Chapter 21: Preparations
"Welcome back to the BBFO Center for Multiverse Renovation!" said Metis merrily. Four members of the Family, plus Dragon, Randall, Kevin and Linda were meeting with the eight dimensional expatriates in the expanded back room of the BBFO offices. The area was configured as a nice, outdoor amphitheater, complete with sunlight, butterflies and birdsong. "Your one-stop shop for timeline readjustment, workshops on better communication and playing nicely with others, and practical application of percussive maintenance to chronic human and inhuman resource problems!"
"Stop that!" said Ianthe. "You're freaking out the humans."
"Don't worry," said Linda said to the newcomers. "You get used to them after a while."
"I'm sure that's true," said Daniel Jackson with a small smile. "Nevertheless, Metis does touch on what we're here to discuss with the Family. Some of our group," he said, glancing at Taylor, Harry and Peter, "suspect that you may be able to help us with problems beyond just getting us back home and cleaning up our immediate engagements. I don't want to presume too much, so let me just ask if that's in line with what you're willing and able to consider?"
Saurial leaned back against her tail-friendly chair. Kevin had been poking the chair earlier, trying to figure out how the lizard had created the hybrid bean-bag/straight-backed chair with heat and massage functions. "We were actually wondering when you would realize your opportunities here," said the lizard girl. "We, of course, have some ideas, but we were serious when we offered you a position as local experts on your individual realities."
Varga, sitting on his tail in the form of Raptaur, added, "While we are perfectly willing to take unilateral action when necessary, we find that working in concert with like-minded people who have a stake in the outcome tends to have better results."
The crew of the Ship of Fools exchanged glances with each other. Then Daniel said, "We took the liberty of doing some research and cross-checking each others' work. The results are on this thumb drive," he continued, holding up the ubiquitous data storage device for this universe. Metis went over to Daniel and took the drive, putting it into a storage compartment for later review. She then said, "We'll look over this and see how it compares to our plans."
"You already have plans in place?" asked Miles. If he was honest with himself, the ease with which the Family had dealt with a planetary infestation of xenomorphs was a little disconcerting. Acting on a planetary scale was apparently trivial enough an undertaking that they could do so with a few hours of prep time. Taking the time to actually think about issues in their home realities was just prudent in the face of that much power.
"We have...outlines of plans," replied Saurial. "Obviously, no plan survives contact with the enemy. We do have immediate plans for certain preparations, as well as some additional work related to intelligence gathering."
"What do you need us to do?" asked Xander Harris.
"We want you to work with us on firming up our plans for each of your realities," replied Saurial. "We also want you all to take a short vacation."
"I think I would really rather get started on dealing with the xenomorphs in my reality," said Ellen Ripley. "You understand why I'm concerned?"
"It's understandable," said Jimmy Olsen, "but I think you're forgetting something. We spent a week or so in that alternate version of your universe, and got back an hour after we left."
"Time is flexble," said Xander Harris. "When you've got a time machine, you've got plenty of time to take care of business."
"It's not quite as simple as that, but there is a lot of truth in your statement," agreed Varga. "Care must be taken to avoid paradox, and major changes to timelines can have drastic personal consequences."
"But you do have time for what we have in mind," said Ianthe. "You all have stress-related issues that will take some time to work out. We would like you to spend some time with a group that can likely help with those issues." Some problems were beyond physical healing, after all.
"Who and where are these folks?" asked Harry reasonably.
Saurial grinned. "They're actually folks that Daniel has met before."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Six months before Anubis's attack on Abydos...
The Ship of Fools exited the wormhole above a garden world. From orbit, it appeared to be completely uninhabited, with no signs of cities or civilization. That was actually far from the case. Saurial beamed down to the surface alone.
Interestingly, the planet had a wide variety of terrain. Unlike in the television show, it was not entirely a clone of the woods around Vancouver. Saurial actually beamed down to an area of rolling hills covered in wildflowers.
"Do you feel that?" asked Varga silently.
'You mean that spatial manipulation, covered by a massively powerful cloaking and SEP field?' replied Taylor.
"Yes," replied Varga. "I believe we are next to a major population center."
Out loud, Saurial said, "We just want to talk to you. We have some friends who could use some of your wisdom."
Saurial felt something shift, and a voice from the side said, "You are more than you appear to be. I sense a dual intellect, distinct and yet joined."
Raptaur appeared next to Saurial on the hillside as Saurial addressed the newly-present being. "You're correct, Antaeus. My name is Taylor, and this is Varga. We share this form." If the Nox was surprised at being recognized, he gave no sign of this.
"It has been a very long time since we have encountered one of your kind, Varga. I hope your intentions are peaceful?" asked the Nox.
Taylor felt Varga's surprise. "You have encountered my kind before? That would indeed have been long ago. My purpose now is different from those you would have known of old."
"I see." said Antaeus, with a weight that suggested more than simple acknowledgement. "You are welcome here. What wisdom would you seek?"
"We have new friends," said Saurial, "who come from other realities. Fate has not been kind to them."
"Fate is not kind or cruel. It simply is," countered Antaeus.
Saurial smiled, and then shifted form to appear as Taylor. "That may be true," said Taylor, "but they could use help in dealing with the consequences of their pasts."
"Of course," said a voice from the side. Taylor turned her head to see Lya standing where nobody had been before. "The Nox are always willing to help those who seek peace, even if it is only within."
Antaeus's face appeared neutral, though Varga could sense a slight air of...not exasperation, exactly. It was more a sense of tolerance of the quirks of a good friend? "Of course," said the male Nox.
"Will you be staying as well, Varga? It would be good to discuss things from long ago," suggested Lya.
"Someday, perhaps, though not today," replied the demon.
"We have some things to do, first," said Taylor, "including paying a visit to some old friends of yours."
Lya smiled. Some of them would undoubtedly be happy to meet them. Others...not so much. It would be good to see some of the mistakes of the past corrected, or at least addressed. Nothing risked complacency more than immortality.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"All right, it's almost lunch time," said Randall into his low-profile communicator. Interestingly enough, Starfleet did have sub-dermal communicators for covert work. They just didn't use them for day-to-day operations.
'We'll keep track of you. We can beam you out if necessary,' came Kevin's voice.
"Hopefully, that won't be necessary," replied Randall. He finished his coffee and tossed the cup before exiting the coffee shop. He needed to cross the street to get to his target, a large office building housing analysts working for the National Intelligence Department, or NID. Randall was dressed in a business-casual slacks and button-down shirt combination, with a pair of fake eyeglasses and an ID badge on a lanyard. He looked like one of a thousand different government workers making their way around Washington, D.C. on their lunch break. The NID office was not far from the embassies on Massachusetts Avenue, a high-traffic road cutting a diagonal path relative to the compass rose through the capital city.
Infiltrating the office was surprisingly easy. His badge got him in through the security gates on the first floor. A little device provided by Leet got him through the code lock on the secure server room. His manner of polite boredom and air of familiarity let him walk past the real employees of the agency without a second glance. A quick review of the server racks identified an open USB port. He put the thumb drive into the port and Dragon's program started loading. It only took a minute, and then the red light on the device turned to green. He pulled the drive and slid it into his pocket. Leaving the server room, he went to the restroom and entered a bathroom stall, and said, "I'm done. Pull me out." The data analyst washing his hands at the restroom sink didn't notice the slight glow from inside one of the stalls.
In geosynchronous orbit, a stealthed satellite was picking up a stream of data coming from the NID's isolated server farm, including a copy of all of the data from the SGC and Area 51. Another program was collecting data from the publicly accessible Internet for later cross-reference and analysis.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Xander was whittling small bits of wood off of the thick branch he had found. The wood was fairly easy to work...like pine, but with a really interesting dark grain. He was getting a feel for what the wood wanted to be, letting his hands work automatically to get it closer to realization.
"You're an artist," said one of the pair of Nox who were observing him. They were a boy and a girl, Nyla and Maius. He wasn't sure if they were brother and sister, boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife or just friends, but they had taken an interest in what he was doing when he found the branch in the nearby woods.
"I'm a craftsman," he said.
"What is the difference?" asked Maius.
"I like to think that I help the wood become something. Back on Earth, sometimes I help build things that people want. Sometimes, I just try and feel how the wood is shaped. I mean, its just wood, but maybe there's a purpose behind how it grows," answered Xander slightly absently.
Nyla looked up from his hands to his face and said, "If you're a craftsman, then why do you fight?"
"I fight to protect my friends," he said automatically.
"Do your friends need protecting?" asked the boy.
Xander thought about that. In terms of fighting, Buffy was obviously superior to Xander. He wouldn't say she needed protecting in the strictest sense. Willow had also grown powerful, and in truth he wasn't really worried about her in that way anymore. "It's more that they need somebody to help keep them grounded," he said after some hesitation. His hands began to streamline the shape he was carving.
"You care about them," said Nyla, "and you want to be there for them."
"When they let me," he replied a little bitterly.
"They try to protect you, too," she said. "Do you think they feel the same way that you do, sometimes?"
That was an interesting question. He got annoyed with them for being overprotective. Did they feel the same way about him at times? He wasn't sure how much of it was a trust issue. Some of it may have to do with upbringing, and they all had abandonment issues.
"You had to decide what to do long before you could know who you are," said Maius.
Xander stopped working with his hands for a moment and really looked at the two Nox. "How old are you two, again?" he asked, despite being sure that they hadn't said.
Nyla smiled. "We are very young, as the Nox reckon such things." It was an answer that didn't seem like a real answer. Xander remembered one of Daniel's stories. If he remembered correctly, the Nox had called human civilization on Earth young. His hands began to work again as he pondered whether it was worth pressing for a more explicit answer. He decided against it.
"We all had to take on responsibilities early. Our home was dangerous, and we were some of the few who could see the danger," he said instead.
"Did somebody force you to take on these responsibilities?" asked the boy.
He considered that. "Buffy was, to an extent. She was called as a Slayer. Somehow, somewhere, the powers decided she would be a champion."
"And you?" the boy prompted.
He remembered back to what happened with Jessie. "I don't think I was forced, but I know I would make the same choices if given the same circumstances. That, at least, is part of who I am." A dorsal fin was starting to take shape on the top of the carving, though it was still coarse in outline. "I wouldn't be happy with myself if I stood by and let others get hurt."
"You hurt those who threaten people as a way to help?" asked Nyla in a voice that sounded skeptical.
Xander chuckled. "It's more like I throw myself in their way, and sometimes they stumble," he said self-deprecatingly.
"Why are you carving that wood?" asked the girl in an apparent non-sequitur. "Isn't that branch better as fertilizer for the growing trees?"
Xander looked at her. "That's not the only thing its good for," he said.
"Interesting," was all the girl said in reply.
Xander continued to carve as he thought about the conversation. The two Nox continued to watch, letting him think.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Saurial and Raptaur appeared in a high-tech corridor. The air was filled with a mechanical clicking sound. A host of spider-like automatons were moving with purpose through the bowels of the Asgard science cruiser. "What do you think of this?" said Saurial, visualing a cluster of ball bearings created with pre-imparted momentum.
"That should work. Let's try it," answered Varga.
A cluster of hundreds of ball bearings appeared in the center of the corridor and immediately exploded outward like the blast from a claymore mine. The robotic insects were shattered into discrete blocks by the kinetic force.
"That works, but it isn't really practical over long distances," thought Taylor.
"Let's find another cluster of Replicators. I have another idea."
The two of them relatively quickly found a room filled with the insectoid robots. Varga quickly explained what he was thinking.
"Hm..." said Saurial. She worked through the mathematics and created the necessary warping. The Replicators in the room shattered with a slight screeching sound, but the walls of the room also bent outwards. "Whoops?" said Saurial.
"Also effective, but slightly damaging to the surroundings. I'm not sure the Asgard are going to care in this case, but we should work on that," said the larger lizard.
The two of them moved through the ship under Assassin's Cloak, slowly tearing the invading robots into component parts. The queen in the engine room was obviously wary, but didn't seem to have any way of sensing them or protecting itself when the geometry of the space between its component parts twisted in a non-Euclidean fashion.
"What about this?" asked Saurial, envisioning an additional step to the method of destruction.
"That's very good. Limit the twist to the extra-dimensional aspects of the connecting energy," considered Varga. In the next spot of infestation, Varga tried Taylor's suggestion, and managed to disassemble the Replicators inside without touching the room itself. "There may be some problems in hyperspace or at warp, but this seems to work." Varga proceeded to apply the warping effect to the rest of the ship. All over the craft, bits of neutronium and other advanced alloys showered to the deck.
The two reptiles made their way to the ship's bridge. The door opened upon their approach. Inside, one of the grey Asgard waited patiently.
"I am Idunn of the Asgard," said the short alien. "Are you two responsible for the defeat of the Replicators on my ship?"
"Greetings, Idunn," said the smaller lizard. "I am Saurial, and this is Varga. We noticed your ship was in distress, and came over to lend assistance."
"I must thank you, then, as I was preparing to destroy this vessel to keep it out of the Replicator's hands. May I inquire as to how you were able to defeat the Replicators so readily?" asked the Asgard.
"We twisted the space holding the extra-dimensional reflections of the binding energy between the Replicator components," explained Varga.
"Fascinating," said the alien. "I would be very interested in seeing the device used to accomplish such a feat."
"It's an innate ability of our species," said Saurial, "but I'm sure we can work out a technological way to generate the same effect." If nothing else, she could sick Leet and Dragon on the problem.
"We would greatly be in your debt," said the Asgard.
"No debt necessary. In fact, we may be able to help you with another problem," said Saurial.
Idunn blinked at them. "What would that be?"
"We encountered a human named Daniel Jackson. He has apparently had contact with a member of your race named Thor?" explained Saurial.
"Yes, I am aware of Supreme Commander Thor's interaction with the humans of Earth," said Idunn.
"When he learned of the abilities of our biosculpters, he shared with us the issues you are having with your cloning technology. One of our biosculpters is an expert in dealing with such problems, and would like to be allowed to assist you." said the larger reptile.
Idunn looked at them, considering the suggestion. "Such an offer would have to go before the Asgard High Council. They would want to understand more of what you are offering."
"Ianthe is on board our ship at this moment," said Saurial. "We would be happy to have her explain things in more detail."
"Your ship?" asked the Asgard. Idunn touched one of the control panels, moving a control stone to a different setting. "Interesting. Your cloaking technology is quite sophisticated. Do you know the Nox?"
"We are acquainted," said Saurial, "but our technology is our own invention, with some concepts borrowed from other species."
"If you are willing, I could bring you to the Asgard home-world, Othala, to see the Council," said Idunn.
"How long will it take your ship to reach the Ida galaxy from here?" asked Varga.
Idunn paused to check some of the readouts. "Given the damage from the Replicators, it would take most of an Asgard day."
"Would you allow us to bring your ship with us to Othalla? I believe we can make the journey much more quickly than that," said Saurial.
"You have an intergalactic hyperdrive?" asked the Asgard. Very few races had that capability, and Idunn thought the Asgard knew all of them.
Saurial shook her head. "We use a wormhole drive, not hyperspace. We find it to be a faster method."
This time, the Asgard's eyes widened slightly at the revelation. Idunn began to hope that these reptiles might even be able to help them with their cloning problem. "If that's true, then yes, I would appreciate it if you could bring my ship with you to Othalla."
"We will return to our ship and be on our way momentarily," said the larger reptile. He then said something in another, unknown language, and the two reptiles disappeared.
Idunn double-checked the shield status. The shields had indeed come back up after the Replicators were destroyed. His two visitors had just teleported out of an Asgard vessel with raised shields. The coming meeting with the High Council now looked like it would be quite fascinating.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Did you know that your parasite is increasing your level of aggression?" asked Lya.
"My...parasite? I didn't know I had parasites," said Taylor worriedly.
"You have the ability to subsume the minds of invertebrate animals into your consciousness," explained Lya.
That sounded like... "You mean my power?" asked Taylor.
Lya smiled. "Your power is caused by a parasitic extra-dimensional entity linked to your mind. It's what gives you your ability. It also has the affect of increasing your aggression level."
"Why would it do that?" asked the teen, concerned.
"I can only speculate," said the female Nox, "but one likely reason is that it encourages you to use your power. It is also possible it is an unintended side effect, but it seems to increase when you go for longer periods without directly accessing your ability to control invertebrates. Of course, you've only been here for a few days, so it may be an incorrect conclusion."
"Can you stop it from doing that?" asked Taylor.
Lya appeared to consider it for a moment. "We could. We could also teach you to recognize it and manage its effect. That would have benefits in other situations, as well. Does your mental state change when you're using your power?"
Taylor thought back on her experiences. "I can push some of my emotions into my swarm, and they're muted and easier to control." Thinking back to what Jimmy said on the Ship of Fools, she added, "I'm also able to multitask based on the number of insects I control. I can control each one individually and simultaneously."
The Nox woman regarded her for some time, then said, "We will teach you some mental exercises. I think they will help you gain better control. Can you tell me how you got your abilities?"
Taylor sighed. If she was going to share her trigger with somebody, she couldn't think of anybody who was more likely to be considerate and caring about it than Lya. In the short time since she had arrived, Taylor had been greatly impressed by her.
"It started when I got back from summer camp..." began Taylor.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"I'm just saying," began Kevin, "that the whole idea of a flying aircraft carrier is kind of off. I mean, it's cool, but why not have launch bays like a spaceship?"
"It's designed to land on the ocean," said Linda.
"Yeah, but why does it have to do that?" he insisted.
'Guys, can we have this conversation after I've planted the program and made it off the Triskelion?' came Randall's voice over the communicator.
"Sorry, man. Hey, you're almost to the computer core. The Skeleton Key I made you should get you inside." Leet was thrilled with the idea of an electronic lockpick that could work with many different kinds of locks, and he was more thrilled when he actually built it.
"I could build a flying aircraft carrier," said Linda with a grin.
Kevin glared at her. "I know you could, but why would you want to?"
"'Caus its damned cool," she said.
Kevin spoke into the communicator. "Hey, man, you there yet?"
There was no response.
"Randall?" he prompted again.
'Wait,' came the quiet response.
Kevin looked at Linda, who shrugged.
'All right, I'm inside,' said Randall.
Linda asked, "What was the hold up?"
'I was walking by Captain America. I didn't want to draw attention,' was the response.
"You SAW Captain America, like in person? Goddamn it, I need to go on one of these missions," complained the tinker.
Randall said irritably, 'All right, the program is loaded. Beam me out of here.'
Linda operated the teleporter and brought their comrade back to the ship.
"How was it?" asked Linda with a grin.
"It was freaking AWESOME!" said Randall with a manic smile.
"GODDAMN IT!" muttered Kevin as he left the room.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"You can get Bonea out of my head?" asked a shocked Harry Dresden.
The male Nox, Julius, simply nodded. His partner, Kaileana, added, "We can, but your friends in the Family asked us to wait while they produced a gift for you. Do not worry, you're in no danger."
"A gift, said Harry, momentarily distracted from the other news. "What kind of gift?"
"I believe they were going to provide a container for the spirit," explained Julius.
Harry was surprised, if only slightly. "While I appreciate the thought," he said, "I really think I need to craft the container myself." The act of creation would help him bond with the spirit.
"I do not believe you need to worry," replied Kaileana. "Varga is well aware of the criteria needed. I believe you'll be impressed."
Harry considered that, and thought about what he knew of the lizards. "All right. If that has to wait, then what's next?"
"Tell us of your deal with Mab," said Julian.
Dresden winced. "I would prefer not to say her name out loud."
The female Nox actually giggled at this, and her laugh sounded like the soft sound of a gentle breeze mixed with merry bells, like the world's most amazing wind-chime. "You needn't worry, Harry Dresden. Mab has no access or sight into our home."
"How can you be so sure?" he asked, still cautious.
"She has tried to look before without success," she said. "Now, share with us this bargain..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"What may I do for you, Taylor Hebert, Varga and Sarah Livsey?" asked the man clad in elaborate mystical robes. The fact that he was speaking to what appeared to be two giant lizards didn't seem to phase him.
Saurial glanced at Metis. "We prefer Saurial and Metis when we're out and about like this, Doctor. By the way, those are nice true name wards."
"Thank you," he said with a polite smile. "Now Saurial, Metis, how may I help you?"
Saurial proceeded to explain about Harry Dresden and Xander Harris, and the types of worlds they inhabit. Stephen found it interesting that they weren't looking for assistance getting them home.
"Harry fights things similar in many ways to the things that seek their way into your Earth, but he is trapped in a bargain with the fae," said Metis. "Xander's lot is different. He serves as the emotional core of a group of monster slayers. His best friend is one of the most powerful magic users on his world, but she is very young."
"We had some ideas," added Saurial, "but we wanted to run them by an expert in multidimensional magic."
"I take it you're not from this universe, either?" asked the mage.
"No, but we do have a mutual acquaintance, Peter Parker," said the smaller lizard girl.
Dr. Strange's eyebrow rose. Spider-man had told him about his extra-dimensional jaunts, but he hadn't mentioned Saurial and Metis. The wizard said as much.
"That's because he hasn't met us yet," said Metis with a grin. "He will in, say..." she glanced at the clock on the mantle, "about sixty-three hours?"
With a frown, Strange said, "That's somewhat dangerous."
Saurial laughed. "It isn't, as long as you can refrain from talking to him in the next day or so."
He thought about it, then nodded. "Very well. Let's go into my study, and you can tell me your ideas."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"What happened to you was an abomination," said Anteaus.
"I'm not going to argue with you," said Miles. "I certainly didn't volunteer for it."
"I have called for Lya. When she gets here, we are going to remove these false memories," said the older Nox with a frown.
"Er...is that safe? No offense," replied O'Brien.
"It is completely safe, Miles," came Lya's voice from behind him, startling him.
Miles turned his head to look at her. "It's just, Ianthe offered the same thing to me, but she seemed unsure how effective it would be," said Miles.
"Miles O'Brien, the Nox helped the Asgard when they developed their cloning technology. We are very familiar with memory, and we can tell the difference between real ones and false ones," said Antaeus, not unkindly.
He thought about it. It would be good to not have night terrors anymore. He had woken poor Keiko up too many times, and he had worked too many shifts while still tired, keeping himself going with raktajino and coffee.
"All right," he told the Nox. "What do I have to do?"
"Simply lie down, Miles," answered Lya.
He put his feet up on the bed and lay back against the pillow. He was about to ask what was going to happen next when he fell asleep.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"OK, just keep it cool," said Kevin as he waked down the path.
'Just relax,' came Randall's voice over the communicator. 'You're just a cadet on your way to deliver a message from the Academy Groundskeeper to the Starfleet Quartermaster's office.'
Leet had the replicated uniform of a cadet, as well as a PADD with said message, and a little something extra from Dragon. In theory, this was about as safe as an infiltration could get, which is why Randall had let him take this one. He was geeking out HARD at the idea that he was really in Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco!
"I know, but this is SO awesome," he replied.
As he passed into the inside of the building, he marveled at the interior. The halls were decorated with amazing works of art depicting the wonders of the galaxy. Down one hall was a series of memorials for those who died in service to Starfleet during the various galactic conflicts, with the latest one still being etched. Busy personnel hustled back and forth, performing whatever tasks they had been assigned.
"Cadet!" called out a loud voice.
Kevin turned his head, then jumped to attention. "Admiral!"
"What are you doing here, cadet?" asked the man wearing the uniform of a Starfleet Admiral.
He had prepared for this, and replied, "Message for the Quartermaster from the Groundskeeper, sir!" He held the PADD forward in case the admiral chose to inspect his orders.
"Huh. How's Boothby doing these days? I knew him back when I was teaching at the Academy," said the admiral.
"He's doing well, sir!" That seemed like a safe thing to say.
The admiral looked him up and down. Apparently, nothing was out of place. "Carry on, cadet. Tell Boothby that Owen Paris sends his regards."
Leet's eyes widened a bit as he recognized the name, but he quickly said, "Yes sir, I will sir!"
He quickly found the Quartermaster's office after that encounter. Thumbing the control to turn on the broadcast of Dragon's program to nearby wireless receptors, he quickly left and made his way into a restroom. It was shockingly mundane, but he wasn't sure what he expected. With that, he signaled the ship and was beamed out.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"It's not so bad," said Peter. "I mean, don't get me wrong -- I miss my wife a lot. This trip has been kind of a vacation, though. Being a hero is tiring, and you never know when something is going to crop up and ruin your vacation plans."
The small group of Nox children gazed up at him. "Why do you wear a costume?" asked a small, pixie-like girl.
"I catch people who commit crimes," explained Peter. "They don't want to be caught, so if they knew who I was, they might threaten my friends and family to keep me from catching them."
"What are crimes?" asked a shy-looking boy.
Peter stared at him for a moment. "Um...on Earth, we make laws about what you can and can't do. Like, you can't take things that don't belong to you. When you break the law, you're committing a crime."
A second girl, this one taller and more willowy, asked, "What if you ask permission before you take something? Is that a crime?"
"No, if you have permission to take something, then that isn't a crime," explained Peter.
"Why wouldn't you ask permission?" asked the shy boy, emboldened by Peter's willingness to answer previous questions.
"Well," he said, hesitating slightly, "a criminal might not ask because the owner can say no."
Another boy, this one who still seemed to have some baby fat around his face, asked, "Why would you take it if the owner said no?"
"Because...he may want to sell it, or use it, and he doesn't care about the feelings of the owner," explained Peter.
The willowy girl said, "That doesn't seem very nice. Are there a lot of people like that on your world?"
Peter nodded. "Far too many, really."
"Why do you want to go back, then?" asked the first boy.
"I want to go back," said Peter, "because my wife is there and I love her. My friends are there, too." He thought for a moment. "Also...I can help a lot of people there every day. I can keep the not nice people from hurting the nice people."
"That seems really important," said the pixie-girl.
Peter smiled. "Yeah, I guess you could say it is."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Of course I'll help," said Dragon. "Bishop helped save them all. We need to find out if he's got any programming that might force him to work against them. I thought his pod didn't eject from the ship, though? Just Ripley's?"
'That's true,' said Metis over the phone. 'But Ellen has asked us to investigate what happened, so it would be remiss not to have our artificial intelligence expert along to help.'
"Weyland-Yutani constructed the androids, so he may have some hard-coded obedience routines. Hopefully, we can come up with work-arounds for anything we find," said the tinker.
'Thank you. I'm not sure what the timing is going to be yet, but I'll let you know. We're still doing a lot of prep work. Meeting with some more esoteric experts, doing data collection, and so on,' said the black lizard.
"Just let me know. Also...I was wondering..."
'Yes?' said Metis.
Dragon paused, slightly embarrassed, before asking, "Is there any way I could meet Commander Data?"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Anteaus and Lya looked at the body lying on the bed. "I am not sure how we can correct this...or if we can correct it," said the older Nox.
"His reality has fragmented so many times," agreed Lya. "There is no starting point. We need to speak to the Family and tell them."
"This may be beyond any of us," warned Anteaus.
"Perhaps, but that is still to be determined," said Lya firmly. Anteaus nodded.
Jimmy Olsen slept on, unaware of the conversation. He dreamed of home.
My Peter Parker is inspired by the one in Into the Spiderverse. My Jimmy Olsen is a successful, highly skilled and capable journalist capable of both high-quality photojournalism and thoroughly researched think-pieces. There worlds contain whatever personally appeals to me.
