Pool Area and Trophy Display

[Magus]

It doesn't matter with me. As a moderator I automatically get five stars.

YAY for me!

[aldan]

*Aldan pops out of his coat pocket and right behind Bmat the Bear, then turns and sees Magus and the robot*

Oh, um Magus, this is a PG13 site, so there should be no pornographic events going on here. You should go into the back room with that...

[Magus]

Continues to do the robot.

"How is this pornographic? Robots are ill-equipped."

[Neurolanis]

Yeah, 30 or 35 I guess.

Yes Magus, leave that poor robot alone!

[Qray]

”If I die, then I will die well dressed.”
-Major Jean Villeneuve. American Revolutionary War.

“You know,” Harley said as she sipped at her vodka. “This has been worth it.”

Gunphur finished off his second bowl of tuna ice cream and got the waitress’s attention for another bowl. “I thought we decided that before we came. Isn’t that WHY we came?”

“No, I didn’t mean the ‘change’ we made,” Harley said as her voice became softer. Quieter. Her eyes roaming the bar. “I meant being here. Seeing this. The way some of them used to be. To see the place they once walked. I mean, we’ve all heard the stories, but to actually be here...”

“Yeah,” Vagabond added. “I’ve heard about the Key for all those years. Never thought I’d actually get to see him use it.”

“I just hope what we did doesn’t make things worse,” Warp said. Looking around the secluded booth at her friends. “Ya know?”

Mer-lin shook his head. “We ran the numbers. It’s hard to predict, but all the outcomes showed a much more promising future for them than before.”

“And speaking of numbers. Thirty three minutes,” Nexttolast said to her friends. Getting nods out of Vagabond, Harley, Warp, Mer-lin, and Gunphur.

That’s when the easy going atmosphere of the table took a nose dive as a familiar voice asked from the shadows “Thirty three minutes to what?”

Harley nearly spit out her vodka.

“Don't,” Q said as he moved into the light. Leveling twin Kil-O-Zaps at the table when he noticed movement. Keeping the guns on them even when the group placed their hands back on the table. “I said, thirty three minutes to what?”

The young funsters seated around the table said nothing. Just exchanged apprehensive glances.

“They’re not going to hip us to what it is Veneno,” the rogue said to someone past the table and the ex-MIB agent came into view from the other side of the booth. Her Kil-O-Zap and heavily modified Ruger drawn and aimed at the table. “I heard,” she said without emotion.

Harley’s eyes widened even more at the appearance of Veneno. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Q.

“So here I was in this tunnel,” the rogue began. “Battling this Dark Clown, when she beats feet through the wall. Wow! Says I. Right through a wall. I mean...a w-a-l-l! Now a door, not so big of a deal, but a wall. That’s different. Well, Veneno here, she says we’ve got to run through the wall after her. THROUGH THE WALL! Can you beat that!”

The youngsters said nothing. Just continued to exchange glances as their nervousness increased.

“So anywho,” Q continued. Not missing a beat. “We run through this wall see. I mean we were trapped in this tunnel. Even running after a psycho loony make-up-less clown looked better. But slap me silly and call me Susan, we exit the clown gate and end up here. Back at the PATD! Freaky! Ain’t it!”

“Say, Mister,” Harley tried, but Q cut her off.

“I mean, I’m not opposed to the PATD. I like it in fact. Was thinking that very thing when Veneno and I happened onto the clown. Veneno says that’s most likely why we ended up here. The clown gate focuses on where the mind wants to go and such. Smeg, had I known...Diane Lane’s dressing room for sure!”

“Uh, we’re just...” Harley tried again, but Q would have none of it.

“So I see these young funsters at this booth, see. They look REAL familiar, but I just can’t place em. They’re trying to act all nonchalant. That alone, the fact that they were trying to look like they weren’t trying to look obvious, I mean, come on...”

“Q.” said Veneno.

“Yeah, yeah,” the rogue said waving her off and continuing. “Anywho, being all roguish and such, I creep up on em unawares. All sneaky and such and listen in on their hushed conversation. I mean, they look REAL familiar and I want to know who they are. Besides, I’m a nosey bugger.”

Warp glanced to Harley. The look of concern on her face evident.

“So what’s going on in thirty three...oops,” Q said looking at his watch. “Twenty five minutes?”

[Qray]

Harley looked to Q. The earnestness on her face verging on the desperate. “We HAVE to go.”

Q shook a Kil-O-Zap absently at her as he continued on like he hadn’t heard. “I know you. I know I do...”

“We CAN’T stay here.” Harley pleaded with the man.

“..but from where. Hey, have you ever been to Madame Twitchies?”

“What!?!?”

“Q,” Veneno interjected. “Maybe they don’t have anything to do with this.”

“Yeah, listen to your friend who ISN’T a nutcase,” Warp chimed in. “Just let us finish our drinks in peace.”

“No,” Q continued. Waving off Veneno. “I know this has something to do with that psycho-loony clown...”

“Monica?” Nexttolast asked and was immediately stared into silence by the rest of his compatriots.

“Monica!” Q shouted to Veneno. “Monica Lewinski! THAT’S why she looked so familiar! Wow, Monica Lewinski, Dark Clown in an alternate universe. Who would’ve thunk? BUT...” the rogue turned back to table. “That doesn’t explain who YOU are. Or what’s going to happen in...fifteen minutes.”

“If we don’t leave,” Harley said with something that almost looked to Q as fear. “BAD things will happen.”

“Alright!”Q grinned. “A threat! Now we’re getting somewhere!”

“It’s not a threat,” Mer-lin tried to explain without actually explaining as Harley closed her eyes and tried to think. Tried to think of how they could convince the man. How to make him understand that if they didn’t get out of here soon...

“Smeg it,” she cursed softly under her breath and opening her eyes stared directly at the rogue. Her blue eyes, a gift of her father’s DNA, could seem to bore right through you. As if they were looking right into your soul. However, when they met Q’s, they went no farther than the mirror image that were the rogue’s own.

“What are you,” Q asked as he recognized the similarity. “Some kind of doppleganger? Where’d you get those eyes?”

Harley let her lips slide into the roguish grin which was the other genetic gift from her father. One that sent a shiver down Q’s spine as she quipped. “eBay?”

“Ok, that’s just scary,” Veneno said taking in the eyes and grin of the girl.

“I got them from you,” Harley said to Q and then after a pause, softly add. “Father.”

[Magus]

"HEY!" Magus calls to Neurolanis. "He started it first!"

[Qray]

For having just learned he was a father to a bouncing baby girl of nineteen, Q was taking it well.

“I mean, you’ve been here the entire time,” the rogue slurred to an empty barstool. Having downed four glasses of PGGB’s two at a time in rapid succession. “Why didn’t you tell me! Oh the humanity of it all!”

Although rumored to have a promiscuous reputation, the rogue had always been very careful to take precautions so that this sort of thing didn’t happen. Not that he didn’t like kids...someone had to fetch the t.v. remote. He just didn’t think it’d be fair to ask one to grow up under his tutelage. I mean...c’mon...think of it...Q, as your dad!?!?!?

Case in point...

“And YOU!” the rogue said whirling on another empty barstool behind him. “Did I just hear you laugh, mister? Think it’s funny do you? Well I’ll...” and the rogue preceded to wrestle the stool down to the ground.

Back at the booth, Harley didn’t look on with the shock or shame that one might expect, but with a grin of happiness on her face. “I never thought I’d see that.”

“What?” Veneno asked glancing back at the rogue and then rolling her eyes at the embarrassing display. “Q acting like an idiot?”

Harley’s eyes beamed. “Yeah. Isn’t it wonderful.”

Veneno looked to Harley as if she were just as touched in the head as Q. “Wonderful!?!?!?”

“You see, something happened on the Circus world,” the girl said. “Something really bad. You, Q, all of you...Lastone, WildCard, Merle, Nomad, Hyper, even Aglaranna, you were never the same again. I mean, he wasn’t a BAD father. Just the opposite in fact, but he was always very dark, very serious, very withdrawn. As were all of you afterwards. Like the weight of the universe weighed down on top of you. Originally the Clown’s transport device didn’t materialize you outside the big top. It dropped you inside a containment area. You were captured and I don’t know what they did to you, but it was bad. Really bad. You DID eventually escape and win the day, but whatever happened to you there, it changed all of you forever.” She laughed as she watched her father get the better of the barstool. “I never thought I’d see him like this. I mean, I’ve heard stories, but I almost dared not believe them. I mean MY father, acting like this...so...so free.”

Veneno rolled her eyes again. “Free as a jacka$$.”

Harley laughed again. “Yeah, ain’t it cool.”

“Wait a minute,” Veneno said. “So your saying YOU guys switched the Clown’s transport briefcase.”

Vagabond nodded. “It was extremely hard to do, but we figured it would give you just enough of the fighting chance you needed. We dared not change too much of the past.”

“That’s why we came back in time,” Warp said with a nod.

“And we need to get out of here before the Time Cops find out,” Gunphur added. Finishing off his third dish of tuna ice cream. “Too bad too. This place has got the BEST ice cream!”

“VENENO!” Q yelled. “A little help?”

Glancing over, the woman saw that the barstool was beginning to get the better of Q as the rogue was currently on his back with the stool pinning him to the floor.

“Time Cops?” she asked as she turned back to the booth. Ignoring Q.

“Unlike the time you live in, time travel has been outlawed in ours. Because of the consequences it’s been classified as a capital offense. Punishable by death if the Time Courts so decide.”

“That’s why we had to ride a temporal wave back in time,” Gunphur continued. “It’s the only means left to time travel and since it’s a natural phenomenon, trying to police who uses it is extremely difficult for the Time Cops.”

“Yeah,” said Mer-lin. “But they do eventually find out about it and come after you. It’s just a matter of time and ours is about up.”

“Say uncle!” Q yelled at the barstool as he dragged it back towards the secluded booth. “Then say ottoman! Say captain’s chair! Say loveseat!”

Harley smiled at her father as he approached the booth.

“This guy won’t be laughing at anyone for awhile,” the rogue said dropping the bent and mangled barstool at his feet. Then noticed some of the seats stuffing was stuck to his hair.

“Some of it’s on me!” brushing furiously with his hands. “Get it off! Get it off!”

“Q!” Veneno shouted grabbing the man to get his attention. “This is serious. These kids are in trouble.”

“Like barstool guts on me isn’t serious!?!?!?”

“Q.”

Q sighed in resignation. “Ok, ok. What’s the dilly-o?”

“We’ve got eight minutes before we have to leave,” Nexttolast said with a glance to her temporal readout.

“Bugger the Time Cops,” Q said dismissingly. Showing that he’d actually been paying attention to the conversation as he wrestled the barstool. Then a sudden thought struck him. “Hey, you changed what essentially is the ‘past’ for you. How can you go back. Wouldn’t...”

“We can’t,” said Harley. “We have to ride another temporal wave to another time.”

“When we changed time the way we did, we were essentially replaced in time. The past we know no longer exists. Neither do we, in a sense.” Nexttolast added.

“If we would go back to our own time there would be a different Mer-lin, Nexttolast, Harley, Warp, Vagabond, and Gunphur. Or maybe none at all depending on how your lives turned out...” Mer-lin continued.

“Not to mention a slew of Time Cops waiting for us,” Warp added. “And since we are essential duplicates, duplicates from a noncurrent timeline, the courts will most likely order our deaths as according to the law, we no longer exist.”

“So your just going to ride temporal wave after wave for the rest of your lives?” Veneno asked. “Trying to stay one step ahead of the cops?”

“You guys were good parents to us,” Harley said looking to Q. “It was worth it.”

“Technically, we’re not your parents,” Q said under a rare moment of lucidity. “By changing time, not only do you all no longer exist in your timeline, neither do we, or at least the ‘we’ that fostered you...” the rogue grabbed his head. “Smeg, time travel hurts my head.”

“Close enough,” Harley said smiling at her father. One that he showed back to her. “Smeg right,” he said.

“What gives me a headache,” Veneno said interrupting the lovefest. “Is wrapping my mind around the fact that Q was a good father.”

"Hey!" Q said offended. "I'm a froody dude who sasses where his towel is at!"

Veneno looked unconvinced.

"Anywho," Q continued. Waving off the woman. "If I know one thing...”

“Q, you don’t” Veneno interjected.

“Yeah, but if I DID,” the rogue said undeterred and got a wider grin out of Harley. “It would be that time...is very ordered.”

“How so?”

“Well...it runs in a line...you know...as in timeline? Very predictable and such unless you smeg with it.”

“So?”

“What’s the opposite of predictable?”

“YOU?” Veneno asked with a smile.

“Smeg right!” Q said slamming his fist down on the table. “And a whole bunch of me is what?”

“Oh Q,” Veneno said as the humor left her face. “Your not going to send them there, are you? Not the abandoned Amusement Park?”

“No one messes with my kid but me,” the rogue said adamantly. “You think the time cops got a chance against a whole bunch of me?”

“But, Q...your clones?”

“How would we get there?” Warp asked with growing excitement. The prospect of not running temporal waves for the rest of her life, appealing.

“There’s all kinds of ships at the dock,” Harley grinned roguishly.

“That’s my girl,” Q said with a wink.

“Mer-lin and I might be able to keep us off the cops radar until we get there.” Vagabond said. Also thinking of the possibilities of not temporal running for the rest of their lives.

“Go.” Veneno said suddenly as if it had been decided. Pulling the kids out of the booth and rushing them to the dock entrance with almost motherly concern.

“Wait,” Q said hurrying alongside Harley. “It’s obvious that Aglaranna is Nexttolast’s mum, but you gotta tell me. Who’s yours?”

“I..I really want to tell you, but I can’t,” the girl said.

“Mine’s Halle Berry,” Gunphur said quite proud.

“Really?” Q said more than a bit surprised. “Well, good on boikat! Hey Harley, it’s not...”

“Aunt WildCard?” the girl asked and then shook her head. “No and it’s not Diane Lane either.”

“Oh, ok. Smeg,” the rogue said stopping and watching the kids pass through the entrance to the docks. “Well, good luck,” he said with a wave as he pulled out the small metallic disc he’d recovered from the Clown in the tunnel. “There’s something that Veneno and I need to take care of.”

Harley gave one last look back to her father before Veneno ushered her through the dock entrance. Recording the roguish grin to memory. Something she had rarely seen him wear in her time.

“Hurry up, and...well, be safe.” the ex-MIB agent said to Harley before the girl grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Whispering so softly she barely heard.

“Thanks, mom. We will.”

[Qray]

“Time to prove to your friends your worth a d@mn.”
Dwight(Clive Owen) from “Sin City.”

Veneno looked a Q. Harley’s last words ringing in her head. “Nah,” she finally thought. “The girl’s sense of humor must be just as warped as her father’s.”

“So now what? Shouldn’t we have went with the kids? To make sure they got to the Wastelands ok?”

Q held up the metallic disc Monica Lewinski had dropped in the tunnel. “Those kids came all this way, essentially ending their lives as they knew them. What say we make sure the Clowns and Mimes pay for that?”

Veneno smiled. “Your know, your usually a smeghead, but I like the way your thinking.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” the rogue said grinning. “Besides, we’ve got friends still stuck there. Not to mention a ship that will drink all my vodka if left alone too long.”

“How are we going to get back? Timmy’s got the alternate universe drive.” Veneno said. Mentioning that very vodka drinking scout ship of Q’s.

Q held up the temporal wave guide he’d lifted off of Nexttolast and flashed the ex-MIB agent a wider roguish grin. “Care to go surfing?”

“You want to travel in time?”

“Temporal, Veneno. T-e-m-p-o-r-a-l.”

“Moran, Q,” Veneno replied. “M-o-r-a-n.”

Nice,” the rogue said. Examining the readout on the guide. “You can ride temporal waves not just in time, but in place. Even alternate places.”

“But the wave’s already passed.”

“THEIR wave has passed,” Q said of the kid’s temporal wave. “I don’t know, maybe that was the last one coming by before they thought the Time Cops would show up, but there are waves running all the time. Another coming up in...let’s see...seventeen minutes.”

“Wait a minute. What about the Time Cops? How come they aren’t here hunting the kids?”

Q grinned. “We’ll take care of em.”

“Q, we should do something about them NOW. Not later.”

The rogue grinned wider. “We’ll take care of em.”

“We’ll take care of them in the future, which keeps them from coming back to the past...er...our present. As long as we remember to do it, we’re golden. And since they're not here, we must at some time in the future go forward in time and take care of them.”

“Smeg,” the ex-MIB agent cursed. “Now I’M getting a headache. Well, how do we go about...”

“Riding it a temporal wave?”

“Without too much innuendo, if you don’t mind,” Veneno said pleasantly.

Q showed Veneno the controls on the side of the guide that controlled the bubble that they could ride into the wave.

“You mean we actually DO surf it?!?!?”

Q grinned maniacally. “Yeah!”

“Are you insane!”

Q suddenly looked around. “Why? What have you heard?”

Veneno closed her eyes and after a long, cleansing sigh, gave a short laugh. “Well, what the smeg. We’ve got time for drink first.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Q said happily. “Cloney! Set us up!”

[lastone]

Tiriel walks in and, with a sigh, glances about the room for a replacement for his old favorite spot. After giving up, he walks over to the bar and remarks soberly to anyone whos listening at how the room smells like wet paint.
After sitting a while he hears something... its a song... one of these things is not like the other.... one of these things is just not the same......

After glancing about, he finds the source of his taunting. a small blue star floating over the head of his neighbour....


seriously, guys. i want a star. i want a star so bad!!

is there some special way to get a star?? or do i have to just be extra extra extra nice to you, bmat? because i will be!!!

How's This

[lastone]

Meanwhile high above the planet on the Excalibur, Aglaranna is feeling a little poorly. In fact she is throwing up. She has been doing this for the last few mornings but has put it down to something she ate. (“Never mind”) One thing about throwing up is that it made Aglaranna irritable. Aglaranna also gets irritable when waiting and not knowing what was happening. Thus it was that the full regiment of the Sisters of Dalia accompanied by John Sheridan the only surviving Relative of that John Sheridan and Delenn. Finally boarded the Shuttlecraft once Aglaranna had finished throwing up.

As he piloted one of the shuttlecraft John Sheridan pulled out from his pocket a small triangular device that glowed when he touched it. A triluminary. A gift from his ultimate Grand Father Ambassador Sinclair. Who went back in time to become Valen. You know all this reminds me of what my friends in temporal mechanics used to say.


“ There is no time like the present”

It did not take long once the shuttlecraft landed for the warriors to disembark and form up in order of march. As they headed off towards the Big Top scouts noticed dust clouds forming to the left and right of them. Sister Moreta took a detachment to investigate the left flank. While her long time counter part Sister Philipa took command of the other patrol. They strode off at an easy pace. Aglaranna advanced slowly until she came to the valley where the Big top was set up. She sensed a trap and halted waiting for her reconnaissance to report back.

Sister Philipa was the first to return. She reported that to the right was a force of Advertising agents parking officers and Local government officials all armed to the teeth. Sister Moreta then arrived with a concerned expression on her face. To the left was a contingent of Lawyers, Clowns, Dark Mimes and a special contingent of Grey Haired middle-aged librarians who figured that Hitler was a good guy just misunderstood.


********************************************

Zathras stopped in the middle of his not knowing but would be telling speech to point to what appeared to be a solid wall announcing that that was the way out. Without waiting for the others he walked through what appeared to be a wall. Merle looked at Nomad shrugged and followed, the rest followed after them. They found themselves on the service facing the sisters of Dalia and moved to join them.

Aglaranna was consulting with her lieutenants when they arrived. Noting that Lastone was not with them Aglaranna raised a silent but questioning eyebrow in Wildcards direction. Wildcard nodded and pulled out a seeker card and throw it on the ground. It burst into a mystical blue fire rose and hovered over Aglaranna for a few seconds. The Expression on Wildcards face changed from concern to astonishment. Then the blue fire headed back into the tunnels. Seconds passed then minutes. Then a low rumble was heard from deep under the ground to be followed by and eruption of smoke dust and rock fragments.

Quiet ensued. The sisters and the rest of the misguided miscreants stood ready. Then the headless body of one of the alien creatures flew out of the opening the powerful acid that was their blood reacting to the atmosphere and giving the impression of a smoking torso.

Then quite negligently Lastone appeared and wandered over to the group. Aglaranna rushed towards him and alternated between hugging him and slapping him in the face. This had happened to Lastone before. The last time was after he and Q had returned from the cactus universe. Aglaranna was so please to see him and so peeved that he had been away for so long she could not decide which emotion to go with. He was used to such rapid mood swings so he went with the bear hug that held the arms and the kiss. After a few seconds Aglaranna calmed down.

Looking around Lastone could not see Qray and Veneno and Gave a questioning eye to Wildcard. Who shrugged in response. Then in a voice for all to hear

“Ah! Guys! The queen is coming and she’s not alone and I don’t think she is happy”

John Sheridan watched on and noticed something warm in his pocket. The triluminary seemed to be reacting to the approach of the Alien Queen.

[Merle]

Merle looked down at his assets list, and saw that indeed where he had written "Zathras" only to scratch it out after the alien burst from his chest, now showed simply "Zathras" with no strike through. He turned to Nommy.

"Um, didn't we have to waste Zathras, what with the alien in his chest and all?"

Nommy looked at Merle like he was weird. "What are you talking about?"

Merle coulda sworn Zathras had bought it, but sure enough, he'd led them out here to Aglaranna and the Cavalry. He scratched his head.

Wonder what that's all about? He wondered. Then it hit him. Someone was messing with temporal mechanics!