Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 18:01:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 1 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [129.116.16.66] ~Finders Keepers~ Part 1 "Piccolo! Wait up!" Lucas called out, breathing heavily while chasing after his friend. "Haven't you ever heard of walking?" Tony heard everything Lucas yelled, but kept running. An opportunity like this couldn't be wasted. Ever since Hudson had been in command, Piccolo rarely had a chance to enjoy the other aspects of being stuck in a submarine in the deep blue. However, the SeaQuest was currently docked in a remote colony for a few days to restock supplies and partake in various UEO functions. Completely elated, Piccolo darted past several crewmen, shaking their heads in disbelief at the sight of Tony flying past them, in a wetsuit, and rounded the corner towards his destination. Lucas followed closely behind. He was completely winded and his legs were beginning to feel like stone. Even though he had lived on the SeaQuest for quite a long time, he never felt the urge to visit the fitness center frequently. 'I really need to start working out. I wonder what Hudson would think if he caught me out of breath?' He grimaced at the thought of the possible repercussions while rounding the corner. He slowed down happily when he finally caught up with Piccolo, who had already reached the moonpool. "You (huff) didn't have to (gasp) run all the way here!" Lucas breathed in annoyance. He pulled at his wetsuit, which had twisted and ridden up from his running, completely frustrated. Piccolo shrugged. "How often does the Captain let us take a day off to play around in a sunken ship?!" Piccolo walked towards the equipment locker and dug out a few objects. He tossed the Ensign a BC vest and a weight belt. "Never," Lucas stated matter-of-factly, as he snapped his weight belt in place. "Well, there you go! Besides, this is a finders keepers ship." Lucas walked over to the equipment locker and grabbed a scuba tank. "A what?" he asked, as he started to hook up his dive equipment. "It's a ship that has already been picked apart by scientists, military, big fat corporations, etc. They take everything they deem important and leave the rest for scavengers to find. Just as long as you don't start taking the ship apart by the floorboards, it's okay to keep anything you find. Usually, there's a plaque stating the day of the find, the people who did the excavation, and big words saying 'Finders keepers. Losers weepers.' Those kind of ships are my personal fave 'cause I have an advantage that no other diver has." Piccolo grinned from ear to ear and tossed Lucas a mask and snorkel. "Cool. Have you found anything good before?" Piccolo nodded. "Yeah, I've found a plate and an old gold ring, some money, nothing truly extraordinary though." He pulled at his wetsuit and wrapped a weight belt around his waist. "I'm surprised the naval scientists let an ex-con like me keep the stuff, since I found it during one of their 'experimental' deep dives." Lucas's gaze sank towards Tony's lower abdomen. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Why don't you have your usual wetsuit on?" Lucas pointed to Piccolo's ill-fitting full body wetsuit. "It got torn while I was out doing some repairs a while back. I have to wear this one a size too big so I can breathe. Can't cut any slits on the sides though, according to the supply officer who handed it to me." Piccolo pulled at the sides again to illustrate the wetsuit's apparent looseness. "Are you almost done with your equipment?" "Yeah. Can you help me put it on?" Piccolo picked up the vest with the tank attached and helped his friend get into it. He chuckled as the young man stumbled backwards due to the immense weight. "I'm glad I don't have to strap myself into all this. Gills definitely have their advantages." Lucas put his mask on and smirked. "Whatever you say, fishbreath." "Am I going to have to help you into the water too?" Lucas rolled his eyes at Tony. "I think I can handle it. Say…where's Darwin? I thought he was going out with us." "Hold on. I'll call him. Get in the water so you don't end up landing on top of him." Piccolo turned on the vocorder and yelled into it, "Hey Darwin. Get your tail over here in the moonpool pronto." He watched Lucas flop backwards into the water. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Darwin racing through the aquatubes. Darwin reached the moonpool and flew up out of the water and back down. "It's about time, Darwin," Lucas called out to his bottle-nosed companion. "Lucas look funny." "Gee, thanks for noticing. Are you ready to have some fun?" Lucas splashed water at Darwin. "Yes. Darwin miss swimming with Lucas and Tony." Piccolo finished putting up the equipment on the deck and dove into the moonpool. A few seconds later, he resurfaced. "I miss swimming with ya too, Darwin. I've been out of the water so long that my gills were getting way too dry for my own good." "Tony fish out of water?" Lucas chortled at the comment. "Yup, he's been out of the water so long that he's beginning to smell." Piccolo gave Lucas a mock-angry stare and then splashed him. Lucas laughed and wiped the water off his face. Tony let out an impatient sigh and grumbled, "How about we go now? I'm ready to find the lost treasure of Atlantis. How 'bout you?" He dove back under the water and started swimming towards the aquatubes. Lucas put his regulator into his mouth, sighed, and followed suit. Darwin swam closely behind. -- Fentide Colony Sunny and almost serene, the colony was humming with commotion and merriment. From its sparkling artificially created beaches, to its transplanted palm trees, the colony resembled a typical tropical tourist spot. It was hard to believe that only a few years ago this colony was a newly formed island, built up from several unexpected volcanic eruptions. Yet, as most tourist-oriented businesses do, they seized the newly formed isle and transformed it into a generic tropical site, perfect for attracting revenue. And, as the slogans had put it, Fentide was truly heaven on earth. Henderson and Fredericks happily strolled down the boardwalk, taking in the beauty and the atmosphere. Lonnie stopped occasionally at nearby souvenir stands to look at dresses, sparkling seashells, and various other baubles. Fredericks, however, kept her sights mainly on the young Adonises who ran by in all of their glorious masculinity. "Isn't this place wonderful!" Lonnie exclaimed with glee. Fredericks trailed a young, black beauty with her eyes and smiled, "Yes, this place is heaven and I don't ever want to leave." Henderson noticed the hidden meaning in Freddie's statement and laughed. "I could get used to this. I think Jonathan would get jealous though." "I'd certainly be afraid that a young handsome thing might whisk you away. I wish one of those young things would whisk me away…anytime." Lonnie picked up a small pair of sunglasses and put them on. She posed in front of the mirror, pouted, and played with her hair. Freddie rolled her eyes at Lonnie's actions and grabbed a pair of glasses as well. Freddie cooed, "What do you think? Don't I look beautiful?" Freddie snickered while mimicking her actions. "Haha. Very funny. What do you think?" Freddie fished for her wallet and paid the clerk for the sunglasses that she held. "Yeah, they look good on you. You should get them." "Really? You don't think they make my face look fat?" Lonnie posed again in front of the mirror. "They look good. Buy them. I'm ordering you." Fredericks started chuckling. Henderson laughed and reached in her purse to fetch her wallet. "Here you go. Keep the change," she said, while handing the clerk her money. Leaving the stand, they strolled down the boardwalk and watched children playing on the beach. "I'm getting hungry. Do you want to eat?" Lonnie said, while directing her eyes towards the various shops lining the boardwalk. Fredericks nodded and pointed to a small, brightly colored building titled Joe's Shack. "Let's eat there. Come on." She began to walk briskly towards her target. Lonnie quickly caught up, and the two dodged various tourists, while marching towards their target destination. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- That's part one. ;) Remember: comments, comments, comments! ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Fri, 08 May 1998 12:28:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 2 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [129.116.46.4] Part 2 Piccolo was clearly enjoying himself. He deftly swam towards the boat, joyously celebrating every stroke with vigor, as he plowed through the water. He looked forward and saw the ship clearly ahead. The tropical blue waters lent amazing visibility to its divers. He could make out every crevice and detail on the boat from afar. Tony's heart leapt with joy as he neared the structure. However, in all of his excitement, he forgot that Lucas was not nearly as agile in the water and had fallen far behind. Piccolo looked to his side and discovered Lucas wasn't there. With the skill of a dolphin, he nimbly turned and stopped, facing his companion, who had fallen several feet behind. He grinned from ear to ear and simply floated there, rising and falling a little with every breath. Darwin flew past him and squealed in dolphinic laughter, as Piccolo was swept asunder by the sudden and unexpected current trailing the dolphin. Piccolo regained his peaceful loftiness and simply shrugged when Lucas's face twisted up in laughter. Tony resumed swimming beside Lucas and when they were merely meters from the ship, he launched into a torrential blur and left a very confused ensign far behind. Lucas wasn't nearly as excited about the ship as Piccolo was. The serene beauty of the water that surrounded him captured his gaze. Secretly, Lucas was thankful for the lack of vocal equipment on this dive. He winced at the thought of Piccolo babbling on and on. However, his eyes betrayed him, smiling in their own cerulean blue fashion. He was also thankful that no one from the SeaQuest had the urge to talk to him through the small speakers placed in his ears. Hudson had insisted that they wear them, in case they needed to be immediately recalled to the ship. The lack of sound brought an inner peace in the ensign that had been lacking for a long time. He kicked slowly and was taken aback by the large sunken ship that sat before him now. It was an amazing sight. The masts stood erect and still; their torn and tattered cloth sails hung motionless in ghost-like fashion. A small sense of fear swept over Lucas and shivers ran down his spine. The ship seemed full of spirits. It was truly eerie. He watched Piccolo swoop down towards the deck and land adroitly on the wooden boards. He often admired the sight of Piccolo swimming. Despite the fact that the man was quite clumsy on land, he was graceful in the water. Lucas wondered silently to himself if Piccolo had always been taken with water. After all, what would inspire him to readily accept gills? He remembered that so long ago Piccolo had given a reason for becoming an experimental. 'What was it? Oh yes, he said he was a surfer.' He shook his head at the excuse. It was one of Piccolo's smarmy comments aimed at hiding his true feelings. Lucas had never seen him surf, nor believed that he knew how. He sighed and took a deep breath, swimming up to the deck. Topside, Darwin was darting in and out of the openings. Completely oblivious to the dolphin's actions, Piccolo was looking through an intact glass window, that obviously led to the Captain's quarters. Tony looked up and noticed Lucas approaching. He smiled and pointed to the window. Lucas swam towards him and looked in. A small table sat at the end of the room. Various plants and coral had grown around it. Lucas shrugged. He had no idea what Piccolo found so interesting. With the exception of the table, the room was nearly bare. Except…for the small painting that rested in the far corner of the room. A young child was captured upon the canvas. Her gaze was fixed and sad. Apparently, Tony found this painting particularly enchanting. Tapping on the glass, Tony pointed out the "Do not remove" sign and sighed. Lucas gave the room a final glance and turned to see a large open door on the opposite end of the deck leading downwards. He tapped on Piccolo's shoulder and pulled his hand towards the opening. Tony nodded to show that he understood and swam towards it, pulling the flashlight off of his weight belt and lighting it. The two men slowly disappeared as they followed the stairs down to the lower deck. -- Lonnie took a large bite out of her sandwich and chewed cheerfully. She swayed to the Caribbean music and looked around the room. Several young people sat at the brightly lit bar and drank colorful, fruity concoctions from playful glasses. A live parrot squawked from its perch, situated next to the cash register by the bar, and whistled, as if trained, when young women walked by. Lonnie had never been happier. The entire setting was perfect. Her eyes were dazzled by the bright colors and awesome atmosphere, and she secretly wished that her Jonathan could be sitting with her. She looked around the room again and her eyes finally settled on Freddie, who strolled out of the ladies restroom, a large grin plastered on her face. "What took you so long?" Lonnie joked and motioned to Freddie's plate. Freddie took a bite of her sandwich, swallowed, and rolled her eyes at Henderson. "You should have seen that line. I swear, every woman in that bathroom was hogging the mirror in a valiant effort to impress the entire male population of this bar." Lonnie giggled. "I'm sure you were one of them." Freddie laughed and threw a French fry across the table. "Now hush! There are plenty more men to worry about than just these few. Although, I wouldn't mind a young man to take me on a tour around this island a couple times, if you know what I mean." "I'm sure Jonathan is worried, right now, about that very thought. He can be very jealous at times. You should have seen how he jumped down Piccolo's throat a few weeks back when he thought Tony was hitting on me." "Piccolo's a big boy. I'm sure he can handle Ford. Besides, he wasn't hitting on you, was he?" "No, he wasn't. And I kept telling Jonathan that. Piccolo was getting some help from me about something private. And when Jonathan began yelling at him, I could swear that Tony was completely scared. He's more sensitive than he leads you to believe, Freddie." Freddie shrugged. "Under that tough guy exterior, I always thought there was a little boy hiding." She cut off her sentence and looked up as a young man approached their table. He was average in height and size, with curly black hair and a strong Jewish nose. He grinned from ear to ear as he walked up. "Hello ladies. I couldn't help overhearing that you were interested in a tour guide to show you around the place. I might just be your man." He looked into Freddie's eyes and saw her blush. "Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you my name. It's Stewart. And yours would be?" "I'm Lonnie and this is JJ." Fredericks smiled and offered her hand. "Most people call me Freddie though." Instead of shaking her hand, he bent down and kissed it. Freddie smiled wistfully and looked at Lonnie. "So, would you lovely ladies like a tour of this island? I am quite knowledgeable of the more riveting parts of this colony." Lonnie shot a look back to Freddie, found her silent agreement, and glanced back to their guide. "We'd be delighted." Freddie motioned to the waiter, who was working at a table nearby, and shouted "Check please." The waiter complied and Freddie threw her money down on the table. Stewart helped both women up and quickly strode out of the restaurant, their arms wrapped around his. Thirty minutes had passed. Stewart, Lonnie, and Freddie were standing out on a large dock, near a bustling market square. The sounds of seagulls crying, and people talking, intermingled amidst the whoosh of the sea surrounding them. Lonnie leaned far over the railing. "This is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen." She pointed happily to the brightly colored crafts skipping across the waves. "I thought you ladies would enjoy it." "Look at the jumping fish! Wow, this is amazing." Lonnie exclaimed. He laughed at her squeals of enjoyment and pointed towards the horizon. "Have you ever seen a dolphin? If you wait just long enough, you'll see one pop out of the waves and dance in the air." Fredericks smiled. "We have one on our ship named Darwin. I wouldn't be surprised if the dolphin we see is actually him. The ship is floating somewhere nearby here." "What did you say the name of your boat was again? I keep forgetting." He blushed as if he were embarrassed. "That's okay. It's called the SeaQuest." His gaze followed the waves and he smiled as the wind caught his hair. "You must see all sorts of wonders while traveling on it. I wish I could get to see far away places like that." "It's not all that exciting. With the war still burning on and on, we don't get to see much of anything, anymore. Sometimes, I wish I could just stay on land in a place like this and soak up all the beauty." Lonnie shook her hair as a gust of wind hit her face. Without any warning, Stewart's jacket began to beep. He sighed and pulled a phone out of his pocket. "I'm sorry, ladies, but I must take this call. If you don't mind, I'm going to go talk in private for a second. It might be important." He shrugged. Lonnie nodded, "Go ahead. We'll still be here when you come back." Stewart smiled and walked off towards the market square. -- "Hello?" Stewart answered. "You with the girls?" a deep voice growled over the phone. "Yeah, I've got them right by the dock, like you wanted. Right now, they're watching the jumping fishies." "Good. That's perfect. They don't suspect anything, do they?" the voice intoned. "Nope, they don't suspect a thing. I'm their dashing tour guide and that's all. Miss Fredericks is quite taken with me, might I mention." He grinned slyly, as his gaze turned back to the women laughing on the dock. "Should I take care of them now?" "Wait for a green and blue speedboat to pass by. When it honks, do your deed. Don't harm them, whatever you do. We'd like our girl in one piece. Take the chippie, but dispose of her somewhere on the island, unharmed. She'll do us no good. Just make sure you scoop them up quickly and hop into the boat. They'll have a tracker of some sort on them. Toss 'em aside so the rest can't follow us. Got that?" "Yup. Green and blue speedboat. Gotcha." He looked around the market square for any possible problems. I hope I have something coming for all of this trouble. A nice reward would be an incentive. "Good. Do it right and you'll be rewarded nicely for _your_ troubles." The voice snickered at the last two words and hung up. Stewart gulped and walked back towards the dock. He composed himself and faked a grin. His hands trailed down to his pockets and he fingered the tiny gun that hid underneath. Lonnie and Fredericks looked up. "Did you miss me while I was gone?" Lonnie jumped up and down. "You should have seen it! There had to have been at least five dolphins swimming by. Talk about a sight!" "And there was this paraglider that flew by, too. I would love to do that sort of thing," Freddie added. "I'm sure you would. You don't seem like the easily scared type." His eyes looked out to the sea. Sure enough, a small blue and green speedboat sped by. A low sense of dread passed through his body but he kept holding his grin. "Take a look at that!" He pointed to the sea and the women's gaze followed. "Keep looking. You'll see it." The speedboat honked and in a matter of seconds, Stewart pulled his gun. Without suspecting a thing, Lonnie and Freddie looked towards the sea. Freddie turned. "I don't see…what the hell are you doing?" Stewart quickly stunned Fredericks and pointed it towards Lonnie. A look of fear plastered her face. "Goodnight Miss Lenore." He pulled the trigger and she slumped to the ground. He searched their pockets for their PALs and tossed them on the wooden planks. The speedboat slowed down and stopped by the deck. Stewart tossed Lonnie and Freddie to the passengers on the boat and hopped in. The speedboat quickly drove away. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 20:45:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 3 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [129.116.46.4] Part 3 -- SeaQuest "Where are they? They were supposed to check in with us over five minutes ago," Ford complained, pacing back and forth on the bridge. "I told her that we had an important dinner to attend tonight. What could be taking her so long to call in?" O'Neill rolled his eyes. "You know how worried you sound? She's a big girl, Commander. I'm sure they just got enthralled by something on the island and lost track of the time." Ford pointed at his watch and sighed. "We've got to get ready soon. Give them a call, Tim. I want to know what she's doing, right now." Tim shook his head in annoyance and complied, tapping on his console a couple times. "Lonnie, Freddie. You there?" He knitted his eyebrows in confusion and tapped again. A sign of worry flashed over his face. Ford noticed it. "Sir, they're not picking up. Let me try again to be sure." Tim adjusted his previous equations and tried again. He shook his head when no one answered back. Ford became agitated. "They have to be there! Why aren't they picking up, O'Neill?" He peered over Tim's shoulder. O'Neill looked up and sighed. "I wish I knew. I'll trace their PALs and see where they are." He tapped on the console; his face twisted as if he were deep in thought. "The PALs are registering on the south side of the island." Ford looked at the console closely and straightened back up. "I'll go check it out. You stay here and keep trying to locate them. Okay?" O'Neill nodded and watched Ford storm off the bridge. Minutes later, Ford arrived at the coordinates O'Neill had given him. He looked around but didn't see either Lonnie or JJ. He searched the dock and finally his eyes rested on what he was looking for. The two PALs lay strewn upon the deck. His eyes flashed with worry and fear. Pulling out his own PAL, he quickly placed a call to the SeaQuest. "O'Neill. I found the PALs but I don't see them anywhere. We better call the Captain on this. We might have a possible kidnapping." He clenched his hands at the thought. "Sir, I'm getting a vidlink in from the island. Hold on a second." Tim carefully worded his statements. He knew that Ford would be in a frenzy at the moment. Ford paced back and forth. His eyes continued to scan the market square nearby, futilely hoping that he might catch sight of them shopping, having accidentally dropped their communicators. "Sir, it's JJ. She says that she just woke up in some hotel room in the main portion of the island. She doesn't know how she got there, but remembers being shot and stunned by a man calling himself Stewart. She thinks Lonnie has been kidnapped. Can you pick her up? She says it's the Blue Lagoon Motel on West Palm Road." Jonathan clenched his teeth. "Okay. O'Neill, I want you to call Lucas and Piccolo back to the ship _now_. We're going to need to search this island from top to bottom and see if anything turns up. Got that?" he practically yelled into his PAL, and cut off the link before Tim could answer back. Tim shook his head and proceeded to carry out his orders. -- Piccolo peered out from the interior of one of the cabins below deck. Lucas noticed him out of the corner of his eye and turned to see what Piccolo had found. Thrusting out his hand, Piccolo grinned, as he showed his first find of the day. A medium sized oyster sat in the palm of his hand. Lucas couldn't help from laughing into his regulator. Noticing Lucas's outburst, Piccolo frowned and put the oyster into his small pouch attached to his weight belt. Lucas kept laughing and Piccolo swam back into the small cabin. 'Doesn't he understand what's inside an oyster? Jeez. And I thought he was the smart one in the group. He won't be laughing when I crack this baby open,' Piccolo thought contently to himself. He watched Lucas swim into the room, still laughing. Piccolo shook his head and swam over to a small chest that lay in the middle of the room. Curious, Lucas swam over as well and placed his hands on the latch. Piccolo caught sight of his enthusiastic motions. 'Careful Luke. Don't want to break this open too quickly.' Tony placed a hand on top of Lucas's shoulder and mouthed "Careful", as exaggeratedly as he could. Lucas nodded his head, as if he were being nagged, and broke the chest open. He peered inside and noticed a small flint of gold on the bottom. Excited at his very first find, Lucas grabbed at it and accidentally caused it to turn over, allowing the entire muddy contents of the chest to flood into the surrounding cabin. He noticed a sudden change in Piccolo's composure, as the tiny room became a wash of dirt and water. A look of fear contorted Tony's face and almost immediately, he started gasping and coughing. It took only seconds for Lucas to realize that Piccolo was choking on the large amount of dirt released into the water. With his free arm, he grabbed Piccolo and swung him around towards him. Plucking the regulator out of his mouth, he pushed it into Tony's and watched as he took a deep breath. His face slowly showed calm, as he passed the regulator back to Lucas. They swam out of the room and Piccolo took a deep breath of water. He mouthed "I'm okay" and slowly rested onto the bottom of the deck. With cheeks flushing a bright red, Lucas held out the object that had caused so much trouble. A small locket lay in his hands with the chain idly floating in the water. Piccolo raised an eyebrow and then grimaced, as a voice screamed into his ears. "Piccolo and Wolenczak, Commander Ford wants you back to the ship immediately. We've got a mission for you both." Piccolo made a sighing motion and waved to Darwin, while pointing to the SeaQuest many meters away. The dolphin squealed and swam off towards the ship, obviously understanding what Tony meant. Smiling, Lucas placed the tiny locket into his pouch and grabbed Piccolo. Pondering the purpose of their sudden recall, the two slowly swam back towards the SeaQuest. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 21:49:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 4 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.186.141] Part 4 Walking down a busy section of the island, Piccolo and Wolenczak began their search for any signs of Lonnie or her kidnappers. Both were decked out in typical tourist outfits, so as not to call attention to their affiliation to the SeaQuest, or the UEO, in hopes that they would not be targeted themselves. Lucas was in his usual slacker garb, a vintage T-shirt from the 1990's and a pair of ragged cut-off jean shorts, accompanied by Lennon shades. Piccolo appeared like his usual clean cut and lively self, in an old tropical shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, topped off by a dashing pair of sunglasses. "So Ford said to keep our eyes peeled for an average sized Jewish guy? That doesn't give us a lot to go on," Tony whispered raggedly while strolling along a stretch of Main Street. "Yeah, goes by the name of Stewart. Somehow, I don't think we're going to turn up anything. This island's too big and there are way too many people," Lucas answered back. "That's what I was thinking. I guess we ought to keep looking though. It couldn't hurt anyway." Piccolo coughed a little. "I hope she's okay. Freddie didn't seem too worse for wear, but they let her go. Why would they only keep Lonnie? Someone with a vendetta against Ford?" Lucas raised his eyebrows and slumped a little. Piccolo shrugged. "You've got me. There is an underwater colony not too far from here. Are they checking that out too?" "Ford says that place is next on our search. He must be all worked up considering how hurried Tim sounded when he called us back." Lucas chuckled. "I can't believe the look on your face when you showed me that oyster. Like it was buried treasure or something." "Hey! Don't you know what's in an oyster? And I thought you were a genius or something." He paused to cough. "Well, you shouldn't be the one laughing. In all your rush for that little gold locket, you nearly killed me." "How was I supposed to know that chest was full of sand and dirt? Who in their right mind would fill a chest with dirt? A diver with a really bad sense of humor?" "Well, the stuff is still caught in my gills and irritating the hell out of them. Of course, I should have known better than to have stuck around when all that stuff swamped the room. It's not the first time I've choked on dirt. And it's not fun either." "Judging by the look that appeared on your face, I would say not." Lucas felt a tingle of concern for his friend when Tony started coughing again. "Do you need some water? We could stop at a stand for a moment, and ask some questions about that Stewart guy's whereabouts." Piccolo responded hoarsely, "Yeah. A drink of water would be good. A breath of water would be nicer but it'll do. Besides, we should be serious about this whole mess. Lonnie's life is in danger, after all." Lucas nodded and led Piccolo to a nearby stand. While Piccolo bought a bottle of water, Lucas commenced asking questions. Unfortunately, like everyone else they encountered, the vender knew nothing. -- "Uhhhhhh." Lonnie groaned and opened her eyes. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the light and came into focus. Lonnie gasped when she noticed her foreign surroundings. In a quick jerk, she sat up in the bed, where she had awoken, and looked around at the spartan interior. She was in a small room, bland in color, with very few furnishings. A desk sat against the wall opposite her bed and a large imposing wooden door stood, menacingly, at the front of the room. The atmosphere was cold and dim: not a single window graced the walls. Lonnie turned and rested her feet on the floor. Instantly, her feet tingled from the cold concrete surface that they touched. She pushed herself up and off the bed, wincing as her body straightened. Apparently, the effects of the stun gun had not worn off. Slowly, she crept towards the door and looked out the barred opening situated at eye level. Frantically searching with her eyes for some person, any person, to talk to, she became frustrated and began to call out. "Hello? Is anybody out there? Can you hear me?" Noone responded to her pleas. Disheartened, Lonnie dragged her feet back to her bed and slumped down with a sigh. 'Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? If only someone was here that I could talk to.' As if on cue, a middle-aged man peered in through the window. "I see that you are awake, Miss Henderson. I hope that you find your room acceptable. We do try to keep our hostages happy." "Who are you? Why are you keeping me here? What do you want?" Lonnie started crying. "Now, now. In due time, my dear. Chin up. Dry those tears. You're just a pawn in our little game. No one's going to hurt you, Lonnie." He grinned coyly from ear to ear. A small lock of graying, wavy brown hair fell into his eyes. Nonchalantly, he brushed it away and winked at her. Lonnie sniffled and wiped away a tear with her hand. "How am I supposed to believe that? If you're not going to hurt me, then let me go." "Poor little pretty thing. I imagine you're hungry. Let me have one of our chefs cook you up a little something to warm the body and nourish the heart. I want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible." A look of concern furrowed his brow. "Oh look how you shiver! I will have one of my men bring you a blanket or a sweater to keep warm. I'll be back soon. Try and rest a little, my sweet." With nary a second glance, he turned and walked away. Lonnie shuddered and threw herself into her pillow, tears flowing quickly from her eyes. Vaguely, in the distance, she could hear a door open and close, the noise echoing for what seemed like miles, down the hall. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 20:36:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 5 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.187.48] Part 5 Lucas and Tony strolled down a narrow section of street leading away from the main market square. Their heads continually moved back and forth, in hopes that they might find something suspicious. Piccolo slowed down a moment and began to cough. "Hold up Luke. (cough, cough) Having (cough) another coughing fit (cough, cough)." Piccolo gasped and coughed, leaning on a building for support. Lucas doubled back towards Piccolo, shaking his head in annoyance. "I'm no doctor, but you have to quit coughing, Tony. You've already managed to irritate your gills. If you keep coughing, you're only going to make it worse." Piccolo leaned his head back and took in a deep breath. "Easier (cough) said than done, Luke." Lucas rolled his eyes and made no effort to conceal his frustration. "Would you like to stop in somewhere and get something to drink?" Tony shook his head and breathed deeply again. "No, I think I'm done coughing for now. I'll be fine." "You sure?" Lucas asked. Piccolo nodded and stifled a cough. Lucas threw up his hands in frustration and began walking away. "Come on then. We've still got a lot of island to cover." Piccolo pushed himself off the wall, brushed the dust off of his tropical shirt and khaki shorts, and walked quickly to catch up. He squinted through his sunglasses and tapped Lucas on the shoulder. He pointed to the restaurant ahead. The sign said it all. 'Joe's Shack'. "Is that the place Freddie was talking about?" Lucas nodded, "Yeah. That's the place. Let's go in." Lucas grabbed Tony by the upper arm and pulled him in that direction. Walking in, Piccolo whistled, and subsequently coughed, at the mere sight of the décor. "I haven't seen a dive like this since my young, wild days in New York." "You mean last month?" Lucas smirked. Piccolo attempted a chuckle, but landed into yet another coughing fit. Lucas simply folded his arms, gave Tony a commanding look, and tapped his foot like a mother would do. Tony shrugged innocently, like a little boy, and took a deep breath to stop the raspy coughing. Satisfied, Lucas turned and looked for a waitress. Spotting one, he darted off towards his target and called out until she stopped and looked at him. "May I help you?" the young blond asked, impatiently. "Yeah, I was wondering if you saw a young, brunette Caucasian woman and a short, African-American woman in here today," Lucas replied. "I've probably seen a half dozen people like that in here today." She rolled her eyes. Lucas pulled out two photos and showed them to her. "They look like this." The waitress peered at them and began to nod in acknowledgment. "Yeah, I saw them today. They left with a young, Jewish-looking guy. He was in here all day: big shnoz, curly brown hair. I don't know anymore than that." Tony walked over to where Lucas and the waitress were standing, holding a glass of water in his hand. Having heard the last part of the conversation, he chimed in, "Did you happen to overhear where they were planning to go?" "Look, it's the same old line that all the guys use. 'Hey, why don't I take you on a little tour of the island'. And then if they're lucky, they give you a little tour of their bedroom afterwards." She snickered. Piccolo blushed, obviously recognizing the tactic. "Sorry, that's all I can help you with. I've got some tables to attend to, if you don't mind." She walked off. Lucas shrugged, "Scratch off another loose end. We might as well go." Piccolo nodded and took a sip of his water. He nonchalantly placed the cup down on the bar and followed Lucas towards the door. "Hey! You looking for Stewart?" a man spoke up. He walked towards them. The man was older in age, balding and nearly as short as Piccolo but twice as muscular. "Yeah, you know something about him?" Tony responded. The man nodded and walked towards the door. "Follow me. I know where he hangs out. Should help you a bit on your search, bit of a walk." Piccolo flashed Lucas a questioning look and mouthed 'should we follow him?' Lucas nodded and proceeded closely behind the mystery man. They followed the man down several streets. He revealed himself as Robert, and chatted idly about Stewart and his dating habits. Soon, they wound their way to the eastern end of the island. Lucas continually asked about their final destination; however, Robert would only answer 'Just a little bit farther'. Eventually, they reached a fairly quiet portion of the eastern district. "Are we almost there?" Piccolo asked in annoyance. "Why don't we just take a taxi?" "Patience. We're very close." He pointed to a fairly deserted alleyway. "Just through that alley is a small tenant building entrance. He doesn't like to enter through the main door. There's a small room off the entranceway that he usually hangs out in and plays a little poker in. Come on." Tony and Lucas followed suit. Piccolo shivered a little as he strode into the alleyway. The entire surroundings gave him the creeps. "There it is, boys. Just like I said," Robert stated triumphantly. Before they knew what had happened, two large men came out behind the shadows and hit them on the head. The last thing Piccolo saw, was Robert looking down at him with a large toothy grin. Everything slowly faded to darkness. -- "What do you mean Piccolo and Lucas are missing?" Hudson growled. Ford shook his head. "They were supposed to check in over an hour ago with their findings. I had O'Neill relay a message over their PALs, but they didn't respond. Now, we can't even locate their communicators on the island." Hudson lowered his head and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "This is getting ridiculous. I want to know where they are and I want to know now. Obviously, someone is trying to get our attention by kidnapping my men." Ford shrugged. "Well, whoever has taken Lucas, Tony, and Lonnie, is going to make themselves known. I suggest we wait and let them come to us." Hudson scratched his chin. "I keep wondering what sort of group would take them for political reasons. The Macronesians are too far away. My mind keeps coming back to those damned psychics in the nearby colony." "Umm…psychics, Sir?" Ford asked. "You don't know? Oh, that's right, you've missed out on ten years. About seven years ago: three years after you disappeared, the Macronesians started their little crusade to takeover the world. Somehow, they seemed to be able to attack key areas that we held in secret. They seemed to know our every move before we ever made it. And then it came to light. Deon had been recruiting the help of a young, powerful psychic. Ford, you know how distrusting everyone was of psychics a decade ago… Well, this certainly didn't help. Before we knew it, psychics were being ostracized from every corner of the earth. The public distrust of them grew. Most of them fled to the little colony nearby. It was getting so bad that the UEO had to defend Notion Colony from non-psychics, who would come just to attack. Eventually, everything died down. Just as people started to become content with the idea that the psychics were 'over there' and not able to bother them, a small group of psychic theorists began proposing radical theories concerning the evolution of mankind to the science community. They suggested that the psychics were the next wave of humanity, a more highly evolved species, if you will. After those many years of distrust and fear, no scientist wanted to hear that the people they hated so much could possibly be more highly evolved. They didn't even want to consider it. Well, to make a long story short, the psychics have been hiding in that little colony ever since and I'm sure they're sick and tired of being shut in." "And you think that they might have kidnapped our people to get some attention from the UEO again?" Ford scratched his head. "It's always a possibility, Commander. A great, big, ugly possibility. I want you to have Mr. O'Neill give the people at Notion Colony a call. We might as well cover as much ground as possible to get our people back. And if they object to having us search their place, we'll do it anyway. Got that?" "Yes, Sir!" Ford turned and walked down the hall, headed towards the bridge. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 22:40:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 6 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.186.72] Part 6 Piccolo slowly woke up. He rolled over and groaned, drool covering part of his chin. "Uhhh. My head. Oh it hurts." He sat up and was immediately overcome by the pounding headache. His eyes adjusted to the light and he looked over to see Lucas asleep on a bunk on the opposite side of the room. Swinging his feet off the bed, he carefully pushed himself up, cringed at the sudden increase in pain, and walked slowly over to his friend. He shook the young, blond man gently. "Luke. C'mon, wake up." Lucas grunted and his eyes fluttered open. "Tony, where are we?" "It looks like we're in some sort of holding cell. That door doesn't exactly look like the friendly hotel kind." He pointed to the bars on the window. "You think Lonnie might be somewhere around here?" Tony shrugged. "I have a good feeling that she is. There's no doubt in my mind that these are the same kidnappers." Someone rapped on the door. Both Tony and Lucas turned…in a flash. "Well, it's nice to see that you two are finally awake. I was afraid that you would be out cold all day long. Now, now Anthony, keep such thoughts out of your mind. I wouldn't dream of coming in there." He smiled at the sudden look of surprise that crossed Piccolo's face. His gaze turned towards Lucas and he continued, "Getting a little hungry, Lucas? I'll have someone fix you some food. Oooh, such ugly thoughts. I wouldn't try to poison you both. You're far too important to our objectives for us to kill you. Well, I won't take it against you. I wouldn't like to be cooped up in a cage like that either." He stopped and began to fiddle with an unseen object behind the door. "Hmm, I have some clothing for you to wear. Those outfits you are wearing are too grimy and bloody. Makes you look like prisoners of war or something." He pushed two small packages through a small slot in the door. "Here you go. It's much colder here than it was on the island. I suggest you put them on. Some of my men will be back in a while." He grinned, winked an eye, and walked off. Piccolo bent down to grab the packages. He threw one to Lucas. "He knew our names. He knew what I was thinking. This is getting creepy." Lucas tore open the package and pulled out a pair of gray slacks and a large maroon sweater. "Yeah, he's definitely a psychic. I could almost feel him prying open my mind. Well, at least he has good taste in clothing. I wonder if they fit." Piccolo walked back to his bed and sat down. He casually opened up his package. They were the same slacks and sweater. Sighing, he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. Tony winced as he pulled the shirt off his right arm. A large bruise covered his entire shoulder. His well-defined chest heaved in and out, his gills slowly opening and closing. "Your gills look pretty red around the edges. And that shoulder looks like it took a beating." Lucas pointed out. "Yeah, my gills still hurt, but my shoulder hurts even more now. Must have landed on it when I fell. I guess I'll trade one pain for the other." He winced in pain again, as he pulled the sweater over his head. "Fits nicely." Lucas commenced to change clothing as well. He stood up and moaned as his muscles began to ache. Pulling his bloodied shirt over his head, he yelped as part of the shirt pulled at a cut on his back. Tony glanced upwards and gave him a sympathetic look. Lucas looked down and studied his chest for any more bruises and cuts. Fortunately, he was knocked out quickly when their attackers smacked him. He put the sweater on and did the same for the pants. When he was done, he looked up and gazed at Piccolo. And laughed. "Well, at least they got the sweater right." Piccolo raised an eyebrow. His pants were correct in waist size, but quite wrong in length. They draped the floor an inch or two past his feet. "What height did they figure I was? Six foot something? Guess I'll just roll them up." Lucas kept laughing. "I think you grabbed the outfit meant for me. Not gonna trade you though, these pants fit me fine." He chuckled a little more. Piccolo rolled his eyes and made a small gesture as he rolled up his pants. Expecting laughter in return, he was surprised by the sudden silence. He looked up and saw Lucas staring at the door. The man, who called himself Robert, was standing on the other side. "You!" The man they originally were looking for, named Stewart, appeared beside him, a large grin plastered across his face. -- 5 minutes ago "What's going on Stewart? Why did you kidnap me?" Lonnie yelled at the door. She picked at the gray sweater she wore. Stewart kept his back to the door. He didn't want to look at her face. It would only make the pain her emotions caused him to intensify. "I had to. I was under orders to bring you here. You don't understand, Lonnie. It's not like I had a big choice in the matter. I'm part of a bigger group of people who want their voices heard after years of being told to keep quiet and stay far away. No, you wouldn't understand what I'm talking about." He kicked the door in anger. Those many years of hatred had taken their toll on him. "What are you talking about?" She huffed in frustration. "Well, obviously you know now that I'm a psychic, and so was the man who talked to you earlier. He's the leader of this whole outfit. You've been gone for a long time, Miss Henderson. Lots of things have changed. All those psychics you remember from a decade ago, well they have to hide now or live in this colony. We're sick and tired of being cooped up. Sure, Fentide Colony has accepted us gallivanting on and off their island. But we want to be accepted by the rest of the world. That's why we took you, Lonnie. By taking an officer from one of the UEO's best ships, we've got the weight we need in order to finally force the UEO to listen to us." "That's just crazy and you know it. No one is going to listen to you when you pull a stunt like this and kidnap people. What you're doing right now is illegal, and that's all the UEO is going to care about." Stewart, I need you and Robert to meet me in my office. I have a little objective for you both. The man's voice rang clear in Stewart's head. He pushed himself off the door and turned around to face Lonnie. "I've got to go. I have something to do. Bye." He turned and walked down the hall. Angry, Lonnie leapt up and bolted to the door. "You can't just go like that, you coward. You won't admit that this whole thing is a complete failure. Go ahead, leave me here!" She kicked the door as hard as she could and sauntered back to the bed. *You just don't understand, Lonnie. You won't ever understand.* His voice snaked and ebbed in every corner of her mind. She shuddered and marched towards the desk. Sliding her hands across the cool surface, she pulled the chair out and sat down. She rested her fingers on the book the nameless man had given her. She turned the pages and her eyes rested on a passage as if someone had pointed her to it. "Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall." "How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favorable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me." A faint glint of recognition passed her eyes and she wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek. She flipped the book back to the beginning and began to read the story that wanted to be told. "I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic…" -- *So we're supposed to go in there and grab 'em, cuff 'em to the bed, and then probe their little minds?* Robert looked incredulously towards Stewart. *Yup, that's what he said. And then, we're supposed to report everything we find back to him.* Stewart grinned sheepishly. Robert tossed his hands up in the air. *And if they give us trouble? What are we gonna do?* *Just tell the big guy and he'll tell us how to handle it. Trust me, this will be a piece of cake. Just act quickly and don't give them time to react.* They turned a corner and stood in front of the doorway. Lucas immediately turned to look at them. Piccolo continued talking and fiddled with his pants. He peered up at Lucas and startled, looked up to see them both. They immediately felt the anger that surged from the two captives. And with teeth bared, Tony called out, "You! What are you doing here? Do you think we'll deal with you after what you did?" Before he could say anything more, Stewart and Robert opened the door. With a gun in one hand, they immediately grabbed a respective captive, threw them down to the floor, and handcuffed them to the bedpost. Piccolo wiggled in desperation, but Robert smacked him. Tony only glared at him, stunned. *Now, now. This won't hurt a bit, Anthony. Just relax and go along for the ride.* Robert sat down on the bed and concentrated. With only a little effort, he was in Piccolo's mind. *You know Robert…I've always had the urge to place my hands on their foreheads and say 'My mind to yours' like that Spock fellow on Star Trek.* Stewart grinned impetuously. Robert countered back with a mental scolding. *Just get to work Stewart. We don't have time for fooling around.* *Righty-o.* Stewart sat back and began to probe Lucas's mind. He was quite amazed at the young man's experiences. He gasped in amazement at the particular memory of the Stinger race. Gripping onto the yoke, he screamed as the stinger went flying through the water. He shut his eyes and it slammed to a stop. Stepping slowly out of the cockpit, he witnessed hundreds of faces swirling around him. Juliana, Bridger, O'Neill, Lonnie, Ford, Hudson, Brody, Dagwood, Tony, his parents... Two faces eluded him though. Both were covered in a dark cloud and far from recognizable. He squinted through the mist but was still unable to make them out. Soon, he was jolted on a mad cap ride through space. Mouth gaping wide-open in sheer shock, he saw the Kray-Tac for the first time and was truly speechless. They looked down at him as he wiggled with fear and banished him to a small boat floating serenely in the middle of nowhere. The ocean continued for miles. Dagwood looked down at him with his childish eyes and whispered, "Mmm, the aliens. They are coming." He glared into the horizon and saw nothing. Suddenly, he was jerked back and fastened to a cold table. The aliens looked down at him and smiled. "This will all be a dream soon, Lucas. You won't ever remember being here." They placed their hands on his head and stroked his hair. He cried out in anguish as piercing beams cut through his mind. Without warning, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Robert appeared before him in a dream-like fashion, and mouthed "Finish your probe and come check this out." And just like that, he was jolted out of Lucas's mind and back into reality. He gasped for air and placed his hands on his forehead. "I…I never expected any of that." *I know. I've got something even more amazing over here.* Robert motioned him to come over. *What is it?* Stewart questioned silently. *He's one of us.* Robert glanced over at Piccolo, who was staring at his feet in order to avoid looking at them. Stewart threw him a confused look. Robert sighed in annoyance. *He's a psychic.* *How? I didn't sense anything before.* *Neither did I. However, when I began to probe him, that is when I noticed it. Somehow, he's unconsciously hindering his own abilities. I believe those alien things managed to force him to block it out much the same way they temporarily erased their memories. I could see all that energy being walled up. I bet he's pretty powerful.* *How the heck could you block out something like that? Isn't that almost impossible?* Stewart raised an eyebrow. *Have you ever heard of a man, who having seen something absolutely horrific, suddenly becomes blind even though his eyes work fine? Or a woman who kills someone with her right hand suddenly loses all sense in that limb? It's all up here.* He tapped to his forehead. *It's all in their mind.* *So what are we supposed to do now?* *Already taken care of that. We are to take him to the questioning room and the big guy will instruct us from there.* He uncuffed Piccolo from the bed and slapped the free cuff on his other wrist. Confused, Piccolo looked up at him. Robert glared back and pulled him upwards by his shoulders. "Get up!" Tony stood up in fear, and Robert urged him towards the door. *When I take him out, uncuff Wolenczak.* Stewart nodded and watched Robert walk Piccolo out the door. "Okay, time to let you out of those cuffs." He bent down and undid the handcuffs from Lucas. "No funny business." He smiled. Lucas frowned at him, and spat in his face. Stewart wiped off the spit with his sleeve, "Well, that was uncalled for. And don't even think about jumping me on the way out. I've still got this little gun with me." He stood up, opened the door, and walked out. He turned and locked the door behind him. Lucas leapt towards the bars and shouted, "Where are you taking Tony?" "Oh, just for a little walk. Don't worry. He'll be fine when he comes back." Stewart strode off and followed Robert down the hall. Callie Eldredge ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting good? weird? odd? interesting? comments? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 21:06:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 7 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.187.1] Part 7 When he arrived in the room, Robert and the boss had already strapped Piccolo into the chair. Stewart surveyed the scene and tried to read his boss. However, he couldn't gather anything off from him. He felt out of the loop; Robert seemed to know everything before him. 'And he isn't even clairvoyant,' he thought to himself. Tired of the silence, he opened to his mouth to ask them a question. However, Piccolo was the first to speak. "What are you doing with me? What's going on?" Tony squirmed in his chair. He knew such an action was futile, but it was the only thing that helped him cope with the situation. "First, before I answer your questions, let me introduce myself, Anthony. My name is Andrew Starks. I run this whole outfit." His Cheshire grin uneased Piccolo. "We have you here because we want to make ourselves clear to the rest of the world that we're sick and tired of being beaten down. Having three UEO officers gives us a little leverage, wouldn't you say? We, the psychics of this world, have been expelled from the public long enough. It is our right to walk among the lower beings." Tony interjected, "Are you a nutcase or something? What's this about lower beings and why the hell am I tied down to this chair?" Starks chuckled, "Such spirit for someone who cannot fight back. My fellow men and I believe that we are evolved beings. Humanity hasn't changed for thousands of years. Like all species, we evolve gradually. Our scientists believe that psychics are the next step up from Homo Sapiens. I'd call us Homo Superiors, but, of course, someone would object." Robert and Stewart laughed. Starks shot them an icy look, and like cowering dogs, they quieted down quickly. "Ehem. As I was saying, in a few minutes, your Captain will make a call here. And, if things go our way, we'll get exactly what we want. Freedom. Now, as for why you are tied down, you are apparently more than what you seem to be." "Huh?" "Mr. Piccolo, do you remember a certain event that took place before you left for Hyperion that involved a deranged psychic, a certain vivid dream, and a small trip to the Psychic Institute? Ooh, I guess not. Those aliens really blocked out everything, didn't they? What I'm getting at, Anthony, is that you are one of us. I know it doesn't make any sense. You don't feel anything like a psychic. Well, there's a reason for that. Those lovely aliens you encountered did much more than just wipe out your little memories of Hyperion. For reasons unbeknownst to me, they've also managed to block out your psi-factor and all recollection of two people that you once knew. We're going to do you a favor and break down that wall. I must warn you though; you haven't had time to adjust to your abilities like a normal psychic has. It's going to be a bit overwhelming at first, but in little time, your natural controls will lock into place. Now take a deep breath and it'll all be over within a second." He looked to his underlings and gave a small commanding nod. Together, they focused in on Piccolo's mind. Starks reached out to every crevice of Tony's psyche. He gasped in awe when he saw the dark, menacing representation of the wall. Inside it, a very pent-up energy force threatened to pummel that barrier down. Starks recognized that flow of energy immediately. He had done probes of many psychic individuals before. They all contained the 'force' that made them what they were. 'Seems a little like Star Wars,' he mused to himself. 'I guess it's time to get down to business.' He called out to the others. "We need to focus all our energies on that wall. Concentrate as hard as you can to knock it down." He didn't need to hear a reply. He simply felt it. Drawing in a deep breath, he focused on breaking apart that wall. Piece by piece, he could feel it tumbling down. Soon enough, the last few bits of it shattered into shards and he was blown back by the escaping energy. He screamed out into darkness and slowly faded out of Piccolo's head. He opened his eyes and looked around at the room. Stewart and Robert held their heads in pain. None of them had ever done such a thing before. He looked to Tony. Somehow, in the process, his straps were undone. At that very moment, Piccolo was curled up and shaking. He drew his hands to his temples and brought his head down between his knees. "What's happening to me?" he whispered quietly. "I, I feel different. Please…please help." Starks walked up and grabbed one of Piccolo's hands. "Calm down. Take a deep breath and look at me." Slowly, Tony raised his head and gazed into Andrew's eyes. "That's good. I know this is overwhelming for you. Just breathe slowly and let it run its course." Piccolo was startled at the sudden tidal wave of emotions that he sensed from the men around him. Scared, he pulled his hand away from Starks and slammed into the back of his chair. Without even concentrating, he threw his first telepathic thought. *Please…help me.* Starks beamed at him like a proud father. I sense that you are endowed with an entire wealth of psychic abilities. *Clairvoyance and telepathy. A little smattering of telekinesis. And good old empathy. (We all have that) Anthony C. Piccolo, welcome to our world.* He turned to his men and spoke out loud. "Boys, please take him back to his room. Be gentle with him. He's a bit hypersensitive at the moment." Robert and Stewart nodded. They slowly walked over to Piccolo and carefully grabbed him by the hands. Tony shuddered at first, but slowly conceded to their urging, and with a weak smile, arose, and allowed them to hold him up by his shoulders. They slowly dragged him down the corridor. *Easy Tony, take each step one at a time,* Robert softly sent. Walking down a large passageway, they passed several small offices. Piccolo meekly watched each office intently as they passed by. He could sense them in there and that was oddly both frightening and comforting at the same time. As they slowly walked down the hall, Tony started to feel more at ease with himself. A young man and woman chatted in one room. The smaller, auburn-haired woman laughed shyly and tugged at her green and white rugby shirt, which fell loosely over her faded blue jeans. She looked up at Tony when she sensed his gaze trail upon her. Tucking a wild strand of red hair behind her ear, she looked towards her taller, male companion and raised an eyebrow. Piccolo sensed the sympathy directed towards him, but continued on. A studious man typed on a computer in a tucked away office. A little girl cried in another. He looked at each one of them and could feel their emotions from within as well. Just as he became content with looking at each of their faces, he became strangely startled as he passed a medical office. He tried to slow down, but Robert and Stewart kept urging him on. 'The young woman in there…she looks familiar.' He tried to soak in the woman's features. Short dark brown hair and a peppy disposition. He wanted to stop, but Robert kept pushing him onwards. 'Who is she?' He looked back to her office as the men kept walking forwards. Soon, she faded out of his sight. Eventually, they arrived at Tony's cell. Swinging the door open, Robert helped him to his bed. Piccolo slumped down into his mattress and sighed. Lucas looked at him and ran to his friend. Silently, Robert and Stewart walked out. "Tony, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Lucas grabbed him by the shoulder. "What did they do to you?" The strong emotions that rubbed off Lucas overwhelmed Tony. He jumped back into the wall and cried out in pain. "Please Luke, leave me alone. Just back off and let me deal with this." "What's going on? What's wrong with you?" A sign of concern furrowed his brow. Tony shook his head and curled into a small ball. "I don't know how to explain it to you, Lucas. But I need you to just keep a distance from me. Just for now. I think I'll be better in the morning." Lucas scratched his head in confusion and stepped backwards towards his own bed. 'How can I help you Tony when you don't give me a straight answer? They must have screwed him up mentally somehow. Psychic torture?' "I can't give you a straight answer, Luke. No, it wasn't torture and they haven't messed me up; I can't describe it," he whispered. "How, how did you? Ohmygod." Lucas's eyes lit up in silent recognition. He finally understood. "You're…psychic." Tony kicked his feet underneath the covers. He placed his head upon the pillow and shut his eyes. *Mhmm. Just let me get some rest. I'll explain it all to you in the morning.* And just like that, he drifted off into a deep slumber. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 21:06:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 7 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.187.1] Part 7 When he arrived in the room, Robert and the boss had already strapped Piccolo into the chair. Stewart surveyed the scene and tried to read his boss. However, he couldn't gather anything off from him. He felt out of the loop; Robert seemed to know everything before him. 'And he isn't even clairvoyant,' he thought to himself. Tired of the silence, he opened to his mouth to ask them a question. However, Piccolo was the first to speak. "What are you doing with me? What's going on?" Tony squirmed in his chair. He knew such an action was futile, but it was the only thing that helped him cope with the situation. "First, before I answer your questions, let me introduce myself, Anthony. My name is Andrew Starks. I run this whole outfit." His Cheshire grin uneased Piccolo. "We have you here because we want to make ourselves clear to the rest of the world that we're sick and tired of being beaten down. Having three UEO officers gives us a little leverage, wouldn't you say? We, the psychics of this world, have been expelled from the public long enough. It is our right to walk among the lower beings." Tony interjected, "Are you a nutcase or something? What's this about lower beings and why the hell am I tied down to this chair?" Starks chuckled, "Such spirit for someone who cannot fight back. My fellow men and I believe that we are evolved beings. Humanity hasn't changed for thousands of years. Like all species, we evolve gradually. Our scientists believe that psychics are the next step up from Homo Sapiens. I'd call us Homo Superiors, but, of course, someone would object." Robert and Stewart laughed. Starks shot them an icy look, and like cowering dogs, they quieted down quickly. "Ehem. As I was saying, in a few minutes, your Captain will make a call here. And, if things go our way, we'll get exactly what we want. Freedom. Now, as for why you are tied down, you are apparently more than what you seem to be." "Huh?" "Mr. Piccolo, do you remember a certain event that took place before you left for Hyperion that involved a deranged psychic, a certain vivid dream, and a small trip to the Psychic Institute? Ooh, I guess not. Those aliens really blocked out everything, didn't they? What I'm getting at, Anthony, is that you are one of us. I know it doesn't make any sense. You don't feel anything like a psychic. Well, there's a reason for that. Those lovely aliens you encountered did much more than just wipe out your little memories of Hyperion. For reasons unbeknownst to me, they've also managed to block out your psi-factor and all recollection of two people that you once knew. We're going to do you a favor and break down that wall. I must warn you though; you haven't had time to adjust to your abilities like a normal psychic has. It's going to be a bit overwhelming at first, but in little time, your natural controls will lock into place. Now take a deep breath and it'll all be over within a second." He looked to his underlings and gave a small commanding nod. Together, they focused in on Piccolo's mind. Starks reached out to every crevice of Tony's psyche. He gasped in awe when he saw the dark, menacing representation of the wall. Inside it, a very pent-up energy force threatened to pummel that barrier down. Starks recognized that flow of energy immediately. He had done probes of many psychic individuals before. They all contained the 'force' that made them what they were. 'Seems a little like Star Wars,' he mused to himself. 'I guess it's time to get down to business.' He called out to the others. "We need to focus all our energies on that wall. Concentrate as hard as you can to knock it down." He didn't need to hear a reply. He simply felt it. Drawing in a deep breath, he focused on breaking apart that wall. Piece by piece, he could feel it tumbling down. Soon enough, the last few bits of it shattered into shards and he was blown back by the escaping energy. He screamed out into darkness and slowly faded out of Piccolo's head. He opened his eyes and looked around at the room. Stewart and Robert held their heads in pain. None of them had ever done such a thing before. He looked to Tony. Somehow, in the process, his straps were undone. At that very moment, Piccolo was curled up and shaking. He drew his hands to his temples and brought his head down between his knees. "What's happening to me?" he whispered quietly. "I, I feel different. Please…please help." Starks walked up and grabbed one of Piccolo's hands. "Calm down. Take a deep breath and look at me." Slowly, Tony raised his head and gazed into Andrew's eyes. "That's good. I know this is overwhelming for you. Just breathe slowly and let it run its course." Piccolo was startled at the sudden tidal wave of emotions that he sensed from the men around him. Scared, he pulled his hand away from Starks and slammed into the back of his chair. Without even concentrating, he threw his first telepathic thought. *Please…help me.* Starks beamed at him like a proud father. I sense that you are endowed with an entire wealth of psychic abilities. *Clairvoyance and telepathy. A little smattering of telekinesis. And good old empathy. (We all have that) Anthony C. Piccolo, welcome to our world.* He turned to his men and spoke out loud. "Boys, please take him back to his room. Be gentle with him. He's a bit hypersensitive at the moment." Robert and Stewart nodded. They slowly walked over to Piccolo and carefully grabbed him by the hands. Tony shuddered at first, but slowly conceded to their urging, and with a weak smile, arose, and allowed them to hold him up by his shoulders. They slowly dragged him down the corridor. *Easy Tony, take each step one at a time,* Robert softly sent. Walking down a large passageway, they passed several small offices. Piccolo meekly watched each office intently as they passed by. He could sense them in there and that was oddly both frightening and comforting at the same time. As they slowly walked down the hall, Tony started to feel more at ease with himself. A young man and woman chatted in one room. The smaller, auburn-haired woman laughed shyly and tugged at her green and white rugby shirt, which fell loosely over her faded blue jeans. She looked up at Tony when she sensed his gaze trail upon her. Tucking a wild strand of red hair behind her ear, she looked towards her taller, male companion and raised an eyebrow. Piccolo sensed the sympathy directed towards him, but continued on. A studious man typed on a computer in a tucked away office. A little girl cried in another. He looked at each one of them and could feel their emotions from within as well. Just as he became content with looking at each of their faces, he became strangely startled as he passed a medical office. He tried to slow down, but Robert and Stewart kept urging him on. 'The young woman in there…she looks familiar.' He tried to soak in the woman's features. Short dark brown hair and a peppy disposition. He wanted to stop, but Robert kept pushing him onwards. 'Who is she?' He looked back to her office as the men kept walking forwards. Soon, she faded out of his sight. Eventually, they arrived at Tony's cell. Swinging the door open, Robert helped him to his bed. Piccolo slumped down into his mattress and sighed. Lucas looked at him and ran to his friend. Silently, Robert and Stewart walked out. "Tony, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Lucas grabbed him by the shoulder. "What did they do to you?" The strong emotions that rubbed off Lucas overwhelmed Tony. He jumped back into the wall and cried out in pain. "Please Luke, leave me alone. Just back off and let me deal with this." "What's going on? What's wrong with you?" A sign of concern furrowed his brow. Tony shook his head and curled into a small ball. "I don't know how to explain it to you, Lucas. But I need you to just keep a distance from me. Just for now. I think I'll be better in the morning." Lucas scratched his head in confusion and stepped backwards towards his own bed. 'How can I help you Tony when you don't give me a straight answer? They must have screwed him up mentally somehow. Psychic torture?' "I can't give you a straight answer, Luke. No, it wasn't torture and they haven't messed me up; I can't describe it," he whispered. "How, how did you? Ohmygod." Lucas's eyes lit up in silent recognition. He finally understood. "You're…psychic." Tony kicked his feet underneath the covers. He placed his head upon the pillow and shut his eyes. *Mhmm. Just let me get some rest. I'll explain it all to you in the morning.* And just like that, he drifted off into a deep slumber. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 21:39:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 8 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.186.46] Part 8 Ford, Tim, and Hudson were gathered in the wardroom. "Sir, we're connecting with the colony now." O'Neill gazed over at Hudson and stifled a yawn. He continued to press a few buttons on his control. "Very good, Lieutenant. We'll get to the bottom of this yet." Hudson turned at looked towards the large vidscreen. "We are connected, Sir," Tim announced to his superiors. Andrew Starks' coy face appeared on the large screen. He grinned slyly and spoke, "What took you so long, Oliver? We've been expecting you." "Andrew Starks. I should have known that you were involved in this all along. I imagine that you have my men in your custody. Don't you?" he countered with a serious and commanding voice. Ford whispered inaudibly to Hudson, "Who is this guy?" "To answer both your questions, one, I have your men. Two, your captain knows me as the man who was aware of Deon's little psychic spies, but didn't bother to say anything until after Macronesia was formed. And after that, I was the most vocal psychic around. I formed small militias that fought back against the naïve public. If it wasn't for me, Notion Colony would have never been built." Hudson gritted his teeth. "What he didn't bother to tell you was that his little militias manipulated the public like little puppets and hurt innocent people. And now, he's kidnapped my men." "Leverage, Captain. You should know that I wouldn't just kidnap someone without good reason." Starks scratched his chin and flashed a devious grin. "And that reason would be?" Ford piped in. "We want to be just like you. We want to be able to speak freely on the UEO science council. It's about time you started listening to us instead of tuning us out, for a change." "The UEO does not negotiate with terrorists, Starks. The methods you employ are illegal and obtrusive. You have to earn your right to be heard, not force it," Hudson replied sternly. "What about our rights as human beings? You can't revoke that, but that's what you are doing. The science council wouldn't even give our theories a second thought. You are all closed minded. We plan to change that." "And what are you going to do if we don't listen to your demands?" Ford countered angrily. "We have your people, Captain Hudson. If we need to, we'll apply the appropriate measures needed." Hudson narrowed his eyes. "You're bluffing." He folded his arms and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "What we propose is a trade. If you allow us to talk with some high officials from the UEO, we are ready to release two of our captives. Just consider that and get back with me. Oh, and if you even contemplate using force to take over our colony, you won't have three men left to save. And no, Oliver, I'm not bluffing. Ford's sweetie-pie will be fish food if you don't comply." He hit a button and the vidscreen connection blacked out. Ford grabbed a chair and threw it against the wall. O'Neill winced in fear and stepped back from the Commander. "How dare he say something like that!" Ford yelled. "Commander, control yourself. We will get McGath on the phone and deal with this," Hudson commanded. "Even if we do, he said he'll only return two of his captives. What if the third one is Lonnie?" Ford pounded on the wall. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I suggest you go to your quarters and take a breather for an hour. When you can control your emotional outbursts, then I want you to join me in here. Got that, Ford?" "Aye, Captain." He banged the wall one more time and stormed out. "O'Neill, get me the Secretary on the phone." Hudson massaged his forehead and leaned back onto the table. "Yes, Sir." Tim sighed and wiped his glasses. -- Ford stormed down the hall. The only thought that ran through his mind was the fear that the psychic wacko might hurt Lonnie. He gritted his teeth and plowed forward with his head lowered. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" a young seaman griped as she was knocked into the wall. "Oh, I'm sorry, Commander. I didn't realize it was you," she added apologetically. Ford didn't bother to reply. He wasn't in the mood for it. Apparently, he wasn't watching where he was going either. Without any warning, he slammed right into Dagwood. "Mmm. Why are you going so fast?" He looked into Ford's eyes. "You are mad?" "I'm not mad, Dagwood. I'm upset." Ford tried to escape making eye contact with the gentle giant. "Dagwood knows. Ford misses Lonnie." Dagwood frowned. "I miss Tony, Lucas, and Lonnie too." "You don't understand, Dagwood. Lonnie means so much to me. It's hard not to be upset. I don't give a damn if someone has a problem with that. Nothing else matters to me right now," he expressed, in a low growling tone. "This pisses me off. Hudson just wants to sit around idly and let them…let them..." He turned around and punched the plexiglass that shielded the aquatubes. "Hey! Dagwood just washed there. Don't hit the glass." He grabbed Ford's hand and looked deep into the commander's eyes. "Well, what am I supposed to do then? Huh? Answer me that one, Dagwood," he yelled, furiously, at the concerned dagger. Unexpectedly, he pushed Dagwood into the wall. "Just leave me alone." He faltered for a bit; his hands balled into fists and trembling. He raised his hand to his head and sighed. His angry demeanor slowly faded away as he calmed down, and a melancholy one replaced it. "I'm sorry, Dagwood. I didn't mean to get angry towards you. I'm just not sure what to do anymore." Dagwood sighed and put his hand on Ford's shoulder. "Mmm…it's okay. But I must tell you something." Ford looked away from Dagwood's gaze. "No…look at me," he spoke patiently, but the tone in his voice raised an octave. Ford slowly turned to face him again. "It makes me mad down here." He pounded his chest. "But Dagwood knows that they will be okay up here." He pointed slowly to his head. "Mmm. But Dagwood does not hurt others. Not even when Dagwood gets mad down there." He nervously looked down at his feet. Ford sighed and pulled Dagwood's chin upwards. "You know something…," he gritted his teeth and paused for a second; slowly, he spoke, uncomfortable with admitting his guilt, "…you're right. I've been too bull-headed about this." He turned away from Dagwood again, trying to avoid revealing his anxiety. He spoke, in a hushed tone, "I've stopped giving a damn about how I treat others because of this." He threw his hands up in the air in a sign of defeat. "And I shouldn't, right?" Dagwood shook his head 'no'. "I've been a real jerk lately. I just want to thank you…," Ford awkwardly patted him on the shoulder, "…for putting up with me." "That's what Dagwood is for. To listen to his friends." He smiled. "Well, I think I'll head to my room for a while. See ya later, big guy." He patted Dagwood on the back and walked off, in deep thought, to his quarters. Dagwood watched him leave and smiled triumphantly. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 17:32:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers- Disclaimer Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [129.116.16.66] Disclaimer: All the characters from the show SeaQuest in this story belong to the great wrathful gods of the Sci-Fi Channel without their godly consent. A few other characters belong to me, me, and only me! 'Frankenstein' is by Mary Shelley and owned by some publishing company somewhere in the USA. Rating: This story is rated PG for minor adult language and slight violence. Other than that, the only warning I give is that Lonnie is one of the central characters of this story. For all my fellow Tony freaks, Tony is the other main character. A special thanks to my editor Alexi for doing such a great job on it. Even through all my grammarical errors and odd ramblings... ;) This is my first story so be kind!!! And give lots of feedback so I'll know how to improve in the future. Any and all is appreciated.. So...with no further adieu...On with the story!!! Callisto -- This message has been brought to you by the letters L, T, and the number 14. "Speedy delivery!" Mr. McFeeley, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 19:11:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers- Disclaimer addendum Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [129.116.16.66] Oh yeah..I forgot to mention... Anything written in single quotations is a thought. as in: 'Gosh, I feel silly,' the man thought to himself as he drank his electric blue Margarita while wearing a polka-dotted sombrero. (It was his birthday) And anything written in asterisks are telepathic projections. as in: *Hey, Joe. Don't ya t'ink that guy over dere looks funny?* His eyes pointed in the direction of a table to his right. His friend laughed, and replied, *Yah. Yah. Sure does, Bob.* silent laughter... ;) that's it. Callisto -- This message has been brought to you by the letters L, T, and the number 14. "Speedy delivery!" Mr. McFeeley, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 15:31:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 10 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [128.83.102.72] Part 10 The shuttle hummed patiently as it docked in the SeaQuest. Within moments, the latch turned and the door jarred open. Lucas peered towards the opening, hoping for a familiar face to pop in. Instead, he saw two heavily armed security officers step in. With an air of confidence, they pointed at the scientists aboard and motioned them to follow. "Right this way, people. Tony, Lucas, you too," one of them commanded. Lucas looked at Tony nervously, and Tony nodded back as if to say it was okay. They slowly stood up and walked out of the shuttle. Ford quickly stepped up to them. "Thank god, you two are alright. We weren't sure if he was going to hold up to his end of the deal. Are you okay? Do you know if Lonnie is okay?" Tony shook his head sadly, "No, I haven't seen Lonnie at all. But I have a good feeling that she's fine. After all, he took pretty good care of us." Ford looked at them oddly. His eyes scanned them up and down in confusion at their attire and he opened his mouth to ask them, but Tony chimed in, "He gave us some clothes to replace the beat up ones we had on." "I was just about to ask you that…." He smiled and scratched his head. Dagwood came charging in. "Lucas! Tony! I missed you." He grinned widely and grabbed them in a large bear hug. Tony made a soft squeaking noise and jumped backwards as soon as Dagwood's grip on them softened. He looked at him quizzically. "Mmm. Tony, are you okay?" Lucas looked at Piccolo sympathetically and answered for him. "Tony has been through a lot since we got captured. I don't recommend hugging him just yet." Dagwood looked sad, and asked, "Is Tony hurt?" "I just need some rest, Dagwood. That's all. I'll be better soon." Tony continued to back away as Dagwood walked closer to him. Eventually, he was cornered into the wall and he instinctively wrapped his arms around his chest protectively, as if to make himself smaller. Ford gave him a look of concern and walked towards Dagwood. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he gently spoke, "How about we let Luke and Tony get some rest in their quarters and we'll talk to them tonight." Dagwood looked at his feet and sighed, "Mmm. Okay." His eyes stayed fixed on his feet. "I guess then you better get some rest." He shuffled his feet shyly. "So you will get better. Mmm. That's an order." He pointed a finger at Tony in his best commanding pose. Tony grinned and stepped sideways. He gave his friend a salute, and smiled. "Yes, Sir!" He looked at Lucas, and the two walked out. -- The page flipped over with a pleasing fwip and the words flowed down the page like brushstrokes upon an easel. Lonnie scanned every line meticulously and hungrily. Every sentence was powerful; she was powerless to resist the emotional play that it had on her. A lump formed in her throat as she turned the page and continued to read the last few passages left in the story. The denouement was more than she had expected and the nearing resolution held her in its grasp. 'I was nourished with high thoughts of honour and devotion. But now crime has degraded me beneath the meanest animal. No guilt, no mischief, no malignity, no misery, can be found comparable to mine. When I run over the frightful catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness. But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.' "You enjoy that book, don't you?" A voice broke her concentration. She gasped and looked up. Starks was looking in through the bars on the window. "Why yes, it's…beautiful." She wiped a tear that had escaped her composure. Starks unlatched the door and walked in. In his arm, he held a small wicker picnic basket. "It's powerful…that story is. It takes you in its arms and refuses to let go until the last page. Many people fail to see the beauty of its words. This book has been wrongly spoiled by the closed minds of young people who refuse to open their hearts to it. Obviously, you are not one of them. That book you hold to your heart now…that was mine as a young man." Lonnie looked down at it and fingered the cover upon which his name had been scrawled across. "Thank you. Why did you give it to me?" "Because I felt you needed to see things in a new perspective. And you can't hide those thoughts from me…it _has_ moved you. The true beauty of that book is that it applies to the world around us. Even as the timeline changes, its underlying meanings live on." He set the picnic basket on the table. "Go on. Read the rest of it. You only have a page or two left. And I know you're dying to see how it ends." Lonnie nodded shyly and opened the book to where she had left off. Starks looked on as she continued reading. Her eyes scanned the pages and she wiped yet another tear from her eyes. Starks smiled weakly. Lonnie flipped the page and her eyes rested on the very last paragraphs. '"But soon," he cried, with sad and solemn enthusiasm, "I shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly, and exult in the agony of the torturing flames. "' Starks interjected as he followed her thoughts, "The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell." Lonnie looked up at him and finished the passage out loud. "He sprung from the cabin-window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance…The end." She slowly closed the book and brushed her fingers soothingly across the leather-bound cover. "Come now. No more time for solemn silence. We must celebrate. That is why I'm here. I've come to tell you that you will be free in a few minutes. Your friends will arrive here soon to take you back. I have gotten my goals accomplished. My scientists have spoken before your UEO Secretary and they are already working out a deal to be represented on the Science Council. Now, I have nothing left to worry about. So, I no longer need to hold you captive." Lonnie squealed in excitement. She grasped his hands, "Thank you. Oh, I'm so happy!" He chuckled. "I have brought some fine wine and cheese in order to celebrate this joyful news. Let us toast this occasion." "Wine? It sounds wonderful." She smiled and licked her lips. Starks opened the basket and presented a bottle to her. "It's of a splendid vintage. The year was 1996. A good year indeed." He smiled and removed the cork. "1996? That's the year that I was born. What a strange coincidence!" Lonnie laughed and reached into the basket to extract two glasses. "Hmm. Then it was a wonderful year. I guess things come full circle, don't they?" He poured the wine into the glasses and handed one to Lonnie. "I don't understand what you mean." She looked at him questioningly. "Oh, it was just words. It was created in the same year as you. And now it has met up with you. When you sup from its fruits, you will have completed the very nature of its life. It's almost a symbiotic relationship." She just nodded and shrugged. "I guess…whatever you say." "Ah. No more time for idle talk. Let us toast this moment now." He raised up his glass in ceremonial gesture. "To the pattern of life. We are born, we grow, we love, we live to our very capacities. And when it is all over, we shall create new life…that which springs anew from the ground upon which our ashes are strewn. To life." Lonnie raised her glass. "To life. May we live life to the fullest." The glasses clanged in harmony as they touched. "Well, as they say, bottoms up." He held the glass to his lips and let the wine pour down his throat. Lonnie followed suit and swallowed thirstily. Her lips parted from the smooth glass and she sighed contently. "This wine is very nice." "Yes, drink up. There is much more left in this bottle to be tasted." He coaxed her and took another sip, or rather, a large gulp. Lonnie chuckled softly and took a large swallow of her wine. She thought merrily to herself that her Jonathan would enjoy the delicate flavor of the Bordeaux. He had once mentioned that he considered himself a connoisseur of good drink. She giggled as some of the drink escaped her lips and dripped down her chin. She wiped it and looked up. What she saw stunned her. Starks smiled weakly at her and every muscle in his body relaxed. Slowly, his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped backwards in his chair. Her fingers trembled and she started to feel strangely calm. The strong grasp that held her glass loosened and the glass deftly slipped from her weakening fingers. The glass tumbled down in seemingly fluidic slow motion. What little was left of its contents spilled forth onto the floor. And with a soft crash, it hit the floor and shattered. A reflection of the very life that had once held it shattered into a thousand of pieces as well, when that fragile glass hit the cement floor. Callie Eldredge ---------------------- Sorry I took so long in getting this part out. I've been pretty busy with all my finals. Took one Friday night, Saturday morning, and now I'm procrastinating...before I study for one tomorrow. Oh well, that's the last one left before I'm free for the summer! Woohooo! I'm going to send out the last part tomorrow. I promise! ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 21:55:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 11 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [207.70.186.107] Sorry peeps for not getting this out yesterday like I promised. I was extremely busy. I had a final, and had to pack to leave my dorm and it took longer than I expected. Well, here it is. I hope you enjoy! And please give me some feedback!! ;) ---------------- Part 11 15 minutes earlier Piccolo walked down the chilly vacant hallway. Strangely, he felt himself drawn in one direction. His eyes followed the numbers on the doors as he passed them. C15, C17, C19, C21…C21? He stopped when he saw that number. Something urged him into that room. An eerie sense of dread overcame him, sending chills up and down his spine. He shook his head and took a deep breath, as he slowly turned the knob and pushed the door. His heart pounded within his chest and he sensed that something was wrong. He finally caught a glimpse of the interior of the room that had called to him…called to him! He looked at the bed and his eyes trailed to the floor. A small glint of glass caught his eye and he looked towards its source. He gasped in horror and screamed out. "Lonnie!!! Nooooooooooo!" He snapped out of his dream state and sat up in his bed. Lucas quickly looked up from his computer. "Are you alright?" He stood up and walked to the bed. "You just screamed Lonnie's name." Piccolo pulled the sheets off of his legs and hopped up, careful to avoid smacking his head on the top bunk. "We've got to go tell Ford. We've got to go to the colony now!" Lucas scratched his head. "Can you please tell me what's going on first? Before we get Ford all riled up." Piccolo grabbed his shoes and struggled to put them on in his anxiety. "I saw her…in my dreams. She's in danger, Luke. We've got to get to her now. Before it's too late." Lucas looked at him stunned. He lunged for his shoes and quickly put them on. "Did you just have a clairvoyant dream? What happened?" "No time. We've got to tell him now." Piccolo ran up the steps and flung open the door with all his might. He charged down the hall in a blazing sprint. Lucas followed closely behind. They rounded the corner and passed several confused crewmen. Piccolo kept up his quick pace and soon darted onto the bridge. Ford looked up from his command chair. "What's going on, Tony? Why are you two charging in here like this," he huffed in annoyance. Piccolo grasped his knees and gasped for air. "Sir…it's Lonnie. She's in trouble. We've got to get to the colony now." His chest heaved in and out as he struggled to slow his breathing down. Ford's eyes opened wide. "How do you know this, Piccolo? We haven't heard anything." Lucas was visibly winded as well and struggled to take a normal breath. "He's psychic, Commander. He just saw something terrible happen while he was taking a nap. We'll explain it all to you later." Ford looked at Tony in confusion. "You're psychic? How? When? Explain this." Tony stepped back anxiously. He sensed Ford's growing ambiguity and fear for Lonnie's welfare. "Sir, we really should discuss this later. Lonnie is in danger and we don't have time to waste. We've got to get a shuttle there really soon. I'm sure I know where to find her. I saw the room number. It's C21." Ford stood up from his chair. "Okay. Tim, call up the launchbay and have them ready up a shuttle immediately. Tony, Lucas, and Freddie, you're coming with me." Wasting no more time, he waved his hand towards them to follow and stomped off the bridge. *Let's just pray that we get there in time,* Tony sent silently to Lucas. -- Commander Ford rushed into the room and came to an abrupt halt. Piccolo and Lucas followed in close behind and stopped as well, completely wide-eyed and silent. Ford faltered for a moment and gasped for air. He shook his head as if he was somehow trying to alter the scene that lay before him. And in one final squeak, Ford finally spoke, "Nooooo. Don't do this to me!" He ran towards the still life that lay on the floor. "Wake up, damn it! Wake up!" He started shaking the still body. "Wake up…please." "Stop it, Commander. She won't wake up. Not now, not ever. Lonnie's dead." Piccolo whispered to Ford, stone-faced in an effort to conceal his own emotions. Ford stopped shaking Lonnie's prone body and glared up at Piccolo. "This is all my fault! If I had gotten here much earlier, this would have never happened!" "You know that ain't true, Ford," Piccolo spoke softly. "There's nothing you, Lucas, or I could have done that wouldn't have resulted in this." "Sir, we did all we could humanly do," Lucas said finally. "If Piccolo hadn't picked up on it, we might not have even known about this. All we had was a slim chance to save her, which was better than none at all." He brushed away a tear that had escaped his concealed sadness. Ford stroked Lonnie's hair. "You could have dreamed about this a lot earlier, Piccolo. I wonder if you did, in fact, and you just didn't feel like telling me." Ford clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes at Tony. Tony stepped back, sensing that Ford was becoming increasingly furious. "Sir, you know I have no control over this whole psychic mess. If I had seen it sooner, I would have definitely told…" Before Piccolo could even finish his sentence, Ford stood up and swung at him, connecting with his jaw. Piccolo stood there stunned, rubbing his jaw. Lucas remained silent and stood ready for what was coming next. Tony reflected to himself. 'If I had been the man I was several years ago, Jonathan, I would have swung right back at you.' Tony shook away that awful reminder of his past, and looked back towards Ford. Ford was leaning against the wall crying into his hands. However, Tony knew that he was not the same man, and walked towards his commander. Lucas smiled inwardly at Piccolo's actions and brushed away another tear of sadness for his lost friend. Placing a hand on the man's shoulder, Piccolo winced as Ford's intense emotions swept over him, feelings of grief, pain, and guilt. "I understand everything, Sir. Just let it all out." --FIN-- ~ by Callie Eldredge ~ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 20:39:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Callie Eldredge Subject: Finders Keepers Pt. 9 Sender: owner-tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu To: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu Reply-to: tales@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu X-Originating-IP: [128.83.102.49] Part 9 "So you're saying that the Kray-Tac have blocked some important portions of our memories? Including the fact that you were psychic all along?" Lucas looked at him incredulously. "Yeah, they had erased my entire memory of when I first started to realize my psychic potential. And there are these two people that keep playing over and over in my mind. I can't see their faces but it's like I've known them for a long time. That's all I dreamed about last night. Just them, lurking in the shadows everywhere I went. You know them too, but those damned aliens have blocked them out from your memories as well. I remember Stewart thinking that when they probed my mind." Lucas paced back and forth. "So what do we do now? Just accept the fact that two people that we should know are complete mysteries to us? I don't like that. And what about you? How are you dealing with this? I'd be freaking out right now if I were you. But you seem so calm." "Hmph. If only you could read emotions like I do…you would sense that I'm going nuts on the inside. I have no idea how to handle this. I mean, I'm starting to get used to the empathy part, but everything else? No way. Starks said that I'll stop hearing everyone's thoughts automatically when my natural controls start working. It's sure taking a long time to kick in. You don't know what it's like to hear someone else's thoughts inside your head. I don't want them there. I'm resisting the urge right now to talk to you telepathically." 'Can you hear my thoughts right now? Tell me that I'm thinking of the number three,' Lucas thought to himself. *Yes, I can hear you loud and clear. Three, Luke. I also know that you feel increasingly uncomfortable around me. Hell, I'm still uncomfortable with myself.* "I'm sorry, Tony. This is all very weird for me." "I know. This is pretty weird for me too." Tony sighed. -- "Well, are you going to concede to our propositions?" Starks folded his arms and raised his eyebrows. Hudson paced back and forth in front of the vidscreen. "Yes, the Secretary has agreed to speak with a few representatives from your group. Now, what about my men?" he growled. "Yes, we will release Wolenczak and Piccolo to you, as we had agreed. That is, if they want to go." He callously smiled. "What about Lonnie? Why don't you let her go first?" Ford shook his fists at Starks. "Leave one of the other two behind." Hudson flashed a stern look at Ford. "We would like to keep Ms. Henderson a while longer. Her life has more emotional leverage on certain, ehem, members of your crew. Thus, she's incredibly valuable to the attainment of our goals." "Fine, just send my other two men over here now." Hudson raised his hand to silence Jonathan before the commander could make a remark. "Expect them and a few of our scientists to be on your ship within the hour. Goodbye, Captain." He pressed a button to his right and the connection closed. "Captain, you can't let him do that." Ford angrily proclaimed. "We have to do something to get her back." "While you were gone, Jonathan, O'Neill, Freddie, and I made plans for doing exactly that. We've secured a ride aboard a shuttle that runs between the island and the colony. Apparently, quite a few men within Notion are dissatisfied with Starks' little tyrannical escapades. We're gonna get in, find Lonnie, and arrest Starks." O'Neill interjected, "Yeah, we're going to save Lonnie as soon as possible, Jonathan." Hudson nodded and scratched his forehead. "We'll hold up to our end of the deal and let his people talk with the UEO and get some sanctions going. Later today, we'll make our run while he's feeling good about himself and take care of the rest." Ford smiled. "Yes, Sir. I just want to make sure that I'm a part of that run." "Don't worry, Commander. Judging by your outbursts concerning Miss Henderson, that's the last thing I would want to keep you from." -- Lucas walked back and forth in his cabin. He laced his fingers and held them to his lips. Looking over to Piccolo, he asked, "Have you picked up anything yet?" He opened his eyes and looked at the blond ensign. "Yeah, I think I've picked up on Lonnie. Give me a sec…." Starks knocked on the door in a whimsical fashion, causing Tony to snap out of his deep meditation and look up. "What do you want?" "Tsk tsk, Anthony. I'm just here to talk to you two. Obviously you don't sense any malice in my being here." He grinned like a fox awaiting his dinner. *So how are your abilities coming along? Getting used to it yet?* *Yes…I don't find it unnerving anymore. Still can't shut his thoughts out of my head though.* Piccolo looked at Lucas. "No, I guess you aren't here to hurt us or anything." Lucas walked to his bed, sat down, and questioned his captor. "So what are you doing here?" He looked towards Tony and thought silently, 'You don't think he's up to something, do you?' *Don't bother doing that, Luke. He purposely listens to our minds. He just heard everything you just thought,* Tony warned him. "Yes, he's right, Lucas. I'm here for a very good reason. I've come to let you go." "What?" Lucas ran up to the bars. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" Starks laughed. "You have a right to be skeptical. Especially after everything I've done. However, it's quite the contrary. I've struck up a deal with your captain where, if I let you go, my men get to talk to the UEO. So now, I'm keeping up my end of the bargain. That is…if you want to go." He looked at Piccolo...*Are you sure you want to go back to them? You're one of us now. You don't possibly think they'll accept you on their ship, do you?* Tony looked at Lucas, who had a confused expression on his face. For his benefit, he spoke out loud, "I may be a psychic now, but I'm not one of you. I could never be one of you. I don't belong here; I belong on my ship. They've always accepted me there. Why wouldn't they accept me now? I've been a freak all my life. This isn't going to make me any different. We haven't lived the past decade. We haven't experienced the hatred and the fear that people now have for your kind. We come from a time when psychics did walk alongside us. And I think you realize that too." "Yeah, Tony is a part of a big family now. Heck, he has gills and an obnoxious personality. What's there not to love about him? He'll always be welcome on the SeaQuest." Starks sighed. "Well, if that's the way it's going to be, then I guess I'm going to have to live with that." He unlocked the door and opened it. He motioned them to walk through it. Cautiously, Tony and Lucas slowly walked into the corridor. In the hallway, Robert and Stewart stood waiting, with guns in hand. Starks threw his hands up in the air. "Precautions, what can I say…." They escorted Lucas and Tony to the small craft that would return them to the SeaQuest. Several other men in suits sat in there as well. They took their seats and the door closed. Tony looked out the small glass porthole and saw his mystery woman leaning against a window from inside the colony. Before the ship pulled away from the colony, he quickly sent a telepathic thought to her, *Who are you? You seem so familiar to me. As if…you were in my dreams last night! What's your name?* *Where are you?* she thought back. *I'm in the small craft by the window you are leaning on.* Tony waved through the porthole. She turned and shyly waved back. *Strange…like déjà vu, you seem familiar, too.* She continued to look at him through the window, her hands pressed against the glass. The small craft started to move forward. *Quick, what's your name? This boat is about to pull away and I'll be out of range in a second. I'm new at this.* He desperately cried out to her. *My name is Wendy…* And then he lost her. Tony sat back and sighed. Ever since he had been taken to the colony, he had learned more and more things about himself that he had never known before. Or at least, didn't remember. *Just remember that you can always return, Anthony. You'll always be welcome in my colony.* Starks' voice chimed within his head. Callie Eldredge ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com