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Internet Message Format | 1996-11-28 | 108KB

From: Darryl W Gillikin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Take-Over (part three)
Date: 01 Nov 1996 21:32:03 -0500 (EST)

    The story so far...
    Jade's cousin, Brian Jameson, has disappeared.
    Laura entrances the Employment Minister.
    Kenneth asks Roberts to record a ransom video.
    Jade recognizes the voice on the tape as Brian's.
    Kenneth tells Roberts that he only cares about a rescue attempt.
    Jade decides to go where Roberts is being held, and Adam goes
with her.
    Jade finds Roberts.
    Kenneth smiles after seeing Adam and Jade teleport away with
Roberts.
    Annie's image attacks the Prime Minister.
    And now...

    "There's something not quite right about this whole thing," Adam
said.  He was sitting on the kitchen counter, reflecting on what he had
heard earlier and trying to avoid watching Jade, whose pacing seemed as
if it could possess a hypnotic effect.
    "Like?" Megabyte asked from his resting place on the sofa.
    "Something one of Godfrey's kidnappers said.  She said the
government didn't have any idea what they were dealing with."
    Megabyte shrugged.  "She was just boasting, probably."
    Adam shook his head.  "I don't think so.  She didn't seem like
she was boasting.  There was something odd about her, about the both of
them."
    "What do you mean?" Jade asked.
    "I don't know.  Not quite.  But I don't like it."
    "All the more reason to hurry up and go back there," Jade said
quickly.  "Before they discover they've lost their hostage."
    "The kid's got a point, Adam."
    Adam thought it over a moment before nodding.

    Chandler shook the cobwebs out of his mind.  As his eyes began to
focus, he saw Godfrey Roberts before him, smiling with bloody fangs.
"What happened?" he asked.
    "What do you remember?"
    Chandler strained to think.  "You were telling me about the
people who abducted you, and then one of them appeared in front of me."
    Godfrey smiled.  "I hoped that would work.  I figured your
defenses would be weakened a lot easier by her than by me."
    "This isn't a dream, then?"
    "Oh no, this is as real as it gets."
    Chandler sighed.  "So I've been made into a vampire?  Why?"
    "Well," Roberts said, taking a deep breath, "that's something
we're going to have to talk about."

    Adam and Jade quickly recognized the corridor in which they had
materialized.  But to Megabyte, this was new.  "Spooky," he muttered.
    "Yeah, tell me about it," said Jade, turning to Adam.  "Do you
think they're still here?"
    "I'm not sure.  Still, we'd better split up."
    "Same as before?"
    Adam nodded.  "You two keep in touch.  Let me know the instant
you find out something."

    "You've done what?" Laura asked Kenneth, aghast.
    Annie shook her head.  "What are you so worried about?  So a few
mortals stumble into our lair.  So what?  It's not like they're ever
going to leave."
    Laura groaned at the lunatic's stupidity.  "Because, you idiot,
these aren't ordinary people we're dealing with.  Apparently, they've got
powers that rival our own.  Against humans, we have certain obvious
advantages..."
    Kenneth interrupted her.  "We have an obvious advantage in this
case, as well."
    "Such as?"
    "One of them is my cousin," Brian said.
    Laura laughed.  "And that's supposed to be an advantage?  How do
we know you won't betray us to them?"
    This was apparently not the best thing Laura could have said to
him, for he immediately exploded with rage.  "My father put me through
hell!" he screamed, causing Laura to step back in shock.  "And do you
think my family noticed?  Either they didn't notice, or they didn't
care.  And I'm suppose to owe them some sort of loyalty?"
    "Quite so," Kenneth said with approval.  "They're probably only
looking for you to keep up appearances.  Still, they'll most likely keep
looking."
    Laura looked puzzled.  "But why lead them to us?  I still don't
see how this is an advantage."
    "Oh but it is.  You see, they're looking for some poor, lost
boy.  They're not expecting to find a coven of vampires.  They haven't
the first idea of what we are."
    Brian smiled.  "Yet."

    "This is where he was," Jade said to Megabyte as they walked into
the now deserted cell.
    "Only Roberts was in here, right?"
    "Right," she replied, scanning the room for clues.  Her eyes hit
upon a small trash can in the far left corner of the room.
    "What are you doing?" Megabyte asked as she picked it up.
    "Isn't it obvious?"
    "You're joking!  You don't seriously expect to find something in
there, do you?"
    "Got any better ideas?"
    When Megabyte didn't reply, she dumped the contents of the can
onto the floor.  They searched for anything which might give them a
lead.  It was Megabyte who found it.  "Hey, Jade!" he called over.  "Look
at this."
    Moving towards him, she saw the picture of her and her cousin
that she'd given him last summer.  A nice summer afternoon's frolic at
Brighton.  A portrait of happier times.  Taking the picture from him, she
flipped it over.  There was writing on the back.  Writing that wasn't
there when she gave him the picture:


        Jade,
            If you find this, help me!  They've
        moved on.  I don't know where, but I heard
        them say it's about ten minutes away.  PLEASE
        HURRY!


    "Look!"  Jade said excitedly.
    Megabyte smiled.  "Yep.  That's definitely a break, kid."
    "We'd better tell Adam."

    Chandler frowned.  He was bored.  Now being immortal, with powers
beyond imagination, he was confined to sitting in his office, looking
through files, as if this was just an ordinary day.  He realized that he
couldn't arouse the suspicions of those around him too much, or the plan
would fail.  But it still didn't stop matters from being remarkably dull.
    "Yes?" he called, hearing the knock on the door.
    A tall, thin man with gray hair entered the room.  "Excuse me,
Prime Minister, but we've just received word from the American Embassy."
    "Yes, Sir Robert?"
    Sir Robert Gilford cleared his throat.  "The Vice President's
visit has been pushed up a bit."
    Chandler looked up in anticipation.  "How much is 'a bit', Sir
Robert?"
    "He'll be arriving tomorrow morning, Prime Minister."
    Chandler smiled, delighted by the news.  "Very good, Sir Robert.
Thank you."

    "All right, so what do we do now?" Adam asked.
    Megabyte and Jade had met up with him in the room Adam had
explored earlier.  Jade, apparently tired out by all the pacing she had
done over the last two days, was sitting against the wall.  Adam and
Megabyte were sitting side by side on one of the stone slabs, Megabyte's
feet dangling just a bit above the floor.
    "We've got this," Jade said, holding up the photograph.  "It
gives us an idea of where their base is."
    "Is that all?" Adam asked.
    Jade nodded.
    "So it seems Brian didn't have a choice after all," Megabyte said.
    Adam stroked his chin.  "Is it just me, or does all this seem too
easy?"
    Megabyte shook his head.  "You know your trouble, Adam?  You just
can't stand prosperity."
    "I just don't want us walking into a trap, that's all."
    Jade jumped to her feet.  "Brian wouldn't do that!"
    Adam sighed.  "I guess you're right.  So where do we go from here?"
    "My house," replied Megabyte.  "My dad's got a whole bunch of
maps.  He's bound to have one for this area."
    "Right," Adam said before they all disappeared.

    All but Kenneth and Brian were surprised by the vanishing act
they had just witnessed on the monitor.
    Annie was the first to recover her wits.  "Do you think they'll
go for it?" she asked Kenneth.
    "Without a doubt."

    Megabyte quirkly unfurled a map on his father's desk.
    "Look," Jade said, pointing to a portion of the map.  "That's
where they had Godfrey."
    Adam nodded.  "Right.  So their new hide out can't be too far
away."
    Jade studied the map carefully.  "According to this, there's only
one other building in the area.  That's got to be it."
    "It's an old mansion," said Megabyte.  "Sounds like a good hiding
place to me.  Right out of a B movie."
    "Then what are we waiting for?" Jade asked, clearly eager to
check out the building.

    Seconds later, they materialized in yet another dark corridor.
Rather conveniently, it branched off in three different directions.
    "This is even creepier than the first place," Jade whispered.
    Megabyte cleared his throat uneasily.  "Um, Adam, my sincerest
apologies for ever doubting you.  It looks like they were expecting us."
    "Yeah," Adam agreed.  "Normally, I'd suggest we split up.  But it
seems that that's exactly what they want us to do."
    "In this place, it might take us forever to find him if we don't,
though," Jade countered.
    "Agreed.  But stay alert, you guys.  Teleport at the first sign
of trouble.  We don't know what they've got up their sleeves."
    After each of them left, Callie stepped out of the shadows.  'She
took the one to the left.'

    After what seemed like an eternity of looking into empty rooms,
Jade's heart leaped at the sight of her cousin, lying unconscious on a
stone slab.  She rushed to him, and gently patted his face in an attempt
to revive him.
    Groggily, he came to.  "Jade?" he said weakly, struggling to get
up.  She saved him the effort by pulling him to her fiercely.  "I'm so
glad to see you," he said.
    A tear started to roll down her left cheek.  "The feeling's
mutual," she said, holding him tightly.  "Just relax.  You'll be out of
here in no time."
    "Why?" he asked innocently.
    "Why?" she repeated increduolously, pulling away from him.
    That turned out to be a big mistake.  Her eyes locked on his, and
were unable to move.  She felt her willpower draining way.  What was
going on here?
    "I like it here," he said, a sadistic note entering his voice.
"It's actually quite a nice place once you get used to it.  This," he
waved his arm around the room, "all this is my home now.  the first real
home, the first real family I've ever had."
    That's when Jade saw them.  The fangs.  A vampire?  She was
trembling inside.  Her own cousin was evoking within her a fear the like
of which she had never known before.
    Brian continued.  "You lot, my family?" he asked, as if answering
an attempted protest.  "You all are nothing to me.  And you?  My favorite
cousin!"  When he had said that in the past, it made Jade feel
wonderful.  Now, with the ammount of sarcasm those words contained, she
would have cried had she the power to.  "What did you ever do to help
me?"  He paused, as if she could respond to the question.
    Finally, he spoke, leaning closer to her.  "Precisely.  Oh, am I
going to enjoy this!"
    Teleport, Jade's mind screamed at her.  Come on, you idiot!
Teleport!  But she couldn't.  She didn't have the will.  All she could do
was wait for his attack.  And when it came, it came with more pain than
she ever imagined possible.

End part three







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

From: [e-mail] (Selma McCrory)
Subject: Leaving the Nest (0/1)
Date: 02 Nov 1996 23:44:52 -0800

I'll get the important stuff in the first one or two paragraphs, so those
of you who want to go on with the story don't have to hear me babble. :)

Disclaimer:

I didn't create any characters in this story. All of them and the concepts
involved belong to, variously, Roger Price and Thames Television.

End disclaimer.

Thought you all might want to know that TPFICT started just over a year
ago, on the machine tardis.mars.net, with the welcome message arriving at
one in the morning (CST) on November 3rd, 1995. This piece was intended to
celebrate the first birthday of the list. :)

Oh, and Wendy Kelley and Kyrie Daniels beta read various drafts of this
piece. However, if it bombs, it is not their fault.

Now, to the gooey stuff.

As I said, this list started more or less on November 3rd (maybe a bit
earlier for Mark and Wendy. :) and saw its first post. The first piece was
posted on the 4th. My first story, Differing Varieties, posted on the 8th
(fortunately, I was getting ready to post it on the Highlander list at the
time). The list was moved to xmission soon after, where it resides today.

I'm very happy to be writing for this list. I started writing in Starman
fandom (which I recently returned to: I have a Starman/new series crossover
coming out soon in a 'zine), have written in a few others, and then started
writing for this one, thanks to Wendy's encouragement and the amount of
feedback I have recieved.

And, as long as this list continues, I will continue to post stuff to it. I
write too much for my own good anyway.:) Some of my stuff makes it to the
list, some of it makes it to my archive pages, and some of it never makes
it past my hard drive. I hope to bring you more stuff to read as the year
goes on. Right now, however, I think I'll let one of my beta readers
graduate. :)

Since I'm feeling so soppy this evening, I'd also like to mention that I've
got another vignette that I'm not posting to the list but am offering to
those interested. It's a TF one, called "Nothing to Fear", and it's a
result of a recent discussion on the discussion list. The reason I'm not
posting it on list is because it's *extremely* limited interest (all
original characters, and kind of dependent on two of my stories to boot).
Please email me if you want a copy, or wait a week until I put it on my
archive.

Happy birthday, TPFICT! May you have many more.

Selma

Selma McCrory * [e-mail] * [e-mail]
"We're peaceful. We can't wage wars, and we can't kill.
Not deliberately, anyway." -Carol, The Tomorrow People



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

From: [e-mail] (Selma McCrory)
Subject: Leaving the Nest (1/1)
Date: 02 Nov 1996 23:45:01 -0800

Disclaimers and blatherings in part 0.

----------

Leaving the Nest
by Selma McCrory

Stephen sat on his bed, resisting an urge to flop down on it, close his
eyes, and never leave.

He knew he wasn't leaving his home planet permanently. It wasn't as if he'd
never see this room or his family again. Still, it always *felt* like it
would be. He liked it up on the Trig, no question, but Earth was home. The
last time he'd left Earth for the Trig was when Jedikiah had come back. Oh,
he'd been off Earth since then, but the trip was rather sudden. Both trips
were rather sudden.

Neither trip had given him a chance to refuse or even to think. Maybe that
was a blessing. Both times he had time to miss home, but he hadn't been
given a real choice when he'd departed. Today, he had time to think, to
miss his family, his neighbourhood, and normal things that he'd grown up
with.

And his friends. Sure, most of them were Tomorrow People, like himself, and
everybody went up to the Trig at some point or another. Some, like Carol,
Kenny, and Tricia, even stayed there. But he wasn't going to stay. He would
come home. Eventually.

If he left in the first place.

He was going to the Trig because Tyso had persuaded him to. Tyso was going
back. Both of them had been at the Trig school before it was deemed best
for the Tomorrow People to come back. Tyso had wanted to stay, but at the
last moment had gotten homesick and returned to Earth with the rest of
them.

Tyso liked visiting other worlds. It was part of his heritage to
continually wander. Maybe he'd be like the others, and never come home.
Stephen couldn't be like that. He needed to come home. To Earth. Stay as
much as possible, as John did.

Maybe he should stay. Tyso could manage on his own; always had. They'd see
each other again. It would be a terrible disappointment for Tyso, but he'd
get over it. Stephen could go later. He could always offer up the excuse
that Mike needed training, guidance, and someone to buffer him and John.
Mike was, well, moody to say the least, and he didn't get along that well
with John, on account of John expecting everyone to follow orders. Mike
didn't always. It wasn't fair to leave Elizabeth the only one to restrain
the two, although she'd handle it admirably and automatically.

Stephen didn't know why he'd agreed to go. Perhaps it was because he and
Tyso were good friends. John and Elizabeth were all right, but they were
older. And while he got along with Mike, he didn't want to spend time with
the moody teen.

Teen. He was still one, although he was old enough that he didn't have to
go to school anymore. That didn't mean that he couldn't go to University or
other places to learn, but the knowledge was so backwards compared to what
he was used to. At least at the Trig school he'd learn something useful.
He'd likely spend some time running around the Federation, trying to figure
out what he wanted to do.

That was the crux of the matter. He *didn't* know what he was going to do
with his life. Maybe he'd narrow his interests on the Trig. At least he
wasn't Earthbound. There were so many things to do in the Galactic
Federation that he would have never dreamed of if he'd been born a Sap. He
enjoyed the school, anyway. Maybe Carol and Kenny and Tricia were right, to
spend their lives away from Earth.

And maybe he'd be back to Earth within a few months. After all, it was
still his home. There was no reason for him to stay away. It would be there
for him when he was ready to return, when he had some idea of where he was
going. And he'd have friends too- Tyso, Carol, Kenny, and maybe even Tricia
if she wasn't on a mission somewhere. He should get to know her better.

Maybe John and Mike would learn to get along, with help from Elizabeth. She
had a talent for keeping the bunch of them together. As long as she was
there, everything would be fine. And everything else would wait while he
figured his life out.

This time, he'd be able to figure things out by himself. John, Elizabeth,
and Mike would be there to help anyone else who broke out. He didn't need
their help. He just needed time to think, to explore.

Time to leave the nest. Time to go.

He jaunted out before he could change his mind.

-End

Selma McCrory * [e-mail] * [e-mail]
"We're peaceful. We can't wage wars, and we can't kill.
Not deliberately, anyway." -Carol, The Tomorrow People



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

From: Darryl W Gillikin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Take-Over (part four)
Date: 03 Nov 1996 23:12:19 -0500 (EST)

    The story so far...
    Jade's cousin, Brian Jameson, has disappeared.
    Laura entrances the Employment Minister.
    Kenneth asks Roberts to record a ransom video.
    Jade recognizes the voice on the tape as Brian's.
    Jade decides to go where Roberts is being held, and Adam goes
with her.
    Kenneth smiles after seeing Adam and Jade teleport away with
Roberts.
    Annie's image attacks the Prime Minister.
    Megabyte and Jade find Brian's message.
    Laura questions the wisdom of leading Adam, Megabyte, and Jade to
their lair.
    Adam, Megabyte, and Jade work out the location of the lair.
    Brian attacks Jade.
    And now...

    Megabyte clutched the left side of his neck, overcome by a sharp
pain.  'Adam,' he thought.  'You all right?'
    There was a slight pause before he heard a reply.  'Yeah, but I
felt it, too!  Jade's in trouble!'
    'I'm with you, pal.'

    Megabyte materialized beside Adam.  They both materialized in
front of Brian, who was holding an unconscious Jade close to him.  A
rather sharp knife was being weilded perilously close to her throat.
    "One move and she's had it!" Brian screamed menacingly.  "Go
away!  I know what you guys are, and what you can do.  Any tricks and
you're short a friend."
    "Look, she's your cousin," Adam pleaded.
    "You think that's matters?" Brian spat back at them.  "Now go!"
    Adam and Megabyte looked at each other, and then reluctantly
disappeared.
    Brian let Jade drop to the floor in a heap.  'I don't think they
suspect a thing,' he thought.
    'Perfect,' Kenneth's voice replied.

    "You wanted to see me, Prime Minister?"
    Chandler looked up to see Sir Robert.  "Yes.  My meeting with the
American Vice President.  I want it postponed until the evening."
    "Prime Minister?"
    Chandler put his pen down on the desk.  "Do you have a problem
with my request, Sir Robert?" he asked.
    "Not at all, Prime Minister.  It's just rather unusual, that's
all."
    "Prime Minister's perogative.  Understood?"
    Sir Robert nodded.  "Yes, Prime Minister."

    "We shouldn't have left her!"
    Adam was pacing around the control room of the ship, fuming.
Megabyte, as usual, was leaning back against his little portion of the
wall.  "Relax," he said, attempting to be soothing.  It wasn't one of his
strong suits.  "If he was going to kill her, he would have done it
already.  And when she wakes up, she'll be able to either contact us or
teleport out of there."
    "Not necessarily.  Remember Rameses?" Adam asked.  He certainly
wasn't about to forget what he went through thanks to Rameses Ak'Hara.
Prevented from teleporting away, and then being trapped in a dimension of
torment.  He gave a slight, involuntary shudder at the memory.
    "Yeah, but he was an immortal with superhuman powers," Megabyte
rplied.  "These are just your basic garden variety terrorist."
    Adam shook his head skeptically.  "I'm not so sure."

    'Oh, Jade!' a faint voice echoed in her head.  'Jade, my dear.'
It was smug.  She didn't like that quality in a voice echoing in her
head.  Particularly when her head hurt as much as it did now.  She opened
her eyes, and saw her cousin floating above her.
    "Okay, so now I'm a vampire," she said matter-of-factly.  She had
believed that vampires were possible for a long rime now (long enough for
her mother to have a good deal of fun at the expense of that belief), so
she hadn't exactly been surprised when she saw his fangs.  Just scared
out of her wits.  "Why?"
    He looked confused, surprised that she didn't seem to
understand.  "Because I love you."
    Jade scoffed.  "After a lot of what you said earlier, that makes
a whole lot of sense."
    Brian lowered himself to the ground.  "Jade, you're immortal
now.  I've given you the power to hold the world in your hands.  Why else
would I do that?  I could have just killed you."  Jade said nothing.
"Would you rather be dead?  That was your choice.  Pretty soon, that's
the choice everyone will have."
    Jade frowned.  "What do you mean?"
    "Pretty soon, there's only going to be one kind of human on this
planet: cattle.  Everyone else well be undead."
    "Meaning?"
    "Exactly that.  Kenneth has taught me that we vampires are the
superior form of life on this planet.  Why should we be the ones who have
to hide our existence, while the mortals walk around as if they own this
world?  Why not just russtle them up into one huge blood source.  After
all, that's the only thing they're good for."
    Jade cocked her head to one side.  "And how would you go about
doing that?"
    "I can't tell you," Brian said.  "At least, not until I know that
you are with us."  Jade turned away, and he pressed ahead.  "Think about
it.  You can have anything you want.  Do anything.  Name it, it's
yours!  You can have complete power and freedom."
    She was tempted.  Her vampiric conversion had spawned within her
a deep desire for power, more than she'd ever had before.  But there was
something in her nature which was repulsed by the idea.  The very fabric
of her being was revolted, and was fighting back, not wanting to let her
give in to her newborn ambition.  But the hold of her vampirism was
simply too strong for her to resist.  "I'm with you," she said quietly.
    "Prove it," Brian challenged.
    "How?"
    "By bringing one of your teleporting friends across."

    "Jade!" Adam shouted in delirium as she appeared in front of
him.
    Jade shook her head, collapsing against the wall.  "He betrayed
me."
    Adam put his arm around her shoulder, wishing he could make her
feel better.  There was something odd about the feel of her, but he
couldn't quite work out what.  "I know," he told her.
    "He's one of them."
    "One of what?" Megabyte asked, and then received a reproachful
look from Adam.  "What?" he asked him.
    "We'll talk about this tomorrow," Adam said to Jade before
turning to Megabyte.  "Why don't you take her home?"  Adam was quite
aware of the strength of Jade's feelings Megabyte, even if Megabyte
didn't seem to understand, and thought that his presence might do her
a world of good.
    "I'm fine," Jade said reassuringly.
    "You sure?"
    She forced a smile.  "Not really."
    Megabyte stood up.  "It's all right, Jade.  I'll take you home."

    Jesse barked as her mistress and Megabyte appeared in front of
Jade's bed.  Jade let herself collapse backwards, bouncing on the
mattress.  "I never thought this thing would feel so good," she said.
    "You gonna be okay?" he asked.
    "Yeah."
    Megabyte sighed.  "Well, I guess i'd better be going.  Take it
easy, kid."  He prepared to teleport.
    "Megabyte, wait!"
    He opened his eyes and was trapped.  Amused, she stood up and
walked towards him slowly.  "I've always wondered what this would be
like.  I never thought it would be this easy, though," she mused,
bearing her fangs.
    "Jade!"
    She turned around, hissing.  Adam was in her room.  He must have
been monitoring Megabyte's thoughts.  She hadn't even noticed him
teleport in.  If she had, she would have been prepared to render him
as defenseless as Megabyte.  But this time she didn't have the
advantage of surprise.  Adam did, and he used it.
    'Jade!' he thought with an intensity that forced her to stagger
back a step.  'Jade, I know you're in there.  This isn't you.  I
know you're trapped under that monster.  Fight it, Jade!  I know
you can.  Come on, Jade!'
    Her voice answered him.  It was faint, straining, but it was
there.  'Adam?  You're going to have to help me.'
    Adam closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.  The
girl inf ront of him writhed and convulsed in agony, before letting
loose the most blood-curdling scream Adam had ever heard.  She
crashed to her knees in tears.  Was she herself again?  Adam could
no longer endure the paim he was inflicting on Jade, and relaxed
his efforts.  He knew it was a risk, but he had to do it.  "Jade?"
    She looked up at him, her face a portrait of anguish.  "I
couldn't help it, Adam!  I tried to fight it, but I couldn't."
    Megabyte shook his head to clear it, saw the hysterical Jade on
the floor, and then saw Adam kneeling next to her.  "What happened?"
    Adam looked up at him.  "You just nearly became a vampire."

    Brian groaned in disgust.
    All in the room turned to him.  "What is it?" Kenneth asked, not
liking the sound of what he had just heard.
    "It didn't work," Brian replied.  "She's human again."
    Laura glared at Kenneth.  She didn't have to say I told you so.
The words were written all over her body.
    "Oh well," Kenneth said simply.
    Laura couldn't believe her ears.  "Is that all you can say?  Oh
well?  We could be in big trouble here, and..."
    "We have nothing to fear."
    "How can you be so sure?" Laura asked.  "You've already
underestimated these people once."
    Kenneth gave her a somewhat disappointed look.  "Are you
forgetting that Jade doesn't know any of our plan?  We didn't tell
her for this very reason.  We have nothing to worry about."

    "I don't know what they're up to," Jade said, sitting in
Megabyte's usual place.
    "They didn't tell you anything?" Megabyte asked.
    "Only that they want to take over the world.  But how they're
going to do that?  That's anyone's guess."
    "We've got to find out what they're planning," said Adam.
    "Well, that's simple."
    Adam and Jade looked at Megabyte.  "How do you figure?" Jade
asked.
    "They're vampires.  All we have to do is wait 'til dawn, and then
snoop around."

    At five in the morning, Sir Robert expected to be the only peron
about.  But to his surprise, he heard noises coming from the Prime
Minister's office.  Creeping over to the door, he opened it slowly
and peered in.  Roberts was sitting at his desk, reading a file.
"Prime Minister?"
    Chandler looked up, startled.  "Sir Robert?  What are you doing
here?"
    "The same question occurs to me, Prime Minister."
    "I live here," Chandler answered crisply.  "You, however, do
not.  Now what are you doing here?"
    "Making the final preparations for the Vice President's visit.
He is due in two hours."
    Chandler nodded.  "Very well.  Remember that the meeting is not
until this evening.  See that he knows."
    "Yes, Prime Minister."
    As Sir Robert left the room, Chandler put the file down on the
desk.  A file labelled: MATTHEWS, THOMAS VP.

    Laura felt herself being pulled out of her coffin.  This was not
an everyday occurrence.  Something was wrong.
    She opened her eyes, and saw the three people that she feared the
most.  The two boys were holding her, each by an arm.  The girl
stood in front of her, smiling too sweetly.  Each of them had a
crucifix around their neck.
    "Hi!" the girl said perkily.  "You and your friends turned me
into a vampire.  I didn't care for that very much.  So, if you tell
me exactly what I want to know, my friends will teleport you
outside into broad daylight.  Something tells me you wouldn't care
for that very much."
    "You wouldn't," Laura said shakily.
    "Oh, boys!"
    "All right," Laura gave in quickly.  "What do you want?"
    "How exactly are you going to take over?"
    Laura sighed.  "By converting prominent people into vampires."
    "Like?"
    It was Adam who answered.  "Like Godfrey Roberts."
    Laura smiled.  "You got it.  And from there, others.  Like Prime
Minister Chandler."
    Jade stepped back.  "My God!  Adam, we've helped them!"
    "I know.  We've..."
    Adam's voice trailed off as he and his friends fell to the ground
in a deep sleep.
    Laura looked past where Jade had been standing and into the
doorway.  "Nice work, Kenneth."

End part four





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

From: Jennifer Welk <[e-mail]>
Subject: Happy birthday TPFICT
Date: 04 Nov 1996 15:34:59 -0800 (PST)

February 1996:

The show had been pulled off the air the month before.  I, your typical
bereaved Tomorrowphane, was at a loss as to what to do.  Then, one day,I
had just finished some Internet research ahead of time and decided to
check out Yahoo's sci-fi directory, which a friend had told me about.
Once I saw the Tomorrow People heading, I at least knew there were others
out there mourning with me.  Then I saw a link to "The Tomorrow People
Creative List Archive", described as a fanfic page, and I figured I'd
better check this out.  Am I glad I did.

November 1996:

I've been a subscriber to TPFICT since October, but I've been a fan of
the page even longer.  A place for all of us Tomorrowphanes out there to
express ideas which may not have gotten past that stage otherwise.  For
example, "Valley of the Mind's Eye" started out as a script idea before
the series was cancelled.  As most of you have seen, it's evolved into a
fanfic. [Chapter 3, "Pull Down the Sky", is back in progress after I had
to devote a chunk of time to a research paper :)]

So I raise my double-shot chocolate mint mocha and drink a birthday toast
to TPFICT, with the hopes that it is around for many years to come.

--Jennifer

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

From: Darryl W Gillikin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Take-Over (part five)
Date: 04 Nov 1996 23:41:35 -0500 (EST)

    The story so far...
    Jade's cousin, Brian Jameson, has disappeared.
    Laura entrances the Employment Minister.
    Kenneth asks Roberts to record a ransom video.
    Jade recognizes the voice on the tape as Brian's.
    Jade decides to go where Roberts is being held, and Adam goes
with her.
    Kenneth smiles after seeing Adam and Jade teleport away with
Roberts.
    Annie's image attacks the Prime Minister.
    Megabyte and Jade find Brian's message.
    Laura questions the wisdom of leading Adam, Megabyte, and Jade to
their lair.
    Adam, Megabyte, and Jade work out the location of the lair.
    Brian attacks Jade.
    Chandler wants his meeting with the American Vice President to be
delayed until the evening.
    Jade accepts being a vampire, but must bring across Adam or
Megabyte to prove it.
    Adam saves Jade through the use of his telepathic powers.
    Adam, Megabyte, and Jade question Laura about the vampires' plan.
    They are entranced, from behind, by Kenneth.
    And now...

    A victorious smirk formed on Kenneth's face.  "Well, that takes
care of that, then."
    Laura was overcome by blood lust.  She had not fed in days, being
so wrapped up in the plan.  Now, the sight of three bodies, each a prime
candidate to quench her thirst, almost drove her mad.  Reaching for the
nearest meal, she picked Megabyte up by the throat with one hand.
    "Not yet."
    Laura was outraged.  "We should either bring them across or kill
them now, while they're helpless."
    "They'll be unconscious for several, several hours yet."
    "Really?" Laura asked skeptically.  "Since we first encountered
these people, you have consistently underestimated them."
    Kenneth clinched his fist in anger.  "These kids are not a
concern.  We have the United Kingdom under our control.  In a day or so,
we'll have the United States as well.  Three children against two of the
world's most powerful nations?  Who do you think would win?  Besides," he
pointed at the bodies, "we don't want to deprive Annie of her fun, do
we?"

    Thomas Matthews stepped off of Air Force One, surrounded by
several secret service agents, and stepped onto the cold tarmac.  He was
a short, stocky man with black hair, save a few streaks of gray.
    Almost immediately, he was greeted by Sir Robert Gilford.  "It's
so nice to see you again, Mr. Vice President," Sir Robert said with his
standard civil service smile.
    "Likewise, Sir Robert, although I was expecting to be greeted by
the Prime Minister."
    "Yes, well, he's been acting a little strange recently.  Speaking
of which, your meeting has been delayed until the evening."
    "Cabinet meeting?"
    "Actually, he's never given a reason."
    Matthews frowned.  "That is odd."
    "Yes, that's what I thought.  Still, he is the Prime Minister."

    Cold.  Ice cold.
    The sense of touch was the first to come back to Jade.  And what
she felt was the freezing floor pressed against her cheek.  Weakly, she
pushed herself up.  She tried to think, but that only resulted in a
splitting headache.  After a moment, things started to come back to her.
A little too weak to walk, she crawled over to an unconscious Adam.
'Adam!' she thought.  'Adam!'
    The Australian started to stir.  "Jade?  Where are we?"
    "Their lair," she replied, moving over to Megabyte.  "One of them
must have snuck up behind us and caught us off-guard."
    Megabyte started to come around.  Adam shook his head.  "Yeah,
but why leave us like this?  Why not finish us off or convert us when
they had the chance?"
    "They must have thought we'd be out longer," Jade answered,
calling on her admittedly limited experience.  "We should have been."
    "Um, excuse me?" Megabyte asked.  "Do we have to have this
conversation here?"
    The others smiled at him before they all disappeared.

    Chandler picked up the phone in his office.  "Hello, Bernard?
Yes, today's cabinet meeting is cancelled."
    "Prime Minister?"
    "Do you have a hearing problem, Bernard?"
    "No, Prime Minister.  It's just..."
    "Just nothing, Bernard.  I am not to be disturbed this
afternnon.  Is that understood?"
    "Yes, Prime Minister."

    Adam smashed his fist into the wall of the spaceship.  "We've got
to stop them," he said, frustration creeping into his voice.
    "What do you suggest?" Megabyte asked.  "It's not exactly as if
we can just go into their lair and stake all of them."
    Adam was well aware of that.  Having been the first to break out,
he was the one who first learned almost all there was to know about being
a Tomorrow Person.  And violence was out of the question.  Their very
being wouldn't allow it.
    Jade spoke up.  "What about how you saved me?" she asked Adam.
    He shook his head.  "That only worked because you're telepathic."
    "So are they!" she said urgently.  "It just might work."
    Megabyte joined in.  "It's our only shot, Adam."
    Adam's reply was a smile.  "Come on, gang."

    Randolph Chandler's office was completely deserted.  Deserted,
that was, except for the dormant Prime Minister, lying on his desk.  The
door had been locked to prevent someone from walking in and witnessing
this suspicious behavior.  But a lock didn't stop Adam, Megabyte, and
Jade from materializing in the room.
    Jade had a lump in her throat.  She knew better than either of
her friends what might happened if they failed.  And she wasn't looking
forward to it a second time.
    "You ready?" Megabyte asked Adam.
    He nodded.
    With that, Megabyte and Jade walked over to the resting vampire.
They started to shake him violently.
    "What..." Chandler shouted, completely off-guard.
    'Randolph Chandler,' Adam thought.  The Prime Minister froze.
Both of the mental combatants closed their eyes in concentration.
    The door suddenly exploded inward.  "No!" screamed an irate
Godfrey Roberts.
    'Look out!' Megabyte thought to Adam, but was too late.  A
vicious back hand sent Adam flying across the room.  The Prime Minister
collapsed, unconscious.
    'Godfrey!'
    Roberts turned towards Jade.  'Do you really think you can stop
me, girl?'
    'Yes!'
    That reply came with such vehemence that it even surprised Jade.
Roberts stumbled backwards.  He took a couple of swipes outwards with his
arms, once nearly catching Megabyte in the face.  After a moment, he
collapsed.  Jade fell back into the nearest chair.
    Adam struggled to his feet.  "You okay, Jade?"
    She smiled.  "Me?  What about you?  You're the one that got the
free flight."
    "I'm fine."
    As Jade stood up, Adam draped his arms around his friends'
shoulders.  Megabyte looked at him.  "Well, guys.  Since everyone's fine,
what say we get out of here before they recover and start asking us
questions we don't want to answer?"
    The three friends promptly vanished.

    "Are you sure about this?"
    Megabyte was uneasy.  Five vampires resting on the floor of your
spaceship could have that effect on a person.
    "Pretty sure," Adam replied.  "There's no way we could have
gotten them all on our own.  The ship should magnify our telepathic
powers.  It should give us a better chance of success."
    "And if it doesn't?"
    "Let's not think about that."  He looked from Megabyte to jade.
"You ready?"
    They nodded and began to concentrate.  The column in the center
of the room pulsed with energy as their efforts increaded.  The vampires
on the floor slithered about in excruciating pain, and then became still.
    The trio relaxed, exhausted.  "Do you think it worked?" Jade asked.
    Adam looked down.  "I think we're about to find out."
    Jade followed his gaze, and saw Brian stirring.  His eyes opened
slowly.  "Jade?" he asked, and then broke down completely.  She gathered
him into her arms, cradling him, whispering words of forgiveness.  Adam
and Megabyte looked at each other, the same thought in their minds.  They
disappeared, leaving the two cousins alone.

End part five







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

From: Darryl W Gillikin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Take-Over (Epilogue)
Date: 04 Nov 1996 23:58:57 -0500 (EST)


    "How's Brian?" Megabyte asked as Jade materialized in his living
room.  He and Adam were sitting on the couch, awaiting the start of the
next program on UK Gold.
    "Better.  A lot better since moving in with Aunt Daisy.  He still
hasn't forgiven himself, though."  She rubbed her stomach.  "Do you have
anything to eat?  I'm famished."
    "Yeah, there's some pizza in the fridge.  You'll have to nuke
it."
    She smiled, and walked into the kitchen.  Megabyte turned his
attention back to the television.
    "What are we going to be watching?" Adam asked uneasily.  Ever
since Megabyte's attempt to get him to watch "Attack of the Killer
Cucumbers", he had been very wary of Megabyte around a television or
VCR.
    "Relax.  You'll like this."
    I'll be the judge of that, Adam thought, settling back into the
sofa.  As the music started to play, Adam recognized the program.  "Oh, I
know this.  It's okay."
    "Okay?" Megabyte asked, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice.
"What are you?  Nuts?  This is the best."
    They turned back to the television, just in time to read the title:

                State of Decay

    Megabyte turned off the television in disgust.
    "What did you do that for?"
    "Are you kidding?  That's a vampire story.  I don't want to see
another vampire, real or fictional, for as long as I live."
    Jade walked back into the living room, carrying a slice of pizza
and a glass of red liquid.  "What's up?" she asked, fangs clearly visible
in her mouth.
    Adam and Megabyte jumped back, nearly knocking over the couch.
"Jade?" Adam asked shakily.
    "What?" she replied, popping the set of novelty teeth out of hher mouth.
    Megabyte groaned and sent a pillow flying at her.  Things were
back to normal.  Or at least as normal as the get for the Tomorrow People.

Fini



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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (1/7)
Date: 10 Nov 1996 09:50:37 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part One


   They were behind her.  She could feel them; pressing at her
back, breathing down her neck, smothering her with their
urgency.  She knew that if she paused in her running, took the
time to look behind, all she would see was the empty street.
The towering walls of the abandoned warehouses, the dark,
hidden recesses of doorways and alleys, the blind, boarded-up
windows.  The few street lights that remained unbroken
throwing oily, rainbow reflections off the rain-slicked road,
lighting the grimy brick walls and old wooden fences,
illuminating the graffiti and the decay.  Of her pursuers,
there would be no sign, but still she knew, absolutely and
despairingly, that they were behind her.

   The pounding of her heart formed a subtle harmony with the
pounding of her feet on the cracked pavement.  She looked
neither left nor right, keeping her eyes on where she was
going to avoid a stumble that could be fatal.  She let her
other senses, touch and taste and smell and sound, and that
other, extra sense that had no name, search for some kind of
sanctuary.  A place where she could stop, recover her breath
and perhaps come up with a plan that would keep her free and
safe.

   She rounded another corner and found herself forced into
choices.  The street ended here, leaving her nowhere else to
run.  In front of her was a sagging wooden fence, a message
written across the boards in white paint that had been made
unreadable by age and years of accumulated grime.  More
warehouses, equally old and forgotten, towered above her on
either side.

   Knowing she could go neither forward nor back, she turned
instead to the buildings around her.  The first door she tried
was locked, the second boarded over.  Coming to the third, she
felt her pursuers drawing closer and it was with something
approaching desperation that she rattled the lock and
struggled to push the door open.  About to give up and try her
luck at scaling the fence, she slammed her shoulder into the
door one more time and, to her relieved disbelief, it
shuddered in its frame and creaked open a crack.  It was
barely enough for her to squeeze through, but she managed it,
only collecting the odd scrape and bruise in the process.

   Once inside, she slammed the door shut again, leaning back
against the wood for a moment and trying to catch her breath.
As her breathing grew less ragged and her eyes adjusted to the
darkness, she looked up to discover she was in an old, long-
abandoned storage depot.  The broken remnants of a hundred
lives lay around her, collecting dust and cobwebs.  The walls
were damp and the floor was wet, where the rain had come in
through cracked and shattered windows, further adding to the
feeling of loss and decay.

   Stepping away from the door, she walked across the
concrete.  Odd, distorted shapes rose out of the gloom, that
resolved into mundane, everyday objects as she got closer.
Desks, chairs, a cardboard box dissolving in the damp and
spilling mildewed books onto the floor.  She accidentally
kicked one with her foot and looked down.  It lay open at her
feet, heavy black texts promising unknown secrets for the
discerning reader.  She stepped over it and froze, her heart
pounding in her chest.

   They were here, just outside, looking for her.  She cast a
frantic glance across the debris, looking for somewhere to
hide.  She heard the door rattle, felt their fury at the chase
she had led them on, and squeezed herself into the first
hiding place she found.  She crouched under the battered,
outdated desk and hoped the fraying sheet hid her from view.
Hoped they couldn't feel her the way she could feel them.

   There was a bang, a crash and a series of loud, angry
curses, followed by the sound of boot heels striking the
concrete.  They were inside.  She huddled further back in her
tiny hiding place, hardly daring to breathe.  She could hear
footsteps again, and she struggled to gain some sense of where
each man was, some idea of where they were looking and if they
were likely to find her.

   They had split up, each searching a different part of the
warehouse.  Most were moving away from her, but one, one was
coming closer.  She tried to make herself smaller, quieter,
tried to think invisible thoughts, but still he advanced.
Suddenly, the covering sheet was pulled away and she had to
put a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream.

   There was a scraping sound as he pulled something off the
top of the desk, then a clatter and crash and smash as he
dropped whatever-it-was to the floor.  The desk rocked and she
tried to rock with it.  She could see his booted feet now,
circling the desk, getting closer and closer.

   A few more steps and he would find her.  A few more steps
and she would die.  If she was lucky it might be quick and
clean and final.  But most likely he would take her back, back
to the living hell that was neither quick nor clean and felt
like it was the only life she had known.  She didn't want to
go back to that.  She couldn't go back to that.

   Another step and his presence was so close it was choking
her, cold and heavy and ruthless.  Panic caught her, closing
its fist tight around her heart.  One more step and he would
see her.  She couldn't let him find her.  She _couldn't..._

   POP.  SNAP.  FLASH.


--end, part one


How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #11
That street beggar is probably the prince foretold to defeat you.

                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (0/7)
Date: 10 Nov 1996 09:50:37 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...
(the subject line wasn't long enough to get it all in :)

A few quick notes:

Well, here's my first attempt at any TP fan fiction.  It's an odd
little idea I had that turned into a story and it's new series.

With one obvious exception these characters not are mine, although I'm
not sure who technically they do belong to (can someone tell me
please?)  They are used without permission, but with gratitude.

I've used _ ... _  for emphasis and to enclose thoughts, and : ... :
to enclose telepathy.  Just so that you know.

Michael was my beta reader and he's also a New Zealander (even if he
is in Finland at the moment) so apologies if I've used any
terminology that doesn't make sense to anyone.  I don't think I have,
but if you're confused, just ask.

Feedback is, of course, welcomed.

Okay, on with the show...

Kerry


How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #1
Always be wary of the innocent lad from the farm.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (2/7)
Date: 10 Nov 1996 11:01:53 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Two


   She was drowning, gulping great lungfulls of water when she
was expecting air.  Confused, she just let it happen, sinking
through the warm blue water while her head began to swim and
dark spots danced across her vision.  They twisted and
reshaped until they were images, memories playing out across
her inner eye.  There was her bedroom in the last foster home,
bare and unwelcoming, and grumpy Mrs Davis who had never even
bothered to give her a name.  Julian, the son at the home
before that, who had teased her unmercifully when his parents
weren't looking.  Her first day back at the Institute, barely
seven and frightened of the harshly lighted corridors, the men
in their spotless white lab coats who regarded her with cold
and clinical eyes, and Carl telling the guards to leave her
alone when one of them made her cry.  The others like her, the
companions of her childhood.  Jay and Carl and David, Frank
and Alice, poor, dead Alice who looked at her now and told her
to live, so that their deaths might have meant something.

   Survival instinct woke and she started to kick her feet,
struggling towards the surface.  It was a race now, between
the threatening oblivion of oxygen deprivation and
unconsciousness and her new determination to break free of the
swallowing water and find the air again.  Just as it seemed
metabolic shutdown must win, she burst through the surface,
gratefully swallowing air, breathing again.

   She was in the sea.  Now her body had returned to
processing normal sensory input, she could taste the salt upon
her tongue, smell it in the water and the in air.  There was
water as far as she could see, the green of the ocean smoothly
meeting the blue of the sky.  With a kick of her feet she
turned the other way, hoping there would be land close by,
refusing to think about how she had come to be here.  To her
relief, she saw there was a sandy stretch of golden beach
spread out in front of her.  She struck out towards it, soon
feeling the sea bottom beneath her feet.  She staggered out of
the waves and collapsed onto the sand, letting the sun beat on
her back, feeling the tiny quartz particles press into her
cheek, her arms, her legs, making patterns on her skin.

   How long she lay there she couldn't say, but it was long
enough for her clothes to begin to dry, sticking to her skin
and stiff from the salt.  She pushed herself to her knees, and
further up again until she was standing, staring out over the
sand dunes.  They looked to be pretty much the same as any
other sand dunes on any other beach in the world, but since
she had never visited the sea before, she did not have a
particularly extensive database for comparison.  They rolled
away into the distance, covered with long, waving sea grass.
The sky above them was a clear blue, so sharp it almost hurt
the eyes.  And behind her she could hear the waves, breaking,
sweeping in and pulling out again, with a steady, sighing
sound she had never imagined when gazing wistfully at flat,
silent photographs.

   She turned around, wanting to see the ocean, to see if it
matched her expectations, but her gaze was caught by something
rising out of the sand.  It was metallic, oddly shaped in a
way that make her think of the top of a vase or an old
fashioned water pitcher.  For a moment she was tempted to
explore more closely, but the call of the sea lured her away,
and she finished turning so that she was looking out over the
ocean.  The waves pulled themselves out of the calm green of
the depths and hurled themselves towards the land, falling
into white-topped breakers as they neared the shore and
finally being drawn inexorably back again, never quite able to
break free and reach the land.

   The progression was regular, almost monotonous, but at the
same time it was soothing, filling her with a sense of peace
that was as new as the sight of the sea had been.  She sat
herself down on the sand and wrapped her hands around her
knees, leaning forward and simply watching as the breakers
creeped slowly closer and closer to where she was sitting.


--end, part two


How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #31
Their army is probably a diversion.  You'll be defeated by a small
select group infiltrating your citadel.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Allyson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Memory Over Matter - Explanation :-)
Date: 09 Nov 1996 21:14:38 -0800

I don't know if anyone remembers this or not, but several months ago I started posting a new series story
called Memory Over Matter to TPFICT. I dropped it after part 2 because I didn't think that I was going to be
able to tie the story together and finish it. However, a little while ago my sister Caity (a fellow fan-fic
writer and TP fanatic) found it and talked me into finishing it (with some massive help from her).

To get to my point (I have one, I swear :-) ), I'm going to start posting it again soon. I've revised the first
two parts and will post those today, and the rest will posted at about one part a week. I'm very sorry about
dropping the story the way I did, and this time I promise I'll follow through on it.

To anyone who may have read the original first two parts, please read the new ones before you read on. The
changes I made were slight, but they might still affect the rest of the story. Also, the copies at the Creative
List Archive are also the originals, so read the ones on the list, not those.

Enjoy the story!

-Allyson

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

From: Allyson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Memory Over Matter, Part 1
Date: 09 Nov 1996 21:23:55 -0800

Hi, all!

Please don't hesitate to e-mail me with comments or constructive criticism about this story.

NOTE: Telepathic thought is shown is asterisks. Ordinary thought is indicated in the text.

DISCLAIMER:
Many of the characters in this story are the inventions of the creator and writers of The Tomorrow People. No
copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any real life happenings is purely coincidental.


Memory Over Matter, Part 1

            A dark room. Somewhere, nearby but still far away somehow, footsteps rang out, causing the little
girl cowering in the corner to begin to cry. Suddenly, a door opened, sending a bar of light across the floor.
A figure appeared in the doorway, holding something in its hand. It raised the item, and the light reflected
off the blade of a knife . . .
     Ami Jackson woke up with a start, soaked with sweat. She immediately sat up straight in bed and looked for
the little girl, the figure - something to prove that the vision she had just experienced was as real as it had
felt.
     *Ami? Are you all right?* a voice broke into Ami's panicked thoughts. She immediately recognized the
Australian accent and began to relax.
     *Yes, Adam, I'm fine.*
     *What happened?*
     Suddenly Ami began to feel a little silly. *I, uh, I guess I had a nightmare, but I . . . *
     *Ami? Ami? Is everything okay?* This time several voices were calling to Ami - the rest of the Tomorrow
People - and she began to feel even more embarrassed.
     *Everyone, I'm fine. I just had a nightmare, but I'm okay now.*
     *Are you sure?* Megabyte asked. *You sounded really - frantic.*
     *Really, I'm fine. I just want to go back to sleep now, okay?*
     After several choruses of *Goodnight!* Ami laid back down and pulled the quilt up to her chin. "Just a
dream," she whispered to herself, "Just a dream," but as she closed her eyes she began to wonder - if it was
just a dream, why did it feel so real?

     At the same time, in St. Louis, Missouri, fifteen-year-old Sarah Conroy lay awake, wondering exactly the
same thing. She was also wondering about the very clear voice in her head whispering "Just a dream, just a
dream," - a voice with an English accent, very unlike her own.

     The next day Ami went a coffee shop in Niagara on The Lake, Canada, the shop where she met Adam and
Megabyte every Saturday afternoon. (Megabyte has discovered it on a family vacation.) Like always, Ami
teleported to a small wooded area near the coffee shop and walked the rest of the way. She spotted Adam as soon
as she walked in the door, sitting at the group's usual table in the corner of the restaurant. Megabyte was
late, as usual.
     "Hey, Adam," she said, taking a seat across from him.
     "Ami! Hi! I wasn't expecting you to come today."
      "Why wouldn't I come?"
      Adam shrugged. "Well, after what happened last night, I thought you might be too tired."
     "Adam, it was just a bad dream. Why do you keep making such a big deal out of it?"
     "Because you sounded a lot more upset than if you had just had a bad dream."
     "Adam . . . "
     "And because you've been having these ædreams' nearly every night for the last two weeks." Ami lowered her
eyes and Adam reached out and touched her wrist. "Ami, I'm worried about you. So are Megabyte, Jade, Kevin -
everyone."
     "I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't mean to worry you guys, but I honestly didn't know what was going on. I still
don't. All I know is that I've been having these awful dreams - and they're so real."
     "What are the dreams about?"
     Ami quickly described the dream as best she could. "What do you think?"
     Adam thought for a moment. "There seem to be only two logical explanations for them being so real to you.
It could be a memory."
     "I don't think so," Ami said. "I don't feel like I'm in the dreams - it's more like I'm watching them."
     "Well, then could it be that someone is sending you the dream telepathically?"
     Ami paused. "I guess that could be it, but - who? Certainly not anyone in the group."
     "Then maybe it's someone new."
     "It must be. Whoever they are, they seem to be in some kind of trouble. We'd better find them soon."
     Just then Megabyte came running into the coffee shop. He glanced around and then sat down at the table.
     "Hi, Megaby-" Ami started to say, but before she could get the words out, he interrupted her.
     "I was just down at the spaceship, and we have to get over there - FAST."
     "Megabyte, what's happened?" Adam said.
     "Someone new has broken out."

--end Part 1--

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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Memory Over Matter 2b
Date: 10 Nov 1996 14:37:36 -0800


Here's the second half:

Memory Over Matter, Part 2 (cont.)

     Later that day the Tomorrow People began to leave the ship
and head for home. Sarah was going to try to teleport, but Ami
stopped her with the excuse that she might need help.
     "Well, should we try to teleport now?" Sarah asked when
everyone was gone.
     "Yes, in a minute, but first I need to ask you about
something," Ami said.
     "Sure. What?"
     "Let me start at the beginning. I've been having some
strange dreams. . ."
     Ami watched Sarah's face change from curious to surprised
as she explained the dreams and her suspicions that she was
receiving them from Sarah. (She had an urge to try and read her
mind, but decided against it.)
     "So?" Ami said when she was finished. "Do they sound
familiar?"
     "Yes!" Sarah cried. "I've been having the same dreams for
awhile now - nearly two years.  But why are you having them?"
        "I guess you're sending them to me telepathically."
        "Why would I do that?"
     "I don't know. It might just be that because it comes with
such a strong feeling you need to send it somewhere - almost
like a cry for help."
     Sarah sat down on the edge of one of the walkways at the
side of the ship. "I really want to stop having these dreams."
     "So do I."
     "Then what can we do?"
     "We have to find out what the dreams mean."
     "How?"
     "Well - we could mind merge with the others and. . ."
     "No!"
     "Why not?"
     "I don't want them to know."
     "Why?"
     "I just don't."
     Ami paused, realizing she had only recently had nearly the
same conversation with Adam and that she had similar feelings about
not wanting to tell anyone. At the time she had thought it was just
nerves, but now she wasn't so sure.
     "Ami? Are you okay?"
     Ami snapped back to reality only to see Sarah looking at her
worriedly. "I'm fine. So what do you propose we do?"
     Sarah thought for a moment and her face suddenly lit up. "I
know!  We have this really close friend of the family who's a
psychiatrist.  We could talk to her about the dreams."
     "Can we trust her?"
     "Definitely.  My mom used to be friends with her."
     "Used to be?"
      Sarah's face fell a little.  "Yeah - my mom died when I was
about six."
     "Oh.  I'm sorry."
     "That's all right.  You didn't know."
     Ami paused, unsure of what to say, then just decided to go back
to the topic at hand.  "Let's try to talk to her.  But whatever we do,
we can't tell her about the Tomorrow People - or that I'm having the
same dream. We'll just ask her to analyze yours - hey, why didn't you
talk to her before?"
     "I guess because - well, because this felt really trivial. But
now that I'm not the only person these dreams are annoying, it seems
more important."
     Ami wasn't sure what to say to that. "When can you get in touch
with her?"
     "I'll call her tonight. I'll let you know as soon as I find out
anything."
     "Okay - why don't I help you teleport home now?"
     "Great. Thanks."

     Later that night, while Ami was up in her room reading, Sarah's
voice broke into her thoughts.
     *Ami?*
     *Hey, Sarah.*
     *I talked to my mom's friend - her name is Dr. White, by the way
- and she we can drop by her office tomorrow to talk to her.  She's
free around one o'clock. Teleport over here, we can walk there together.*
     *Okay, I'll be there a little before one.*
     There was a pause as Sarah sensed Ami's nerves. *Ami, don't worry.
I'm sure this is the best thing to do.*
     *You're probably right.*
     Still, as the two said goodbye, Ami couldn't help but wonder if Sarah
really was right.

-end Part 2-


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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Memory Over Matter 2a
Date: 10 Nov 1996 14:38:34 -0800

Since this part of the story is fairly long, I'm posting it one half at a
time.


Memory Over Matter, Part 2

     Jade watched as the fifteen-year-old sat down at one side
of the main area of the ship, shaking her head.  "This is all
so bazaar," she said.  "One minute I'm home eating lunch, and
the next I'm practically drowning in the ocean.  Now you're
telling me that I'm a - what did you say I am?"
     "A Tomorrow Person," Jade answered patiently.  "We'll
explain everything as soon as the others get here." As if on
cue, Adam, Megabyte and Ami teleported in.  Jade smiled.
"They're here. Guys, this is Sarah Conroy.  Sarah, this is Adam
Newman, Ami Jackson and Megabyte Damon.  But you probably
already knew that." Sarah just stared, eyes wide.
     "Do you have any idea what's going on?" Adam asked.  Sarah
shook her head.  "Well, this is what's happening..." Adam began
to explain what the Tomorrow People were as best he could.
     Ami sat down at the other end of the ship, facing Sarah.
She was trying to tell if Sarah was the little girl - or an older
version of the little girl - from the dream.  She didn't seem to
be.  The girl in the dream had blond hair and very different
features from the brunette sitting across from Ami.  So, Ami
thought, I guess that only leaves two possibilities.  Either
she's remembering something she saw, or I'm just going insane and
 am having dreams that have no logical connection to me.  Great.
     Ami snapped back to reality as two more people teleported to
the ship.  She sensed who it was immediately and turned to face
Lisa and Kevin.
     "Hey, sorry we're late," Lisa said.
     Sarah looked bewildered.  "There are more of us?"
     Adam nodded.  "See if you can tell their names without
asking."
     Sarah shut her eyes and concentrated.  A moment later she
opened them and said "Lisa and Kevin?"
     Kevin grinned.  "That's us."
     "Weird," Sarah said under her breath.  "Definitely weird."
     "If you think this is weird, just wait until you have to mind
merge," Megabyte said.
     "What?"
     Megabyte began to explain mind merging, and Adam stood and
walked over to Ami.  "Do you think it's her who's been sending you
the dreams?" he asked quietly.
     Ami shrugged.  "I guess it has to be, but she doesn't look
like the girl from the dream.  I suppose it could mean that she was
watching the situation, but wasn't part of it."
     "Couldn't it also mean that it's not a memory at all?  That it's
just - a concoction?"
     "No, it's definitely a memory."
     "How do you know?"
      "I don't know how I know.  I can just - feel it."
     Adam paused for a moment, then seemed to accept that. "Well,
you're going to have to ask her about it."
     "I suppose, but I'm not thrilled about that idea."
     "Got any others?"
     "I could wait and see if I have the dream again."
     "What good would that do?"
     Ami sighed. "None."
     "So ask her."
     "All right."
     "We should tell the others first."
     "No, don't."
     "Why not?"
     "I just - don't want them to know right now."
     Adam looked at Ami with suspicion. She would normally be the
first to want to let all the other TP's know about the situation.
And in the coffee shop she had been fine with the idea. Oh, well,
he thought, I won't press it. "Okay, we won't tell them now.
When do you want to try and talk to Sarah?"
     "I'll stay here with her after everyone goes home. You can
leave if you want, I'll be fine."
     "Are you sure?"
     "Yes, I'm sure."

end Part 2a

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (3/7)
Date: 12 Nov 1996 08:27:57 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Three


   The waves were just lapping at her toes when she finally
admitted to herself that there was something strange going on.
It was not normal procedure to be in a run down warehouse on
moment and on a tropical island (assuming it _was_ an island)
the next.  But somehow she had done it.  She had been so
terrified, so desperate to get away that somehow that was what
she had managed to do.  She had moved, from the city to here.
She had...  She realised she knew exactly what she had done.
She had _teleported_.  And the irony of it was so great that
she found herself laughing.  Wild, hysterical laughter that
started right down deep inside her and bubbled up, catching in
her throat before spilling out into the air.  Laughter that
didn't stop, that brought tears to her eyes and made her shake
with the force of it.

   Laughter so overwhelming that she just about jumped out of
her skin when a hand touched her shoulder.  She lurched
sideways, barely managing to catch herself in time so that she
didn't fall into the ever-encroaching surf.  The young man
with red hair and freckles and a comically stunned expression
seemed to be equally surprised.  He blinked, then held out a
hand to her and smiled, wordlessly offering his help.

   Unused to such things, she stared for a moment, before
tentatively placing her hand in his and letting him haul her
to her feet.  They stood there, their feet getting
progressively more water-logged, as each tried to decide what
to say.

   In the end he ran a hand through his hair and grinned.
"Hi."

   Still she hesitated, but the smile was friendly and open,
and there was something about him that felt the same way.
"Hi," she agreed cautiously.

   He backed up so that he was out of the water, and lifted
one foot, looking at it with a rueful expression.  "These were
new this morning," he commented.  "My dad's going to throw a
fit."  He shook his head.  "Not to mention my mom."  He
abandoned his stork impression and put his foot down again.
"I'm Megabyte," he added.

   She wasn't ready to give anything away yet.  "Hello,
Megabyte," she said without offering her own name - not that
she really had one anyway, the names they had called each
other at the Institute all having been self-bestowed, mostly
by Alice who, being the oldest, had been their unofficial
leader and self-appointed big sister.

   He seemed stuck, unsure quite how to proceed and not helped
by her reticence.  She could feel his frustration, and
threaded through it she could sense his true desire to help
her.  That scared her, because she wanted to trust it, trust
him, and apart from the seven of them, she had  never met
anyone else she felt she could trust in her entire life.  She
didn't know which was more frightening, trusting him or
turning away from him and never knowing if that feeling was
true.  All the bad feelings had generally been true, so why
couldn't this one be too?  Please, couldn't this one be true
too?

   She hesitated a little longer, then took the risk, feeling
her heart pound a little harder at the danger of it.  "Kay,"
she said finally.  "My friends called me Kay."

   A frown crossed Megabyte's face briefly, as if he had
caught the strange phrasing and didn't understand it.  Just as
briefly, a sense of confusion brushed across her mind and was
gone.

   "Hi, Kay," he said in a friendly fashion.  He started
walking up the beach, the soft, dry sand soon sticking to his
wet shoes.  Hesitantly, she followed.  He stopped near the
silver whatever-it-was that pushed its way out of the ground
and waited for her to reach him.  When she had, he flopped
down onto the sand and waved a hand vaguely through the air,
the invitation to join him as unmistakable as if he had
spoken.  She folded herself carefully down so that she was
sitting cross-legged, a safe couple of paces away from him.

   "Do you like the island?" he asked.  "We all do."

   She looked around, wondering if there was anyone else about
that she had missed, and he grinned.  "Nope, there's only you
and me here right now."

   Her gaze was caught by the water again, by the way the
sunlight made silver patterns of the surface.  "I love it,"
she said warmly.  "It's wonderful."

   "So how did you get here?" he asked, not quite casually.

   Her falling defences went up again.  "I got dropped off,"
she lied.  "From a boat."

   Megabyte shrugged and got to his feet.  "Well, I guess I'll
be going then."  He turned and started walking away.  "Maybe
I'll see you around," he added as she watched his retreating
back.

   "Maybe," she agreed, non-committedly, certainly not about
to admit she didn't quite know how to leave again, even if she
had had somewhere to go.

   He turned back, a satisfied look of his face, as if he had
just been very clever.  "Tell you what," he said.  "How about
I guess how you got here."

   "Was it a big boat or a small boat?" she prompted, finding
it strangely difficult to stay on her guard around him.  There
was something open, and friendly, and trustworthy about him.

   "It wasn't either," he said seriously.  "You just arrived
here, materialised out of thin air."

   The fact he knew that suggested she should be afraid of
him, but somehow that was impossible.  He wasn't a man in a
white coat with a penetrating stare, who seemed to dissect her
with a glance.  Nor was he one in a uniform with a menacing
air, and a cold and uncaring gaze.  He was just a kid, like
her.  Well, maybe not _just_ like her, but he seemed to know
an awful lot, so maybe...  "How did you know that?" she asked
slowly.

   His grin returned.  "Because I can do it too.  Want to
see?"

   Before she could reply he winked at her and disappeared, a
slight pop and a brief flash of light the only markers of his
passing.  She was still getting used to that when the special
effects repeated and he reappeared on her other side.  "See?"

   "Who are you?" she asked simply.

   "I told you, I'm Megabyte."  He pulled a face.  "I know
it's not much of a name, but my real one's a _whole_ lot
worse.  As for what I am, I'm a Tomorrow Person." He pointed a
finger at her.  "And so are you."

   She shook her head.  "Who made you like that?" she asked.

   He stared at her, as if it was a nonsensical question.
"No-one _made_ me anything.  It's just what I am.  We're the
next stage of human evolution and we're just born this way.
You were too."

   "No," she said, and the finality of the word was so great
he stopped him from saying anything more.  "No.  They made me.
I'm an experiment."


--end, part three


How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #93
Stay paranoid.  They really are out to get you.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (4/7)
Date: 14 Nov 1996 09:04:33 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Four


   Megabyte was seriously out of his depth and he knew it.
There was something _very_ strange about this new TP (and you
didn't have to be telepathic to work that out), but he didn't
have a clue what it was.  After saying that crazy stuff about
being an experiment, she'd clammed up completely.  The only
thing she would say at all, was to ask him to show her how to
teleport.  Well, he might be a bit slow on occasions, but he
wasn't _stupid_.  If he did that she'd be gone in a flash
(literally) and this mystery might never be solved.  And
besides, she needed help.  He had a feeling she needed lots of
help.  So he did the only thing he could think of.  He called
in the cavalry.

   :Adam.  Are you busy?:

   The mental reply was relaxed.  :Not really.  What's the
problem?:

   :I'm on the island.  We've got a new TP, but she won't talk
to me.  Can you come and help?:

   Adam laughed.  :What's the matter?  She isn't bowled over
by your good looks?:

   :Very funny,: Megabyte muttered, not amused at all.  :Just
come, won't you?  And bring some pizza,: he added.  :I haven't
eaten since breakfast, and she probably hasn't either.:

   :That's me,: Adam said good-naturedly.  :Planetary pizza
delivery.  Okay, I'll see you soon.:

   _The sooner the better_, Megabyte thought to himself,
giving Kay another look.  When he'd refused to teach her to
teleport (as tactfully as he could, but tact wasn't really one
of his stronger qualities), she had marched away several
metres along the beach and sat down, staring out to sea (which
seemed to fascinate her) and ignoring him with a vengeance.
He couldn't figure her out at all.  She was so...not scared
exactly; it was more like she didn't dare trust him, even
though he thought she wanted to.  He wondered what had
happened to her to make her feel that way and didn't like some
of the answers he came up with.

   He decided to make another try at communication.  "Do you
like pizza?" he called over.

   For a long time he thought she was going to ignore that
too, but eventually she turned her head.  "I don't know," she
said.  "They only ever gave it to us once.  It was okay I
guess."

   "Only once and it was okay I guess," Megabyte repeated.
"What planet have you been living on?"

   Her shoulders hunched and she seemed to draw in on herself,
her face going stiff and closed.  Megabyte realised he'd
accidentally hit a raw nerve, even if he didn't have a clue
how or why.  "Where _do_ you come from?" he asked seriously.
"Wherever, it wasn't  really a nice place, was it?"

   An almost amused look crossed Kay's face and she shook her
head.  "No, not a nice place."  Her voice hardened, allowing
no room for discussion or disagreement.  "And I'm not going
back.  Not ever.  I think I'll just stay here."

   Light finally dawned.  "That's why you want me to show you
how to teleport.  So you can go where you want.  So you can
always escape if you need to."  She didn't answer, but
Megabyte knew he was right.  He nodded.  "Okay, I'll show
you."

   "You will?"  She sounded disbelieving, desperate.

   "Yeah," he agreed.  A little stunned by the look of hope in
her eyes, he quickly added, "On a couple of conditions."

   She looked as if he'd just stabbed her in the back.
"What?" she demanded.

   "Nothing major," he said hastily.  "Just that you'll come
back and talk to us.  You're a Tomorrow Person now..."  She
shook her head, opened her mouth, but he carried on before she
could say anything.  "Yes, you are.  Whatever you might think,
you're still one of us, and we'll help you.  So that's the
deal.  I show you how, and you stay around and tell us all
about it and we see what we can do to help."

   She relaxed, even almost smiled.  "All right," she agreed.
"I'll stay.  I don't have anywhere to go anyway."

   Megabyte got to his feet.  "It's not hard," he admitted
with a grin.  "You'd have figured it out pretty soon anyway."


--end, part four


How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #33
Don't rely too heavily on magic.  They'll get you with a projectile
weapon or a blow to the head just as you're about to fry them.

                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (5/7)
Date: 17 Nov 1996 21:49:17 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Five


   Adam arrived at the ship to find it empty.  He dumped
Megabyte's pizza (with the lot, but hold the anchovies) on the
nearest available surface and was about to try the beach when,
with a flash and a pop, two figures materialised in front of
him.  One was Megabyte (whom he promptly ignored), the other
was the new TP.

   He guessed she was about his own age, which would make her
the oldest of them all at the time of break out.  She was a
little shorter than Megabyte, average build with slightly wavy
brown hair and pale blue eyes.  In a strange way, she was so
uniformly average that she became quite unique.  She went
still, wary even, on seeing him, regarding him with a
suspicious gaze.  "Who are you?"  She turned her stare on
Megabyte.  "Who's he?"

   "I'm Adam," he told her before Megabyte could say anything.
He held out a hand.  "Hi, I'm the pizza delivery boy."

   "So how did you get here?" she demanded.

   Well, that joke had gone down like a lead balloon.  Seeing
the haunted, wary look in her eyes, he decided it had been a
bad idea.  Wishing Megabyte had thought to give him a bit more
background, he tried to rectify his mistake.  "I'm a friend of
Megabyte's.  I'm another TP."  He offered her a grin.
"Welcome to the gang."

   Some of the tension in her faded, but it wasn't gone
completely.  "I'm not like you," she stated.

   "She keeps saying that," Megabyte said from where he was
investigating the pizza carton.  "I keep telling her she's one
of us, and she keeps telling me she isn't.  We're not getting
very far."  He wandered back over and waved the food under her
nose.  "Anyway, let's eat and talk."

   "Sure, Megabyte," Adam grinned.  "Always thinking with your
stomach."

   "What's wrong with that?" he asked.

   Adam found himself a seat and looked up at the new TP.  "I
guess he's got a point.  Come on..."  He paused.  "What's your
name anyway?"

   "Kay."  She sat down and rather dubiously accepted the
pizza Megabyte was offering.  It took a few bites, but she
eventually seemed to decide she liked it.  While they ate she
listened with something bordering on disbelief as Adam ribbed
Megabyte unmercifully about some mistake he'd made in a
science test, while Megabyte gave back as good as he got.
When it was threatening to deteriorate into what Megabyte
called `pizza at 20 paces' she finally asked, "Are you always
like this?"

   "Most of the time," Adam admitted.  "Kind of like family.
You know what that's like."

   She shook her head.  "I don't have a family.  I had an
almost-one, but I'm the last one left now."

   :Do you know what she's talking about?: Adam asked
privately.

   :Nope, not a clue,: Megabyte answered.  :But I think it's
important.:

   "Where do you come from, Kay?" Adam asked quietly.

   "Yeah," Megabyte added.  "How can we help if we don't know
what the problem is?"

   "How do you know there's a problem?" she asked cautiously.
Megabyte just looked at her until she shrugged.  "Okay,
there's a problem.  Tell me about you first.  About your
families and how you became..."  She raised an eyebrow.
"Tomorrow People, was that it?"

   "That's right," Adam agreed.  "Okay, I'll go first."  He
thought she wanted to trust them, she just didn't quite dare,
so if telling her what she wanted was going to help, he was
quite happy to do so.  She listened in complete silence,
asking no questions and giving him no idea what she was
thinking, although her expression did grow more intent as he
explained how he had broken out and told her about finding the
ship and exploring what he had become.  "And then Kevin turned
up on the beach," he finished.  "But he can tell his own story
when you meet him."

   She watched him thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded once
and turned to Megabyte.  "What about you?"

   He laughed.  "You mean finding out I was a TP?  It was a
farce from start to finish.  My friend Kevin was breaking out,
not me.  But when I tried to help him these military loonies
decided _I_ was the TP, handed me over to this idiot scientist
who wanted to do experiments on me and..."

   :Stop!: Adam said suddenly.  :That's where the problem is;
scientists and the military and experimenting...:

   :That's what she said,: Megabyte interrupted.  :That she
was an experiment.:

   :Don't tell her about your dad yet,: Adam instructed.  :Be
careful - and hurry up, she's noticed the pause.:

   "And?" Kay prompted tightly.

   Megabyte shrugged.  "The good guys won the day.  Nobody
dissected my brain or anything.  Hey..." he finished in
confusion, staring at the empty space where Kay had been
seconds before.

   "Nice one, Megabyte," Adam commented.  "She was finally
starting to look like she might trust us and you have to go
and say something stupid.  I told you to be careful."

   "Sorry," Megabyte muttered a little defensively.  "How was
I to know she'd react like that."  He looked around the ship
even though he knew she wasn't there.  "Where do you think she
went anyway?"

   Adam shrugged.  "Search me.  Is she telepathic yet?  Do you
think she'll hear us if we call?"

   "She might," Megabyte agreed thoughtfully.  "She heard me
earlier on the beach.  We can always give it a go."

   :Kay?: Adam tried first.  :Can you hear me?  Megabyte's an
idiot.  Please come back.:

   :Hey,: Megabyte protested.  :That's hardly nice.:

   :He's an idiot,: Adam repeated.  :Kay?  Are you there?:

   When Kay reappeared a moment later, she was smiling
slightly.  "Megabyte's an idiot."  She sat down again and the
smile faded.  "That happened.  To my brothers."

   Megabyte stared at her, shocked, and Adam was sure his own
expression was similar.  "What?  You mean the brain dissecting
bit?  You're kidding?"

   "She's not kidding," Adam said slowly.  "Are you?"

   Kay bit her lip, took a deep breath and said quietly, "I
can trust you, can't I?"

   Megabyte opened his mouth, but Adam shoved an elbow into
his ribs before he could say anything.  He gulped for air, and
in the meantime it was Adam who answered.  It was a simple
`yes' but Kay nodded.

   "You said you just became Tomorrow People.  Well, I didn't.
I'm an experiment."  Megabyte considered saying something, but
changed his mind before Adam could injure any other part of
him, and Kay went on.  "We all were, my brothers and sisters
and me.  We weren't really related at all, but we liked to
pretend we were.  They wanted to make super-soldiers you see,
psi-soldiers they called it.  So they fiddled with our DNA and
stuff, and they made us.  Seven of us.  We were the only ones
who lived more than six months.  Out of a hundred. They didn't
even give us names."  She had been staring at her hands,
turning them over and over, twisting the fingers together, but
now she looked up.  "I'm `PzA-87'.  So we gave ourselves
names.  It was Alice's idea.  She said we had to be our own
family."

   "Where are they?" Megabyte demanded.  "We have to go and
rescue them.  If we all went, there'd be enough of us to do
it.  We'd just have to teleport in each grab someone and
teleport back out again."

   Adam, generally more cautious, was nodding his head, but
Kay shook hers.  "They're all dead.  There's only me left.  We
never really had any kind of powers."  Her gaze flicked from
Adam to Megabyte.  "Not like you do.  But we were still
different and they were sure something had worked.  They made
us to be weapons, but when they started trying to fire us, we
started dying.  Frank did what they told him to, he killed.
And then he went crazy and then he died.  And we could all
feel it, his mind all mixed up, and when he died we all felt
that too.  So they decided something was working and tried
again.  And the same thing happened to Carl."

   She fell silent, until Megabyte prompted, "And the others?"

   "Alice couldn't do it.  Couldn't kill.  So they took her
away from us.  I don't know what happened to her, but it felt
bad.  And we all knew when she died too.  They just kept on
trying until there was only me left.  Then they took me
somewhere else and I jumped out of the car when it stopped at
some traffic lights.  And I just started running.  I didn't
stop until somehow I teleported here."

   "Tomorrow People can't kill," Adam said quietly.  "Never.
Maybe these people did make you like this or maybe underneath
you were really all Tomorrow People anyway.  It doesn't
matter.  All that matters is that you're one of us now, and
we'll help you."

   "They'll be looking for me," Kay said, and now there really
was fear in her voice.  More than that; Megabyte thought
`terror' would be better, and even that might not be strong
enough.

   "We should tell my dad," he said.  "He'll be able to do
something.  He's a general...but he's one of the good guys,"
he finished quickly at Kay's immediate protest.

   She was shaking her head.  "I won't talk to any generals.
I don't want to talk to anyone except you."

   "General Damon really could help," Adam said.  "We might be
able to find out about this project and do something about it.
You know, make sure there isn't another one, that sort of
thing."

   "No," Kay insisted.

   "Okay," Megabyte agreed, knowing this was a battle that
wasn't going to be won overnight.  "No dad.  Just us TPs.  You
want to come stay with one of us?  Not me, if you don't want
to meet my dad."

   "Can I stay here?"

   "I don't see why not," Adam agreed.  My tent and sleeping
bag and stuff are still around somewhere.  You can use those.
We'll drop by again tomorrow with some food and introduce you
to the rest of us."

   :But...: Megabyte protested privately.

   :Can't you see she needs some space.  Come on.  We'll come
back tomorrow and keep trying until we can get her to talk to
your father.:

   "So we'll see you tomorrow," Adam finished out loud.  "Come
on, Megabyte."  Without waiting for an answer, he teleported.

   Megabyte waited a moment longer, then shrugged.  "Yeah, see
you later, Kay."

   He too disappeared and for the first time ever Kay was left
alone, with no-one watching and no-one listening.  It felt
good.


--end, part five

How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #21 The bad guys couldn't hit a large
brick wall at 30 paces with a flame-thrower.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (6/7)
Date: 19 Nov 1996 21:34:47 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Six


   The next morning was bright and sunny, making Kay wonder if
it ever rained here, or if this really was an island paradise.
She walked barefoot on the beach, revelling in the silence and
the solitude, falling in love with the breaking waves and
their quiet murmur all over again.

   She even found, totally by accident, that there was another
way into the buried spaceship.  When the portal opened
unexpectedly at her feet and she found herself sliding swiftly
downwards, she was momentarily terrified, but by the time she
tumbled onto the floor of the ship she was laughing.  If
sliding down banisters was anything like this she could see
why it was a well documented fictional pastime.

   Her new ability to teleport still have her a certain
feeling of security and she practised it until it was almost
second nature to pop in and out again, exploring most of the
island over the course of the morning.  She even dared going
further, visiting two places she had never dreamed she would
actually see.  She wasn't hugely impressed with the Sydney
Opera House, but the pyramids were something else again.

   She returned to find several bags of groceries and a brief
note from Adam.  Deciding to have a go at something new, she
tried calling him.

   :Adam?:

   :Hey, Kay.:  The reply sounded delighted.  :How are you?:

   :Good.  Thanks for the groceries.:

   :That's okay.  I thought you might like to be left alone
for a bit.:

   :I would,: she agreed.  :Thanks.:

   :No problem.:

   She explored the shopping bags, surprised to discover he
had taken the time to try to find things he thought she
wouldn't have seen before.  For some reason she like the
chocolate coconut biscuits best and she took the packet with
her when she went back to the beach.

   Megabyte arrived in time for dinner, bringing with him a
girl called Jade and Chinese takeaways.  They ate fried rice
and chicken and cashew nuts and Jade told silly stories that
made Megabyte blush until he threatened to tell Kay about her
and the postman, a threat which shut her up completely.

   The next day it was Adam who turned up at mealtime.  He
brought a younger boy named Kevin and hamburgers that spilled
salad into their paper wrappings.  Kevin told her the whole
story of his breaking out, including Megabyte's adventures and
his father's role in the successful conclusion.  But she still
said `no' when Adam asked her to talk to General Damon and he
didn't press her.

   Next time a total stranger turned up alone.  She was an
attractive black girl with an American accent who introduced
herself as Lisa.  She explained that Adam had been going to
come with her but he was late so she had come on alone.  They
ate home-made peanut brownies and managed fine without him
while Lisa told her side of the story Kevin had begun.  After
that she began telling awful jokes that seemed terribly funny
at the time.

   Jade returned the following day, bring the last Tomorrow
Person with her, another black girl, equally attractive and
this time with an English accent and called Ami.  To finish
Kay's introduction to junk food they brought with them a
newspaper wrapped mystery know as `fish and chips'.  As they
crumpled up the leftover paper, Ami promised Kay the chance of
a real home-cooked meal, saying her mother was eager to meet
her.

   "You told her about me?" Kay asked, not sure if she liked
the idea or not.

   "Only that there's a new Tomorrow Person," Ami assured her.
"Nothing else."

   "But you should talk to someone," Jade said.  "If no-one
knows about it, how can anyone do anything to stop it?"

   She didn't press the issue, immediately changing the
subject to something less serious, almost reducing Kay and Ami
to tears describing her dog Jessie's adventure with a
scarecrow at the village fair.

   After they had gone, Kay sat beside the window, looking out
into the water beyond, almost black now as the day slipped
away into night.  Jade had a point.  A very big, undeniable
point.  Didn't Kay have an obligation to the others, to make
sure this dirty secret was revealed.  To make it know that
they had lived; all of them, herself and the six who were
gone.  And if the project still existed, intending to try
again, or if there were other `Institutes' out there, she
wanted them stopped.  Forever and for always. She didn't want
to live all her newly won tomorrows constantly looking over
her shoulder.

   But it was still a frightening thing to do, to think about
telling.  She didn't know if she could manage it or not.


--end, part six

How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #22 The good guys could hit a sparrow
at 300 paces with a pea-shooter. In a high wind.  With a hangover.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

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

From: Kerry Blackwell <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tomorrow... (7/7)
Date: 21 Nov 1996 10:38:12 +1100

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Kerry Blackwell
Part Seven


   Waiting for Megabyte's father, Kay was so nervous it felt
like someone had been doing macrame with her insides.  About
the only up-side she could see to the whole situation was that
she had been saved from walking a gauntlet of inquisitive
eyes, avoiding any curious security guards or secretaries or
scientists.  Instead, she and Adam and Megabyte had teleported
directly into General Damon's office.

   Megabyte flopped into the chair behind the big desk,
swivelled it around about 45 degrees and put his feet up on
the polished wood, finding a clear spot among the piles of
paper by pushing the closest stack aside with one running
shoe-encased foot.  The notes slipped sideways and would have
cascaded artistically to the floor if Adam hadn't managed to
put out a hand to save them.  He restacked the pile and
replaced it, shaking his head at his friend.

   "Thanks."  Megabyte grinned at him.  "Dad wouldn't like it
if..."

   "If what?" a voice inquired from the doorway.

   Megabyte pulled his legs back so swiftly the chair rocked
with the force of their return to the ground.  "Hi, Dad," he
said cheerfully.  "Nothing for you to worry about."

   "I'm sure," his father agreed dryly.  He gestured with one
hand, his meaning clear, and Megabyte swiftly vacated the
chair.  General Damon reclaimed it, sat down and smiled at
Kay.  "So, you must be the latest addition to this motley
group of super-powered teenagers."

   "This is Kay," Adam told him.  "She's got some stuff she
needs to tell you."

   "So I gather," he agreed.  "Hello, Kay.  The story I got
from Megabyte was rather incoherent, but it sounded serious."

   Her mouth desert-dry, Kay just nodded, suddenly unable to
speak.  The urge to run away was so strong that when she
licked her dry lips she could almost taste it.  It would be so
easy.  All she had to do was wish it and she would be gone.

   General Damon gave her an encouraging smile, and to her
surprise, she realised it was a genuine one.  He looked a
little like his son, with a bit less hair and a lot less
freckles.  He looked trustworthy.  Even better, he _felt_
trustworthy, with none of the slimy fanaticism and self-
interest of the other generals she had known.

   :It's okay,: said Megabyte's voice in her head.  :Tell
him.:

   Kay suddenly smiled, something she had done more in the
last week than in all her life before that.  She didn't just
have tomorrow, she realised.  She had lots of them.  Tomorrow
and tomorrow and tomorrow...on and on and on.  All hers.  She
did more than just smile, she grinned. She looked up,
fearlessly meeting General Damon's eye, and started talking.


--end, part seven

How to Conquer the Universe: Tip #98 Never discuss your plans in
detail, even in an empty room.  There's bound to be someone hiding
behind the sofa.
                                                    Kerry Blackwell
                                         [e-mail]
   Whole List: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwchem/blackw/universe.html

...when all else fails, duck.
   It's not practical, but it can                   Kerry Blackwell
   be momentarily comforting.            [e-mail]

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

From: Judi and Mandi Ohlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: "Trading Secrets" (1/4)
Date: 28 Nov 1996 22:59:45 -0800

Happy Thanksgiving!

For this holiday weekend, I'm serving leftovers, or in this case, an old
TP crossover fanfic which I wrote back in August and posted on another
archive (didn't know about TPFICT then). Not much really happens in the
way of suspense; this is in parts because it's too long to send all at
once. Thanks to some recent good feedback I got on this (thanks, Selma, I
needed that) I got the courage to post it to TPFICT.

This story is a crossover with Gargoyles, and was originally posted on
the Gargoyles fanfic archive--which is why the TPs get more background
info than the Gargs. I decided not to screw around with the original fic,
so if you have no idea what's going on, e-mail me back and I'll try to
clue you in.

"Trading Secrets" takes place a few months after the TP pilot
serial, and begins the afternoon after the Gargoyles episode
"Future Tense." All Gargoyles characters are copyright Buena
Vista Television. All Tomorrow People characters are creations of
Roger Damon Price. (New series, that is.)Anyone in here not
accounted for is the product of my own warped imagination. Enjoy.


Trading Secrets
by Amanda Ohlin ([e-mail])

part one

     Rowing the boat seemed to have become harder and harder in the
past few hours.
     Perhaps that had to do with the fact that the sun was shining
bright and hot--hotter than the last few stops they'd made--or with
the fact that night had not fallen and that Elisa Maza was left to
ferry the boat herself.
     And stone gargoyles were even heavier than real ones.
     She looked back briefly to where Goliath slept frozen in
stone. He seemed more peaceful now, not as worried or angry as he'd
been the night before when he'd passed out for a moment. All that
Elisa and Angela had been able to pry from him was that Puck had
attempted to get the Phoenix Gate from him by means of a ruse. What
sort of ruse, he wouldn't say. But he had been even more determined
to get back to Manhattan.
     Wiping the sweat off her brow, she smiled wanly at the statue
behind her. "Sorry, guys, but it's too hot here to be New York,"
she murmured.
     The water was also clearer than she was used to. The last time
she'd seen ocean water that looked like this was when she'd been to
California with her family ten years before. If this was the
Pacific Ocean--almost as far as they could get from home--Elisa
was going to hit something. She was getting tired of this damned
boat.
     Squinting through the sweat, Elisa thought she saw a hazy
shape on the horizon. She wiped her eyes clear again and shaded
them from the light. Sure enough, there was an island up ahead--
although it would take quite a bit of rowing to get to it.
     With a sigh, she kicked her jacket out of the way and started
rowing, harder than before.


     A few hours before this, David Xanatos was frowning at one of
the many data screens ranged across his office. It hadn't been a
very pleasant day, and it didn't look like it was going to get any
better.
     Not that anything terrible had happened or was about to; the
day had just amounted to a string of irritations. First, Owen was
unusually late when they began work that morning. Something was
agitating him, but he wouldn't say what. Xanatos had the distinct
impression that whatever was going on, it had to do with Alexander
somehow.
     Alexander. His thoughts turned to Fox, who was not coping well
at all lately. Her pregnancy was coming close to crunch time, and
as she'd told him, she was really feeling the crunch. She'd been
irritable, tired, frequently sick, and looked worse than at any
other time in the past nine months. Xanatos, for once in his life,
didn't quite know what to do about that.
     Oh, well, he thought. After she finally gives birth, she'll
be back to normal. Then he re-thought. Well, maybe not normal, he
reasoned, but she'll probably be pretty relieved to have it over
with. They both would.
     And he would be able to hold his son.
     Abruptly, his thoughts slid back to current troubles and he
sighed in exasperation. After all the failed projects he'd had
around the world--those that Elisa and Goliath had screwed up--
he'd lost a lot of money, and security and defense forces had been
greatly depleted. Of course, this had to occur right before a rather
large PR stunt he'd been planning for a while.
     An annual east coast writers' convention that had gained in
prestige over the decades had agreed to hold this year's con at
the Eyrie, with Xanatos Enterprises sponsoring. After all the media
rumors, etc. that had been circulating around him for a while, he
needed something good and clean for his image. He'd beat out a
number of interested corporations, including Nightstone Unlimited,
to get this deal. If it all worked out, he would be in prime
position to snag a deal with one of the biggest publishing firms
in the country.
     However, this provided any enemy the perfect opportunity to
strike. Nightstone, for one. Demona would jump at such a chance,
especially with his defenses down and a deal riding on this.
     He picked up the file he'd ordered on a security company in
London, formerly government-based, that had a rather impressive
track record. It usually took government or scientific jobs, but
with the right amount of money he could win them over.
     It wouldn't be too easy. The company was run by a Gen. Damon,
who was said to be very selective with clients. And he wouldn't be
too happy with having to secure a writer's con and a series of
meetings, but that was life.
     Besides, it seemed the best option he had at the moment. Since
he was lacking in sufficient time to build up security to a decent
level, this quickie solution would have to do.
     He reached for the intercom to get Owen. Idly, he realized
that he hadn't seen the man all day. Where was he?


     For once, the flight landed on time, which surprised one of
the passengers sitting in the first-class section, looking out at
the runway of Kennedy International Airport. Every time he'd been
on a flight which either went to or stopped in New York, it was
always delayed. This was a first. Maybe his luck was about to
change.
     Gen. William Damon looked at his reflection in the window and
smoothed his thinning brown hair back with a hand. After this job
was said and done, he was going to take a short vacation. Of
course, he could picture his kids fighting, his wife complaining
about the heat, etc. but it would be less stressful than the
madness of recent months.
     His thoughts turned to his son. What was he going to do with
Marm--no, he wanted to be called Megabyte, which was an idiotic
nickname--now? Adam, the Australian kid, seemed responsible enough
to keep him in line, but it still worried Damon.
     Three months ago, Damon's office had been called in to work
with the Scientific Bureau of Investigation to look into the case
of kids vanishing--teleporting--from certain places. Their main
goal was only to stop the kids and study them, ask them questions,
find out what was going on.
     Then one of his aides had turned mercenary and tried to kidnap
the kids to exploit their abilities for the highest bidder. Col.
Masters had even gone so far as to threaten the life of an innocent
woman to get them to cooperate.
     He probably wouldn't have known a thing about it if not for
his son, who helped out one of the gifted kids. Megabyte had been
mistaken for one of the "teleporters" by Dr. Galt, a scientist
working for Damon, and when Galt and another agent--his own people!
broke into his house to go after Megabyte, the kid had turned out
to be one after all.
     Fortunately, they were able to stop Masters, but the fact
remained that their lives had been changed dramatically. Megabyte
was always popping off to visit his friends all over the world,
sometimes forgetting to tell his father where he was going. Damon
remembered when Megabyte vanished for three days for a fishing trip
with Adam. It was Megabyte's idea, of course--it always was.
     At least he knew now that his son was in good hands. He and
his friends were camped out by this strange ship that had first
called them when they'd teleported. Adam had promised to keep an
eye on his friend.
     Damon hoped he could.
     He picked up his briefcase and stood as the other passengers
began filing out of the plane into the terminal. _This trip had
better be worth it,_ he thought. He really did not enjoy working
for private corporations, which he'd never trusted, but the money
was good and the cause was harmless. A writers' convention
shouldn't breed too much trouble.
     But Xanatos Corporation had a reputation for strange doings.
David Xanatos had been tied in with two citywide blackouts in which
no one remembered anything, as well as several gargoyle sightings
which had begun after he'd had a tenth-century Scottish castle
attached to his office building. Some dismissed that behavior as
eccentric, but Damon wasn't so sure.
     With a shrug, he entered the terminal and started looking
around for the driver he knew would be there with the little white
cardboard sign in his hands. Damon wondered, idly, how that
tradition was started. As his eyes scanned the waiting people, he
spotted five limo drivers, an unshaven taxi driver, two grinning
teenagers, a rather bored businesswoman--
     Gen. Damon almost jumped out of his skin as his gaze zipped
back to the two teenagers. Megabyte was chewing gum and grinning,
and Adam was giving Damon his now patented Don't-Look-At-Me-You-
Know-Him-Too-Well-To-Blame-Me-For-This-One look.
     "Hey, Dad! Miss us?" Megabyte said cheerfully.
     Damon groaned. "Why me?"


to be continued.....