|
|
"Green light, Kid!" the handsome pirate announced.
"Told ya they were innocent." Jeffrey Jones glanced toward the jail.
The Sheriff was quickly restoring order and dispersing the angry mob who had almost lynched his prisoners.
"Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry were never hanged." A deputy rushed past, interrupting Jeffrey who then tugged on Bogg's sleeve and dragged him over to hear what news the agitated man had for his boss.
"We checked it - twice," he stated emphatically, waving the telegram in the air for everyone to see.
"Like I said," Jeffrey continued cockily, "Hayes and Curry were never hanged because they went straight and received a pardon from the governor of Wyoming."
His statement was confirmed by the Sheriff only a moment later.
"Great, Kid." Phineas Bogg led the boy down the street aways where their sudden disappearance would go unnoticed. "How 'bout that vacation we've been promisin' ourselves?" he began, his eyes taking on a far away glaze. "South Pacific... Island girls... Warm beaches..." He sighed.
Jeffrey shook his head. "How 'bout Yankee Stadium... 'Murderers' Row'... and Babe Ruth! You said we'd go back one day, Bogg. Seems like a perfect time," Jeffrey suggested, making a quick grab for the Omni.
Bogg dodged the young boy's reach, but tripped over a loose plank on the sidewalk, accidentally triggering the Omni's mechanism. Jeffrey barely had time to grab his friend's vest as the colors swirled around them.
They landed hard.
Bogg sat up, inhaling sharply from the impact. "That was some trip, huh, Kid?" He grabbed the railing behind him with one hand to help himself stand, dragging the boy easily to his feet with the other.
"Hmph," Jeffrey groaned, glancing around in confusion.
Bogg took a deep breath, smiling foolishly. "Guess a sea voyage'll have to do," he exclaimed. "C'mon, let's get our bearings." He turned the corner with Jeffrey trailing behind him and nearly fell over a man sprawled across the deck. "Hey, let me help ya up," Bogg offered. "Haven't got your sea legs yet," he sagely deduced as he hauled the green-sweatered man to a nearby lounge chair.
"Uh, thanks," the man mumbled, holding his hand to his head. "..fine, thanks, uh, Mr., uh..."
"Name's Bogg. Try to be a little more careful," the pirate advised, putting his arm around Jeffrey's shoulder and leading him around a support column. He stopped suddenly at the sight of a life preserver hanging in front of them. "Not again! We fixed this already," Bogg complained, digging into his vest for the Omni. "Red light, Kid." He sighed.
"Titanic?!" Jeffrey gasped. "Oh Boy!"
Dr. Anthony Newman landed hard -- a lot harder than normal. The time-traveling Electro Physicist and his friend, Doug Phillips, had been lost for so long, Tony thought he'd gotten used to the Time Tunnel spitting them out in every possible manner.
He was startled as some guy with a young boy in tow came along and helped him into a lounge chair, offering advice about sea legs and then almost immediately disappeared around a support column. Tony barely had the breath to thank the man. He wondered if Doug were affected similarly.
Tony shook his head to get the cobwebs out, glancing around the -- deck. He was on a ship. A very familiar ship. His heart welled up into his throat as he frantically scanned the area, finally locating the life preserver he knew would be there. "Titanic!" he read aloud. "Not again!"
He leaped to his feet. "Doug," he called, glancing around for his friend, but stopped as it brought unwanted attention from the few passengers strolling by. A thorough search did not turn up his fellow time traveler. He needed to go somewhere to think this through. The one thing he was sure of -- this time he would avoid incarceration as a stowaway.
Bogg led Jeffrey down a flight of stairs and into a storage room. "Jeff, this isn't fair," he stated annoyed. "We can't stop the ship from going down, that wouldn't fix anything, it would change history. We can't do that..."
Jeffrey stared at the man open-mouthed.
"We fixed this once," he continued, still not making sense as far as the boy was concerned.
"Uh..." Jeffrey began. "Uh.... Boogggg...?" The name came out as more of a question but the man didn't notice.
"Yeah, Kid?" the man asked distractedly.
Relieved he'd gotten the name right, the boy continued. "Uh, I gotta go."
"What, Jeff?" Bogg turned his full attention to his young companion.
"You know, I gotta go." The boy shrugged his shoulders apologetically.
"Oh..." he started.
"I'll meet you back here." Seeing his chance to get away, Jeffrey bolted out the door and down the hallway. "Won't be long," he promised.
Bogg started to call him back, but stopped. Jeff could take care of himself, he'd proved that more than once. He just hoped the boy would hurry. Without the Guide Book Jeffrey's mangy mutt had eaten, he was really lost and needed his young friend's help.
The boy ducked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Turning toward the mirror he scrunched his face. "Oh Boy!" Dr. Samuel Beckett, time-traveling Quantum Physicist, exclaimed again, rubbing his cheek with his palm. A 10-year-old kid with a wild, curly mass of bushy, black hair stared back at him in the mirror.
He glanced around the small room. "Al!" he whispered hoarsely. "Al... Where are you?"
An image sputtered beside him, feet planted firmly in the toilet bowl. "S--." The image blinked out before it was completely formed.
"Al," Sam called, concerned.
The hologram appeared again. Though not stable, it seemed a little sturdier. "Wow, Sam, never thought I was gonna make it. Ew!" Admiral Albert Calavicci cried disgustedly as he studied his surroundings. "Can't you find a place where we got a little more room?" He tried to move away from the toilet but the tiny space wouldn't accommodate him.
"Forget that for now." Sam waved to get his friend's attention. "Al, I'm on the Titanic! You know, the ship that sank!"
"Hey, whadyaknow!" Al punched at his hand control, flickering just a bit as he did so, then grinned up at Sam. "The kid knew what he was talkin' about. We thought he'd lost his marbles."
"But that's not possible. I can only travel in my lifetime and the only time there was an exception, I picked an ancestor to leap into," he argued. "I didn't have any relations on the Titanic. I'm sure of that!" He looked at his reflection again. "And if I did, it certainly wouldn't be this boy."
"Well, we're still workin' on that one," Al explained. "There was some kinda major, major," words failed him in trying to describe the magnitude. He just shook his head and continued, " -- major power surge. Ziggy thinks it may have scrambled not only circuits but timelines and other things. A power failure hit the entire Western United States -- and a few other areas -- at the exact instant you leaped." Al shrugged. "A lot of our systems are still out... and it's wreakin' havoc with the holographic projector. I can only pretty much tell you what we don't know right now."
Sam leaned on the sink tiredly. "Okay, so who am I?"
"Oh, well, um," the hologram began. "We're not quite sure." Al waved his handlink around. "The kid says his name's Jeffrey and he keeps repeating he's a 'Voyager' and he answers only to the 'Voyager Council.'" Al rolled his eyes. "Smart kids give me a pain," he complained. "The boy's talking about history like he was there and he keeps wantin' ta know where his 'bogg' and 'omni' are." Al slammed a hand against the device he held. "Ziggy places the kid's IQ at really high, but we still can't place him. We're... uh... beginnin' to think he doesn't make it off the ship alive." Al almost choked on the last words.
"Bogg is his friend," Sam stated absently. He closed his eyes to concentrate on his few minutes in this timeline. "Al..." he began. "It's not possible..." Sam glanced into his friend's face. "Al, this Bogg guy knows the Titanic's going to sink."
Al frowned, his features shimmying a bit. "That's not possible," he echoed Sam's words.
"But its true," Sam explained. "He's confused about what he's supposed to do..."
"Join the club." Al chuckled softly.
Ignoring him, Sam continued. "...but he said they couldn't stop the sinking, that would change history, not..." Sam strained for the exact words, "fix it." The scientist stopped, mouth open. "They're time travelers! But who sends a 10-year-old boy out to 'fix' history?" Sam asked, his mind racing with the possibilities. "And the guy he's traveling with, he seems to be... dressed like a pirate. This doesn't make any sense at all."
Al thought for a moment. "Maybe we can get somethin' more outta the runt knowing this," he said. "Ziggy's workin' on what caused the problem."
A knock interrupted them. "Hey, Kid," the voice came through the door. "Ya comin' out any time soon?"
"Uh, yeah. Gimme a minute," he called aloud. "Al," he whispered. "I need more information."
"You pump this guy. See ya later." Al winked out.
Sam straightened his clothes and ran a hand through his unruly mop of hair. "Sorry... Bogg," he said, opening the door.
"I was gettin' worried 'bout you," the pirate explained. "That was a kinda rough trip we had here. Thought you might be sick or somethin'."
"Uh, I'm okay," Sam assured.
"Good. Here." Bogg handed him a pile of clothes. "Found the laundry room. You'd better change. They're a little big, but we hafta blend in if we're gonna find out why we're here again."
"Right." Sam took the offered pants, shirt and hat, noting Bogg had already changed. He closed the door quickly and pulled on the clothes, then he left the little room.
Sam stopped at the sight of his new traveling companion leaning jauntily against the wall. A beautiful, young woman laughed daintily at some quip the man had made. "Oh Boy!" Sam exclaimed, shaking his head, this was going to be a long leap.
The Time Tunnel seemed to explode as Doug Phillips and Tony Newman had begun their shift from one decade to another. After ducking expertly away from the sparks, Dr. Ann MacGregor grabbed the handy extinguisher and began work on the nearest fire.
Ann sighed. This was getting to be more and more of a normal occurrence. The Tunnel had never been designed to continue operation unceasingly for so many years -- and it tended to ignite at the slightest provocation. She jumped as something gave in the nearby antiquated computer banks with a loud pop.
"I've got this one," Sgt. Jiggs yelled from across the room.
"One day...," she mumbled under her breath and returned her attention to her console.
Dr. Raymond Swain nodded sadly at her, wielding his own fire extinguisher. "We have got to update these dinosaurs if we're ever going to get them back."
This was an old argument. Should they close the Tunnel down to upgrade and risk losing Tony and Doug? (And risk the Senate Committee who governed them not allowing it to re-open...) Or did they continue on as they had, with their lifeline to their friends intact, but not being able to do much more than follow them, never able to quite manage the magic necessary to bring them home.
General Heywood Kirk stormed into the room, wielding his extinguisher just in case. The General was way past retirement and, except for the worry lines that had deepened around his eyes, seemed not much older than the day Tony had recklessly entered the Tunnel so many years ago. Ann had a theory that being near the Tunnel day after day slowed their aging, but she had never mentioned it to anyone, and no one had ever brought it up. Maybe they were all afraid it would detract from saving Tony and Doug if anyone else thought they'd found a Fountain of Youth.
Realizing his staff had everything under control, General Kirk placed his canister back in its place and continued into the room. "Do we know what happened?" he bellowed above the orderly chaos.
Ray righted Ann's chair before sitting down in his own. Waving away the smoke, he manipulated his dials. "Looks like a power surge, General," he answered.
Ann took her seat to check the readings. "But not from the Tunnel," she began, glancing over her shoulder at the hovering General. "It almost looks like our power was intercepted and re-directed at the exact instant of transfer, the feedback caused a time disruption... and probably one pretty big power failure," she advised. "General, I suggest you call the local authorities. See if anything unusual has happened... and where."
"Ann," Ray interrupted, panic edging his normally calm voice. "We have to get the Tunnel back up. We've got Doug still showing in transit, but Tony's not registering anywhere."
Ann's heart sank as she worked the buttons on her panel. "It has to be a glitch. He's got to be there," she stated emphatically.
General Kirk placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll find him," he assured her. "I'll see what else I can discover."
Ann nodded absently without realizing the General had left the Tunnel room. She stood to check the switches at another station, barely leaping back to safety as it sparked into fire. Sgt. Jiggs appeared at her side to battle this blaze almost before it had started. Ann sighed again.
Tony paced the length of the small storage room. He'd found the laundry and liberated something that made him stand out a little less, but now he had to remember when and where Doug would show up.
At first he'd been concerned they were trapped in a time loop, destined to repeat what had been before, but so far he'd done nothing the same except land hard on the deck. He hadn't crossed paths with Althea Hall or Captain Smith and that gave him hope.
He'd also worried about encountering himself, already present on the Titanic -- worried about matter occupying the same place -- worried about time paradoxes -- but that didn't seem about to happen either.
When he'd first joined the team working on the Time Tunnel, he'd been an enthusiastic, idealistic -- and rash -- young man. He'd never considered the consequences. Now he needed to find Doug before his friend tried to convince anyone the ship was going to sink. In their years of traveling, Tony had come to believe changing history, though tempting beyond belief, would be a crime against the future. Doug had never agreed.
Tony smiled to himself. Doug was due any minute and he now remembered where. The physicist reached for the door, but stopped as someone opened it from outside.
"...But I was just saying hello, Jeff," a man argued. "No crime in that. If we can't have our vacation, can't we at least..." The man pulled up short of crashing into Tony. "Bat's breath! Oh," Bogg exclaimed, extending his hand in greeting. "Feelin' better?"
Tony clasped the offered hand, relieved the purser hadn't caught him somewhere he shouldn't be. "Yes, I am," he answered. "Thanks for asking." He stood for just a moment, unsure of what to do. "Sorry, I have to run. I have to meet someone." He brushed past Bogg and hurried down the corridor.
"That's one odd duck." Bogg watched the man disappear around a corner. "Where were we? Oh, yeah -- you lecturing me about my job." He grinned at the boy.
Sam could tell this must be an old argument. All he'd done was roll his eyes at the sight of Bogg flirting, reminded immediately of Al, and the man had started his own lecture -- one he'd kept up all the way to the storage room.
"Wonder what that guy was doin' in here?" Bogg asked, glancing around what should have been their secret meeting place.
"I have no idea." Sam took the opportunity to really study his companion. Bogg seemed much too comfortable with his body to be in somebody else's. And he couldn't see that it would be practical to have two people leaping around. You'd have to be continually trying to figure out who your partner was. Sam repressed a grin at the thought of some secret -- what was that again -- Voyager? -- hand signal... or code word.
"What're you lookin' at, Kid?" The Voyager folded his arms in front of him, giving his friend the once-over. "You've been awful quiet."
"It's been a pretty exhausting day," Sam answered. "I just need some rest."
"Exhausting?" Bogg frowned at him.
"Uh, yeah, I... I'm... ," Sam stammered, looking for the proper vocabulary. "Beat. I'm just wiped out."
Bogg nodded, seemingly placated. Sam was going to have to watch that. For a moment he considered telling him the truth. If they were both there to help history along on to the right track, combining forces only made sense. But Sam decided not until he had more information.
"Um, Bogg," Sam began. "Could I see the... Omni?" Sam smiled his best 10-year-old, guileless grin.
"No Babe until after the mission, Kid," Bogg teased, handing the device over to his companion.
"Uh, no, I swear," Sam promised, flipping open the cover to get a better look. Sam stared in awe. Bogg had hinted that this watch-like device controlled their traveling. It was so small, but it held amazing detail. A free-floating globe indicated their position while a dial told the date. This was miniaturization to a degree Sam could only have dreamed of.
"It's a red light, no mystery. Maybe if I field-strip it one more time, I can get it to stop sticking in automatic," he continued, not really noticing Sam's reaction. "Maybe we should do some snoopin' and then get some rest." Bogg paused. "The ship's not goin' down tonight. Right?"
"Uh..." Sam quickly checked the date on the Omni. "No, not tonight."
"Good." He nudged Sam's shoulder, holding out his hand for the Omni. "Let's go."
Dr. Douglas Phillips landed hard -- and a bit upside down. It'd been a long time since the Tunnel had thrown them around so violently. A hand reached down to help him up. "Tony?" He looked questioningly into his friend's face.
"Am I glad to see you. I've been here a while," Tony explained, assisting his fellow time-traveler to a nearby chair.
Doug sank heavily into the cushion, glad to not be standing anymore. "That's unusual. The Tunnel doesn't normally separate us."
"The Tunnel doesn't normally return us to somewhere we've been before," he countered.
Doug glanced up from rubbing his sore shoulder, taking in the familiar surroundings. "Not again." He paused a moment. "Are we repeating...?" he began.
"I thought of that, too," Tony interrupted, shaking his head. "I landed in the same location, but earlier than the last time and so far I haven't done anything the same. Do you have the newspaper with you?" he queried.
The scientist searched his jacket pockets. "No, and I didn't just come from the Tunnel either. What does that mean?"
"I really don't know, but one thing's for certain, we need to stay out of trouble this time," he declared. "Let's go find a more private place to talk."
Sam rolled over and tried to bury his head deeper into his make-shift pillow. It had taken them awhile to find an out-of-the-way place they could sleep, but once they were secure for the night, Bogg had fallen almost instantly into a deep, snoring unconsciousness that Sam bitterly envied. A deck chair, even in the open air in the middle of the Atlantic, was looking better and better with each passing sleepless minute. Sam stopped breathing and listened expectantly for a second as Bogg snorted, was quiet, moved a bit, and then continued even louder than before.
Sam rolled over again, almost screaming as Al's image bent down nearly in his face. "Yi...!" He covered his mouth before much of a sound escaped, glancing over quickly over at Bogg to see if he'd been disturbed, momentarily disappointed that it seemed nothing was going to wake his companion. He returned his attention back to his friend.
"Wowee, Sam!" Al yelped with delight. "Have I got some information for you!" Al beckoned him out of the room, practically dancing a jig in his excitement. "Let's go somewhere you can talk."
The chilling wind hit Sam immediately as he followed Al onto the deck and he pulled his jacket closer. Even at this late hour, there were passengers about, mostly scurrying from one warm area to next. Sam wasn't paying much more attention to them than they were to him but he suddenly stopped. One man stood alone along the railing, his evening jacket open to the bitter cold and his scarf hanging as more decoration than practical piece of clothing.
When Sam had first seen him, he thought the man was blond, but a more thorough inspection showed his hair to be very dark. Profiled, his demeanor reminded Sam of a rock star he'd once seen -- so far above the rest of the world, no one else seemed to exist. Sam couldn't help but watch this stranger. Shortly, the man became aware of Sam's attention and turned casually in the scientist's direction but something came over his features -- what had been aloof became confused. Sam found himself staring deeply into the man's eyes, frightened and transfixed by something he couldn't even begin to identify. Al called Sam's name, and the man turned to where Al stood. Free of his gaze, Sam hurried away as fast as he could.
"That guy heard you, Al," Sam panted, peaking around the corner to see if they'd been followed.
"You're imaginin' that, Buddy," the hologram dismissed. "Wait'll you hear this. Sam!" He waved his hand to get Sam's attention.
"Oh, right." The Quantum Physicist took a deep breath and nodded for Al to continue.
"We think we got another time travel experiment goin' on just a few miles from our facility," he announced proudly. "Ain't that a kick in the butt?"
"What are you talking about, Al?" Sam frowned at the news.
"Jeff an' I were surfin' the web..." he began.
"Jeff? He's out of the holding area...?" Sam's eyes widened at the idea.
"Well, uh, yeah. When I got back the last time, the kid had figured out pretty much what we were -- in a vague sorta way," he hemmed and hawed. "Didn't see any harm in seein' if he could help." He nodded absently. "That's one sharp kid, not scientist material, but he's a history whiz -- and he doesn't have any preconceived notions that things aren't possible," Al continued. "So we started surfin' the web -- which was so cool for Jeff, seems he's from some time in the real early 1980's, before the net -- and next thing you know, the kid's Yahooing 'time travel'."
Sam, with one eye on the door to keep an eye out for the stranger, sat down to wait until Al got to the point.
"There's all kinda conspiracies about time travel and aliens and things, but they got us pegged, Sam," he stated. "Some guys named the Lone Something or Others practically have a map with an 'X' pointin' at our base." Al paused for a moment. "And there's like, speculative fiction out there 'bout the handsome holographic Admiral and his geeky scientist-time-travelin' buddy where the heroic Admiral leads..."
"Al!" Sam interrupted sharply.
"Ah, sorry." The hologram grinned for a moment, then continued with his story. "And they're rumors about a Project Tic Toc with a Time Tunnel within poking distance."
Sam shook his head. "We would have known, especially so close," he stated.
"We're a top secret government facility, Sam. One hand doesn't know what bird the other's got in it and all..." Al philosophized. "Do the names Newman and Phillips mean anything to you?"
"They were pioneers in the theories behind time travel." His eyes narrowed at the inferences. "They disappeared years ago. Officially - burned out and dropped out. Rumors said they were killed in an experiment."
"Jeff found pages a'stuff on 'em, most saying they were lost in time." Al beamed at everything he'd discovered.
Sam frowned. "Oh, boy!" He stood up in his excitement and paced. "Can you get pictures of them?"
"Sure. Why?" Al asked curiously.
"I can't be certain, but, I think.... one of them is on board the Titanic."
Despite the cold, Sam needed to clear his head. He strolled the deck thinking over everything Al had told him. The boy being from 1980 might explain why he now wandered the Titanic in the middle of the night in 1912. Jeffrey lived within Sam's lifetime, he'd leaped into him, and the kid had Omnie'd back further than Sam could go. Sam wondered if that's what they called it -- Omnying. It certainly wasn't leaping.
Ziggy still believed it was the power surge/drain. The super computer thought there might be two directions the interference had come from.
Or maybe it was a combination of everything.
And other time travelers -- in their own backyard. Sam remembered seeing Tony Newman's picture once, so long ago he couldn't be certain even when. Which made him wonder about this leap. The Swiss-cheesing of his memory that usually occurred didn't seem to be as bad. But then nothing was normal this time.
Sam leaned against the rail and gazed off into the starry night. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand came down firmly on his shoulder. Turning, he faced the stranger who'd mesmerized him earlier and startled him so thoroughly.
"What are you?" Sam asked, trying to control the tremble in his voice.
"What are you?" the man repeated, the remains of a French accent barely recognizable. "Now that is an interesting question. Most would ask who." The man stepped back slightly, but not far enough to allow Sam to escape. "Though I might ask you the same. What are you?" he continued without allowing the scientist to answer. "What deviltry do you possess that shows me a small lad, but as I turn away, I see a man where the boy was?" The man crossed his arms. "And the voice I heard call you... your familiar?"
"Oh boy!" Sam tried to look away, but the man's eyes held him firmly. And there was a strange quality to his voice that made Sam almost want to tell him everything -- it had to be hypnotism of some kind, but it wasn't quite working. "Uh, well," Sam stammered for a moment, then decided things were far too complicated and he might as well go with the truth this man would never buy. "I'm a Quantum Physicist from the future traveling through time. I temporarily bump a person out of their body so I can live in a different year and help history along," he blurted out. "My name's Sam, but you can call me Jeffrey -- today." He stared the man in the face, almost challenging him to contradict.
The stranger frowned for a moment. "Oh," he finally said, nodding as though Sam had actually made sense.
"You -- believe me?" Sam asked in surprise.
He smiled sadly. "I am a vampire who wishes to be human. If you believe that I can exist, I will believe in you," he answered. "I am Nicholas."
"Vvvvampire?" Sam raised an eyebrow questioningly.
Nicholas' countenance immediately changed. His eyes glowed blood-red, his teeth turned to fangs and he hissed menacingly.
Sam jumped back, stopped only by the railing behind him. "I... I... believe," he promised, his second and index finger raised instinctively in the Boy Scout salute.
Nicholas grinned at the boy/man, his features slowly relaxed to human. "Forgive me, it appeared the quickest way." He draped a companionable arm around Sam's shoulder and led him over to a chair.
"You... don't want to be a... vampire?" Sam began, hoping it would be a safe subject. The man -- being, Sam mentally corrected -- didn't scare him anymore, despite the show of fangs, but he decided caution worked best.
"I have done things..." he started, but stopped and laughed bitterly. "I know you are not a boy, but I still find it difficult to confess the details to one so young... and compared to me, you are just a babe." He gazed off toward the still ocean. "Let us just say I have done many things I am ashamed of."
"Oh." Sam shook his head confused. "A vampire on the Titanic...."
"I travel to the New World in search of a cure," Nicholas volunteered. "There is a legend of an ancient race called the Mayans. It is said they possessed jade cups with mystical properties. If I can find two, there is a ceremony which will make me human again."
"Oh," Sam repeated, though Nicholas didn't need any prompting to continue his story.
"And who knows..." The vampire leaned in conspiratorially. "If that does not work, maybe I will become an officer of the law in the wild west to repay society for my sins -- like Wyatt Earp," he suggested. "Or a Pinkerton Agent from the Dime novels I have read." Nicholas sighed heavily. "But you do not care about this," he stated knowingly.
Sam shrugged. "Actually, it's kind of going along with the day I'm having." He held out his hand. "As long as you don't try to bite me, it's a pleasure to meet you, Nicholas."
"And you as well, Sam/Jeffrey." Nicholas took the offered hand. "What brings you to this ship of wonders?" He spread his arms wide to indicate the doomed vessel. "What are you here to... help along?"
Sam frowned. Vampiric lore gave these creatures abilities and powers of varying degrees and, despite the fact Sam had a vague idea what Nicholas must have done to survive for so long, he really liked the guy. Many of Ziggy's circuits were still not functioning correctly and Al hadn't been able to even guess at what Sam was supposed to do to be able to leap. Maybe the vampire needed to survive the sinking. Maybe Sam should warn him of the disaster ahead. "I'm really not sure," he finally truthfully stated. "There's a little... glitch with this trip. But I should know soon," Sam assured him. "Al'll never believe I've met a vampire."
"Well I wish you luck." Nicholas stood. "I must be leaving but, unfortunately, I cannot leave you with the knowledge of what I am."
"What?" Sam looked at his new friend. "Why not?"
"It is not safe for you. Most of... my kind would kill you for this." He transfixed Sam with his eyes again. "You will not remember the conversation we have had."
Sam blinked. Whatever should be happening -- wasn't, but he believed Nicholas' warning. "Huh?" He placed his hand over his eyes, shaking his head as if trying to clear it. "I... I'm sorry, Mister. Were you saying something to me?" Sam prayed he was doing this properly.
"I was just asking where your parents were, boy. You should not be wandering alone at this time of night," Nicholas advised. "Now run along before I call the steward." He shooed Sam away and literally disappeared into the darkness.
Sam stared after the being he'd just met, hoping he'd done the right thing.
Time-traveling pirates with 10-year-old assistants, missing time-traveling scientists, leaps to places he couldn't leap -- and now a vampire! Sam's mind swam dizzily.
He'd come back to their jury-rigged quarters to find Bogg still snoring away. Sam hadn't even tried sleeping. He'd snuck over to where his companion had left the Omni, wanting a much better look. Shortly after he'd started dissecting it, Al appeared briefly with the photos Sam had asked for. The man they'd nearly tripped over smiled charmingly at him from the picture. He also learned what Doug Phillips looked like, then Al had blinked out immediately after.
Now, after he'd taken the Omni apart, he still wasn't sure of exactly how it worked but he knew there had to be an outside source the device tapped into to do most of the work. About to put the last few pieces back in place, Sam heard a noise behind him. Looking over his shoulder he saw Bogg stand and stretch, running a hand through his hair to straighten it.
"Hey, Kid," Bogg called hoarsely, sleep still heavy in his voice. "Whatcha doin' up already?" He wandered over to the small work table. His eyes grew wide as he saw the Omni in pieces. "Jeffrey, what're you doing?" He started to grab the device, but pulled away, afraid to disturb anything.
"Don't worry," Sam reassured him. "It's fine." He put another one of the levers in place. "I'm pretty sure I got rid of that sticking problem you were worried about," he continued. "And there was something that seemed to... limit the function of the date mechanism. I removed it." He pointed to a little sliver on metal. "You should be able to use all of the years now instead of just some of them." Sam connected the lid to the base, closed it and then flipped it open, showing his companion that the red light still flashed.
Bogg grabbed the Omni out of Sam's hands, cradling it protectively away from the boy. "Jeffrey, this is our only way off this ship before it sinks." He emphasized each word. "What were you thinkin'?"
Sam recognized the fear on the man's face and suspected it was more for the boy than himself. "I apologize, Bogg, but there was nothing to worry about," Sam reassured him. "I've been taking things apart and putting them back together since I could hold a screwdriver."
Bogg sat down next to Jeffrey at the small work table, his voice softening with obvious concern. "Jeff, you've been actin' strange this whole trip. You are not that good with mechanical things. What's goin' on?"
Sam sighed heavily. "First of all," he paused, unsure of how to begin, then continued. "I'm not Jeffrey."
"You hit your head when we landed, didn't you, Kid?" The older Voyager leaned over to examine Sam's skull for damage.
Waiting until he'd made sure there was no lump, Sam began again. "Please, let me finish. I know this isn't easy, but imagine how hard it was for me to believe some pirate and a little kid are traveling around fixing history."
Bogg frowned deeply, but kept silent as Sam explained Quantum physics and strings and leaping, time tunnels and fellow lost travelers, though he left out any mention of vampires.
"Where's Jeff?" Bogg asked when Sam stopped, a touch of threat colored his tone. "Is he okay?"
Sam grinned and nodded. "Apparently, he's having a great time. When we figure out what I'm here to fix, I'll leap out, he'll leap back and everything'll be normal again. I hope," he added.
"Your version of a green light," Bogg deduced.
"Exactly."
Bogg stood, carefully placing the Omni in his vest pocket. "Where do we begin?"
"We find Newman and Phillips and convince them of who we are," Sam announced.
"Great, Ki-- Sam." The Voyager laughed. "It'll take me awhile to get used to you." He eyed Sam speculatively. "You do know how big this ship is, don't you?"
"Yeah," Sam stated. "But I also know we better find them fast because we don't have a lot of time."
The setting sun cast a beautiful orange glow over the ship as Sam and Bogg searched the top deck one more time. Hindered by the fact that those they sought were not proper passengers, they could only hope to be at the same place at the same time. Most of the day passed without sighting Phillips and Newman.
The two had taken turns asking the other about the different aspects of their own time experiences -- how they'd fixed history or helped it along on countless occasions. They discovered Bogg and Jeffrey worked on the big events -- textbook kind of things -- while Sam concentrated on more everyman events. Bogg had even waxed philosophical about Sam's role being far more important in the long run.
Bone weary, Sam wanted nothing more than to sink into one of the chairs and never move again, but he continued on. Suddenly he heard a whine coming from around the corner. As the two approached, he recognized the sound was actually a woman's voice. Sam almost laughed as he could hear her prattling on and on about dinner rolls -- too many dinner rolls for the passengers -- and in Boston, they wouldn't stand for that -- two dinner rolls and no more per guest -- that was only proper -- she was going to have to speak to the ship's chef about this -- what did they expect everyone to do with all those dinner rolls -- she suspected too much wheat from those dinner rolls was what was making her back hurt -- you could get wheat poisoning from an excess of dinner rolls -- it was a well-known fact in Boston...
Bogg rolled his eyes, acknowledging he too could hear the odd babbling. As they turned the corner, they both stopped. Trapped by the woman they'd been hearing were the two men they sought.
Sam motioned for Bogg to retreat around the corner. "We've got to get them away from her," he stated. "And I think I have an idea."
"What?" Bogg asked.
"Meet me back at the store room," Sam directed. "And be ready to help me convince these guys."
"Got it," Bogg acknowledged. "But my guess is if we rescue 'em, we can convince 'em the moon is the sun and up is down," he mumbled under his breath as he walked away.
Sam smiled after the retreating pirate. This was definitely unlike any other leap he'd ever made.
He took a deep breath and tried his best to get into the mindset of a 10-year-old boy. Coming around the corner, he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Daddy! Daddy!" He ran towards Tony, grabbing his hand tightly. "I've been so scared, Daddy. I couldn't find you or Mommy," he sniffled a little, winking at Tony.
Confused for only a moment, Tony quickly recognized the boy -- and that salvation had arrived. "Son, don't worry. We'll find your mother," he assured.
"Excuse us, Ma'am," Doug Phillips interrupted their captor. "I think we'd better... find my nephew's mother."
"Hmph!" she snorted. "Children really should learn their place. Now in Boston, children know their place. They would never interrupt their elders, no matter what the circumstances... Children... " The woman stomped off down the deck, looking for her next victim.
The three hurried in the opposite direction.
Sam laughed. "I think you guys owe me," he stated.
"You're right there." Tony glanced around for Bogg, frowning a bit. "Where is your dad?"
"Uh, he's waiting for us, Dr. Newman, Dr. Phillips," Sam informed them, gambling the use of their names would intrigue the scientists enough to accompany him.
"You know this boy, Tony?" Doug asked.
"I've seen him," Tony said, shaking his head. "But I never gave him my name."
"We've got to talk, please." Sam motioned for them to follow. "I can explain everything, but we need some privacy if we're going to talk about Quantum Physics and...," Sam searched the deck to making sure no one was listening, "... Time Tunnels."
"Hey guys. Phineas Bogg," the Voyager offered his hand in greeting. "Now, which one's Newman and which one's Phillips?"
Tony came forward. "Tony Newman," he introduced. "And this is Doug Phillips. How do you know us?"
"Why don't we sit down," Sam offered, nodding thanks to Bogg who had slapped together a miniature conference room in their sleeping area. "We believe you're with something called the Time Tunnel Project?" Sam asked, then continued off the nod from Doug. "I springboarded off your theories to get my own time travel experiments going," Sam began.
"You?" Doug questioned, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. "How old are you?"
"Oh Boy!" Sam ran a hand through is hair in frustration.
"More basic, Sam," Bogg advised.
"Sorry," Sam apologized. "First of all, we've got three sets of time travelers here -- you two, myself and then Phineas and this boy." Sam indicated himself. "Before you get too confused, my name's Sam Beckett." Sam pulled a string out of his pocket and explained everything about his experiments.
"But you'd be confined to your lifetime," Tony speculated. "You couldn't have been alive in 1912."
Sam shrugged. "My people are still working on that," he advised. "I usually leap in so I can right something that went wrong, but this time... we're stymied. I don't normally have a choice of where I'm going, and I haven't been able to figure out how to get home."
"Jeff and I are Voyagers," Bogg began. "We patrol time, fixing it where it's gone off track a bit."
Doug rubbed the back of his neck, glancing from one time traveler to the other. "We've been lost in time for years, not able to get back," he confessed.
"Tell me about your Tunnel, how do your people keep track of you? How did you manage to get into the time stream...?" Sam bombarded the two with questions.
Tony's eyes lit up, excited about sharing their discoveries with someone who would actually understand it. He grabbed a pad of paper. "One of the last things we overcame was the problem of tracking people through time..."
Bogg was way out of his league. He may sail the time waves like those guys, but that was as far as the similarity went. All three had started talking a mile a minute, drawing diagrams and formulas that had made Bogg's head swim. And having a lot of it being spouted by "Jeffrey" had really made him uncomfortable. The kid was good, but...
The last thing that had made any kind of sense was Sam speculating that, though necessary to track them, the radiation bath was their downfall, keeping the two from returning home. The formulas had gotten even bigger and more complex at that point and Bogg had excused himself.
Staring out to sea from the bow of the ship wasn't helping. "Bat's breath!" Bogg swore as he checked the light on the Omni to find it still flashing red. He'd hoped bringing those three together had somehow been his mission. He really missed the kid. Jeff would have figured this out by now.
He sighed heavily and turned to go back to see if there was anything he could do. Halfway to the stairwell, he stopped as a beautiful girl, dressed in evening clothes nearly collided with him.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized, dodging right to get out of her way, but she went left and they stalled again. He smiled one of his dazzling, make-the-girls-swoon smiles but it had no effect on her. Obviously upset, she finally dashed around him and on towards the bow.
Bogg watched as a young man lit out after her from somewhere in the darkness. Too far away to hear much, Bogg considered going after them, but the lad seemed to have things under control. From off in the distance somewhere, he heard someone call the name "Rose." Bogg turned to continue back, but stopped. On a whim he pulled out the Omni and checked it. It glowed green at him. He frowned at the device -- all he'd had to do was stall a girl for a few seconds so some guy could run after her -- and catch her. He shook his head in amazement. This was one weird trip.
The door opened to their hide-away and Sam started to leap for the papers to hide them. He stopped midway through his lunge as he realized it was Bogg returning. Sam nodded a greeting as the Voyager walked in.
"Well, I've got a green light, Sam," the Voyager announced. "I'm outta here once we get you guys squared away."
Sam looked at him curiously. "What'd you do?" he asked.
Bogg shrugged in confusion. "I bumped into a girl."
"A pretty girl?" Sam teased. "Must have been rough on you."
Bogg laughed. "Hey," he declared and he drew himself up straighter. "I'm a Voyager. I go where I gotta go. I do what I gotta do." He grabbed a chair, pulling it up to the table. "You guys get anything worked out while I was gone?"
"As a matter of fact, we were just..." Sam stopped, a wide grin lighting his face. "Al." Sam stared off to his left. "My contact's here," he explained to the live bodies in the room. "Got any news for us, Al?"
"Sam, you're not gonna believe the set up these guys have," the hologram began, pointing at the others. "Antiquated, but cool! They've got about a bazillion floors to their complex and a really cool ramp that appears outta nowhere and you just start dropping down and..."
"Al!" Sam motioned for the hologram to get to the point. "Al's made contact with your Tunnel," he advised.
"Ziggy traced the power surge problem we had. Once we knew where to look, we were off and running. Seems you leaped and they shifted and... and... something else happened Ziggy's not sure of, a power pull of the same strength from in the Rockies, all at the same time." He paused to consult his handlink. "We think that's how you all ended up here. Jeff and Bogg got sucked into the same time with us and the Tunnel from all the power crossin' the time lines." Al grinned wickedly. "We got two oversight committees dukin' it out over who has authority, which is great coz that means they're leavin' us alone to do our work."
Sam relayed the information to his fellow time travelers.
Al punched buttons on his handlink. "Ziggy's pretty much workin' at full capacity now -- says there's a 98.69% probability that you're here to help Doug and Tony get home. We've all been watching you for the past few hours at the Tunnel and we think you're right about the radiation."
"Have you figured out how to adapt the accelerator yet? That's what you're going to try, right?" Sam asked excitedly
"Both teams are on it," Al affirmed.
Sam turned to Tony and Doug. "They're going to try get you home," he announced.
Doug clasped his partner's hand firmly, too overcome with joy to say anything.
Tony let out a deep breath he must have been holding. "Home," he whispered, almost-prayer like. "What about you?"
Sam looked to his holographic friend hopefully.
Al shook his head. "Not yet, Sam," he apologized. "We gotta get these guys out first. Their Tunnel's disintegrating and won't last much longer." Al tried to put his hand on Sam's shoulder in support, forgetting momentarily it wasn't possible. "But once we've got these guys on our team... you're next," he promised.
"What did he say?" Tony again asked.
"You guys first." Sam smiled, trying to hide his own disappointment. "I can always Omni out with Bogg to get off the ship, if I have to. You don't have that choice."
Tony nodded. "What do we need to do?"
Bogg and Sam watched as Tony and Doug disappeared into the time stream.
"Can you tell me if they made it before you leave?" Bogg asked.
Sam shrugged. "Maybe. Al may or may not be able to get back, they're using a lot of power to do this." He smiled sadly. "But I hope so."
"It's been interesting," Bogg announced, holding out his hand to Sam. "I'm gonna miss you guys."
"I don't feel so alone anymore," Sam told him. "Thanks." A familiar tingling started. "Take care of Jeffrey," Sam called as the rush overcame him. "What a kick in the butt," Jeffrey cried as he was himself again. "Wow, Bogg, have I got some stories for you!" He grinned from ear to ear.
Bogg pulled the boy into a bear hug. "Welcome home, Kid. I actually missed your smart-mouth," he teased.
Jeffrey's eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "I missed you too, Bogg," he quietly answered. "Tony and Doug sent their best."
Bogg's face lit up. "They made it!"
"Yeah." Jeffrey nodded, too overcome with emotion to say much more.
"Well, Kid, we got us a green light. Wanna get outta here?"
"Do you trust me, Bogg?" Jeffrey asked, looking him in the eye.
"'Course I do," Bogg answered suspiciously. "What're you thinkin'?"
"Let me have the Omni," he stated, holding out his hand.
Bogg surrendered the device.
The youngest Voyager set the dials and then hit the switch. Jeffrey's bedroom from 1982 materialized around them as they landed softly on his bed. His dog still stood at the broken window looking out, Guide Book clutched in his mouth. The wind whipped in violently and swirled papers around.
"Lot better than last time," Bogg sighed.
"Ralph!" Jeffrey exclaimed. The dog immediately loped for his young master. Jeffrey slid off the bed and dropped to his knees, pulling the book from Ralph's mouth. He hugged the huge dog, receiving a slobbery reception in return.
"Good dog," he coaxed, rubbing the dog roughly behind the ears, hugging him tightly again. "I've missed you, boy." He picked up the Guide Book and handed it to his friend. "Here, Bogg."
The pirate gingerly grabbed it between two fingers, looking for something to wipe the drool off on. He finally settled for the bedspread. "Uh, thanks, Kid."
Jeffrey stood and put his ear to the door. Loud music and his aunt still grousing about him came through. How she'd missed the crash of glass and the wind tunnel noises from his room escaped him, but he was glad.
Bogg came to Jeffrey's side. "Uh, Jeff, you're home now," he stated sadly. "I guess this is good-bye."
"In your dreams, Bogg," he declared, poking the man in the chest. "You're stuck with me!"
Bogg's mouth dropped open. "Then what're we doin' here?"
"Retrieving that." Jeffrey pointed to Guide Book his partner had abandoned on the bed. "And a few other things. Get your leash, Ralph." Jeffrey grabbed the backpack hanging on his door.
Following him around the room, Bogg couldn't help but grin as the kid picked through some obviously prized possessions -- several photos, including one of himself with his mom, dad and dog; a signed baseball; other things Bogg wasn't sure of -- stuffing them in his bag, the last being the Guide Book.
"How'd you get the Omni to come forward this far," he finally asked the boy.
"When you were wandering the decks in search of girls," he began. "Sam told Doug and Tony about the Omni -- and how he'd field stripped it -- and got rid of some restraint device," Jeff announced proudly. "Figured it was worth a shot."
He stood in the center of the room, looking around for anything he might have missed. "C'mon Ralph," he called, bending to put on the leash the dog grasped in his mouth.
"Whoa, Kid." Bogg put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but we can't travel with the mutt. I know you miss him, but he'd get in the way."
Jeffrey smiled sadly. "I know, but I can't leave him here," he explained. "My aunt'll send him to the pound, I know it. Al promised I could leave Ralph with him and visit any time."
Bogg smiled mischievously. "The Omni'll go that far now?"
"Only one way to find out." Jeffrey declared. Setting the Omni, he handed it to Bogg. He grabbed his friend's arm with one hand and Ralph's collar with the other, as they winked out of 1982.
Sam leaped in. Disconcerted as ever, he concentrated first on the object he held in his hand, dropping it instantly as his eyes finally focused. A human skull grinned up from where it had landed in the dirt.
A shaft of light barely illuminated the tiny chamber he found himself almost unable to stand in. The string of electrical bulbs did little to help as the light from them wowed in and out, a victim most likely of loose wiring. He'd landed in an archeological dig.
"Oh Boy!" Sam exclaimed, debating with himself on what to do next. Not wanting to mess up any finds that might be here, he grabbed the lantern to leave but stopped when the dim beam reflected off of an object. Bending over he picked it up. It appeared to be a cup made of dark rock and carved elaborately, that much Sam could tell, but it was also encrusted with ages of dust and grime. He pocketed the artifact and exited the dig.
"Is anything wrong?" a voice asked. Blinded by the sunlight, Sam couldn't see who had spoken.
"Uh, no... no," Sam stammered, shielding his eyes. "Just needed a little... air... got a little dizzy in there."
"Can I do anything?" the kid asked.
"No," Sam assured him, glancing around trying to get used to the brightness.
"Okay. I put those textbooks you wanted in your tent." The student pointed to a white shelter constructed off to the side.
"Thanks." Sam nodded, as he walked towards his quarters. Surveying his surroundings, he found mostly jungle and no distinguishing architecture or stonework he could identify.
Entering the tent, Sam searched until he found a small shaving mirror buried under some books. The bespectacled, blond man who looked back at Sam appeared familiar. "Danny... Danny... Danny," he repeated. "Something," he declared, finally giving up. He knew the face, but it wasn't coming. He began to replace the tiny mirror but almost dropped it as Al walked through the tent pole.
"Al." Sam smiled warmly.
"Sam, those guys are the greatest." He stalked around Sam in his excitement. "You would not believe the brain-power we've inherited. We've got ideas bouncin' 'round everywhere becomin' theories becomin' designs," he babbled, waving his arms for emphasis at the grand scale of things.
Sam hung his head in frustration. "Al, focus, please." He put his hands on his hips, remembering the cup as he did so. Sam pulled it out and walked over to a small table in the center where he'd seen cleaning tools. It was going to take Al awhile to get to his point, he might as well do something.
Al shrugged apologetically. "Got a little carried away, sorry," he mumbled, punching the buttons on his handlink. "Okay, well, you're Dr. Daniel Jackson," Al began.
"Jackson," Sam interrupted. He stopped clearing the dirt from the inside of the cup for just a second. "Daniel Jackson. I know him."
Al laughed. "You should. He's a relative of yours, a bit on the distant side, but he's there."
"I haven't seen Danny since... since... college. We took language classes together." Sam grinned brightly. "What's he doing here?"
"This is some Mayan temple," Al continued. "Jackson's working on proving some theory about cross-pollination between the Egyptians and the Mayans and other ancient races."
He chuckled, grabbing up the nearby polishing rag. "Daniel never conformed very well."
"Yeah, well we still don't know why you're here," Al said, frustration filled his voice. "Ziggy's been a lot more -- vague -- since all the time sucking stuff." The hologram came up behind Sam, glancing over his shoulder. "What's that?" he asked.
"I found it in the dig," Sam explained, holding it up to see better in the light.
"What kinda rock is it?" Al leaned in and squinted at it.
"It's Jade." Sam stopped. "It's - a - jade - Mayan - ceremonial - cup," he stated carefully. "Al!"
The hologram jumped at the intensity in his friend's voice. "What?" He rubbed his ear dramatically, but the gesture was lost on Sam.
"I need you to research something." Sam concentrated on everything he'd learned during the last leap. "I need you to find any -- a police officer or bounty hunter or... Pinkerton agent, who will only work at night, probably named Nicholas... or Nick -- try any variation Ziggy can come up with -- living on the West Coast or in the West."
Al frowned in confusion. "Okay, Sam. But that'll take awhile."
"Hurry," Sam prompted. "This is important."
Hours had passed since Al had left. The site was apparently small and not very well funded, leaving Sam pretty much to himself.
Which suited him just fine. It had been a long time since he'd been able to use his doctorate in ancient language and he'd forgotten how much fun it was. He'd examined most of the stone tablets and pottery piled throughout the archeologist's quarters.
Finding Daniel's diary, Sam paused for only a moment before opening, deciding help on this leap outweighed privacy issues. But what he found saddened him. Daniel chronicled the ridicule he'd received for his hard thought out theories and, with his funding about to run out in just a little over a week, he was betting everything on a lecture of the Old Kingdom and the IVth Dynasty, praying that it would bring in new grant money.
Sam frowned at the hieroglyphic entry at the bottom of the last page, finally smiling as he translated, "I'm never going to get paid." That seemed very -- Daniel-like.
Al interrupted his reverie. "Don't know how you knew about him, Sam, but we found your cop."
"He's alive?" Sam mentally corrected that to existed. "Today? In this year?"
"Yep," he answered, reading off the address as Sam filled out the label for the package sitting on the table.
Sam stuck his head out the tent flap and called an assistant over. "I need this sent the fastest way," he directed.
The kid looked at the address. "Hey, no problem. This isn't far from my home. You want me to just deliver it personally?" he offered. "I was coming over to say good-bye." He took the package and shook Sam's hand. "Oh, good luck on the lecture, Dr. Jackson."
"Thanks," Sam returned. "We'll miss you here," he added, waving good-bye.
"Wanna tell me what this has all been about?" Al asked.
"Maybe some day." He watched as the young man climbed into a jeep and drove off down the almost non-existent jungle path.
"Sam," Al began slowly.
The scientist turned back to his friend. "Yeah, Al?"
"About your cousin." Al avoided eye contact with Sam. "We did a little more research on him. He gives a lecture in two weeks, and is never seen again."
"Am I here to stop that?" Sam asked concerned.
"I don't think so." Al consulted his handlink. "Ziggy says the paperwork follows him to a top secret government facility -- on a base -- in Cheyenne Mountain." Al paused. "Where Ziggy's also traced our other power disruption. And," Al continued getting into it. "The Net says there's a 'Doorway to Heaven' there. Very Erick Von Daniken, Chariots of the Gods, ancient astronaut kinda stuff," he ended, grinning.
"Oh Boy!" Sam said, leaping out of his cousin's life.
"You cannot deny what I am." Nicholas Knight turned away.
Natalie Lambert came around to face him again. "You can't deny what's in your heart," she countered.
"What are you saying?" he asked, gazing deeply into her eyes.
"I have faith that there is a future for us. Here, as we are -- or somewhere else. I believe in you," she whispered intensely. "I trust you."
A loud knock interrupted the moment.
"I..." Nick tried to ignore the visitor, but the pounding increased. "I... have to get that," he apologized.
A young man in worn khaki's stood at his door.
"What do you want?" Nick asked irritably.
"You Nicholas Knight?" he ignored Nick's rudeness, not waiting for a response. "This is for you."
"Thanks." The vampire took the package, digging in his pockets for a tip.
"Thanks, but no." He held up his hands to stop Nick. "Dr. Jackson seemed to think this was important so I offered to deliver it." He turned and left.
Nick placed the box on the table, ripping the brown paper layer off. Opening up the lid, tears filled his eyes as he withdrew the Mayan ceremonial cup made of beautiful, dark jade. Nick picked up the discarded wrapping. The return label read only 'Sam/Jeffrey'. A wide grin filled his face.
"What is it, Nick?" Natalie came over.
"Our life, Natalie." He kissed her tenderly. "Come, we have work to do." Nick pulled out a twin of the artifact and laid it on the table.
Natalie frowned in confusion. "I thought you gave that to the museum years ago."
Nick looked away in embarrassment. "I... liberated it a while ago... hoping maybe one day..." He shrugged. "But now, it's a new beginning for us." He took her hand in his. "And when we're done, I think I know someone in Sunnydale who has need of these." He kissed her again.
Dr. Samuel Beckett felt the last effects of the leap falling away from him. He sighed deeply.
"Welcome home, Sam," Admiral Albert Calavicci greeted.
If you'd like to learn more about Project Tic Toc, Quantum Physics or the Cross-Pollinization of Mayan and Egyptian culture, take a voyage down to your public library. It's all in books!