Sliding Into Antar - (CC, ALL, TEEN) - 01/01/06 - COMPLETE
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Island Breeze
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Island Breeze
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- Posts: 1791
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:11 pm
- Location: South Florida
Sliding Into Antar
<center> Sliding Into Antar </center>
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For Whom The Bells Toll, part 2
Chapter 44
XLIV
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Michael watched the gardens fill to capacity in anticipation of Wade and Quinn’s wedding… “You know what, Max? I think we should be selling tickets. This place is full already, and these are just their friends and relatives.”
Max nodded. “Hometown girl. Everyone knows her.”
“Or claims to… now that she’s famous,” Michael replied.
“Well, one thing’s pretty evident,” Isabel interjected, “They certainly seem to like the idea that Wade’s the one marrying Quinn.”
“They didn’t know Maggie,” Max said, “She didn’t have the hometown girl advantage.”
Michael raised his eyebrows. “I think it’s the fairytale element. Cinderella wins out over the evil stepsister.”
“I wouldn’t describe Maggie as the evil stepsister,” Max scoffed, “She wasn’t bad… really.”
Michael shrugged. “No, but there’s still that fairytale element. Wade is the princess who… who kissed the toad and turned him into a handsome prince.”
The others laughed. “So Quinn is a toad?” Maria asked.
“Not anymore. Now that he’s marrying Wade he’s a handsome prince… in the public’s opinion.”
“You’ve been talking to Alex too much… You’re starting to sound like him,” Tess said, giggling, “where is Alex anyway?”
“He’s around somewhere,” Isabel said, “Acting insufferably proud of himself because he was right when he said that Maggie’s devotion to Quinn wasn’t as deep as Wade’s and that Maggie had a past life that could come back to drive a wedge between the two of them. Boy, did she ever!”
“I guess Alex called it,” Liz agreed, “Sometimes I think he has a crystal ball.”
Isabel smiled. “He’s just good at gauging people… and he’s a matchmaker at heart… and he’s stubborn, too.”
Michael snorted. “I’ll vouch for that! He’s like a bulldog that won’t let go… when he thinks he’s right.”
“I was right,” Alex said, walking up at that moment, “Never doubt the Alex!”
“Oh it’s THE Alex now?” Michael asked.
“The… or Sir to you.”
“That’ll be the day!”
“I was right. Admit it!”
“Yeah, okay… you were right… this time. But we all knew it. Some of us just didn’t want to interfere in their private lives.”
Alex grinned. “Somebody had to.”
“I still can’t believe you sent Jung-Jo to drag her up to the altar,” Michael said, rolling his eyes, “You took a huge risk.”
Alex laughed. “It wasn’t so risky. I knew what they both wanted. I just had to make them see it.”
“Well, I was ready to tell everyone that you crashed the party and that I never saw you before… if it didn’t work.”
“Oh ye of little faith!”
“Yeah, well… I don’t have a lot of faith in any human except Maria… and you’re not Maria. You’re not God, either. You can screw up.”
Alex grinned. “But I didn’t.”
“The wedding’s starting,” Max said in a hushed whisper, as the music began to play, “Let’s take our places. You guys cut out the mutual admiration stuff for a while.”
Quinn and his best man, Professor Arturo, walked in from the side and assumed their places at the front, as did the pastor who was performing the ceremony. Then Max, Michael, and Alex, looking very dapper and smiling, joined the other ushers to escort the bridesmaids down the aisle.
Suddenly, as they neared the front, there was a small commotion, and gasps were heard from some of the guests, as Jung-Jo appeared, walking regally down the aisle, head held high, wearing a special-made tuxedo vest and a bow tie. Wade’s little sister walked beside him, carrying flowers that she dropped along the way. As Jung-Jo and the little flower girl neared the front, the music changed to “Here Comes The Bride,” and everyone turned to look.
There were gasps… then more gasps. Wade walked slowly down the aisle, on her father’s arm, a radiant smile on her face, wearing a stunning white wedding gown that for its sheer beauty and elegance could have rivaled anything a real princess might have worn. But it was her own smiling face that added the touch of perfection. Max glanced at Quinn and noticed that he looked stunned… and maybe just a little goofy. Max smiled. Fortunately, all eyes were on the bride-to-be. Quinn quickly realized that his jaw was hanging open and assumed a more dignified look. Even Max could not deny that Quinn did strike a handsome pose decked out in his tux, with a smile on his face. And as Wade stood beside him, it was hard not to think that the only thing missing was the carriage for this to be a fairytale wedding… the wedding of a prince and princess of legends. Obviously, the guests thought so. The sighs and ahs were audible, and not an eye in the crowd was dry.
“Friends, we are gathered together to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony…”
Quinn glanced at Wade and beamed, and Wade found that she had to struggle to keep her smile from growing bigger than her face, if that were possible. She certainly didn’t want to look like Alice’s Cheshire cat… all grin and no face. But she needn’t have been concerned. The guests loved it.
“…If there is anyone present who knows any cause why this couple should not be married let them speak now or forever hold their peace…”
Quinn glanced casually at the crowd and smiled… (They better not. I’ll send anyone who makes a peep to a world sooooo far away…)
“Who gives this woman away?”
“I do,” Wade’s father said, but Quinn only vaguely heard him. (It’s funny… I’ve cherished my independence… and yet… I feel like… Wade IS my independence now… and my future. It just feels right somehow. With Maggie I was never this sure.)
“Would you please face each other and join hands.”
Quinn took Wade’s hands in his and smiled.
(He looks like a god… my Adonis… I think I’m going to wake up and find out this was all a dream.)
(She followed me into hell… literally almost. She didn’t have to. She could have stayed in San Francisco in comfort. She didn’t have to go sliding through a hundred parallel words, risking her life a hundred times over… all for me. What did I ever do to deserve her? I can’t believe I came so close to losing her.)
“Quinn Mallory, do you take Wade Welles to be your wife… to love, honor, cherish, and protect her… forsaking all others and holding only to her forevermore?”
“I do.” (More than you’ll ever know.)
“Wade Welles, do you take Quinn Mallory to be your husband… to love, honor, cherish, and protect him… forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?”
“I do.” (God, just don’t let me wake up! If this is a dream, I don’t want to ever wake up.)
The pastor smiled then tried to look stern… “Throughout time, nothing has endured more than love or been more important than love. We are told that ‘God is Love.’ We are assured that ‘Love conquers all.’ It is love which brings you here today, the union of two hearts and two spirits. As your lives continue to interweave as one pattern, remember that love will make this a glorious union, and love will cause this union to endure.
Paul said, Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels but do not have love, I am only sounding brass or tinkling cymbals.
Though I have the gift of prophecy and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love endures and is kind.
Love is not envious or jealous.
Love wants not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not its own, it is not easily provoked, and thinks no evil.
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but in the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails.
Where there are prophecies, they shall fail, where there be tongues, they shall cease, where there be knowledge, it shall vanish away…
So faith, hope, love remain -these three- but the greatest of these is love.”
The pastor stopped and looked at Quinn…
“Is there a ring?”
Jung-Jo perked up at the word “ring,” and he rubbed his head against Quinn. Quinn reached out and untied a small attachment from the bow tie around Jung-Jo’s neck, removing from it a ring, which he slipped onto Wade’s finger…
“Wade, with this ring, I give you my heart, my body, and my soul. All that I am or ever will be I give to you… for as long as I shall live, and if possible, beyond that, to the end of time and further. All that we have seen together, experienced together, and struggled with together has bound us more closely to each other, but it is nothing compared to the new lives that await us now… as husband and wife.”
Jung-Jo purred quietly and rubbed against Wade, looking very contented. Wade reached out and removed the second attachment from Jung-Jo’s bow tie. Then she slipped it onto Quinn’s finger…
“Quinn, this ring is a perfect circle. It has no beginning and no end, and so shall our love be. I can’t remember when I started loving you, and I know in my heart and soul that I will never know the day when I don’t love you anymore. We are, and forever will be, one. Wherever you go, I will follow, because, of all the possessions, of all the riches, of all the material things that I could have in this world, there is none that I want more than you. Your love fills my heart and gives meaning to my life. It is the most important thing on this earth –or in any dimension- to me.”
Quinn was glad that he had already said his part, because he wasn’t sure that he would be able to speak now without his voice breaking. He wiped his eyes quickly and smiled.
“There is nothing more important than love… in any place in time… or in any culture,” the pastor continued, “I want to send you into your new lives with these thoughts… the first is an Apache blessing. It goes like this:
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life beyond.
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life together.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
And the second is a Cherokee prayer:
God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honor mother earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons;
We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts;
We honor wind and ask we sail though life safe and calm as in our father's arms;
We honor water… to clean and soothe our relationship… that it may never thirst for love;
With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together. Amen.
Quinn Mallory… Wade Welles… I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Quinn grinned and swept Wade into his arms, kissing her with… well, not quite all of the passion he had pent up in him at the moment. Some of it would just have to wait. But Jung-Jo put one paw over his eyes, which brought giggles and laughter from the guests.
“We’re married,” Quinn said.
Wade nodded and smiled. At this moment, she didn’t care if she did look like Alice’s Cheshire cat.
<center>End of Chapter 44
tbc…</center>
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For Whom The Bells Toll, part 2
Chapter 44
XLIV
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Michael watched the gardens fill to capacity in anticipation of Wade and Quinn’s wedding… “You know what, Max? I think we should be selling tickets. This place is full already, and these are just their friends and relatives.”
Max nodded. “Hometown girl. Everyone knows her.”
“Or claims to… now that she’s famous,” Michael replied.
“Well, one thing’s pretty evident,” Isabel interjected, “They certainly seem to like the idea that Wade’s the one marrying Quinn.”
“They didn’t know Maggie,” Max said, “She didn’t have the hometown girl advantage.”
Michael raised his eyebrows. “I think it’s the fairytale element. Cinderella wins out over the evil stepsister.”
“I wouldn’t describe Maggie as the evil stepsister,” Max scoffed, “She wasn’t bad… really.”
Michael shrugged. “No, but there’s still that fairytale element. Wade is the princess who… who kissed the toad and turned him into a handsome prince.”
The others laughed. “So Quinn is a toad?” Maria asked.
“Not anymore. Now that he’s marrying Wade he’s a handsome prince… in the public’s opinion.”
“You’ve been talking to Alex too much… You’re starting to sound like him,” Tess said, giggling, “where is Alex anyway?”
“He’s around somewhere,” Isabel said, “Acting insufferably proud of himself because he was right when he said that Maggie’s devotion to Quinn wasn’t as deep as Wade’s and that Maggie had a past life that could come back to drive a wedge between the two of them. Boy, did she ever!”
“I guess Alex called it,” Liz agreed, “Sometimes I think he has a crystal ball.”
Isabel smiled. “He’s just good at gauging people… and he’s a matchmaker at heart… and he’s stubborn, too.”
Michael snorted. “I’ll vouch for that! He’s like a bulldog that won’t let go… when he thinks he’s right.”
“I was right,” Alex said, walking up at that moment, “Never doubt the Alex!”
“Oh it’s THE Alex now?” Michael asked.
“The… or Sir to you.”
“That’ll be the day!”
“I was right. Admit it!”
“Yeah, okay… you were right… this time. But we all knew it. Some of us just didn’t want to interfere in their private lives.”
Alex grinned. “Somebody had to.”
“I still can’t believe you sent Jung-Jo to drag her up to the altar,” Michael said, rolling his eyes, “You took a huge risk.”
Alex laughed. “It wasn’t so risky. I knew what they both wanted. I just had to make them see it.”
“Well, I was ready to tell everyone that you crashed the party and that I never saw you before… if it didn’t work.”
“Oh ye of little faith!”
“Yeah, well… I don’t have a lot of faith in any human except Maria… and you’re not Maria. You’re not God, either. You can screw up.”
Alex grinned. “But I didn’t.”
“The wedding’s starting,” Max said in a hushed whisper, as the music began to play, “Let’s take our places. You guys cut out the mutual admiration stuff for a while.”
Quinn and his best man, Professor Arturo, walked in from the side and assumed their places at the front, as did the pastor who was performing the ceremony. Then Max, Michael, and Alex, looking very dapper and smiling, joined the other ushers to escort the bridesmaids down the aisle.
Suddenly, as they neared the front, there was a small commotion, and gasps were heard from some of the guests, as Jung-Jo appeared, walking regally down the aisle, head held high, wearing a special-made tuxedo vest and a bow tie. Wade’s little sister walked beside him, carrying flowers that she dropped along the way. As Jung-Jo and the little flower girl neared the front, the music changed to “Here Comes The Bride,” and everyone turned to look.
There were gasps… then more gasps. Wade walked slowly down the aisle, on her father’s arm, a radiant smile on her face, wearing a stunning white wedding gown that for its sheer beauty and elegance could have rivaled anything a real princess might have worn. But it was her own smiling face that added the touch of perfection. Max glanced at Quinn and noticed that he looked stunned… and maybe just a little goofy. Max smiled. Fortunately, all eyes were on the bride-to-be. Quinn quickly realized that his jaw was hanging open and assumed a more dignified look. Even Max could not deny that Quinn did strike a handsome pose decked out in his tux, with a smile on his face. And as Wade stood beside him, it was hard not to think that the only thing missing was the carriage for this to be a fairytale wedding… the wedding of a prince and princess of legends. Obviously, the guests thought so. The sighs and ahs were audible, and not an eye in the crowd was dry.
“Friends, we are gathered together to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony…”
Quinn glanced at Wade and beamed, and Wade found that she had to struggle to keep her smile from growing bigger than her face, if that were possible. She certainly didn’t want to look like Alice’s Cheshire cat… all grin and no face. But she needn’t have been concerned. The guests loved it.
“…If there is anyone present who knows any cause why this couple should not be married let them speak now or forever hold their peace…”
Quinn glanced casually at the crowd and smiled… (They better not. I’ll send anyone who makes a peep to a world sooooo far away…)
“Who gives this woman away?”
“I do,” Wade’s father said, but Quinn only vaguely heard him. (It’s funny… I’ve cherished my independence… and yet… I feel like… Wade IS my independence now… and my future. It just feels right somehow. With Maggie I was never this sure.)
“Would you please face each other and join hands.”
Quinn took Wade’s hands in his and smiled.
(He looks like a god… my Adonis… I think I’m going to wake up and find out this was all a dream.)
(She followed me into hell… literally almost. She didn’t have to. She could have stayed in San Francisco in comfort. She didn’t have to go sliding through a hundred parallel words, risking her life a hundred times over… all for me. What did I ever do to deserve her? I can’t believe I came so close to losing her.)
“Quinn Mallory, do you take Wade Welles to be your wife… to love, honor, cherish, and protect her… forsaking all others and holding only to her forevermore?”
“I do.” (More than you’ll ever know.)
“Wade Welles, do you take Quinn Mallory to be your husband… to love, honor, cherish, and protect him… forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?”
“I do.” (God, just don’t let me wake up! If this is a dream, I don’t want to ever wake up.)
The pastor smiled then tried to look stern… “Throughout time, nothing has endured more than love or been more important than love. We are told that ‘God is Love.’ We are assured that ‘Love conquers all.’ It is love which brings you here today, the union of two hearts and two spirits. As your lives continue to interweave as one pattern, remember that love will make this a glorious union, and love will cause this union to endure.
Paul said, Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels but do not have love, I am only sounding brass or tinkling cymbals.
Though I have the gift of prophecy and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Love endures and is kind.
Love is not envious or jealous.
Love wants not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not its own, it is not easily provoked, and thinks no evil.
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but in the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails.
Where there are prophecies, they shall fail, where there be tongues, they shall cease, where there be knowledge, it shall vanish away…
So faith, hope, love remain -these three- but the greatest of these is love.”
The pastor stopped and looked at Quinn…
“Is there a ring?”
Jung-Jo perked up at the word “ring,” and he rubbed his head against Quinn. Quinn reached out and untied a small attachment from the bow tie around Jung-Jo’s neck, removing from it a ring, which he slipped onto Wade’s finger…
“Wade, with this ring, I give you my heart, my body, and my soul. All that I am or ever will be I give to you… for as long as I shall live, and if possible, beyond that, to the end of time and further. All that we have seen together, experienced together, and struggled with together has bound us more closely to each other, but it is nothing compared to the new lives that await us now… as husband and wife.”
Jung-Jo purred quietly and rubbed against Wade, looking very contented. Wade reached out and removed the second attachment from Jung-Jo’s bow tie. Then she slipped it onto Quinn’s finger…
“Quinn, this ring is a perfect circle. It has no beginning and no end, and so shall our love be. I can’t remember when I started loving you, and I know in my heart and soul that I will never know the day when I don’t love you anymore. We are, and forever will be, one. Wherever you go, I will follow, because, of all the possessions, of all the riches, of all the material things that I could have in this world, there is none that I want more than you. Your love fills my heart and gives meaning to my life. It is the most important thing on this earth –or in any dimension- to me.”
Quinn was glad that he had already said his part, because he wasn’t sure that he would be able to speak now without his voice breaking. He wiped his eyes quickly and smiled.
“There is nothing more important than love… in any place in time… or in any culture,” the pastor continued, “I want to send you into your new lives with these thoughts… the first is an Apache blessing. It goes like this:
Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life beyond.
Go now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life together.
And may your days be good and long upon the earth.
And the second is a Cherokee prayer:
God in heaven above please protect the ones we love.
We honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together.
We honor mother earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons;
We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts;
We honor wind and ask we sail though life safe and calm as in our father's arms;
We honor water… to clean and soothe our relationship… that it may never thirst for love;
With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together. Amen.
Quinn Mallory… Wade Welles… I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Quinn grinned and swept Wade into his arms, kissing her with… well, not quite all of the passion he had pent up in him at the moment. Some of it would just have to wait. But Jung-Jo put one paw over his eyes, which brought giggles and laughter from the guests.
“We’re married,” Quinn said.
Wade nodded and smiled. At this moment, she didn’t care if she did look like Alice’s Cheshire cat.
<center>End of Chapter 44
tbc…</center>
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jbangelo
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Island Breeze
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- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:11 pm
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Island Breeze
- Feedbacking Sci Fi King
- Posts: 1791
- Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:11 pm
- Location: South Florida
Sliding Into Antar
<center> Sliding Into Antar </center>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Final Voyage
Chapter 45
XLV
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Daniel Pierce and the six men who had gone through the vortex with him huddled together under a ledge in a mountainous region of a parallel earth in which the KroMaggs had gained a tenuous control. They watched as something that looked like a “flying saucer” flew slowly by not far away… again. It was searching for them. It hadn’t taken long for the seven men to realize that this world was hostile. A few laser rays fired in their direction had been a pretty good clue. They had been forced to seek refuge almost as soon as they had tumbled out of the vortex.
“Sir, are we on another planet?” William Benson asked, looking around.
Pierce sighed with frustration and shook his head. “We’re in a parallel dimension… We’re still on earth. The aliens have taken over this earth. This is what happens when nobody in government has the guts to search out and eradicate the bastards and we have to put together a covert unit to do it. The aliens get a foothold and they take over.”
“Sir, I think we’re outnumbered.”
Pierce looked at Benson with disgust. “Tell me something I don’t know, Benson.”
“Well, I was just thinking… maybe we ought to retreat and regroup… You know… get reinforcements.”
“There are no reinforcements, Benson. It’s us against them. Get used to it.”
“How are we going to get back… sir?”
Pierce didn’t answer.
“I mean… if we’re stuck here… should we still call you… you know… Pierce?”
Pierce glared at Benson. “To you, I am Pierce.”
“Yes, sir. I just thought…”
“Don’t think, Benson. It gives you headaches.”
“Yes, sir.”
Benson sat down dejectedly and looked at Mack Carter. Carter shrugged… “It’s best to keep up the front, Will. We don’t want to slip up. If we do get back to our world, or if we capture or kill the aliens, it’s important that everyone still believes that Fletcher is Pierce. Pierce had the connections… three senators are in his pocket. If they ever find out that Pierce isn’t really Pierce… it would destroy the unit permanently. That’s why Fletcher had his face changed six months after Pierce disappeared… so when he ‘showed up’ again and explained that he had been abducted by the aliens and that they had horribly disfigured him and he had needed plastic surgery, the guys up there would believe it. It’s a perfect cover. We can’t do anything that might jeopardize it.”
Benson nodded. “I guess so. I had the aliens’ leader, the Evans kid, you know… in my sights… fourteen years ago. I had the red dot right on his heart, but Fletcher said wait! He wanted everyone to be in place… and we lost them.”
“You think that hasn’t chewed up my guts for the last fourteen years, Benson? I was there, too, you know. We all were. We almost had them… except somebody didn’t do their homework and didn’t know that the Guerin kid wasn’t graduating and would show up and save the others… on a motorbike!”
“Well, the lights going out suddenly like they did had a lot to do with it, too, Carter. I still think they did that themselves… with their alien powers.”
“What do you think really happened to Pierce, Benson?”
“What do you think? They got him. That body will never be found.”
“The aliens?”
“Yeah.”
Carter nodded. “That’s what I think, too.”
“HEADS UP!” Fletcher screamed, “THEY’RE HEADING OUR WAY!”
Carter, Benson, and the others watched as the saucer headed in their direction.
“Do you think they found us,” Scapparelli asked.
“We’ll know in a minute,” Carter replied, ducking down behind a small bluff under the ledge.
The UFO continued to come… straight toward the ledge. “I think you have your answer,” Fletcher said. “We can bring that thing down… the seven of us. We have automatic weapons. We just have to hit it right.” Fletcher waited until the craft was almost on top of them, then he leapt out and aimed his gun carefully, searching for a vulnerable point on the craft. He found it and started firing. The other six men followed his lead and fired, too. Moments later, the saucer tilted to one side, then it went down hard about a hundred meters from them. Fletcher and his men rushed to the craft to try to surprise the “aliens” as they came out… if the aliens survived the crash. But it was Fletcher and his men who wound up being caught in the trap. As soon as they were out from under the ledge, a group of KroMaggs rushed in behind them. Distracted by the UFO, Fletcher and his men didn’t notice the KroMaggs until it was too late.
“Ar Ga! Shto na kor!”
Fletcher whirled around and fired, but he did not have time to get a good aim. The KroMagg did. Fletcher crumpled to the ground, smoke pouring from a twelve inch hole that went all the way through his chest and out his back. He would not be getting back up.
The six men with Fletcher quickly tossed their guns down and raised their hands, but the KroMaggs picked one of them off anyway…
“That is what will happen to anyone who defies us,” the KroMagg who had fired said, as the body of Boris Ivanovich lay smoldering beside Fletcher’s, a twelve inch hole in his stomach. Sensing that they were doomed, one of the men, Mike Harkins, dove for the gun he had thrown away. He dodged the KroMagg’s ray and returned fire, hitting the KroMagg in the heart… or at least, right where the heart should have been. But the KroMagg didn’t fall, so Harkins shot him again… and again. Finally, the KroMagg fell, but it was an exercise in futility. There were eleven more, and they had him in hand immediately. One of the KroMaggs took Harkins’ gun from him and slowly bent it in half as Harkins watched. Then he grinned, and Harkins saw a mouth full of what could only be described as fangs. These creatures, whatever they were, were incredibly ugly. Harkins wondered if this was what Max Evans and his “gang” really looked like. He prepared himself to die. The two KroMaggs on either side of him, holding his arms, were huge, much bigger than himself… and strong as a team of oxen.
“Go ahead! Shoot me! At least I’ll die fighting!”
The KroMagg on his right laughed. “We have something better in mind for you. We need you… to work… with the other humans we have captured. You’re ours now.” The KroMagg turned the body of his dead KroMagg companion over with his foot and laughed again.
“Well, there’s no love lost between them,” Scapparelli whispered to Carter.
“What did you say?” the KroMagg asked, suddenly looking at Scapparelli.
“That you’re an ugly son of a…” Scapparelli started to say defiantly, but a large hand backhanded him hard enough to send him flying ten feet through the air. He landed with the breath knocked out of him and his lip bleeding.
The KroMagg stood over Scapparelli… bald headed… toothy grin… all seven feet of him, Scapparelli estimated. It was hard to believe that they were so technologically advanced and at the same time so primevally ugly and ruthless.
“The first thing you need to learn,” the KroMagg said, kicking Scapparelli in the side, “Is to respect a lady… if you’re going to work for us.”
“Carter looked at Benson, his eyes wide. “That’s a female? How do you tell?”
“You’ll learn to,” the KroMagg said, grabbing Carter by the feet and picking him up upside down with one hand to look him in the eyes. “I am a lady. Got that? The others here are not.”
“Go- Got it,” Carter choked.
Fletcher and Ivanovich were dead. There were five men left now, and every one of them knew that the rest of their lives, however long or short that might be, were going to be spent as slaves to these “aliens.” It was, arguably, better than what they had themselves planned to do to Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz, and Maria. The KroMaggs, ruthless as they were, had no white room to torture people in and didn’t try to slaughter kids at their graduation. They just had a need for workers… workers who would do very hard labor… as their slaves. They had a world to finish conquering and a KroMagg society to build, with all its infrastructure. Little did Fletcher’s men know that the KroMaggs were not aliens at all. They were a distinct line that had split off from the Neanderthals. In most dimensions, they had died out in prehistoric times… before ever becoming what these creatures were. But in a few dimensions, KroMaggs ruled.
<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>
“We’re going to miss you guys,” Liz said, hugging Wade warmly and smiling at Quinn, “We won’t be here when you get back from your honeymoon.”
Wade smiled sympathetically. “I know. I hope you find your planet soon. Nobody knows better than we do how much you miss home.”
“I hope we meet again someday,” Quinn said, offering Max and then the others his hand and hugging the girls. “It’s been a great experience. I would really love to have had more time to talk with Varec. I wish we could see your planet. It must be beautiful.”
Professor Arturo nodded. “Indeed! I, for one, shall count myself forever fortunate to have met all of you… and your amazing pet saber tooth cat, Jung-Jo. It has been quite the adventure!”
“Yeah, you never thought you’d meet an alien who soaked cocoa puffs in Tabasco sauce, did you, Professor,” Alex said with a grin.
Professor Arturo chuckled, but Michael seemed unamused, and Alex knew that he would have to watch himself. Eventually, Michael would get him back, probably when he least expected it and in a way that would embarrass him the most. He would definitely have to be on his toes and alert. But it seemed worth the risk… at least at the moment.
“Varec has been keeping a record of where each Antar we visit is located,” Max said, “And we plan to revisit some of them… after we’ve found our way back to our own world… and once we know how to get there and get back without getting lost again.”
Quinn smiled sheepishly. “I guess that was our fault. It was our vortex that threw your ship off course. I wish we could do something to correct it.”
Max smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. It was just blind fate… dumb luck. Varec will figure out something. We’ll get back home.”
“I’ll do some calculations, too,” Quinn said, then he looked at Wade and grinned… “After the honeymoon.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Max said, “You won’t be able to get a message to us anyway where we’ll be. Enjoy your honeymoon.”
“We will,” Wade said enthusiastically, and Quinn nodded and grinned.
“I wanted to thank Jung Jo,” Wade added, “He was great.”
Max laughed. “Jung Jo loves to help. He’s a natural ham. If he could talk, he’d be thanking you for asking him to do it.”
“Well, give him a kiss for me,” Wade said.
Max looked at Michael. “I’m putting you in charge of that, Michael.”
“Thanks,” Michael said sarcastically.
“I’ll do it,” Liz said.
“Oh, by the way,” Quinn added, “That FBI guy you told us about… I think his name was Pierce… the one that was always chasing you guys… He showed up looking for you. I forgot to tell you.”
“Where is he?” Michael asked, suddenly going on full alert.
Quinn smiled. “In another dimension… on a KroMagg controlled world, I think. I opened the vortex and told him you guys went through it, and the dumb ass jumped into the vortex… All six of his men followed him.”
“Six?” Michael asked. “What did they look like?”
“Your usual goons,” Quinn said, trying to remember, “One of them had a long, jagged scar right here on his face and a tattoo of a dagger dripping blood on his left bicep. I remember that. He was very muscular.”
Michael’s eyes glazed over and he frowned… “Graduation. He was there at graduation. He’s the only one I actually saw. I’ll never forget him. He’s burned into my memory. Did he have motorbike tread marks down his back?”
Quinn laughed. “I didn’t check.”
“He did,” Michael said, with an air of certainty. “When I was going into the auditorium, he was standing on the steps outside. I guess he had arrived late. He had a rifle with one of those laser scopes on it, and he had the red dot on Maria’s head. The son of a…” Michael stopped and looked at Wade… “Sorry.”
Wade smiled. “It’s alright. My ears have heard worse. They won’t fall off.”
“He was going to blow Maria’s brains out right there at graduation, so I ran over him on my way up the stairs. When I came back out with Max on the bike with me, the guy was still lying there, so I ran over him again on the way back down. He should have a good set of tread marks on his back.”
“I would’ve loved to have seen that,” Quinn said, amused. “But where he is right now, he’s probably wishing that was all the abuse he was getting… if he’s still alive.”
Michael smiled. “And they can’t get back here, right?”
“Not a chance,” Quinn said, holding up the timer, “I’ve got the timer. They’re stuck there… with the KroMaggs.”
“Good. On behalf of our doubles in this dimension, wherever they are, we all thank you. And it will make your lives easier, too. Who knows if they would have decided that you guys were aliens or something, too, having been to parallel words and all. So I say good riddance to them.”
Max nodded. “I agree with Michael. With them gone, you guys… and our doubles… wherever they are… can live in peace. Have a happy honeymoon!”
“You’ll remember to thank Jung Jo?” Wade asked.
“I’ll give him a kiss and a hug for you,” Liz said, smiling. “You guys enjoy yourselves.”
And so, with a few heartfelt goodbyes, the visit to Quinn and Wade’s earth came to an end.
<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>
As the New Granolith rose into the sky, Quinn and Wade watched…
“We’ll meet again, my friends,” Quinn said, waving, “I feel it.”
Max sighed and looked at Michael. “Well, do we head into the next dimension?”
“We should try Antar in this dimension first,” Michael said, “We’re already here.”
“Yeah, but Pierce is still alive in this dimension. In our dimension, you killed him.”
“That’s true,” Michael agreed… then he thought for awhile… “But, you know, Max, you never can tell about things… I mean, things aren’t always what they look like. Remember… Quinn and the others were home once before and turned around and left because something looked wrong but turned out to be… you know… not what it looked like.”
Max nodded. “You’re right. We should visit Antar in this dimension while we’re here… just to be thorough.”
“Varec would approve,” Michael said, smiling.
Max gave Michael a friendly shove and smiled.
It took four days to reach Antar. It would have taken a couple of more days, but Varec was always finding ways to increase the ship’s speed and efficiency. As the planet came into sight, Max and Michael watched longingly, along with Liz and Maria, from the bridge.
“Every time I see Antar, I get this lump in my throat,” Liz said softly, her voice catching, “Even when it’s not ours. It just looks like home.”
The others nodded.
“Take us closer,” Max said to Michael, “We’ll radio the control center for directions and make our final decision about visiting this Antar after we’ve made radio contact.”
Michael nodded. Three minutes later, the ship approached the Antarian space controlled zone, still a few thousand miles out, and Max suddenly gasped and sat bolt upright.
“Max! What’s wrong?” Michael asked, setting the ship on automatic and jumping up to check on him. Max stood there, his eyes staring at the planet below, his face white.
“Max?” Liz said, feeling Max’s head and holding his hand to make sure that he was alright. As soon as she touched his hand, she let out a cry and froze, then tears started to flow down her cheeks.
“Liz? Are you okay? What’s the matter, chica?” Maria asked. She hadn’t used that word in years… She wasn’t sure why she did now.
“We’re home,” Liz said, “The jah-ees are welcoming Max back. They have that mental connection.”
“All the Antars we visited… I never once thought about that,” Max said, shaking in spite of all attempts not to, “I never felt the connection to the jah-ees on any of them. On one Antar, I contacted them myself, but that pre-existing, sort of automatic connection I have with our jah-ees wasn’t there. A moment ago, it flooded through me like a light coming on…” Max turned to the others and smiled… “We’re home.”
As soon as Max said it, cheers went up all over the ship, and the word spread like a wild fire. “Home.” The word sounded too good to be true! Minutes later, Alex was walking around passing out party hats, noise makers, and eggnog. Isabel laughed. “Where in the world did you find these, Alex?”
“I picked them up back on Quinn and Wade’s earth. I figured we’d use them, with New Years Eve coming up. But now we’ve got something to really celebrate! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! We’ll pop the champagne when we land. I don’t want Michael and Max to crash the ship. The eggnog’s off the grocery store shelf. It’s not spiked.”
Everyone laughed and held up their glasses, as Alex poured eggnog for them, and at that moment, the jah-ees arrived, looping and spinning joyously around the New Granolith as it entered Antar’s atmosphere. Max held up his glass in a toast to his old friends…
“Happy New Year, my friends… I’m glad to be home.”
It was a sentiment that was echoed and reechoed all over the bridge, because by now EVERYONE was on the bridge…
<center>“HAPPY NEW YEAR!</center>
The voices were almost drowned out in the noise and the cheers, but the sentiments were felt in the heart…
<center>WE’RE HOME!</center>
<center><<<<>>>> Epilogue <<<<>>>></center>
Wade turned on her computer…
“You have mail!” the mechanical voice proclaimed happily.
Scanning through the list quickly, Wade sighed. “759,521 emails… all spam, I’m guessing, from while we were gone.”
Quinn smiled. “Use the spam monster I installed for you before we left.”
Wade nodded and clicked the key… “That did it. Now I have one email and 759,520 spam messages. She clicked the key again, and the spams disappeared into the mouth of a ravenous spam beast that ripped them apart, chewed them up, and swallowed them with gusto… something Quinn had dreamed up.
Wade raised her eyebrows slightly, as she opened the single valid email, and a smile came over her face…
“Hi Wade! We took your advice. It was something of a challenge to find you in a different dimension, but we did it. Thanks for the idea. It’s cool! We would love to hear from you.” Rahn@WWAntar
<center>~ The End ~</center>
Travel with Max and the others to Antar to witness the emotional reunions with their children and families. Just hop on the UFO above (It’s a link to chapter 67 of The Four Faces Of Rath, “Out Of A Nightmare”). You haven’t read the whole story till you’ve been there for the reunion. And it’s New Years Eve!
<center>HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!</center>
:D
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Final Voyage
Chapter 45
XLV
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Daniel Pierce and the six men who had gone through the vortex with him huddled together under a ledge in a mountainous region of a parallel earth in which the KroMaggs had gained a tenuous control. They watched as something that looked like a “flying saucer” flew slowly by not far away… again. It was searching for them. It hadn’t taken long for the seven men to realize that this world was hostile. A few laser rays fired in their direction had been a pretty good clue. They had been forced to seek refuge almost as soon as they had tumbled out of the vortex.
“Sir, are we on another planet?” William Benson asked, looking around.
Pierce sighed with frustration and shook his head. “We’re in a parallel dimension… We’re still on earth. The aliens have taken over this earth. This is what happens when nobody in government has the guts to search out and eradicate the bastards and we have to put together a covert unit to do it. The aliens get a foothold and they take over.”
“Sir, I think we’re outnumbered.”
Pierce looked at Benson with disgust. “Tell me something I don’t know, Benson.”
“Well, I was just thinking… maybe we ought to retreat and regroup… You know… get reinforcements.”
“There are no reinforcements, Benson. It’s us against them. Get used to it.”
“How are we going to get back… sir?”
Pierce didn’t answer.
“I mean… if we’re stuck here… should we still call you… you know… Pierce?”
Pierce glared at Benson. “To you, I am Pierce.”
“Yes, sir. I just thought…”
“Don’t think, Benson. It gives you headaches.”
“Yes, sir.”
Benson sat down dejectedly and looked at Mack Carter. Carter shrugged… “It’s best to keep up the front, Will. We don’t want to slip up. If we do get back to our world, or if we capture or kill the aliens, it’s important that everyone still believes that Fletcher is Pierce. Pierce had the connections… three senators are in his pocket. If they ever find out that Pierce isn’t really Pierce… it would destroy the unit permanently. That’s why Fletcher had his face changed six months after Pierce disappeared… so when he ‘showed up’ again and explained that he had been abducted by the aliens and that they had horribly disfigured him and he had needed plastic surgery, the guys up there would believe it. It’s a perfect cover. We can’t do anything that might jeopardize it.”
Benson nodded. “I guess so. I had the aliens’ leader, the Evans kid, you know… in my sights… fourteen years ago. I had the red dot right on his heart, but Fletcher said wait! He wanted everyone to be in place… and we lost them.”
“You think that hasn’t chewed up my guts for the last fourteen years, Benson? I was there, too, you know. We all were. We almost had them… except somebody didn’t do their homework and didn’t know that the Guerin kid wasn’t graduating and would show up and save the others… on a motorbike!”
“Well, the lights going out suddenly like they did had a lot to do with it, too, Carter. I still think they did that themselves… with their alien powers.”
“What do you think really happened to Pierce, Benson?”
“What do you think? They got him. That body will never be found.”
“The aliens?”
“Yeah.”
Carter nodded. “That’s what I think, too.”
“HEADS UP!” Fletcher screamed, “THEY’RE HEADING OUR WAY!”
Carter, Benson, and the others watched as the saucer headed in their direction.
“Do you think they found us,” Scapparelli asked.
“We’ll know in a minute,” Carter replied, ducking down behind a small bluff under the ledge.
The UFO continued to come… straight toward the ledge. “I think you have your answer,” Fletcher said. “We can bring that thing down… the seven of us. We have automatic weapons. We just have to hit it right.” Fletcher waited until the craft was almost on top of them, then he leapt out and aimed his gun carefully, searching for a vulnerable point on the craft. He found it and started firing. The other six men followed his lead and fired, too. Moments later, the saucer tilted to one side, then it went down hard about a hundred meters from them. Fletcher and his men rushed to the craft to try to surprise the “aliens” as they came out… if the aliens survived the crash. But it was Fletcher and his men who wound up being caught in the trap. As soon as they were out from under the ledge, a group of KroMaggs rushed in behind them. Distracted by the UFO, Fletcher and his men didn’t notice the KroMaggs until it was too late.
“Ar Ga! Shto na kor!”
Fletcher whirled around and fired, but he did not have time to get a good aim. The KroMagg did. Fletcher crumpled to the ground, smoke pouring from a twelve inch hole that went all the way through his chest and out his back. He would not be getting back up.
The six men with Fletcher quickly tossed their guns down and raised their hands, but the KroMaggs picked one of them off anyway…
“That is what will happen to anyone who defies us,” the KroMagg who had fired said, as the body of Boris Ivanovich lay smoldering beside Fletcher’s, a twelve inch hole in his stomach. Sensing that they were doomed, one of the men, Mike Harkins, dove for the gun he had thrown away. He dodged the KroMagg’s ray and returned fire, hitting the KroMagg in the heart… or at least, right where the heart should have been. But the KroMagg didn’t fall, so Harkins shot him again… and again. Finally, the KroMagg fell, but it was an exercise in futility. There were eleven more, and they had him in hand immediately. One of the KroMaggs took Harkins’ gun from him and slowly bent it in half as Harkins watched. Then he grinned, and Harkins saw a mouth full of what could only be described as fangs. These creatures, whatever they were, were incredibly ugly. Harkins wondered if this was what Max Evans and his “gang” really looked like. He prepared himself to die. The two KroMaggs on either side of him, holding his arms, were huge, much bigger than himself… and strong as a team of oxen.
“Go ahead! Shoot me! At least I’ll die fighting!”
The KroMagg on his right laughed. “We have something better in mind for you. We need you… to work… with the other humans we have captured. You’re ours now.” The KroMagg turned the body of his dead KroMagg companion over with his foot and laughed again.
“Well, there’s no love lost between them,” Scapparelli whispered to Carter.
“What did you say?” the KroMagg asked, suddenly looking at Scapparelli.
“That you’re an ugly son of a…” Scapparelli started to say defiantly, but a large hand backhanded him hard enough to send him flying ten feet through the air. He landed with the breath knocked out of him and his lip bleeding.
The KroMagg stood over Scapparelli… bald headed… toothy grin… all seven feet of him, Scapparelli estimated. It was hard to believe that they were so technologically advanced and at the same time so primevally ugly and ruthless.
“The first thing you need to learn,” the KroMagg said, kicking Scapparelli in the side, “Is to respect a lady… if you’re going to work for us.”
“Carter looked at Benson, his eyes wide. “That’s a female? How do you tell?”
“You’ll learn to,” the KroMagg said, grabbing Carter by the feet and picking him up upside down with one hand to look him in the eyes. “I am a lady. Got that? The others here are not.”
“Go- Got it,” Carter choked.
Fletcher and Ivanovich were dead. There were five men left now, and every one of them knew that the rest of their lives, however long or short that might be, were going to be spent as slaves to these “aliens.” It was, arguably, better than what they had themselves planned to do to Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz, and Maria. The KroMaggs, ruthless as they were, had no white room to torture people in and didn’t try to slaughter kids at their graduation. They just had a need for workers… workers who would do very hard labor… as their slaves. They had a world to finish conquering and a KroMagg society to build, with all its infrastructure. Little did Fletcher’s men know that the KroMaggs were not aliens at all. They were a distinct line that had split off from the Neanderthals. In most dimensions, they had died out in prehistoric times… before ever becoming what these creatures were. But in a few dimensions, KroMaggs ruled.
<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>
“We’re going to miss you guys,” Liz said, hugging Wade warmly and smiling at Quinn, “We won’t be here when you get back from your honeymoon.”
Wade smiled sympathetically. “I know. I hope you find your planet soon. Nobody knows better than we do how much you miss home.”
“I hope we meet again someday,” Quinn said, offering Max and then the others his hand and hugging the girls. “It’s been a great experience. I would really love to have had more time to talk with Varec. I wish we could see your planet. It must be beautiful.”
Professor Arturo nodded. “Indeed! I, for one, shall count myself forever fortunate to have met all of you… and your amazing pet saber tooth cat, Jung-Jo. It has been quite the adventure!”
“Yeah, you never thought you’d meet an alien who soaked cocoa puffs in Tabasco sauce, did you, Professor,” Alex said with a grin.
Professor Arturo chuckled, but Michael seemed unamused, and Alex knew that he would have to watch himself. Eventually, Michael would get him back, probably when he least expected it and in a way that would embarrass him the most. He would definitely have to be on his toes and alert. But it seemed worth the risk… at least at the moment.
“Varec has been keeping a record of where each Antar we visit is located,” Max said, “And we plan to revisit some of them… after we’ve found our way back to our own world… and once we know how to get there and get back without getting lost again.”
Quinn smiled sheepishly. “I guess that was our fault. It was our vortex that threw your ship off course. I wish we could do something to correct it.”
Max smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. It was just blind fate… dumb luck. Varec will figure out something. We’ll get back home.”
“I’ll do some calculations, too,” Quinn said, then he looked at Wade and grinned… “After the honeymoon.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Max said, “You won’t be able to get a message to us anyway where we’ll be. Enjoy your honeymoon.”
“We will,” Wade said enthusiastically, and Quinn nodded and grinned.
“I wanted to thank Jung Jo,” Wade added, “He was great.”
Max laughed. “Jung Jo loves to help. He’s a natural ham. If he could talk, he’d be thanking you for asking him to do it.”
“Well, give him a kiss for me,” Wade said.
Max looked at Michael. “I’m putting you in charge of that, Michael.”
“Thanks,” Michael said sarcastically.
“I’ll do it,” Liz said.
“Oh, by the way,” Quinn added, “That FBI guy you told us about… I think his name was Pierce… the one that was always chasing you guys… He showed up looking for you. I forgot to tell you.”
“Where is he?” Michael asked, suddenly going on full alert.
Quinn smiled. “In another dimension… on a KroMagg controlled world, I think. I opened the vortex and told him you guys went through it, and the dumb ass jumped into the vortex… All six of his men followed him.”
“Six?” Michael asked. “What did they look like?”
“Your usual goons,” Quinn said, trying to remember, “One of them had a long, jagged scar right here on his face and a tattoo of a dagger dripping blood on his left bicep. I remember that. He was very muscular.”
Michael’s eyes glazed over and he frowned… “Graduation. He was there at graduation. He’s the only one I actually saw. I’ll never forget him. He’s burned into my memory. Did he have motorbike tread marks down his back?”
Quinn laughed. “I didn’t check.”
“He did,” Michael said, with an air of certainty. “When I was going into the auditorium, he was standing on the steps outside. I guess he had arrived late. He had a rifle with one of those laser scopes on it, and he had the red dot on Maria’s head. The son of a…” Michael stopped and looked at Wade… “Sorry.”
Wade smiled. “It’s alright. My ears have heard worse. They won’t fall off.”
“He was going to blow Maria’s brains out right there at graduation, so I ran over him on my way up the stairs. When I came back out with Max on the bike with me, the guy was still lying there, so I ran over him again on the way back down. He should have a good set of tread marks on his back.”
“I would’ve loved to have seen that,” Quinn said, amused. “But where he is right now, he’s probably wishing that was all the abuse he was getting… if he’s still alive.”
Michael smiled. “And they can’t get back here, right?”
“Not a chance,” Quinn said, holding up the timer, “I’ve got the timer. They’re stuck there… with the KroMaggs.”
“Good. On behalf of our doubles in this dimension, wherever they are, we all thank you. And it will make your lives easier, too. Who knows if they would have decided that you guys were aliens or something, too, having been to parallel words and all. So I say good riddance to them.”
Max nodded. “I agree with Michael. With them gone, you guys… and our doubles… wherever they are… can live in peace. Have a happy honeymoon!”
“You’ll remember to thank Jung Jo?” Wade asked.
“I’ll give him a kiss and a hug for you,” Liz said, smiling. “You guys enjoy yourselves.”
And so, with a few heartfelt goodbyes, the visit to Quinn and Wade’s earth came to an end.
<center> <<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>> </center>
As the New Granolith rose into the sky, Quinn and Wade watched…
“We’ll meet again, my friends,” Quinn said, waving, “I feel it.”
Max sighed and looked at Michael. “Well, do we head into the next dimension?”
“We should try Antar in this dimension first,” Michael said, “We’re already here.”
“Yeah, but Pierce is still alive in this dimension. In our dimension, you killed him.”
“That’s true,” Michael agreed… then he thought for awhile… “But, you know, Max, you never can tell about things… I mean, things aren’t always what they look like. Remember… Quinn and the others were home once before and turned around and left because something looked wrong but turned out to be… you know… not what it looked like.”
Max nodded. “You’re right. We should visit Antar in this dimension while we’re here… just to be thorough.”
“Varec would approve,” Michael said, smiling.
Max gave Michael a friendly shove and smiled.
It took four days to reach Antar. It would have taken a couple of more days, but Varec was always finding ways to increase the ship’s speed and efficiency. As the planet came into sight, Max and Michael watched longingly, along with Liz and Maria, from the bridge.
“Every time I see Antar, I get this lump in my throat,” Liz said softly, her voice catching, “Even when it’s not ours. It just looks like home.”
The others nodded.
“Take us closer,” Max said to Michael, “We’ll radio the control center for directions and make our final decision about visiting this Antar after we’ve made radio contact.”
Michael nodded. Three minutes later, the ship approached the Antarian space controlled zone, still a few thousand miles out, and Max suddenly gasped and sat bolt upright.
“Max! What’s wrong?” Michael asked, setting the ship on automatic and jumping up to check on him. Max stood there, his eyes staring at the planet below, his face white.
“Max?” Liz said, feeling Max’s head and holding his hand to make sure that he was alright. As soon as she touched his hand, she let out a cry and froze, then tears started to flow down her cheeks.
“Liz? Are you okay? What’s the matter, chica?” Maria asked. She hadn’t used that word in years… She wasn’t sure why she did now.
“We’re home,” Liz said, “The jah-ees are welcoming Max back. They have that mental connection.”
“All the Antars we visited… I never once thought about that,” Max said, shaking in spite of all attempts not to, “I never felt the connection to the jah-ees on any of them. On one Antar, I contacted them myself, but that pre-existing, sort of automatic connection I have with our jah-ees wasn’t there. A moment ago, it flooded through me like a light coming on…” Max turned to the others and smiled… “We’re home.”
As soon as Max said it, cheers went up all over the ship, and the word spread like a wild fire. “Home.” The word sounded too good to be true! Minutes later, Alex was walking around passing out party hats, noise makers, and eggnog. Isabel laughed. “Where in the world did you find these, Alex?”
“I picked them up back on Quinn and Wade’s earth. I figured we’d use them, with New Years Eve coming up. But now we’ve got something to really celebrate! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! We’ll pop the champagne when we land. I don’t want Michael and Max to crash the ship. The eggnog’s off the grocery store shelf. It’s not spiked.”
Everyone laughed and held up their glasses, as Alex poured eggnog for them, and at that moment, the jah-ees arrived, looping and spinning joyously around the New Granolith as it entered Antar’s atmosphere. Max held up his glass in a toast to his old friends…
“Happy New Year, my friends… I’m glad to be home.”
It was a sentiment that was echoed and reechoed all over the bridge, because by now EVERYONE was on the bridge…
<center>“HAPPY NEW YEAR!</center>
The voices were almost drowned out in the noise and the cheers, but the sentiments were felt in the heart…
<center>WE’RE HOME!</center>
<center><<<<>>>> Epilogue <<<<>>>></center>
Wade turned on her computer…
“You have mail!” the mechanical voice proclaimed happily.
Scanning through the list quickly, Wade sighed. “759,521 emails… all spam, I’m guessing, from while we were gone.”
Quinn smiled. “Use the spam monster I installed for you before we left.”
Wade nodded and clicked the key… “That did it. Now I have one email and 759,520 spam messages. She clicked the key again, and the spams disappeared into the mouth of a ravenous spam beast that ripped them apart, chewed them up, and swallowed them with gusto… something Quinn had dreamed up.
Wade raised her eyebrows slightly, as she opened the single valid email, and a smile came over her face…
“Hi Wade! We took your advice. It was something of a challenge to find you in a different dimension, but we did it. Thanks for the idea. It’s cool! We would love to hear from you.” Rahn@WWAntar
<center>~ The End ~</center>
Travel with Max and the others to Antar to witness the emotional reunions with their children and families. Just hop on the UFO above (It’s a link to chapter 67 of The Four Faces Of Rath, “Out Of A Nightmare”). You haven’t read the whole story till you’ve been there for the reunion. And it’s New Years Eve!
<center>HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!</center>
:D
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you finsihed. and i haven't even finished. i'll be back
Roselle
Egyptian Dwelling Silly Sister Techie Connection
If we don't change we don't grow. If we don't grow we aren't really living. - Gail Sheey
My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling but it wobbles and the letters get in the worng places - Pooh
Egyptian Dwelling Silly Sister Techie Connection
If we don't change we don't grow. If we don't grow we aren't really living. - Gail Sheey
My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling but it wobbles and the letters get in the worng places - Pooh
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Pooh
- Tracie said Pooh Said so!
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- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:05 am
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Aligewe
- Fan Fic Follower
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:58 pm
- Location: Bremerhaven
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WOW!!!!!
THIS STORY WAS GREAT!!!!!
when i started reading it i totally didn't want to read it and then i started and couldn't stop and now I finally finished it!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS GREAT!!!
So... The 'New Granolith' crew belonged into the same dimension as the sliding gang... GREAT TWIST!!!! but i already figured that was how it was going to end because they all went into the vortex and then i just had the feeling that they would end up in the same dimension... but how you wrote it was great!!!!
Are you gonna continue this universe you created????
I hope so because you Gerry write the best stories I have ever read!!!!!! (Well... neuropsych is great too - but that's stargate...)
I still have to catch up on your "Ee-l’wee and the Silver Sphere" I am half way through the 2nd chapter. sorry that i am taking so long but i have a couple problems with school... I should have more time once next week is over
I promise you that i will finish reading your story whenever that may be but i will finish it!!!!
Please continue writing your 'Altered Time Series'
THIS STORY WAS GREAT!!!!!
when i started reading it i totally didn't want to read it and then i started and couldn't stop and now I finally finished it!!!!!!!!!! IT WAS GREAT!!!
So... The 'New Granolith' crew belonged into the same dimension as the sliding gang... GREAT TWIST!!!! but i already figured that was how it was going to end because they all went into the vortex and then i just had the feeling that they would end up in the same dimension... but how you wrote it was great!!!!
Are you gonna continue this universe you created????
I hope so because you Gerry write the best stories I have ever read!!!!!! (Well... neuropsych is great too - but that's stargate...)
I still have to catch up on your "Ee-l’wee and the Silver Sphere" I am half way through the 2nd chapter. sorry that i am taking so long but i have a couple problems with school... I should have more time once next week is over
I promise you that i will finish reading your story whenever that may be but i will finish it!!!!
Please continue writing your 'Altered Time Series'
Aligewe
Fanfic Addict
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Ti88
- Goddess Mod
- Posts: 837
- Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:01 am
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i did it. i finally finished it. i told you i would. oh man this rocks. totally rocks. i loved it. loved the different places they went and the different adventures they had. you truelly are an amazing author.
Roselle
Egyptian Dwelling Silly Sister Techie Connection
If we don't change we don't grow. If we don't grow we aren't really living. - Gail Sheey
My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling but it wobbles and the letters get in the worng places - Pooh
Egyptian Dwelling Silly Sister Techie Connection
If we don't change we don't grow. If we don't grow we aren't really living. - Gail Sheey
My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling but it wobbles and the letters get in the worng places - Pooh
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suicide_eagle_rath
- Fan Fic Devotee
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:16 pm
- Location: Dimaras Rock, Antar
- Contact:
Had the pleasure of reading this on another site. Definitely worth reading a second or third time through.
Interesting merging of the two shows, seamless, well executed. Wonderful plot good growth and development of the characters and descriptive scenes. Unique characters and details that make the selection very believable and a joy to read. Thanks for sharing your talent, look forward to more of your work.
I am sure that the reader’s appreciation and understanding of this section will be greatly enhanced by taking the time to by read the other selections in the series. I am tracking the other parts down as I write. Thanks for sharing your creative mind. :D
Interesting merging of the two shows, seamless, well executed. Wonderful plot good growth and development of the characters and descriptive scenes. Unique characters and details that make the selection very believable and a joy to read. Thanks for sharing your talent, look forward to more of your work.
I am sure that the reader’s appreciation and understanding of this section will be greatly enhanced by taking the time to by read the other selections in the series. I am tracking the other parts down as I write. Thanks for sharing your creative mind. :D
