-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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I can't believe this has slipped down to near the bottom of PAGE TWO!
Chuck, get on with this already okay?
go on.... go on.... go on... (have you ever seen the Father Ted Series? I'll do a mean Mrs Doyle impersonation if you don't get cracking here...)
From: home sweet home... unless i'm posting from work | Registered: Jul 2003
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-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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Outside Science Lab 7, Imra (Saturn Girl) Ardeen watched as her hastily assembled team completed the preparations necessary to drain the excess temporal energy from the compartment. According to Lyle (Invisible Kid) Norg and Gear that action should allow them to rescue their trapped teammates from the endlessly repeating time loop inside the compartment.
At the same time several other Legionnaires were attempting to track the status of Shakiri and Gates who had been sent to rescue a pair of Science Police Officers and two Starhavenites who had been captured by the fleet that attacked six returning explorer ships just outside Neptune’s orbit. That fleet had been driven back into the lower levels of Hyper-Space by the U.P. Naval Fleet and the Legion. But the attacking force had decimated the returning explorer ships, destroying five of the six vessels and killing all but three of the returning crewmembers.
Two of the three survivors were Senior Officers of the fleet which had departed the Neptune Colonies in the later half of the 28th century. Captain Tamara Frakes the Fleet’s Commander and Lt. Cmdr. Dean Karr the senior Communications Officer were the only survivors of that ill fated mission. With them was a strange ‘Crystalline Man’. It was Brainiac 5’s attempt to examine and communicate with that strange being that led to the current situation.
The two survivors of the last explorer ship were now being cared for on Legion World and the Legion, along with the Science Police and U.P. Naval Intelligence Corps personnel were desperately searching for clues as to who sent the attacking fleet and why. So far the only answers were locked in the mind of Brainiac 5 who along with Kid Quantum, M’onel, Ultra Boy, and two of Triad’s three bodies, was trapped in a temporal loop inside the science lab.
“Saturn Girl, the rescue team has achieved its objective, all four, I repeat all four, of the missing personnel have been recovered. Triad was correct in her assumption that the third crystal shard was a connection to a second crystalline being. Hard copy of that data is being transmitted to Gear. Rescue party ETA two galactic standard hours from the mark. Stand-by, 3… 2… 1… Mark!”
Sensor’s voice erupting from the com-link provided a welcome interruption and a confirmation that at least part of the information that Saturn Girl gleaned from the ‘crystalline man’s’ mind was accurate. As part of the initial investigation she had telepathically scanned the alien, learning several facts that it had not revealed to Brainiac 5’s questioning.
She knew that it came to the Sol System looking for a weapon to use in it’s battle against the ‘Council of Five Races’ and that it considered her people, the Titanian’s, to be that weapon, because of their telepathic abilities. She also learned that the young Science Police Officer, Ron Karr was an important part of its plan. But she still didn’t understand why Ron Karr was so important or how the strange being inside Science Lab 7 even knew the young man existed.
There were “Wheels within wheels” as Gear would phrase it and some of them didn’t seem to fit the known facts. There were still too many unknowns in this situation and she needed some of those questions answered before she gave the order for Lyle and Gear to release the temporal loop inside Science Lab 7.
“Technically, Lu should make this decision,” she thought, “as the Legion’s “Situations Executive” it’s her responsibility to coordinate the actions taken in response to situations like this.” But, Imra could feel Triad Neutral’s doubt and uncertainty through the telepathic link. She wondered if the effort needed to maintain that link was really necessary, it was a courtesy to Lu, to help her overcome the emotional distress caused by her sudden separation from her other ‘selves’ who were trapped inside the temporal field. Lu had almost become a basket case a short time ago; could she count on her now? “And for that matter,” she thought, “what about the enigmatic Captain Frake?” The woman had only recently been released from the emotional control of the ‘crystalline man’. “Is she in full control of herself now?”
Captain Frake stood staring at the scene replaying itself endlessly inside the science lab. The revelation that the alien being standing on the dais inside the science lab had implanted crystal control devices in her skull and apparently used them to affect her decisions as Fleet Commander, had hit her hard. Imra considered continuing her attempts to question her about the aliens’ intentions and actions, but so far the woman had so far been unable to tell her anything she didn’t already know.
For a moment she stood considering her options, in light of the information she had received from the portions of Brainiac 5’s mind that were not affected by the temporal field. As she ran through the possibilities in her head, she noticed that Lyle and Gear seemed to be finished setting up the apparatus necessary to disrupt the temporal field. She turned away from Triad Neutral and Captain Frake and started toward Lyle when Luornu’s horrified Gasp brought her up short.
“They’re fading away… We’re losing them…”
A quick glance confirmed Luornu’s statement. The interior of Science Lab 7 was becoming translucent…
-------------------- Just an Old, Broke-Down, Drunk, Bum!!
With a Power Ring...
From: Westerly Rhode Island | Registered: Aug 2003
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-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
“Something is interfering with the Temporal Dampers,” Lyle stared at the small control panel, working furiously as he spoke. “Science Lab 7 is now 50 milliseconds out of phase with the rest of Legion World. I’ve stopped the phase shift but I can’t realign it.”
Imra didn’t understand the burst of technical jargon that followed Lyle’s initial statement but the quiet and calm tone of his voice, chilled her as she stared into and through the science lab. On the far side she could see stared winking through the translucent wall. It took a second for her to tear her eyes away from that scene and turn her attention to Lyle and Gear. The two were huddled over the control panel deep in a discussion of the available options. She briefly considered joining them until the esoteric terms they were throwing around caught her attention and she realized that she would be completely out of her depth. She, like most legionnaires, was classified as a “Type A” personality. She was most comfortable with direct action, meeting whatever challenge lay in front of her directly and beating it down. But she also knew, through bitter experience, that sometimes other more subtle methods were necessary.
“Imra, we’re losing atmosphere slowly in your section,” Sensor’s voice sounded through her com unit’s command channel, “I recommend evacuating all non-essential personnel, so that I can seal off the area.”
A quick glance told her that that last bit of information had brought Lyle and gear’s conversation to an end. Good, she needed their input to make her decision. Not that there was much of a choice, the area had to be sealed off. If their efforts to resynchronize the time flow of the science lab with the rest of Legion World failed, the results would be disastrous. She looked over to them and gestured toward the lab. “Is it stabilized?” she asked, “How long do we have and who do you need here?”
Before joining the Legion, Lyle Norg spent several years working as an EarthGov “Operative.” In times of extreme stress, the lessons he learned during those years became evident. First and foremost was the ability to shut down his emotions and think solely in facts. During times of stress, emotions clouded judgment and delayed reactions. He couldn’t let his feelings interfere with what he needed to do. that was far to do easier when he worked for EarthGov, before he joined the legion and discovered that he was not unique, that he could make friends, that some emotional ties were stronger than his training. Imra’s question rang hollowly in his ears for a moment as he struggled to reassert his control. Inside that lab were his friends, people he had fought beside and laughed with, people who were comfortable with him being himself and one person with whom, despite their constant bickering, he had forged the strongest emotional bonds he had ever experienced. He didn’t quite understand their relationship but he’d be dammed if he was going to lose him before he learned…
“Which won’t happen if you don’t get yourself under control!”
Imra’s thought was ice cold and diamond hard. It shocked him out of his reverie and pushed him towards refocusing on the task at hand. But his newfound emotional attachment still fought back.
“Just because you don’t…” he started to think savagely back at her. He never got the chance to finish the thought. Somehow, she ripped through every barrier in his mind and seized the very core of his being. “Inside that room are people we all love and respect,” her telepathic voice spoke directly to that core, “you need to take control of yourself and focus, Lyle, or they may die. You can hate me after this is over if you choose to but I won’t allow that to happen.”
Suddenly, his training took over. The mental wall that allowed him to consider any situation dispassionately sprang back into place. The emotions were still there but they were behind that barrier. He could still hear small part of himself screaming in despair, “Don’t let him die, please don’t let him die,” but he was now able to shut it out. He turned back to the control panel and scanned the indications. “Thank You, Saturn Girl,” his voice was calm again, “The temporal field inside the lab is stable, for now. But, I don’t know how long we will be able to keep it that way. Perhaps you should get everyone but you, me and Gear out of this section.”
“No, I’m staying,” Triad’s voice was shaky but determined. “If they die, I do too.” She straightened herself as she spoke, “and I’ll be dammed if I’m going down hiding from whatever is happening.” She moved in between Lyle and Imra. “Imra, tell Sensor to seal us in. And I want everyone to activate their trans-suits just in case. Gear, get a trans-suit for the captain.” She turned and looked directly into Imra’s eyes as she spoke, “and you keep bolstering us, Imra, but remember who is in charge.”
For a second, Imra almost smiled.
Triad turned away and looked directly at Lyle, “What’s the reason we can’t realign the temporal fields?”
“Something that I don’t understand is actively fighting us. This is more in Querl’s field of expertise than mine but…” Lyle replied, “maybe…”
“I don’t want maybes, Lyle; I want to know what we can do.”
“Like I said, this is all theoretical, and that’s Brainy’s area. I think we can…”
“Hold that thought. Imra can you reestablish contact with Brainy under these conditions?”
“A fifty millisecond lag… I should be able to handle that, but I don’t know if there is enough of his intellect free of the temporal loop to help.”
“What if you link him directly to Gear?”
“Gear? Why Gear? I’m…” The calm detachment of Lyle’s voice shattered as he blurted out the question.
“It’s going to be hard enough for Imra to bridge the temporal gap. She doesn’t need the additional strain of keeping you focused. Think it through Lyle, which way gives us the best chance?”
Without waiting to hear Lyle’s answer, Imra turned to the lab and began to concentrate…
-------------------- Just an Old, Broke-Down, Drunk, Bum!!
With a Power Ring...
From: Westerly Rhode Island | Registered: Aug 2003
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-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
She stood before the same door, but it was somehow different, it seemed smaller and thicker than she remembered. Again he was waiting for her inside. His smile reassured her as the mental panorama became sharply focused and resolved into the familiar setting. She stood in the center of a room that strongly resembled the command center of legion world. Around her were a dozen Brainiac 5’s, all but one of whom were seated at separate work stations.
“Hello Imra,” the standing version of him said in a distracted voice, “I’m sorry but I’m not used to dealing with directly with other people. I usually work in the background and let Querl handle interpersonal relationships.”
[A strong sense of Déjà vu overcame her.] “Aren’t you all Querl?”
“Yes and no, we are all parts of Querl but only the primary track is Querl.”
[He didn’t seem to notice what was happening. This was almost an exact replay of her last contact with him.] “I don’t understand.” [She struggled to change the pattern, there had to be a way.]
“Think of Querl as the chairman of a committee, with twelve different specialists as the members of the committee. We debate in the background and he presents the results of the debate to the public.” A rueful smile appeared on his face. “Unfortunately, he cannot be with us at present, so I must fill a most unfamiliar role.”
“Are you saying that the Querl we normally deal with is gone?” [There, in the background, one of the tracks was franticly signaling to her, she tried to tear herself away from the track she was speaking with but could not. Her thoughts seemed locked in the loop.]
“Temporarily, he is a composite of whichever tracks are necessary for effectively dealing with the priority issue, that is whatever issue needs to be effectively conveyed to the world outside. It takes three of us to form Querl and one of the three must be the primary interpersonal track. That track is currently caught in the temporal loop.”
“Which track are you?” [The track at the rear was signaling another doorway, one that hadn’t been there on her last visit.]
“Interpersonal Emotions,” His smile faded slightly as his gaze wandered around the room. “And this conflict must be resolved quickly. The internalized force field that allows seven of us to withstand the effects of the temporal loop is weakening. Here is what you must do…”
“Interpersonal Emotions? I don’t understand.” The thought slipped out before she could stop it. On her previous visit she had spoken to a track that called itself “Conflict Resolution.” Everything that happened during that previous visit [with the exception of the second track trying franticly to gain her attention and the second door’s appearance] was replaying up to the point of the track naming itself. Suddenly, she could feel a new presence…
She turned slowly to face the first door. And suddenly she was somewhere else. The room was larger and resembled a Coluan nursery. Off in one corner stood two adult Coluans, a male and a female, a cold shiver ran up her spine as she realized just who the female had to be. Before she could do anything the scene shifted again.
She was in Science Lab 7.
“This time you must follow my instructions.”
He stood staring at the crystalline man. He neither moved nor spoke. But, somehow she sensed the connection. It was in a deeper level far below the normal telepathic bands, more emotional than intellectual. She was frozen in place on the exact spot where she had stopped when she first rushed into the lab and realized what had happened.
“Which one are you?”
“Conflict Resolution,”
The feeling of Déjà Vu returned. Suddenly she was back in the control center. Her knees buckled and she could feel her body begin to sag. “This isn’t right,” she desperately fought for control. A small part of her found a quiet place in his mind, she reached for it and seemed to feel a small hand grasping her wrist and pulling her.
He was nine or ten years old. Quietly he regarded her out of somber eyes. She was back in the nursery. This time the adult Coluans were missing.
“He cannot reach us here. He’s desperately trying to break down the last barrier, but it’s holding.” He fingered his force field belt.
“Do you know how to stop this?”
“Yes,” He looked at her curiously, “You look so much like her.”
“No, I’m nothing like her,” She stared directly into his eyes. “Will you help us?”
“Of Course…”
She reached out and took his hand, then extended her thoughts across the temporal barrier.
“001001 001010 0101 01 1010”
The data stream that was Gear’s consciousness hit her and forced her back against the temporal barrier. Her mind was still linked to the last remaining free track of Querl’s mind. The differences between the two minds threatened to shred her sanity. On one side of her mind was a mind of childlike innocence trained to think in a logical fashion, on the other a being capable only of pure digital logic. And she had to become the interface, the assembler program that bridged the gap between the two. She slumped back against the barrier franticly searching for a common ground between the two intellects.
“This would be easy if Interpersonal were free.” The quiet statement broke her concentration. She looked down at young Querl, he was smiling as he slowly dipped one hand into the rushing data stream. “I can do this, he’s not an android or a robot, he’s alive!” The statement came out as a revelation. And she started as she realized that it was. Gear was a living being! A small part of her chided the rest as she luxuriated in that revelation, “Get control!” A hammer seemed to strike her between the eyes.
She staggered backwards a few steps, but two hands, one large, one small caught her and steadied her. Gear and Brainiac 5 both smiled as they helped her.
Then the two of them merged…
-------------------- Just an Old, Broke-Down, Drunk, Bum!!
With a Power Ring...
From: Westerly Rhode Island | Registered: Aug 2003
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Nice to see you are using Gear, the forgotten Legionnaire Chuck. The free Brainy hiding in a memory is well done too.
more more more
-------------------- "Tempus Fugitive" the final part of the Adventures of Dream Boy series, set in the Three-Boot Universe. Read it only in the Bits o' Legionnaire Business Forum.
From: here, more often than not | Registered: Sep 2003
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