I do not own any of these characters, I am just having fun with them.

Mission Seven

Operation Rescue

By Lilidelafield

Silver was standing, staring ahead of him, his mind a long way away from the present. Where was the present? Other time agents bustled about him, both operators and specialists. He felt disconnected from events going on around him. As though he were in a separate bubble of existence of his own where he lived and just observed the outside world.

He knew it was a figment of his imagination, but he could not see any real reason to rejoin reality. That was until someone hit him in the back, so hard that he almost fell over.

"Silver!"

Lead's jovial face looked uncharacteristically solemn.

"Silver, what happened to you? You've been away for ages. The authority has work for you, and for Sapphire and Steel, but Steel is not answering the call. Do you know where he is? Silver, what's happened to you?"

Silver could see that Lead was trying to talk to him, but it seemed unimportant. He felt disjointed from the universe. Nothing seemed to matter now. How had he even got back here?

Lead frowned. Something was seriously wrong here. Silver appeared to be almost catatonic…a malady usually reserved for humans, not elements. He took him by the arm and led him away.

"Come on my friend, I think you need some help."

The authorities were angry. Silver had been so badly shocked, he had been unable to satisfactorily answer any of their questions, so they probed his mind. They looked and they saw the Transients. The Transients had received help from someone or something, had escaped from their time-lock, and had come through time and space to attack the natural law and order of the universe. Now all the agents were being recalled from their missions. Sapphire and Steel were their best and most successful agents, and the authority had plans for their future still. Plans which did not extend to allowing them an everlasting holiday in any sort of time trap. The mission for all Elements and Transuranics…find and rescue Sapphire and Steel; then find and punish the Transients guilty of meddling so badly with time.

They were together in the meeting chamber, all of them. All talking and arguing over one another, all with their own ideas of what was best to be done. Lead stifled a sigh. Now, if Steel was here, there would have been none of this confusion. Steel would automatically take charge, and they all listened to him. Regardless of their personal feelings for the apparently straight-laced and unsociable Steel, they all had a great deal of respect for him. Steel along with his partner Sapphire received all the most difficult missions. And if anyone else had any difficulty concerning a mission, Steel would always have a firm opinion on it, even given minimal information. The irritating thing was, that he was all too often right. If they couldn't find a way to get him back, then their mission success rates would certainly take a sizeable knocking. Given that their missions very often involved problems with time, left to its own devices, things could become pretty knotty very quickly. Lead raised his voice and boomed out an order.

"Quiet everybody!"

The constant chatter and arguing stopped suddenly, and they were all looking at him. Lead glanced across at Silver, sitting hunched unhappily between Jet and Copper.

"Silver, you have to tell us everything about where you were and what happened. Let everyone here ask you questions as things occur to them. We all have our own areas of expertise. Between us we ought to be able to find some sort of weakness."

So Silver, rather stumblingly, began to recount his adventures at the wayside gas station, telling his story slowly, to give his fellow Elements time to absorb the information. After a while, a voice at the back spoke up. It was Curium, one of the Transuranic Elements.

"Silver, time was standing still at this place? And you said something about time jumping forward a couple of times, but still at a still moment?"

Silver nodded.

"Sapphire and Steel believed it was time trying to take charge again."

Curium nodded.

"I have the ability to create a bubble in time, but you can't just play with the forces of time like that unless you know what you are doing. Sapphire knows better than most what the results can be of meddling with time. What I have learnt though is that time will always fight back when it can, and those Transients have no idea what they are playing with. They cannot possibly know what they are doing or what the consequences will be. I admit that there is a certain element of fun when you are playing about with time but even I wouldn't go as far they seem to have gone here. It sounds to me as if they have created a static bubble of time outside of time itself, which will make them pretty much impossible to find; unless you have any memories we can call upon. The other point is, that there is no way of making an artificial time bubble absolutely stable. Time itself penetrates everywhere and everything. Even we Elements cannot escape time indefinitely, and we all know it."

"Do you have any suggestions Curium, as to how to go about finding them?"

"Keep watching time and space until their bubble pops. If we are quick, we might even get there before they die."

"Thanks Curium, but there is no telling how long that would be, and besides, we have no way in the universe of knowing where to look first."

Silver stood up suddenly. The others all looked at him with sympathy. He and Lead were known to be Sapphire and Steel's closest friends, after all, and they all knew that Silver still held something of a torch for Sapphire. He held his hands in the air, conjurer style.

"The Transients were using a machine of some kind, a time manipulator if you will…the one I had with me when I was transferred back here was transformed too, part of a trick of the Transients. But I still have the schematics for it in my mind…I can make another one. A real one. Because it will be an exact replica of the original, it will still carry the coordinates of its original location. We could use it then as the basis for a conduit of sorts…couldn't we?"

Lead nodded, encouragingly. He glanced round the room.

"Anyone have any knowledge that will help us here?"

Curium frowned.

"I know the machine you are referring to, but you will do better with a secondary way to pinpoint the exact location. That thing will get you into the time bubble and out again, but if they have drifted through space, then this conduit you want to create will go nowhere."

"When Sapphire first looked into the box and saw the future, I saw it too. It was just stars. But each time she looked, they were the same stars. Could we map out exactly where they are from that? If I focus…?"

Curium huffed.

"Well since Transuranics are not telepathic, I'll sit this one out, thanks."

Lead looked round.

"Your knowledge is invaluable Curium, thank you. Everyone, if we all connect and make Silver our center point, Radium, perhaps you can focus our combined mental energies into creating an external three dimensional image that Curium and the other Transuranics can see?"

Radium nodded, and stood up, facing Silver directly, touched Silver's forehead with the palm of one hand, and with the other he raised it to the space directly above their heads. The elements in the room all reached out and touched fingertips with the individuals beside them until everyone was connected. They closed their eyes and focused. Silver closed his eyes and forced his mind to reach back through time. Mentally he was back in the room with Sapphire…he opened the box for her and they looked into its depths. He forced his mind to stay on the image within the box, to ignore the events that had followed that had very nearly led him to a breakdown. The stars, remember the stars, the stars, the stars….

There was a blinding flash of light, and there, shining from the palm of Radium's outstretched hand was a three dimensional view of part of a galaxy. All in the room studied it. Suddenly, Curium started to laugh.

"I know where that is, and so should all of you. That is the view of the universe as seen from earth during the Triassic period. The Transients have made one mistake. Just one, but it might be enough. They've sent them back in time but anchored them to a static point in space."

"They are jealous of our freedom to travel…" Silver breathed suddenly. "That's why they've anchored them. Remove all freedom. Hide them in a static time pocket where they won't be noticed unless we know exactly where to look, without the ability to travel through space or through time. Not even forward in the normal way."

He rubbed his hands together and when he parted them slowly, the box was there. Lead clapped him on the back.

"There's a boy." He declared in his booming voice. "Radium, Curium, can you work out the exact special coordinates from this image?"

"Of course." Radium replied, Curium nodding. The two elements focused their minds on the image until it exploded into fragments of light and disappeared. Curium looked round at his fellow Transuranics. They all looked at each other and nodded. If elements as powerful as Sapphire and Steel had been lured into a trap, then who was saying that the Transient Beings wouldn't try again? They were willing to put aside their personal differences with the regular elements for the time being in order to help defeat their common enemy.

Finally, they had all the information they needed to do this thing. All one hundred and twenty-seven elements stood up, focused their minds on their time and space location, and teleported.

They were on earth, millions of years in the past, standing in the middle of a vast plane, with a few wilting conifer trees to break up the horizon, but that was all. No wonder the Transient Beings had become tired of living in this place, thought Lead inconsequentially. He looked round as his fellow elements all appeared one after the other. They were all buoyed up, their energy levels peaked.

They were standing in a large circle, all facing inwards, and looking up. Copper and silver stood in the center of the circle to act as conductors, with lead to insulate them and provide extra protection; stop them burning out before they were through. Silver handed the time box to Curium, and glancing at Copper, he raised his head.

"Ready, Copper?"

Copper nodded.

"Let's get this show on the road." He replied. "Are you ready everyone?"

Curium opened the time box, and immediately the vortex shot out, straight up and into space. Radium supported Curium's left hand with his arm to keep the box as steady as they could, whilst they raised their left hands. Curium closed his eyes, seeking the time bubble at the end of the vortex. They had to make sure the time corridor went to the right place, and make it stable enough for two-way travel without anyone becoming stranded. They sent out waves of time energy to stabilize the vortex being created by the box until the shimmering electro-magnetic forces started to stabilize. By this time, Radium was starting to flag. Lead looked round.

"Jet, can you supply the energy to keep Radium and Curium going?"

"No problem." She replied confidently. "Do you guys need a conductor or an insulator?"

Gritting his teeth, Radium shook his head. Curium turned his head and called out to his fellow Transuranics. They would be able to act as the conduits he needed to transmute Jet's pure power into the form he needed. As the entire group continued to focus, the vortex gained in form and the haphazard energy spiking started to subside.

"Someone needs to go inside now and find out if we have reached the right place. Who is best suited?"

Lead was most suited to go, but he was needed to protect Silver and Copper from burning out. Diamond ducked out of her place in the circle. Her companions filled her space smoothly as she stepped into the middle of the ring.

"Curium, how long have I got?"

"All day as far as I'm concerned, but you had better not take too long, or we'll lose Copper, Silver and Lead too with all this energy we're focusing through them.!"

Silver, with teeth gritted, gave Diamond a nod.

"We'll hold on as long as we need to…. just don't dawdle…please?"

Diamond took a deep breath, stepped to the brink of the vortex… and dived in.

Steel saw no point in staring out of the window at the view of the stars. The view was never going to change. Sapphire had said very little to him ever since they had become stranded here. If he had not been so determined to act the gentleman, they could have avoided this trap. Silver had urged him to leave, escape while he could, and he had refused. Where was Silver now? Was there any chance of Silver affecting a rescue?

"NO!"

Steel whipped round, unaware that he had transmitted that thought. Sapphire had turned to face him.

"I saw space, forever in that box Steel. Forever. It means we will always be here, forever and ever and ever…our own version of hell."

"It might be heaven for some people." Steel remarked. She eyed him coolly.

"Well not for me. This place is cut off from everyone and everything. I am sure that Silver, Lead, Jet and the others will be looking for us, but how can they possibly find us?"

She turned back to face the view. He came up behind her, his voice soft and sorrowful.

"I'm sorry Sapphire… I'm the one responsible for falling into this trap… I should have listened to Silver when he urged me to leave."

"Yes, you are responsible, Steel."

The words came out harsher than she had intended, and she was instantly sorry, seeing how he flinched. She cupped her hands around his face and kissed the tip of his nose.

"You did what you did because of what and who you are, which is why I work with you and not with Silver. How can I condemn or criticize you Steel for being exactly what you are? But I can't help feeling that the rest of eternity might start to get a little…. dull after a while."

"Well, there are some compensations to being alone together for all eternity." He replied with a straight faced twinkle. "We are unlikely to be…disturbed…"

He took her chin in his hand and kissed her full on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, pulling him close to her. It seemed that forever came and went in that moment. Just the two of them and the silence, when there was a very distinct sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Err…hmmm! Sorry to intrude on this very personal moment, but the bus is about to leave, so if you would care to get on board?"

Sapphire and Steel whipped around in shock. Diamond was standing with her arms folded, a wide grin plastered across her face as she watched them. Sapphire ran across the room and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her close.

"Diamond! I have never been so happy to see anybody! How did you get here? Any chance of getting out?"

Diamond raised her eyes to Steel and smirked.

"If I'd have known I'd have told the guys to give you a minute, but as it is, poor Silver, Copper and Lead are all on the verge of burnout, what with ripping a hole across the universe, so if you will come with me…and hurry!"

They followed Diamond across the room and followed as she opened the pantry door. Beyond it was the vortex, now starting to shake the entire room with the energy it was producing.

"Go on you two, hurry!" Diamond urged. "We can't keep it going too much longer. Just dive in and hurry! Or you really will be stuck in this place forever!"

Sapphire gave Steel a quick kiss on the cheek and dived head first into the vortex. At Steel's urging, Diamond entered next, and as the energy fluctuations started to really take a hold, Steel took a run and dived in himself.

Sapphire, then Diamond and finally Steel landed with a crash on the black dirt of the earth, surrounded by their fellow elements. Jet's energy output faltered and died as she saw they had succeeded. Released from her energy spike, Radium, Curium and the Transuranics relaxed their stance and sat down on the hard ground to recover their strength for the trip home. Copper, Silver and Lead collapsed, almost spent. Sapphire and Diamond were unconscious. Steel had landed on his knees and for several moments he stayed there, watching a pair of beetles scurrying away from him in terror. He was breathing heavily. Finally, he looked up. His friends, colleagues, even those he would have believed did not look upon him with any kind of liking, they were all there. All united in their determined efforts to free him. He looked round, and made eye contact with everyone in turn.

"Thank you…." He said, wishing there was something more profound to express his gratitude for all they had done. "Thank you all…"

He saw the unstable Transuranic elements sitting together. He knew that a large proportion of his thanks should go to them. Curium nodded to him.

"If I ever need a favour, Steel, I'll know who to come to first." He called out. Steel finally allowed himself to smile. He knelt down where five of his friends were just starting come round.

"Sapphire! Sapphire!"

She opened her eyes.

"Did I dream it Steel? Are we really rescued?"

"We are really rescued, Sapphire. Our friends found a way to rescue us."

She sat up and hugged him in her elation, then she saw Silver and the others.

"Diamond, wake up! Lead! Silver, it's Sapphire! Copper, thank you!"

Diamond bounced to her feet, smiling merrily round. Lead hugged Sapphire so hard he lifted her off her feet, laughing loudly all the while.

"Oh Sapphire, it's so good to have you and Steel back. The Authority are furious about what the Transients did to you two, and action is being taken to deal with it. In the meantime, they want you two back safely."

When Silver had awakened, suitably recharged, and Sapphire had hugged him, she took him quietly aside.

"Silver, you saw inside that box when I did. It showed me my future, you saw. Endless future of space. Nothing but space. I never expected to get rescued because I already knew my future."

Silver smiled.

"I just make the box Sapphire; I can't explain it. You might be able to see how long a man will live just by touching him, but how can a machine predict how you are going to spend your future? It can show you things it knows for sure, but how can it predict the future of creatures like us? I think it was showing you the future of that café. It won't stay in that time bubble forever. Curium believes that bubble will collapse eventually, but when it does, the café will then be truly floating through the cosmos forever."

Sapphire closed her eyes, but some instinct prevented her from probing that far. She shook her head.

"No, I can't look. I can't, but you may be right Silver. It showed me the future of the café, rather than my personal future? Thank you." She looked round at everyone, all of her fellow elements, all banded together to help free her and Steel. How could she ever forget all they had done?

"Thank you. Thank you all."

She turned to her partner. Steel was waiting for her and he gave her a rare smile. She placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm ready to go home now."

Steel glanced round at his fellow elements. He had never been the most sociable type, but he owed all of them this time. He held tightly to Sapphire with one hand and held out the other toward Curium.

"Let's all go home together."

Curium grinned and took his hand. All hundred and twenty-seven elements in all held hands and in a flash of brilliant white light, they were gone. All that was left was a large circular scorch-mark on the ground. It started to rain.