"Well, let me just say that my strife with
Bly lasted much longer and much more intense then the show ever was. Secondly,
I had to do
a lot more time traveling and so did Kat. See, the first time around
Bowler got shot. Then I got shot after going back in time, taking the bullet
for Bowler. Kat time traveled and well, let's just say I was having
Deja Vu for months..." he shutters. "Anyway, Bly didn't die that way, in
fact
he's not supposed to die for a while longer. But discrepancies don't
really matter. We need to figure out how he got here. Let's assume he
had an orb and lost it. We have to find it."
"That'll take forever!" Laina exclaimed.
"Actually, I've mapped out and calculated
the chances of finding the orb in this city before Bly does and it's approximately
1 out of
3,895,732."
"Hmmm...he seems to have your brains
Emilia," Jack mused.
"Oh please, he's supposed to be related
to you. And the day I procreate with you..." she let it trail off.
Katrina surpressed a knowing smile. According to history, it
would be a while longer before Jack and Emilia would admit their true feelings
and
even longer before they would marry and be blessed with three children,
two of them twins.
"Okay, so he has an orb and just
lost it and for some reason he thinks we can help him get it," Brisco continued.
"Or he thinks you can and, up
until the night before last, he didn't know I was here."
Further discussion was stifled as two waitresses brought over
their breakfast. As the plates were being set before them, the waitresses
asked
Bruce, Ted, and Angela for their autographs. The actors complied and,
after many thanks, the girls giddily took off. With a shake of their heads,
everyone started to eat.
As they ate and started to discuss their current situation
again, Bryan zoned out and looked around the restaurant. He saw the teenagers
from the
costume contest sitting in the farthest corner of the room, watching
their table. They were whispering and giggling. Glancing at another table,
he saw
a man eating with his family, although he was more interested in what
the newspaper had to say then his wife.
Bryan was about to turn away when a headline caught his
eye: Natural History Museum Unveils New Exhibit. "Holy smoke!" he
exclaimed
and promptly started to choke on his scrambled eggs.
Jack thumped him on the back. "Take it easy kid!"
"I think I know where we might find
the orb!" Bryan said after taking a gulp of water and in between coughs.
Everyone immediately perked up. "Where?" Bruce demanded.
"At the Natural History Museum," Bryan
looked over at where the man was sitting with his family--or where they
had been sitting. The family
was gone, the paper with them. "We need to look at one of the papers..one
of the dailies, maybe? I saw a headline saying that a new exhibit was
about to be unveiled at the museum."
"What sort of exhibit?" Same asked just
as the group of teenagers walked by. Bryan held up his hand for just a
moment and intercepted the
group. One of the girls had a newspaper.
"Hi there! I was just wondering..are
you guys finished with the paper?" Bryan asked, giving the girls a shy
smile. He recognized Deadly Chakram
and Melody in the group. Melody was the one with the paper tucked beneath
her arm.
For a moment no one said anything. Finally Deadly Chakram nudged
Melody with her elbow. "Hey nitwit, he's really addressing you!" she hissed
with a grin.
Melody blinked. She had been looking at the seated group
of actors, Sam, two guys who looked like Bruce, although one really looked
like Bruce's
Robert Tapert from Hercules. One of the two other women
looked like Angela. "Huh? Oh, the paper. Guess I'm finished with
it," she shrugged.
"May I have it? There's something we
need to find," Bryan said, nodding at the others.
"Sure." Melody handed the paper over.
"Thanks! You don't know how much this
means!"
Melody glanced back at the table. "Maybe," she said.
"Come on, Melody! D.C.'s going to show
us around and then we're going to the Natural History Museum!" Japjoea
called. Melody's friends had
already moved on.
"All right!" She looked back at Bryan.
"Hope you find what you're looking for."
"I'm sure we will," Bryan said. Melody
grinned and left to catch up with her friends.
"Okay, great," Bruce said. "But even
if the orb is there, what can we do about it? It's going to be in a glass
case with an alarm.."
Everyone thought about that for a moment. The forum group
had stopped at a nearby table to pick up Emilia01 and Azn Dragoon. Then
they walked
towards the gift shop, still in utter shock from what they had seen.
Bruce noticed this and said with a chuckle, "If they're
in shock now, imagine what will happen if they see us at the museum!"
"Anyway, back to your original
question, Bruce," Sam said. "You make a good point. What can we do, especially
if Bly shows up?"
"Leave that to me," Brisco said.
"Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing.
You look exactly like me! I can't have people thinking that I'm a maniac--don't
even think about it!" Bruce
warned Sam and Ted. "And when this is over you won't have to still
be living here in this time."
"Well, what about the Dragoon?" Jack asked.
"Remember what I told you about your cape!"
Emilia admonished.
"How about we cross that bridge when we get
to it?" Ted suggested.
"Maybe he's right," Brisco agreed.
"So," Angela started after a moment. "Are
we ready to go?"
Thirty minutes later, the group was wandering the halls
of the museum. Emilia was greatly impressed, studying what she could while
still focusing on
the mission at hand.
"What the hell is that?" Jack asked, upon
arriving in one room of the dinosaur exhibit.
"That's a Tyrannosaurs Rex, one of the biggest
and meanest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth," Bryan said.
"Oh, that explains a lot!" Jack said wryly.
Bryan continued to explain as they searched for the new exhibit. Little
did they know that they were being
watched.
Two hours went by and still they had not been able to get to
the new exhibit. "Now what?" Angela asked, her eyes scanning a floor map.
"Maybe we could ask them!" Laina pointed,
having spotted the group of teenagers from that morning. DC was talking
and Laina heard her mention
the new exhibit. "Excuse me?" Laina went over and tapped the
one called Deadly Chakram on the shoulder. "I was wondering if you could
help us?"
"Sure," replied DC, looking up from her own
map. Her eyes widened when she saw Bruce standing behind the girl who had
asked for help.
"Well, we were wondering if you know how to get
to the new exhibit?" Bruce asked.
DC nodded, and tried to speak. Glancing at her friends, she
said, "We were just heading that way ourselves," she stuttered after a
moment.
"Lead the way then!" Bruce smiled. The group started
to move, although one member was lagging.
"Come on Melody! Snap out of it!" DC whispered to
her friend. "You don't want to look strange in front of Bruce, although
I think I'm going to
die of shock!"
"DC, breathe, okay?" Melody walked beside
her friend making sure that they headed the right way. Count on DC to be
totally speechless when
Bruce or anyone involved with Renaissance Pictures was around--'course
she had to admit she was the same way sometimes.
"I'm breathing," DC informed her.
"Good. So," Melody looked back at Bruce and
the others. "Do you guys mind explaining what exactly is going on here?"
Everyone in the forum
group voiced their agreement.
The actors, Jack, Emilia, Brisco, Katrina, Sam, and the
teenagers glanced at one another. Finally after a moment, Brisco explained
their situation.
Melody, DC, Japjoea, Emilia01, and Azn listened and their eyes became
wider and wider as they learned that what they once took for fiction was
actually true--for the most part anyhow.
"Bly's here?" DC gulped. She had never
liked Bly on the TV show, but to know that he was real and here, now, and
might be in the museum, did
not sit well with her. The fact did not sit well with the others who
had watched the show or learned about the characters from their friends.
"You think the orb, or some orb might
be here in the new exhibit?" Melody said. Brisco and everyone else nodded.
"What if it isn't?" she asked after
a moment.
"Then we go with our original plan,"
Sam said. "Oh no. You're not going to find out," he laughed when he saw
her questioning look.
"We're here!" Azn suddenly announced.
Their entire group halted and looked towards the exhibit.
Unforurtunately, they were thirteen out of about a hundred or more people
that had come
to the museum to see it and they were unable to get close.
"Have some patience gang," Sam said
when the teenagers started to grow restless. "Sometimes things don't work
out on the first try."
Fifteen minutes went by before they were able to get up to the
glass case. The whole group crowed around and peered in.
"Oh my God!" DC exclaimed, almost speechless.
"Is this the...?" Melody asked, not
needing to finish her statement.
"The orb," Brisco nodded.
"Now what?" Azn asked.
"Now I take it!"
The entire group whirled and saw Bly facing them, his back to
another exhibit that they had completely overlooked.
"Yeesh! He does look like a walking skeleton!"
Azn said.
"Who said that?" Brisco asked. Azn, Emilia01,
Japjoea, and DC pointed at Melody. Her face was turning red.
"Figures," Bruce muttered.
"Thank you," Bly took a bow and quickly pulled
out his gun. Everyone in the room screamed and tried to get out. All the
people, except for
their group in front of the orb got out before Bly shot at the ceiling.
"You know you won't get away with this,
Bly," Brisco said slowly. "In a minute, you will have every security guard
in this place here."
"I only need a minute!" Bly approaced
the glass case. Bryan, Laina, Melody, DC, Azn, Emilia01, Brisco and Katrina
tried to block him. Bly
stared at them a moment and, before anyone could react, he reached
out and grabbed DC and held his gun to her head. "Unless you wish to see
her dead, get out of my way!"
After a moment the remaining teenagers, Brisco,
and Katrina moved back. The actors, Sam, Jack, and Emilia also backed away
from the case.
Even though they acquiesed, Bly did not release DC as he broke the
glass case and grabbed the orb. The museum alarm went off. Bly was startled
and loosened his grip on DC. Taking the chance she stepped on his foot.
Bly released her and she broke away towards Bruce and the rest.
"You okay kid?" Jack asked as he put
his hand on her shoulder. DC could only nod.
"Hah! I win!" they heard Bly crow suddenly.
"He's gonna use it!" Ted shouted.
"Not if I can help it!" Brisco ran forward
and knocked the orb from Bly. It flew through the air and landed in Bruce's
arms.
"I don't want this!" Bruce exclaimed and passed
it to Sam.
"Don't give it to me," Sam passed it to Ted.
Ted passed it along until it reached DC. She looked at it quizically and
then she looked to where Bly
and Brisco were struggling with one another on the floor. Bly got the
upper hand and rose to his feet.
"Hand it over!" Bly aimed his gun at DC.
"DC! Over here!" DC glanced over her left shoulder
and saw her friends from the forum in a diagonal line heading towards the
next room. She tossed
the orb to Japjoea. Japjoea tossed it to Emilia01, and then to Azn.
Melody was closest to the door. When the orb reached her, she took off.
Bly fired
once but missed, his bullet catching the doorframe.
"Looks like you are outta luck, Bly," Brisco chuckled
as he got to his feet.
"You would think so?" Bly looked around. A couple
security guards entered the room, their guns ready to fire. Bly was gone
out the same door as
Melody before the security guards could do anything. Brisco raced after
him.
"Do you think Bly'll find Melody before Brisco
finds either of them?" Emilia01 asked worriedly.
"Ah, Melody'll be fine!" Azn said, although not
as confidently as she would have.
Okay Melody, this has got to be the stupidest
thing you've ever done! She was hiding in the Jurassic exhibit area
after dumping the orb in a place
she knew Bly would never look. But then it would not matter if he did
not think to look there; if he caught her...well, she might not spill the
beans right
away, but she did not know how long she would hold out before saying
anything.
She suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway. They were slow,
heavy, and heading right for the Jurassic exhibit. Melody's heart thumped
loudly in her
chest and she could feel heat rising in to her face. Breathe..breathe.
The silence was deafening for a moment. Suddenly she heard a low, cruel
chuckle.
"I know you're in here," she heard Bly's voice.
"Come out now and give me the orb and I promise to leave you and your friends
alone." Bly paused
and listened to the silence. He could feel the girl watching him, but
from where? Bly looked around.
The T-Rex stood in the middle of the room; a triceratops exhibit,
brachiosauras, and a duck-billed exhibit were on one side of the room.
Because
they were herbivores, tall plastic grass had been placed with them.
On the other side of the room were the meat eaters. Their exhibits had
some grass
in them, but not as much as the herbivores.
"I know you're hiding in there, Kid. Come
on out," Bly ordered after a couple of minutes, his gun aimed.
Melody saw Bly through the grass. He came towards her
hiding area slowly. She was unable to discern whether he saw her or not.
Suddenly she heard
his gun go off and the "rock" she had been hiding behind was struck.
Melody shrieked and ran to hide behind the triceratops. Bly fired again
and kept firing
as she dodged the shots, ducking and rolling behind the different exhibits.
"Give up girl! There's no place for you to
go!"
After following Bly and Melody out, he had lost track
of them. Suddenly he heard gunfire and shrieking coming from a room behind
him. Quickly he
turned on his heel and headed towards the Jurassic exhibit. When he
reached the room, he found Bly backing Melody in to a corner. Brisco overheard
him demand that she tell him where the orb was.
"I don't have it!" Melody cried.
"But you did! Where did you put it?"
"Somewhere where the sun don't shine!"
Bly was getting angrier by the second. "You tell me where
it is now, or I'll--"
"What Bly? Sing and dance?" Brisco stepped
in to the room, his own gun raised.
Bly whirled around, giving Melody the chance to get away.
She ran to the Bounty hunter and after a curt nod from him, she headed
out of the room.
"What are you going to do, Brisco? Kill me?"
"I should," Brisco growled.
"Ah, but if you do, you'll never find
the mother of those two young people. You know what you have to do."
The smug look on Bly's face angered Brisco. But
Bly had a point. Without the orb, Laina and Bryan's mother was still a
hostage, and Bly was not
going to tell them where she was until he had the orb. "So what are
you going to do, Brisco?" Bly said after a moment.
Brisco narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe
I'm about to do this, but..get out of here!"
"I knew you'd see it my way,"
Bly said and started to leave. "I'll drop in later."
Once Bly was gone, Brisco headed out in to the hallway.
He found Melody waiting for him, just coming out of another room where
she had been hiding
again. "Where's the orb?" he demanded.
"Is Bly completely gone?" she
asked.
"For the moment."
"Okay," Melody headed back towards
the new exhibit area. She turned left when they reached the room where
films were sometimes shown. She
promptly headed towards a trash bin with a lid and reached inside.
A second later the orb was in her hands.
"Huh. Good job, kid," Brisco nodded.
"Thanks," Melody managed to say. "What
are we going to do now?"
"I think I may have a plan, but we need to
get the others first and make sure everyone's okay." Melody nodded and
the two of them headed back
towards the new exhibit area. Brisco went ahead of her, trying to block
the orb from prying eyes. He was partly successful.
When they reached the room, they were surprised
to find it totally vacated and blocked off. After a bit more searching,
Brisco and Melody found
the rest of the group. The adults decided that it might be safer for
them all if they got out of the open. Several places to hide were suggested.
Finally
they came up with the museum theater.
"Is everyone alright?" Brisco asked
as they sat in the first row of seats. The lights soon dimmed and the movie
began.
"Yeah, we're okay, but we have a problem,"
DC informed them, keeping her voice at a whisper.
"Every guard in the building is looking
for the orb, and the gun-slinging maniacs that were in the building," Azn
said. "Okay, so that's the phrase
they used, not me."
"Okay Sam, time for us creative minds
to get creative," Bruce said, trying to lighten the situation. "We could
stuff it under someone's jacket and
make it look like she's pregnant. Or maybe not," he lamented, seeing
the look on every young woman's face.
"Sure, every pregnant lady looks like
they're about to have a baby with spikes," Melody grumbled. DC elbowed
her in the ribs.
Sam chuckled. "There's your answer, Bruce. Nope."
"What if someone was to create another
diversion someplace else in the museum?" DC asked after a moment, her creativity
kicking in."Then
someone with the orb, as in Bruce's plan, could sneak out while the
other guards are busy."
"Then we can stick to the original plan
and switch the orbs," Jack said. "Unless of course, things don't work out
right."
"But who are we going to use to create
a distrubance? And what can we do that will be bigger than what already
took place?" Ted asked.
DC fell silent. Melody still held the orb in her hands.
The movie was ending soon, and they would have to think of something quickely.
As they sat
whispering ideas together, they didn't see Bly enter the theater.
The credits started to roll and the lights came up. Everyone
started to leave the theater. Jack, Emilia, Brisco, Katrina, Bruce, Ted,
Angela, Sam,
and the teenagers waited for most of the auditorium to empty before
heading out.
"Give me the orb!" they heard Bly's
voice coming from the back of the theater. Before they knew what was happening,
Bly leaped over a row
of seats, heading towards their group.
Melody had just enough time to throw the orb away before
Bly tackled Melody to the ground. The orb flew through the air and landed
in the
unsuspecting arms of DC, who mumbled "Not again!"
Bly quickley got to his feet, leaving Melody stunned.
DC jumped out of his way, sending Bly head first into the wall.
"This is for holding a gun to my head!"
DC exclaimed as she hit Bly in the back of the head with the orb. Bly crumbled
to the floor and the
group fled.
"So Bly did not leave the building!"
Emilia grumbled as she and everyone else fled the theater and headed to
another part of the museum.
"Did you really expect him to?" Jack
asked.
"No."
"At least he's knocked out for a while. Good
job, DC," Melody said.
"Hey, maybe we can get the security guards to arrest
him now!" Emilia01 exclaimed.
Brisco, Bruce, and Katrina shook their heads. "He'd be gone
by the time they reached the theater," Brisco said.
"Besides, we need him to get Laina and Bryan's mother
back," Bruce reminded them.
"That's just peachy. All I know is that I want to
get rid of this thing!" DC snapped, holding the orb away from her.
"I'll take it," Sam said.
"No, I'll take it," Katrina reached for the orb
and took it before Sam could get it. "At least this way when Bly comes
around again, he won't
go after anyone he shouldn't be."
"As long as he doesn't come after me again, I'll
be happy!" DC declared.
"All right. So we have the real orb now. How are
we going to get it out of here?" Laina asked after a moment. "I mean, we
already ruled out
making someone look like they're pregnant."
"Wasn't the original plan to give Bly the
fake orb?" Azn asked in her "Indy" thinking pose.
The actors, Sam, Brisco, Katrina, Jack, and Emilia nodded. "It
was," Ted said.
"Maybe that could still work," DC caught on
to what her friend was thinking. She looked at Sam. "You got the fake orb
somewhere here in
the city, right?"
"Knowing him it'd be under his bed!" Ted laughed.
"How'd you like to be there next?" Sam turned
to his brother.
"I think I've been there and done that," Ted
retorted.
"Guys, I think you are confusing the natives,"
Bruce stepped between them before they could continue. "Where are you going
with this, DC?
Or any of you who know what the heck she's talking about."
"I think I know where they're going with this,"
Melody glanced at the real orb. "Is the fake orb totally identical to this
one?"
"It should be," Katrina replied instead. "Amazingly
enough the person who designed the orbs for the show made them exactly
like the real ones."
"Are you heading where I think you're heading?"
Brisco asked, looking at Melody, DC, Emilia01, Azn, and Japjoea.
"I think they are," Jack said, also having
caught on. Laina and Bryan nodded.
"Uhm..excuse me? Confused people here." Bruce
said, gesturing to himself, Ted, Sam, and Angela.
"Sam, can you get the orb and bring it here?"
Brisco asked, ignoring Bruce for a moment.
"Sure. What will you all be doing?"
"Keeping the orb from going back in its case.
Melody already knows a very good hiding place for it!"
"But what about Bly?" Sam asked.
"We'll deal with him when and if we see him
again--"
"I'd say that's pretty definite," DC sighed.
Brisco grinned. "Don't worry, DC. He won't be just after you
this time."
"If that was supposed to make me feel better,
it didn't."
"If you're sure," Sam started.
"I am."
"All right. I'll be back before the museum
closes," and Sam was gone.
"Maybe you kids ought to go with him," Bruce
suggested, looking at the teenagers.
Laina and Bryan shook their heads, as did the others. "Nope.
We're too involved now to back out," Laina said.
"That goes for us, too!" Emilia01 declared.
"It was only a suggestion," Bruce shrugged.
"So, I know the plan just changed, just how much?"
Brisco motioned for everyone to huddle together. "Here's what
we're going to do. We're going to split up and remain in the museum until
Sam gets
back. If any of us run in to Bly, we tell him that we will give him
the orb, but first he has to bring the kids' mother here before the place
closes."
"Do you think he'll agree to that?"
Bryan asked.
"Sure he will," Melody said. "He
wants the orb, not your mom..uh not saying that your mom isn't nice but--"
"I know what you meant," Bryan
cut her off.
"So how are we going to split
up?" Emilia asked.
Brisco thought a moment before replying. "Bly's going to be
looking for whoever has the orb. That means he'll probably zero in on me,
Katrina,
DC, and Melody--and I'm picking on them because they've already averted
Bly's previous attempts. So, I suggest that Japjoea, Emilia01, Azn,
Bruce, Angela, and Ted form one group. Jack, Emilia, DC, and Laina
in the next. That leaves Bryan and Melody to be with me, Katrina, and the
orb."
"Sounds fine to me," Bruce said with
a shrug.
"No complaints here!" Jack grinned,
noticing that he was the lone male with three lovely females. Emilia elbowed
him, knowing exactly what was
going through his mind when he spoke.
"You'll get none from me!" DC was also
grinning from ear to ear. Melody and the other forumites laughed. "What?"
"I think you know," Melody teased.
"Jack, I think you'd have to read the
message board to understand," Emilia said with a grin.
"Would I want to?" Jack glanced at DC.
"No comment!" Now DC was blushing and
glaring at Melody.
"All right everyone, let's spread out.
Remember, don't go too far from your group," Brisco warned as the three
groups went in separate directions.
Brisco was growing impatient. It had been two hours since
Sam had left them and their group had split. The orb was hidden at least.
Melody had picked
another place to hide the orb instead of the trash bin she had used
earlier. Now she had really placed the orb where the sun did not shine,
at least that's
what she told them.
"Maybe he ran in to traffic," Katrina
suggested after watching Brisco pace continuously for ten minutes. Melody
and Bryan were near by looking at
an exhibit of Native American artifacts.
"It's possible, but I don't know. The
hotel's only what? Five..ten minutes away? And then how long would it have
taken him to come back?"
"What do you think--if anything--whent
wrong?" Katrina asked.
Before Brisco could answer, Ted, Bruce, Angela, Emilia01,
Japjoea, and Azn came rushing in. "Sam's been arrested!"
"What for?" Bryan asked.
Azn could barely speak. "He was trying to....bring the
orb...the fake one...into the building. But he ran into trouble when...some
guard bumped into
his....duffel bag. They thought....he was trying to steal the orb."
"Just great!" Melody exclaimed,
throwing her hands in the air.
"Hey don't worry," Bruce said,
puting his hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "We'll get Sam outta this
mess. Ya know what? I'm actually starting
to wish that Autolycus would show up to bust Sam out." He chuckled
neverously. They had to clear Sam's name and get the orb.
"Okay, you all stay here.
Bruce and I will get Sam out of this mess. We can prove that the orb was
a prop...well, I'm sure we'll figure that out," Ted
said.
On their way to the police station, Ted turned to
Bruce. "How are we going to explain this?"
Meanwhile at the museum, the group kept on the move, trying
not to get caught by Bly. The forumites were neverous. Sam getting arrested
spelled
big trouble for them, especially if Bly found them before Ted and Bruce
could get Sam out.
As it turned out, Bruce and Ted did not have to explain
anything when they got to the nearest police station. Sam was free and
signing a paper so
that the prop orb could be returned to him.
"How'd you get out of this one?" Ted asked
as the three men halted another taxi and headed back for the museum.
"Easy. I just reached out and touched someone.
I had the station call California and check to see if my story was legit.
So, how are we doing?"
Sam asked after a moment.
"We've got time. I just hope that the groups
are all right," Bruce said.
"Groups?" Sam was confused. Quickly
he was filled in on Brisco's plan to split up and who went in which group
and then what happened when
Bruce and Ted's group saw him being arrested. "Not a bad plan," Sam
said after a moment.
"First Sam, and now Jack, Emilia, DC,
and Laina," Brisco grumbled. He, Katrina, Bryan, Melody, Emilia01, Japjoea,
Angela, and Azn had
briefly broken in to smaller groups to look for Jack and Emilia and
the two other teenagers. No one had seen any sign of them, not even Brisco.
"Do you think they left the museum?"
Japjoea asked after a moment.
"Why would they do that?" Azn asked.
"I mean, they know da plan an' all, so they should still be here."
"Do you think they coulda run in to
Bly?" Emilia01 asked fearfully looking at Brisco.
"That's one possibility that can't be
ruled out yet," the bounty hunter replied after a second.
"I think we should keep looking," Angela
said. "After all, we agreed to meet after thirty minutes, but that's hardly
enough time to search this
place thoroughly."
"All right," Brisco nodded after a moment.
"Same pairing as before." He and Melody
went one way, Bryan and Katrina went another direction, Angela and Japjoea
struck off, and Azn
and Emilia01 went whatever direction that had not already been taken.
DC glanced at her watch. "I think it's time we went and found
out whether we've made progress or not."
"DC's right, Jack. We've been
watching this The Peculiar Mating Habits of Platypi long enough,"
Emilia said.
"I think it's kind of interesting,"
Laina shrugged.
"It was the first two times we
saw it," DC sighed. "Not the fifth or sixth time! Come on! You don't think
you've reached the point of too much
information yet?"
"One can never have too much information,"
a familiar voice interrupted as the lights came on.
Jack, Emilia, Laina, and DC whirled. "Not again!" DC groaned.
"We don't have what you're looking
for, so leave us alone!" Jack said, pulling DC and Laina behind him.
Bly nodded slowly, his gun aimed at them. "True. But you know
who does. Tell me." He took a menacing step forward.
"No one has the orb! Not even
the museum!" Laina said suddenly.
Bly eyed her suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Laina glanced at the others for help. Emilia immediately
knew what she was doing. "The orb the museum had on exhibit was a fake!
The real orb
is in our posession, but first you must bring her mother here where
the exchange will take place."
"Why should I believe what you
say?" Bly asked with a cruel laugh. "If the orb was fake, you wouldn't
have tried to keep it away from me!"
"Maybe, maybe not," Jack shrugged.
"Look, if the orb that was here was real, do you think that Emilia, me,
Brisco, and Katrina would still be
here?"
"You four are heroes in your own
time. Of course you would," Bly smiled coldly.
"Okay, so we would," Jack admitted
after a moment. He looked at Emilia, DC, and Laina apologetically.
"But that still doesn't mean that
he couldn't be telling the truth!" DC exclaimed. "And unless you bring
Laina's mom here, you'll never know."
She and the others watched Bly's face. They could see the wheels turning
in his mind as he thought about what DC just said.
After a long, painfully silent moment Bly lowered
his gun. "Very well. I shall meet you four, and you four alone here after
an hour. Don't even
think of double-crossing me."
"Very well," Emilia said.
"Until then."
Bly nodded and left them there. The lights started
to dim once again. After a minute, Emilia, Jack, Laina, and DC left just
as the narrator of the
Platypus film started to speak.
"There they are!" Melody pointed.
She and Brisco had headed in the direction of the theater, checking the
five or six exhibits between there
and the Native American exhibit.
Brisco looked and breathed a sigh of relief when
he saw Jack, Emilia, Laina, and DC come in to the small lobby area. "Thank
God!" He and
Melody quickly walked over. The teenagers squealed happily when they
met and exchanged hugs. Emilia, Jack, and Brisco were also hugged.
"Have you all been here the entire time?" Brisco asked after a moment.
No one really answered, but the looks on Emilia,
DC, and Laina's faces and the way Jack turned his head let him know.
"You mean you've been watching
how Platypi mate for the past two hours or so?" Melody asked, reading the
marquee above their heads.
"And running in to Bly," DC informed
her and Brisco after hearing the laugh in her friend's voice.
"Bly!?" Brisco and Melody exclaimed.
"What happened?" Brisco asked.
DC, Laina, Jack, and Emilia looked around. Brisco and
Melody did the same after a moment, assuming that the others were checking
to see
that Bly was not anywhere nearby.
"We told him the museum had a
fake orb and that we had a real one, so hopefully he'll be back later with
my mom," Laina explained quietly.
"Good job," Brisco nodded. "When
he comes back, we'll be waiting. He left special instructions, didn't he?"
he asked suddenly noticing the
others had their eyes cast down towards the floor.
"Yep," Jack affirmed.
"What does he want?"
"He wants just the four of us
to be present when the exchange is made, and we're going to do it here,
in the theater," DC explained.
Brisco thought it over for a moment. "All right. If that is
what Bly wants, that is what we'll give him."
"But what if he tries to leave and--"
Laina started fearfully.
"Easy," Brisco held up his hand. "Bruce
and Ted should be back soon with Sam. We'll figure out an alternate plan
then. Now, let's get everyone
together." The six of them started back.
"Can I just ask one quick question?"
DC said. "Melody, just where did you hide..you know?"
"Believe me, DC, you don't want to know!"
After some searching, the group was finally back together
again, with the exception of Ted, Sam, and Bruce. When they met, Jack filled
everyone
in on what had happened.
"Now all we have to do is wait until
the rest get back," Emilia sighed wearily.
The group wandered around for a bit, hoping the actors
and director would arrive soon. As they were leaving an area, they
heard a familiar voice
saying, "Well, yeah. Rob and Lucy are kind of upset too that Xena got
cancelled." It was Sam.
At the sound of his voice, they rushed ahead to and informed
the three on what they had missed. Time was ticking. They had forty minutes
left. After
some minor pestering by the teenagers, Sam opened his duffel bag a
bit to let them see the orb. It was an exact dublicate of the real one.
"Bly won't be able to tell the difference.
Unless he tries to use it, of course," DC said with a grin.
"He won't get the chance to," Brisco
promised. "Alright everyone this is the plan..."
Almost an hour later, Emilia, Jack, Laina, and DC were
back in the theater, in the front row, watching the last ten minutes
or so of the museum's
second film on Astronomy.
"Okay, everyone, we have ten minutes,"
Laina said, pushing a button on her watch, making the face light up.
"Let's make this look good and
believable," DC nodded. "And hope everyone shows when they're supposed
too," she added.
The movie ended and the lights came up and people started
to vacate the theater. Jack, Emilia, Laina, and DC scanned the theater,
looking for Bly. They did not see him anywhere!
"Do you think he backed out?"
Laina asked worriedly after a moment.
Emilia shook her head. "Hardly. He's probably just waiting
for the right time to show himself."
"Good call!" Emilia, Jack, Laina,
and DC looked around. They saw Bly then, seated near the back with Laina
and Bryan's mother who
had her hands bound before her. "Did you bring it?" Bly demanded as
he came forward, his gun drawn and aimed at them.
"Here," DC said, lifting the fake orb
out of Sam's duffel bag.
Bly's eyes widened. He reached out for it, but DC moved
the orb away, not allowing him to touch it.
"First release their mother." DC said
tauntingly. "Then you'll get the orb."
Bly complied and released her. DC handed him the orb after
a moment, but Bly kept his gun trained on Jack. "Thank you," Bly said through
clenched teeth. "You've made this easier than I thought." He fired
a shot at the ceiling. The rest of the people in the theatre fled in panic.
Then Bly
pointed his gun back at Jack. Before anyone could stop him, he fired
several shots, wounding Jack badly. Jack fell back against Emilia and slid
to
the ground.
"JACK!?!?!" Emilia cried out,
trying to stop the blood that was flowing freely from his chest.
Bly tried to use the orb. He waited, but nothing happened.
"Why you..." He was about to turn and flee when he felt the cold metal
of a gun on the
side of his head. Brisco had entered the theater with the rest of their
group.
"John Bly, you are under arrest
for the murder of my father, Marshal Brisco County Senior," Brisco said
in a cold voice. He handed the fake orb
to Sam and proceeded to tie Bly up. Ted watched him as Brisco approached
Jack. Kneeling beside him and looking at his wounds, he could tell that
Jack was dying. Brisco looked at Emilia and then looked at Melody.
"Do you have it?"
Melody nodded and revealed the orb in her hands. Brisco
nodded and Melody approached, handing it to Brisco. Turning back to Jack,
he took
Jack's hand and placed it on the orb. "Believe that it can help you,"
Brisco told him.
Jack nodded weakly, and a few seconds later the orb glowed
with a soft blue light. Jack as engulfed in light, and when it faded, he
was completely
healed. Emilia breathed a sigh of relief, as Jack gently brushed away
her tears.
"Good job everyone," Brisco
told them.
"Everyone, freeze!" Three
Security guards rushed in, their guns drawn. Bly glanced at Brisco, a cruel
gleam in his eyes. "Move away from the
orb!"
Brisco, Katrina, Emilia, and Jack looked at one another.
"What do you think?" Katrina asked.
"I say let's go," Jack said.
"No problem here!" Brisco
grabbed Bly and before the guards knew what was happening, the people were
gone in a bright, blinding flash of
light. A moment later, Brisco reappeared, the orb in his hands. "Thought
you'd seen the last of me, didn't you?" he grinned.
"Where are the others?"
one of the guards asked.
"One of you better have
one hell of an explanation as to what's going on here and why there's a
hole the size of that thing in the T-Rex?"
another guard said pointing at the orb. All heads turned towards Melody
who looked everywhere but at them.
An hour later, they had finally gotten the security guards
off their backs, and Melody agreed to pay for the damage to the T-Rex.
The teenagers, Brisco, Bruce, Angela, Ted, and Sam stood together one
last time in the lobby, the orb still in Brisco's possession, and
said their good-byes. Then Brisco left with the orb and everyone went
their separate ways.
A month later in California.....
"Cut! That's a wrap
for today. See you all tomorrow," Sam instructed his crew. They were on
the set of Spiderman and had almost
completed the wrestling match scene. Bruce and Ted looked on, having
just stepped out of one of the trailers.
"You think they're
okay?" Ted asked, referring to what had happened a month before.
"Who do you mean?
Jack, Emilia, Brisco? Sure I think they're okay. I'm still here,
aren't I ?" Bruce said.
"Unfortunately!" Ted quipped
with a grin. He was rewarded with a stooge-slap.
Sam approached his brother and Bruce, having seen the
physical abuse Ted was receiving. "Is Ted bugging you again, Bruce?"
"What was your first clue?"
Sam laughed. "Point taken! So, since you two seem
to be in the mood already, let's go get some dinner and rent a few Stooge
movies."
At the same time on the Jack Of All Trades message board....
DC and the rest of the forumites were online
and on the JOAT Message Board, talking in the "lounge." They tried
to act normal, have
normal conversations, as if nothing had happened at all, but they all
knew they would never forget their experience at the convention...
San Francisco circa 1894.....
Brisco, Bowler, and Socrates Poole had all
met at the local tavern and were celebrating Bly's capture.
"So Brisco, how does
it feel to have finally put Bly away for good?" Socrates asked.
Brisco smiled. "Pretty darn good. I finally
got him for my father."
"Still have to wait
for the sentencing tomorrow," Bowler said into his glass.
"I don't think Bly
will get away this time," Brisco said with a grin. Sometimes it was nice
to know how things were going
to turn out.
In the jail, Bly sat brooding, filled with rage
and hate for Brisco.
Pulau Pulau 1801.....
Jack and Emilia entered the house after a long
afternoon of shopping. They were discussing the events that took place
while they had been in
the future.
"That was some rescue
mission," Emilia said
"Ah, Em, I'm the King
of daring rescues," Jack replied, coming closer to her. He drew her tightly
to him. "Hail to the King, baby," he said, and
kissed her passionately.
Emilia pushed him away. "Jack Stiles! Don't
you ever kiss me like that again!" she yelled. "Not until you decide to
propose to me, anyway," she
added with a grin.......
THE END.
Disclaimer: No one suffered from any indentity crisises,
during the production of this storytrain, except for the orb, which has
since sought
professional help. However, the musuem is now under
severe reconstruction,
since so many people ran amuck.