.  Suddenly Kevin saw
this young man in a hospital bed
with restraints.  Megabyte was standing over him.  He saw the young
manÆs face.  It wasnÆt Josh.  Kevin
shuddered and the vision faded.  As his normal sight returned he saw
that the young man with JoshÆs
walk was gone.  Kevin was standing on the landing of the stairs,
people streaming around him.
     He started moving up the stairs to the exit, wondering if heÆd
seen a ghost.  HeÆd have to ask Merilee
about it.  She would know.  On his way out, Kevin bumped into a woman
hurrying downwards.
     ôIÆm sorry,ö Kevin said, bracing her up, his hand brushing
across her grey trenchcoat.
     ôItÆs all right,ö the woman said in an accent Kevin couldnÆt
identify; a mix of Scotch -Irish and French
perhaps.  She grabbed a hold of her coat and smoothed out the side
Kevin hadnÆt touched.
     His eyes drifted to her hands.
     æSheÆs afraid I noticed something there,ö Kevin thought, picking
up on the womanÆs unease.  æBut
what?  A weapon?  A gun .. or maybe ..Æ
    ôExcuse me,ö the statuesque woman sprinted down the stairs, deep
red hair streaming behind her.
      Kevin stared after her in shock.
     æShe knew I was picking up on her peripheral thoughts,Æ Kevin
realized.  æShe left because she was
afraid I might try to probe her thoughts!  But how did she know that
I could even do that?Æ
     Another mystery, but Kevin decided to keep this one to himself.
He wondered if perhaps it would be
better to avoid taking the Underground from now on.
*******

          They got off the train and headed for the stairs.  Kevin
and Josh were on their way to HarrodÆs to
check out a new video game system Josh was thinking of getting.
          ôSo,ö Josh said, ôyou and Megabyte have been spending a lot
of time with this Adam guy and that
girl, Ami.ö
          Kevin stumbled over his own foot, ôUm, I guess so.ö
          ôHowÆd you meet them?ö
          ôUm, well, I guess Megabyte probably mentioned it to you
right?ö
          ôNever mind what Megabyte might or might not have said,ö
Josh replied.  ôI want to hear it from
you.ö
          æGreat,Æ Kevin thought, *that* was subtle.  I couldÆve left
Megabyte out of my story and not had to
worry about what Megabyte said.
          ôWell?ö Josh asked.
          ôI met them in a cafe over on the East End.ö
          ôWas Megabyte with you?ö
          ôNo,ö Kevin said, then seeing JoshÆs eyebrows lower
said, ôYes, I mean yes.ö
          ôYouÆre not sure?ö Josh didnÆt sound like he believed Kevin.
          ôNo, IÆm sure,ö Kevin said.  ôHe was there.  Why?  Why are
you asking all these questions?ö
          ôKevin, if you and Megabyte are in some sort of trouble,
tell me.  Maybe I can help.ö
          ôWhy would we be in trouble?  What did Megabyte say?ö
          ôMegabyte didnÆt say anything,ö Josh said.  ôI just thought
it was strange that you started hanging
out with these people.  TheyÆre not exactly like the rest of your
friends.ö
          ôMeaning you?ö Kevin thought he understood now.  Josh was
feeling left out and was jealous of
Ami and Adam.
          ôNot just me,ö Josh said.  ôYou two havenÆt talked to
anyone in school for the past two months.
YouÆre always rushing off who knows where.  And how many times has
MegabyteÆs father come in to talk
to the headmaster?ö
          ôListen, itÆs not like that.  Megabyte and I arenÆt in any
trouble,ö Kevin said.  ôAdam and Ami can
be trusted.ö
          ôThatÆs not good enough for me,ö Josh said.  ôI want some
sort of proof that the two of you havenÆt
gotten in up to your necks into some mess.ö
          ôLet me explain,ö Kevin said, pulling Josh into a shadowed
recess of the tunnel, away from any
passersby.
          Kevin began to explain to Josh about the Tomorrow People.
He told him about the dreams Lisa had
sent him and how that had led to his break out.  He explained how
Megabyte had gotten involved and how
if Josh had been a day student like them maybe he wouldÆve been
involved too.  He explained about being
telepathic and teleporting.  He told Josh the real reason heÆd been
in the hospital and how Ami had joined
the group.
          ôNo,ö Josh backed away slightly.  ôItÆs not true.  ItÆs not
possible.ö
          ôJosh, itÆs the truth,ö Kevin said.  ôIf you donÆt believe
me, watch this...ö
          There was a bright flash of light and a crackling sound
followed by a sudden rush of air into the
empty spot where Kevin had just been standing.  Josh took a few more
steps backwards.  The process
reversed itself and Josh felt a small breeze of air pushing against
him as Kevin rematerialized surrounded
by a blue flash of light.
          ôWhat are you?ö Josh said, fear breaking over his face.
          What happened next was a jumble in KevinÆs head.  Josh
turned, as if to run, stumbling over
something on the ground.  Josh fell off the platform as Kevin shouted
for him to wait.  There was a flash
of light, but not from a teleportation.  Kevin ran to the edge of the
platform, feeling as if he was trudging
through a swamp of mud.  Josh lay prone on the tracks, his head and
hand directly on the electrified third
rail.
          A security guard, whoÆd missed seeing the teleport, was
just in time to see a blond kid trip over a
discarded garbage bag and plummet onto the tracks.  There was a flash
of light as the kid hit and very
suddenly stopped moving.  A much smaller kid with dark brown hair
rushed to the edge of the platform
and looked about to jump after the first kid, but the guard closed
the distance between them and grabbed
hold of the sobbing boy.
          ôThere, there, lad,ö the guard said.  ôThereÆs nothing you
can do for the poor kid now.  Stay here
while I get some help.ö
          Kevin nodded numbly as the guard ran off, shouting for them
to cut the power to the rails.  Minutes
later the emergency medical services had swarmed onto the tracks,
trying to revive Josh.  They transferred
him to a stretcher, maintaining CPR, and carried him to the
hospital.  When they arrived at the hospital
he was pronounced dead on arrival.
          Kevin stood in the waiting room of the emergency room,
waiting for JoshÆs parents to arrive and
wondering what he could say.
*********


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

From: "Jen Sulzer" <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 5
Date: 29 Apr 1999 19:02:50 -0400


I'm really enjoying this story, and can't wait to see how it turns out.  =
I
like the new twist on why Kevin left the team.

Jen
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jsulzer/
"May you walk with the awareness of life.
=A0May you walk in beauty."
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 Teresa Pijoan






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

From: "Michael Matott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: TPFICT: Binding Ties Part 6
Date: 30 Apr 1999 22:57:30 PDT

(sorry I missed a day)

----------------
          It was a clear evening on the island.  Stars shone clearly through
clean air.  Infrequent gusts of
wind warned of an approaching storm.  Megabyte skipped stones across the
gently lapping water.  A
slight electric prickle running up his spine warned him of the imminent
arrival of a teleporter.  Less than
a second later, Kevin appeared standing next to him.
          ôHey, Kev,ö he said.  ôWhatÆs up?ö
          Kevin tried to speak, but couldnÆt.  His mouth refused to move.
Tears pushed against his eyes, a
tangible weight.
          ôWhatÆs wrong?ö Megabyte asked.
          [Megabyte,] Kevin æpathed, [Josh is dead.]
          [What?! How?] the boy stood up, shock fanning across his face.
          [He fell off a subway platform onto the third rail,] Kevin
æpathed.
          [Oh my God,] Megabyte felt a tingling spread across his body as if
the shock was spreading down
in waves.  [How?  How did it happen?]
          [He was asking about Adam and Ami,] Kevin æpathed.  [I told him
about us.]
          ôYou mean he *did* show signs of being a Tomorrow Person?ö
Megabyte asked excitedly,
apparently not willing to believe that Josh was dead.
          ôN..no,ö Kevin stuttered as he spoke.  ôI juh-just thought I
should tell him.ö
          ôBut we agreed not to,ö Megabyte said, starting to feel angry.
ôAnd what does this have to do with
how he .. fell.ö
          ôHe was frightened by it,ö Kevin said, ôof me.  He was running,
away from me, but he tripped and
... fell.ö
          Megabyte sat silently for a few minutes.  Kevin could feel his
friendÆs mood darkening.  When
Megabyte turned his face toward Kevin the face had darkened as well.
          ôItÆs your fault he died,ö Megabyte said, voice sharp as a knife.
          ôMegabyte, IÆm sorry.  I...ö
          ôGet out of my sight,ö Megabyte said in a fierce, quiet voice.  ôI
donÆt want to see you.ö
          Kevin opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and teleported out
without another word.
Megabyte started crying on the beach.  When the sun rose, he finally
stopped.  He æported home and tried
to sleep.  Kevin tried to contact him telepathically, but Megabyte shut him
out.  That was the last time he
heard from Kevin.
********

     ôAnd thatÆs the last time you saw or spoke to Kevin?ö Jade asked.
     ôYeah,ö Megabyte sighed.  ôHe blocked himself off from us after I
refused to talk to him.  He hasnÆt
been to the island since.  I donÆt think heÆs even teleported since then.ö
     ôDidnÆt you see him at school?ö Jade asked.
     ôAfter the funeral Kevin and I transferred,ö Megabyte said, ôto
different schools.ö
     ôHeÆs kept himself walled away from us,ö Adam said.  ôHe never
responded to cries for help from any
of us.  Not during the Ramses affair or Colonel Cobb or to your cries during
the alien pod invasion.  He
may have blocked himself up so much that he couldnÆt even hear us.ö
     ôWhy didnÆt you tell me this when I went to find Kevin?ö
     ôYou didnÆt ask, Jade,ö Megabyte said.  ôBesides, why would it matter?ö
     ôBecause, you moron, IÆve talked about you and Adam as if you were all
still friends.ö
     ôI have nothing against Kevin,ö Adam said, ôbut I respect his wish to
stay apart from us.ö
     ôBoys!ö Jade shouted it like a curse word.  ôDidnÆt it ever occur to
you blockheads that he *wants* to
be part of us still, but he canÆt because he hasnÆt forgiven himself yet?ö
     ôDid he say...ö Megabyte started.
     ôHe doesnÆt have to,ö Jade broke in.  ôIÆve been trying to figure out
for months what it is inside thatÆs
hurting him so much.  ItÆs obvious.  He still feels responsible for the
accident.ö
     ôBut he ...ö Megabyte began again.
     ôAnd he wonÆt be able to forgive himself until you can admit it wasnÆt
his fault either.ö
     Megabyte looked painfully at Adam for help, but the Australian just
lowered his head.
     ôDamn it, Megabyte,ö Jade said, eyes flashing in anger.  ôYouÆve got to
give *him* a chance now.
DoesnÆt he deserve at least that much?ö
     Without another word Jade teleported out of the ship.
     Adam and Megabyte stood in silence for a long time.
***********

     The doorbell rang once, then twice at the Damon house.  Mrs. Damon
opened the door in
mid-sentence.
     ô... that hard to put the book down and answer the door, Millicent?ö
Turning towards the now open
door without really looking, she said, ôYes?ö
     ôHello, Mrs. Damon,ö Kevin said.  ôIs Megabyte here?ö
     ôKevin!ö she said.  ôMy, we havenÆt seen you here in quite some time.
I keep asking Marmaduke
about you, but most of the time he doesnÆt seem to hear a word I say.ö
     ôIs he here?ö
     ôIÆm not really sure.  Let me find out,ö she said, raising her voice.
ôMarmaduke!  MAR-maduke!
KevinÆs here to see you.  Where are you?ö
     There was no reply.
     ôHmmph,ö Mrs. Damon snorted.  ôOf course, if heÆs locked in his room
with the stereo on or playing
video games he might not have heard me.ö
     Kevin doubted that was possible.
     ôWhy donÆt I go up and see if heÆs in his room?ö she continued.
     ôThatÆs all right, Mrs. Damon,ö Kevin said.  ôIÆll just try to talk to
him later.  Um, donÆt even mention
that I dropped by.  IÆd like to surprise himö
     ôWell, all right, I suppose,ö Mrs. Damon said, ôbut donÆt be such a
stranger, Kevin.  Marmaduke
misses you at school.ö
     ôI miss him too, maÆam,ö Kevin said, turning to leave.  ôBye.ö
     The door closed silently, but Mrs. DamonÆs voice boomed an order to
Millicent before the door closed
completely, blocking out the sound.
********
End Part Six


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